Across Eternity Read online

  "Were you born and raised in Dana Point?"

  "No just south of here in Oceanside. My dad worked at Camp Pendleton for a while."

  "Is he a Marine?"

  She shook her head. "He worked in maintenance at the naval hospital. My sister and I moved here after we graduated from high school. Through a friend of a friend we were able to get a great deal on an apartment so we couldn’t pass it up."

  God, she was beautiful, Logan thought as he stared at her. Her chin was casually propped on her hands, her elbows rested on the table and the most amazing look was on her face. His gaze was drawn to her lips when she spoke, enjoying the way her mouth moved. She smiled incessantly and he adored her for it. She had come to him like this in his dreams—beautiful, smiling, and happy.

  When he was ten he had missed her terribly—her absence had left a hole in him. He had tried to find solace in the fact that she was here, but the loneliness had been heartbreaking. When he was fifteen it was to the point it was unbearable. Then out of the blue one glorious night he had dreamt of her. Those dreams had come when he had needed them most.

  He would never forget that night because it not only broke five agonizing years of not seeing her, but when he had dreamt of her she was a woman. A beautiful, grown woman whom he knew intimately. It was the first time he had wanted her and it was the first time he knew she was more than just his best friend.

  It had taken him weeks and several books on reincarnation to figure out what his dreams were all about. He believed he was seeing her in past lives they had shared together because she changed each time she appeared. Sometimes she had blond hair and other times she was a brunet. Her eyes could be blue but just as often they could be green and brown too. At times she was passive and quiet and others she was strong-willed and animated. She always changed. And every change brought him pleasure.

  At night he couldn’t wait to see the different women she had been and the lives they had shared. Without fail, every life they had spent together he had loved her deeply. Being able to see her and all they had shared like this brought him comfort and restored his confidence that he would find her.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" Amber asked him softly.

  He cleared his throat. "I’m in awe." His fingers rested against his temple as he watched her intently. "I just can’t get over how great…this…you…how great all this is."

  Though she didn’t make a verbal attempt to reply to his comment, Logan knew she understood what he was talking about by the way she dipped her head momentarily and then raised her gaze to meet his eyes. The shy gesture wasn’t because she was unsure. It was because she felt it too.

  Glancing down at the empty table he asked. "Would you like to order something? Are you hungry?"

  "No."

  "How about a drink?" He looked around for the server. "Does wine or champagne sound good?"

  Amber shook her head. "No, I’m fine."

  "Please, tell me more about you."

  And she did.

  Logan discovered that she was quick-witted, easy to talk to, and so friendly you couldn’t help but like her. Her fun-loving nature was infectious and he found himself fighting the impulse to smile continuously and restraining himself from touching her. She was all he’d hoped for and more.

  He felt like a horse chomping at the bit. He wanted to tell her that they belonged together—that they had been together hundreds of times before. That he had dreamed about her for most of his life but it was too soon. Patience would be difficult but he knew the importance of timing.

  The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off by telling her things she wasn’t ready to hear. Besides, all that could wait. He was enjoying the moment and all they were sharing. He would know when the appropriate time would come—she would let him know she was ready.

  Chapter Four

  Though it wasn’t that surprising, Amber thought Logan was a great conversationalist. She enjoyed his perspective on an array of different topics. He seemed to have an interest in everything. And to her delight, he listened well and never avoided any subject. A few times she thought she’d catch him off guard but he just rolled with it and steered the conversation wherever she wanted it to go.

  As he continued to tell her about himself, she drank up all the information. He was a successful businessman. However he liked to think of himself as semi-retired because he had turned most of the day-to-day operations over to his associates. He took pleasure in the outdoors, which he claimed his father taught him to love. Hiking and sailing were his favorite activities, but he also enjoyed taking in a play or going to a museum. He didn’t care for cooking, he liked his coffee strong, and he enjoyed a good bottle of wine.

  Despite their obvious differences in social class and age, to Amber’s surprise, he made her feel comfortable and at ease. She liked that about him. Actually, she couldn’t picture feeling any other way around him.

  She was guessing he was around ten years her senior. The crow’s-feet feathering out from his eyes, the visible creases across his brow, and his strong jaw line might be tacking on a few extra years, but she wasn’t sure. His beautifully, tanned skin also gave him an air of older masculinity—like he’d weathered many years. He reeked of influence yet she didn’t think he had an arrogant bone in his body.

  His physical appearance, which she was so obviously drawn to, wasn’t the only attraction she felt. It was more than just his looks that pulled her in. It went deeper. It was the way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he looked at her. It was the quietness about him that captured her attention. He was modest and giving—a deep man who seemed to wear his true feelings on his sleeve. There were no pretenses to which he hid behind and she found it very refreshing.

  Since she’d been working at the restaurant, she’d noticed a pattern with men who had money. They had a holier than thou attitude emanating from them. They wore expensive clothes and drove fancy cars and sadly that was pretty much what constituted them. Amber called them money-grubbers and she knew that while most of them were not putting up a false front of success, if you were to dig deeper you’d find they were hollow and lacked a sense of self.

  Logan was extraordinary because he belonged nowhere near those types of men. He was in a class all his own simply because he wasn’t like the others.

  "So you’re a businessman?" she asked.

  "It’s how I earn a living but I devote very little of my time to business. It’s not a title that I claim."

  "Why?"

  "For me, business is really an uncomplicated job. It’s an easy way to make money. I like to put my energy into things that are a little more elusive and challenging." He smiled a quiet smile. "You seem surprised."

  "Frankly, I am." She glanced around at the men in the room who were wearing expensive suits and drinking even more expensive whisky. "Most of these men are entrepreneurs of some sort." She looked back to him. "Would you agree?"

  He glanced around and nodded. "Yes."

  "You have everything they have."

  "Monetarily, yes," he agreed.

  "How did you become so different?"

  With a slight smile he asked, "You think I’m different?"

  "Absolutely. You are nothing like them."

  "I’m glad you noticed." He watched her for a long moment before he finally said, "Most of these men want to dominate something. They control with their power, or their money, or even their intelligence, which is all part of the industry and most likely what made them successful. However, I have no desire to do that."

  "But yet you’re still successful," she pointed out.

  "Fortunately I am." He winked. "When I opened my first business and success was imminent, my mom pulled me aside and told me "now no actin’ ugly". She shook her finger at me when she said it, too."

  Amber laughed in surprise as he waved his finger in front of her. "I like that."

  "As you might imagine, my mom has no use for complexity. She can convey more in a simple phrase than in a thousand words. Don’t get me wrong, she’s extremely animated and loveable but she never wanted us to get too full of ourselves no matter how successful my sister or I became."

  "Well, I think they are words we can all live by. Besides, no one should strut around like they are better than someone else. We should treat people the way we want to be treated."

  "I agree. It’s very rare that I act ugly." He grinned a little. "And when I do, I like to think it’s because I have a good reason. What words of wisdom did your mother pass on to you?"

  She looked away from him, quiet as she glanced out into the breeze and the darkness. "The sage advice I received was not near as wise as your mom’s. Actually, I can’t remember any good advice that she ever gave me."

  Logan stared at her quietly in the weak candlelight.

  "She was much too wrapped up in herself to bother."

  "You seem like you did well without it," he said softly.

  Amber looked back at him. "I muddled my way through, though it would have been nice to have that guidance to fall back on. She did really good things for other people from time to time but she just never extended that to me." She shrugged her shoulders. "I’m not sure why but now that I am older I realize that she just didn’t have it in her to give to me."

  "I’m sorry."

  "Don’t be. I got over it a long time ago."

  "Some people do the best they can and still fall short," he offered.

  She nodded in agreement. "I think she fits into that category. I guess in a way it’s a comfort to know she did her best." Reluctantly, she looked down at her watch. "I don’t want to do this—"

  "Then don’t."

  "I have to. My shift is going to end soon," she pointed out. "Rachael and Sandy have been covering my tables and I thi
nk it’s best if I get back to work."

  "I understand."

  "And there is no telling how much trouble I’m going to be in with Mr. Hendricks."

  "You won’t be in any trouble," he replied confidently.

  "Well, if I am," she insisted seriously. "I’d like to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. I don’t want to have to be here all night. Besides, I should really relieve the girls of my tables. It’s not fair to have them cover for me like this."

  Logan nodded in agreement as a flash of understanding lit his eyes. "I guess all good things must come to an end."

  "Yes, they do." Amber stood and then smiled when Logan stood too. "I’ve had a very enjoyable time."

  "I have too," Logan said.

  "And if I do end up getting reprimanded for it, it was entirely worth it," she said with a slight laugh.

  "That’s good to know." He extended his hand to her.

  When she took his hand an odd sensation moved through her. It was unusual because it was familiar yet at the same time it was foreign. She knew what it felt like to hold his hand but she couldn’t fathom how she knew this. After all they had shared she thought the handshake was too formal. A hug was what she really wanted. Heck, she wanted to throw her arms around him in a tight embrace that was meant for a long lost friend who had just been rediscovered—but she didn’t have the nerve to initiate it. If she held him she knew she wouldn’t ever want to let him go.

  She wanted to ask if she would see him again but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words. "Good night," she said softly. Turn and walk away she told herself. She found that she didn’t want to leave the beautiful cocoon that they had spun around themselves. In fact, she could have easily sat there and talked with him the entire night.

  Her hand swept across her stomach trying to ease the sudden fluttering. What if I never see him again? What if he walks out the door and that’s it. Could she go through life wondering?

  "Is there something you’d like to say?" Logan asked.

  "No."

  He reached for his coat and slipped it on. Come on, Amber, just tell me you remember. He desperately wanted to hear her say she remembered him. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy but he secretly hoped that it would be. "Are you sure?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Good night, Amber." He turned, took a few steps, and then looked over his shoulder at her. "Thank you for indulging me."

  She raised her hand suddenly. "Wait."

  He stopped.

  Amber shook her head quickly. "Never mind, it’s nothing." She smiled weakly. "Have a good night, Logan."

  "I already have."

  Chapter Five

  The moment Rachael had the opportunity to get to Amber she hooked her arm through Amber’s, spun her around, and pulled her into a nook beside the entrance of the kitchen. She leaned in and whispered. "Ooh-la-la."

  "Tell me about it," Amber said as she fanned her face with her hand and pulled at the collar of her shirt. "I feel like I’m on fire."

  Rachael’s eyes sparkled as she rubbed her hands together briskly. "I’d love to just eat that man up."

  "Rach." Amber smacked her friend’s arm playfully as her jaw dropped in disbelief. "I can’t believe you just said that." She rolled her eyes. "Who am I fooling? That’s totally something you’d—"

  "It’s the truth," she interrupted. Then with a wink and a cluck of her tongue she added. "I’d also like a side order of—"

  "Stop. You’re shameless."

  "Shameless, are you kidding me the man is gorgeous. Not to mention sexy as hell."

  Amber approved her friend’s opinion with a long sigh. "He is, isn’t he?"

  Rachael snickered and then resumed a serious face before looking over her shoulder to make sure the coast was still clear. "Fill me in. And don’t you dare leave anything out."

  Amber reached out and squeezed Rachael’s arm excitedly. "I’m not sure where to start."

  "I would prefer you start at the beginning. You guy’s looked so into each other," Rachael said with excited enthusiasm that matched her friends. "And by the way, how did you get him? He was at one of my tables."

  "A stroke of good fortune," Amber said as she arched a brow. "I guess."

  "No shit, it’s a stroke of good fortune." She shook her head. "I didn’t even see him come in. And the hostess didn’t tell me I had someone at my table. It was like he just appeared. By the time I noticed him you were already taking his order." Rachael pressed her lips together firmly and then nodded. "I think fate had a huge hand in it, too."

  "Yes, fate," she repeated quietly. It was odd at how well that seemed to fit their situation.

  "Now, tell me what the heck happened over there."

  Amber expelled another long sigh as she mentally relived the encounter. "It was amazing. He was amazing." She shook her head and smiled so big it almost hurt. "My head is still reeling. I don’t know if I can explain it or put it into words but I had this instantaneous sense that I knew him. Then when we started talking that’s all it took." She raised both hands and looked heavenward. "I was lost in him."

  "He looked like he was just as lost in you." Rachael’s long, brown ponytail bounced around wildly as she spoke. "I’ve never seen a man look at a woman the way he was looking at you." Her hand fell against her heart. "Seriously, I’d kill to have a man look at me like that."

  God, she felt like a teenager again. Actually, Amber couldn’t remember ever feeling like this, not even when she was a teen. "So, I wasn’t the only one who noticed?"

  "Are you kidding, half the room noticed." Rachael pulled her in close and spoke under her breath. "You are the envy of every single woman in here. Trust me I heard some of their comments."

  Amber batted her lashes comically. "Now did you?"

  "I sure did. I wasn’t the only woman in the room that wanted to eat him up. And if you hadn’t of been so mesmerized by him you would have seen some of their looks."

  "Could they have killed?" Amber asked with a wicked grin.

  "Girl, you would have been dead."

  "It’s crazy but we had this connection that I’ve never felt before" She sighed again simply because she couldn’t control herself. "It was extraordinary and romantic. It was new but old. It was… Rach, why are you looking at me like that? I know I sound like a lovesick puppy but it’s true. It was like we were old friends, old lovers—what? Stop looking at me like that. You said you wanted me to tell you everything. Well this is it."

  "You don’t know who he is, do you?"

  Amber lifted her shoulders. "He said his name was Logan Richards."

  Rachael’s head cocked to the side like she was about to reveal something big. "And do you know who Mr. Richards is?"

  "No, should I? Is he famous?" Her heart began to flutter as her insides shook. "He looks like he could be. Maybe that’s why he seems so familiar to me."

  "He’s not movie star famous. He’s entrepreneur famous."

  "Yes, he said he was a businessman but I don’t understand how I should know him."

  "He is the owner of this restaurant."

  "What?" Amber snapped out as she drew back in surprise.

  Rachael grinned as she continued. "Along with several others in town. I think he owns a handful of businesses overseas, too. Though I’m not really sure what they are. I’ve just heard he’s a big-wig around town but he doesn’t roll with the social circle."

  "He owns The Pavilion," Amber said in utter disbelief. "Are you sure?"

  "I’m positive. In the three years I’ve worked here I’ve only seen him once. He keeps a low profile and doesn’t come in here much. Besides, after Mr. Hendricks left your table, he made a mad dash back to the kitchen to tell the chef that the owner was in the house."

  Amber felt anger and betrayal start to rise as all the information Rachael was giving her sank in. No wonder why Mr. Hendricks was so indulgent. Jesus, she must have looked like a fool. Stepping back, she bumped into the wall. Crossing her arms over her chest protectively, she began shaking her head. "I can’t believe this."

  "Believe it."

  "No, he can’t be the owner. He would have told me." He had shared so much of himself with her he surely would have shared that too. Lifting her eyes she focused on Rachael. "You’re mistaken."