Swept Away (12 page)

Amber chuckled. “Want to go for a little drive? This could take a while.”

“Yeah.” Brittany smiled. “Hey, I could seriously use some ice cream.”

“Me, too. Boy, could I use some ice cream.”

“Be careful with that. It’s fragile.” Amber directed the movers to place her mom’s favorite antique curio cabinet in the sunny dining room near the huge wall of windows. She’d never seen a house with as many windows or surrounded by so many mountains in the distance. Light filled the whole house all day long.

She heaved a heavy box of books into her arms and tried to carry it to her room at the end of the long hallway. About halfway down the hall, she lost her grip and the box started to slip. Squatting down, she let the box slide to the floor and pulled it the rest of the way to her room. Weird not having stairs, but at times like this it sure came in handy. The cardboard slid easily on the hardwood floors her mom had always wanted.

Once she made it to her room, Amber opened the box and began to arrange her books and photo albums on the built-in bookcases. A large, hardcover photography book slipped from her hands.
Whap!
—the loud sound made her jump. Not having carpet would take some getting used to.

Thirsty, Amber wandered down the hallway from her bedroom, past the French doors that led to her parents’ master suite. She glanced in and saw them in the bathroom, looking at the whirlpool tub, in deep conversation with the Realtor. She moved through the huge great room with its vaulted ceilings and room-dividing fireplace that reminded her of a ski lodge—and into the bright, green and white kitchen with its granite countertops and ceramic-tile floor. This house was quite a bit smaller than their old house. But what it lost it size, it sure made up for in character. Mom’s dream house in every way. She deserved it—in fact, moving into her dream house was a great way to spend her birthday.

With a lump in her throat, Amber thought of her mom—faithful, giving, patient. She worked hard at making their house a home and showing love to her family. Mom had donewithout for so many years, just so Amber could have the best possible stuff. Amber couldn’t remember a time when she’d had to do without. Ever. She thought of the surprise package she had stowed away in her room—couldn’t wait to give it to her mom later over a special dinner Amber planned to prepare for her. This would be Mom’s best birthday ever.

Amber glanced at her can of Coke—the days of generic cola were apparently over. She took a long drink and gazed out the window at the mountains. On the way to the new house, Amber had been surprised that the five-hour drive only took them as far as the other side of the same mountain range she’d admired her whole life.

Same mountain, whole new perspective.

Same Amber, whole new perspective
.

She shook her head and chuckled. Since when had she become a philosopher? Time to unpack some clothes. She grabbed her Coke and headed to her room, tempted to take a running start and slide across the floors. Before she had a chance to do it, the doorbell rang. Who could it be? They didn’t know anyone in town yet.

Rounding the corner toward the small foyer off the dining room, she could see an arm in the smoky-glass window that ran the length of the door. The visitor shifted, and Amber could make out a bit more of the arm and a bit of leg. Then, even more.
Brittany!
She threw the door open and hugged her. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think I’d see you for two weeks.”

“Oh, I came a little early. We need time to explore, silly! My parents are going to drive up with my stuff in ten days.”

“You mean we have ten days just to hang out before school starts?”

“Yep, I have to be at UW for registration on the nineteenth. Until then, we can do whatever. Your parents were in on it, too. Surprise!”

“This is exactly what I needed! I tried to be brave, but I definitely felt a little sad.” She threw her arms around Brittany again. “I’m so glad you’re here, Britt. What are we going to do first?”

“Well, from the looks of things around here, unpack.” Brittany looked in exaggerated horror at the boxes and piles of things to be put away.

“I do have a lot to do here, and it’s Mom’s birthday. I was going to make her dinner.” Amber shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry. I know it’s probably not what you had in mind. But we can hit the town tomorrow. Okay?”

“That’s perfect. Now, show me around so we can get started.” Brittany headed into the house. She whistled when she saw the great room. “This is awesome. Wow.” She stepped back and looked up at the vaulted ceiling with the skylights. “This is so different from the old house.”

“I know. I’m never going to want to leave here.” Amber grinned. “Really, though, I’m just so happy for my mom and dad. They deserve this.”

At that moment, Amber’s parents came into the room and rushed to hug Brittany. “We’re so glad you could come and stay with us for a little while. It helps the transition for Amber, I’m sure.”

“I’m glad to be here. I can’t imagine why this”—she gestured around the room—”would be a difficult transition, though.”

“Change always has its challenges. Even good change.” Dad flipped the switch to turn on the gas at the fireplace. “Actually, I can’t stand gas fires. They don’t come close to the sound of crackling wood and the smell of the real thing. I have wood being delivered tomorrow that we’ll burn during the colder months. For now, though …” He pushed a button and the fire roared to life.

Amber glanced at her mom. She seemed happier than she’d ever been.
Hmm. She’d been right all along
. God had met their needs in perfect timing—more than their needs. She looked beyond the fireplace to the setting sun beyond the mountains.
Wait. Setting sun? Dinner!
“Britt, I’d better start dinner if we have any hope of eating it before midnight.”

“Great. I’ll help.”

In the kitchen, both girls washed their hands.

“What’s on the menu?” Brittany asked.

“It’s all her favorites. Grilled lamb chops, double-baked potatoes, grilled asparagus, and fresh salad with homemade dressing.”

“Wow. You can cook all of that?”

“Sure. I have the chops marinating, and the salad is ready to be tossed right before dinner’s ready. I’ve baked the potatoes once. Now we need to scoop the potato out of the skins and mix in the good stuff, then re-bake them.” Amber reached into the stainless steel refrigerator and handed Brittany the sour cream, butter, cheese, and green onions. “The asparagus will go on the grill at about the same time as the chops do. All that’s left is to make the dressing.”

“I had no idea you could cook like this.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot about me no one … well, what I mean is … I think I’ve been pretty selfish.

I never bothered to do much for other people.” She started scooping out the potatoes into a large mixing bowl, careful to leave the skins intact. “That’s changing.”

“I can see that.” Brittany grabbed the sour cream. “Here, let me help. How much of this goes in there?”

“Oh, let’s not count calories tonight. Pour the whole thing in here.”

“You read my mind.” Brittany scooped every last drop of sour cream into the bowl along with the shredded cheese, onion, and butter.

Once they mixed it all together, then salted and peppered it, Amber scooped huge mounds of the potato mixture into the skins that lay waiting on a tray. They sprinkled bacon, a few more green onion pieces, and some paprika on top. A piece of aluminum foil covered the tray, which got set aside until a bit later.

“I cannot wait to eat those potatoes!”

“Wait until you taste the lamb.”

“I want to unbutton my pants … how gluttonous is that?” Amber’s mom laughed. “That is the best meal I’ve had in a long time. Thank you so much, sweetie.”

“Oh my. I agree. You girls did an amazing job.”

“Don’t thank me.” Brittany shook her head. “Amber pretty much had it all done before I even got here. It was all her.”

“Well, I’m glad you liked it. Don’t go anywhere, though. There’s still dessert—strawberry shortcake.” Amber stood up to get the cake.

“Oh no.” Mom laughed. “That’s going to have to wait until later, I’m afraid.”

“That’s fine. But I want to give you your birthday present now. Okay?” She couldn’t wait any longer.

“Sure. But this dinner was present enough for me. What else could there be?”

Amber scurried to her bedroom, socks slipping on the floor as she went. She dived to the floor and dug under her bed for the wrapped package she’d hidden there. As she left her bedroom, she reached up to switch off the light.
No sense wasting money
. She smiled to herself—amazing how things had changed.

Back in the dining room, she handed her mom the box. “Before you open this, Mom, I want to say thank you.”

“You’re giving me a present, but you’re thanking me? I don’t get it.”

“I want you to know how much I appreciate all you’ve sacrificed for me over these past years. I think back and realize I’ve acted like a spoiled brat. You gave up the most—you wore old clothes, you never bought new furniture or cars, you never got to go out to nice places, you didn’t even have a cell phone—but I did.” She gestured around the room. “I’m so glad to see you getting the chance to have some things that you’ve wanted.”

“Amber, all I’ve ever wanted has been to see you and your dad happy. I don’t really care about those things you mentioned. I’d rather have time with you guys than a new car. I’d rather sit down to a dinner like this, lovingly prepared by my daughter, than go to the fanciest of restaurants.” She dabbed her eyes with a napkin. “I’ve lived my dream. This house is just icing on the cake. I’d have been fine, forever, without it.”

“That’s exactly what makes you so wonderful.” Dad spoke up and reached across the table to pat her hand. “I’m dying to see what’s in the box, though.”

“Yeah, open it,” Brittany urged. “I think I know what it is.”

Amber winked at her.

Mom pulled off the pink bow and tore off the floral wrapping paper. She turned the box over and read the words on the cover:
Donna Karan
. “Really?”

“Yeah. Whenever we watched those designer shows or flipped through magazines, she’s the only designer you really seemed to like.”

“Wow. I had no idea you noticed that.” She started to open the box. “It’s not that I didn’t like the other designers—I just felt Donna Karan designed the clothes I’d want to wear if I could—classic, yet stylish. Upscale, but not too flashy. A lot of her stuff, you could wear during the day or at night—if you’re the type of person who goes anywhere.” Mom laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Would you open it already?” Dad sounded impatient with all the talk of designers and fashion.

Mom pulled the top off the box and parted the layers of tissue paper, savoring the moment. She gasped when she saw the crisp white blouse layered under the emerald green pin-tucked blazer, lying on top of the perfect pair of black pants. “Oh, Amber. This is beautiful. How on earth did you ever afford this?”

“Oh, I returned a pair of jeans,” she winked at Brittany, “saved up some money, did some odd jobs—nothing major. Do you like it?”

“Sweetheart, I absolutely love it.” Mom wiped her eyes. “I … well … you know … this stuff isn’t important to me. But it sure does make me feel special—like a lady.” She looked at her husband. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want many things this expensive. But one or two classic pieces like this that will last forever—that can’t be bad, can it?”

“Babe, I wish I could have done this for you years ago.” He shook his head. “You’ve sacrificed too much.”

“No. It was just right. Without the waiting, none of this”—she gestured to the present on her lap and the house all around her—”would have been special at all.”

“You know what, Mom?” Amber piped up. “I totally get what you’re saying. If I hadn’t gone through—scratch that—if I hadn’t done what I did, I’d never have learned about what I had become. Now, the contrast is so glaring that it makes me appreciate the change so much more.”

They sat in silence, taking in the words. Amber soaked up the love around the table and felt bathed in warmth and love from her heavenly Father.

Mom stood up from the table. “You girls go on now, your dad and I will clean up.” She started to collect the dishes. “Go explore, see a movie, do something fun. Thank you so much for … well … for all of this—the dinner, the present, the love.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.” Amber hugged them both. “I love you both.”

“Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens. We’ll be back before too long.”

They turned to leave the kitchen, but Amber stopped short. “Hey, you guys. Would it be okay if we tried out a church together on Sunday?”

“Oh, Amber. And I thought my birthday couldn’t get any better.”

Dad smiled and nodded. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”