After what she did …”
JT’s eyes narrowed. “Thought you didn’t like gossip.”
She flushed. “I don’t.”
“Then maybe you should give your sister the benefit of the doubt on all that old stuff.” Frowning, he added, “I never believed it for a second.”
“You, too?” she demanded in a harsh whisper. “You’re going to be on Amanda’s side?”
“Not taking sides,” he said, pausing for a sip of coffee. “I’m just saying, you’re her sister. You should know her better than anyone else and I’m thinking you didn’t believe any of that nonsense people were talking about years ago, either.”
She flushed again and wasn’t happy about JT making her feel guilty. “It’s always Amanda,” she said bitterly. “Nathan’s never looked at me the way he looks at her. How can anyone be so blind?”
“Was wondering the same thing myself,” JT answered and stood up. He dropped money on the counter and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Pam.”
She watched him go and felt a twinge of regret for fighting with her best friend, but honestly. Since he was her best friend, shouldn’t he understand how she felt about all of this? Shouldn’t he be on her side?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and watching Hannah Poole scurry to yet another table to spread the word about Nathan and Amanda was all the impetus she needed to go and face down her sister.
“What is wrong with you?”
Amanda’s sister stormed into the office at the back of the diner a couple of hours later. Morning sunshine streamed through the window and the scent of coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls flavored the air-conditioned air. Amanda sighed and dropped her pen to the desk as the last, lingering effects of early-morning lovemaking disappeared with one look at the woman facing her. Pam’s eyes were narrowed, a flush stained her cheeks and her mouth was set in a tight, grim line.
Amanda set aside the paperwork she was laboring over and thought she’d even take a fight with Pam over filling out the supply list for the coming week. She hated paperwork and Pam knew it. So, naturally, her sister had completely abdicated that task the minute Amanda came back to town.
She had really hoped that Pam calling and asking for her help meant that her older sister was going to welcome her home. But, if anything, Pam’s antagonism seemed fiercer than ever.
Her conversation with Piper ran through Amanda’s mind as she looked at Pam, quietly fuming. Jealousy? Was it possible? If so, Amanda didn’t know how she would fix what was wrong between her and her sister. Because she wasn’t about to give up Nathan to make Pam feel better.
“What’re you talking about?”
Pam stepped into the office and closed the door quietly behind her with a soft click. Then she leaned against that door, hands behind her back. “You know exactly what I mean, Amanda. The whole town is talking about you. And Nathan.”
Her stomach jittered a little, but she’d known going in that she was going to be the hot topic of conversation in Royal. Ever since their dinner out at the TCC, people had been whispering. And Nathan leaving his car parked outside her place all night had pretty much put the capper on the whole situation.
“I know,” she said with a helpless shrug, “but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Well, you could stop chasing after him, that might be a start,” Pam snapped, pushing away from the door to stalk to the window overlooking the parking lot behind the diner.
Okay, she was willing to talk. To try to smooth things over with Pam. But she wasn’t going to sit there and be attacked without defending herself, either.
“Chasing him?” Amanda stood up. “I’m not chasing Nathan. I’ve never chased him.”
Pam whirled around and glared at her, eyes flashing. “Oh, you love being able to say that, don’t you?”
“What, the truth?”
Pam laughed harshly, walked toward the desk and leaned on the back of the visitor’s chair, positioned directly opposite Amanda. Shaking her short hair back from her face, she stared at her sister and blew out a breath before saying, “That just makes it better for you, doesn’t it? It’s the truth. Nathan chased after you all those years ago and now he’s doing it again.”
Just for a second, Amanda saw a sheen of tears in her sister’s eyes and she felt terrible. Then Pam spoke again and all sympathy went out the window.
“Hannah Poole is sitting out there right now,” Pam said, stabbing one finger toward the diner, “telling everyone how she saw Nathan’s car parked outside your place all night.”
Amanda winced a little. Well, they’d both known it would happen. They’d just have to ride out the gossip and wait for the first wave to dissipate.
“And this is my fault?” Amanda demanded.
“Oh, please.” Pam pushed off the chair, making the wooden legs clatter against the linoleum. “Like you don’t do everything you can to make sure he notices you. Big eyes. Soft voice.”
Amanda laughed shortly. This was getting weird. And how come she had never noticed before just how jealous of her Pam really was? “What are you talking about?”
“When you guys broke up before, it nearly ruined him,” Pam told her flatly. She took a deep breath and blew it out again before adding, “He stayed away from Royal for three years. He only saw his brother when Jake went to Dallas to visit him.”
They’d both lost a lot, Amanda thought. They had been so young that neither of them had reacted the way they should have to the tragedy that had torn them apart. They’d cut themselves off from not only each other, but also from their friends, their families. It was time they’d never get back, but hopefully, they’d learned something from all of that, too.
But even as she thought it, she wondered if she’d ever really be able to trust Nathan again. He hadn’t believed her. Hadn’t loved her when she had needed him most. Those dark days came back in a rush, swamping her mind with painful shadows until all she could do was whisper, “I stayed away, too, remember?”
Pam waved that off as if Amanda’s pain meant nothing. “This was Nathan’s home and he didn’t come back because he didn’t want to deal with having the town gossips tearing him apart. Over you.”
And just like that, old pain gave way to fresh anger. Pam was her sister and she was taking Nathan’s side in this? “And?”
“And now they’re doing it again.” Pam folded her arms over her chest and tapped the toe of one shoe against the floor. “And just like before, it’s all because of you.”
In a blink, Amanda’s temper ratcheted up to match her sister’s. Funny, when they were kids, Amanda had always looked up to Pam. And in an argument, Amanda had always backed down, both intimidated by her sister and unwilling to risk alienating Pam entirely. Well, she thought, those days were long gone. They were both adults now and Pam had been on her case for weeks already. Fine. They had problems—they’d either work them out or not. But damned if Pam was going to wedge herself between Amanda and Nathan.
“This isn’t any of your business, Pam. So back off.”
Pam drew her head back in surprise. But her stunned silence only lasted a second or two. “I’m not backing off. I’m the one who’s been here, Amanda. I’m the one who saw what you did to Nathan before. And I’m the one telling you to stop ruining his life.”
“Ruining his life? A little dramatic, don’t you think?”
“Hah. If the gossips chew on him for too long he’ll leave again.”
“Has it occurred