CAPTURE THIS (Updating regularly)

Chapter 32

It had been so long since she had seen her father when she returned home from school or work, that his sudden appearance on their sofa startled Amber as she opened the front door. She let out a startled yelp and dropped her bag on the floor. 

"Amber? What are you doing home so early?" Mr Riley asked, looking completely off guard. He rose quickly off of the couch  and approached her. 

Amber shrugged and kicked off her shoes. "I guess I could ask you the same thing, Dad. You're never home at this time, either. Did they finish up at the construction site early tonight?" 

Before Mr Riley could answer a little blonde woman walked into the living room holding two mugs off tea. In her surprise at what was playing out in front of her, Amber's mind could only focus on the fact that one of the mugs she was holding was Amber's. 

She set the coffee table, seemingly not having seen Amber. "David, I used some honey instead of sugar. It's much better for you, love." 

Love? Did this little lady just call her father 'love'? Why was there so much panic in his eyes? Why was he clutching her arm? 

"Steph, this is my daughter Amber,"  Mr Riley told the woman, patting Amber's arm tentatively. 

Amber couldn't control her face from sinking into a stunned frown. She turned to her father for an explanation but before she could say anything, she was enveloped into an abrupt hug, blonde hair tickling her face. It was over as fast as it had happened, the woman's sweet perfume still lingering in Amber's nose. 

"Of course, I know who she is. Your dad keeps a picture of both you girls in his wallet, you know," she replied, addressing Amber directly. 

Amber quickly rearranged her face to give this woman a polite smile in response. How did this woman know what was in her father's wallet? And what was she doing in their house, her heels comfortably kicked off near the couch? 

"Would you like a cup of tea, dear? The kettle's still hot." 

"That'd be great, love," Mr Riley replied for her, talking louder than was normal. 

And with that, Steph left the room, leaving a stunned silence behind her. 

"Okay, I should explain," Mr Riley said, releasing Amber's arm so that he could pace. 

Amber found her way the couch, her mind feeling as dense as bread. She pulled a cushion onto her lap and played with the hem, trying to put together the facts. 

There was a woman in her house, who seemed to be very comfortable with both the house and her father. She called her father 'love' and she knew about both Amber and Annette. Her father was expecting the house to be empty and he'd been spending increasingly more and more time away from home. Sometimes she wouldn't even see him until the next morning. 

"Steph's your girlfriend." Her conclusion had slipped out of her mouth before she could even absorb the information. 

"That's not exactly the word I would use," Steph replied, sounding amused, reappearing with yet another mug of tea. "But we enjoy each other's company, don't we, love?"

Mr Riley looked as though he had been caught in the headlights of a car. He nodded, his eyes flicking over to Amber anxiously.

"Your father wanted you to meet me in a better way than this. He wanted to take you out to dinner. Explain it all to you before you met me. I guess that's all out the window now, isn't it?" 

She laughed lightly, the sound of her laugh wrapping itself around Amber like a security blanket. 

 "I'm going to take my tea up to my room," Amber said suddenly, her wits finally catching up with her. "Give you guys some privacy."