asked.
"I wouldn't know anymore," Freda said.
Amber felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of another woman flirting with him, touching him, telling
him how much she loved him.
That should have been me, she thought, as if it were happening right now, as she stared forlornly at the
2D representation of him.
At the bottom of the poster was the advertising copy, which started, in big letters: "Taylor Bolton
knows the difference a second can make ..."
She thought that she'd love to see him again, just to see if he recognized her now that she was all
woman. It really was a shame that he wouldn't be coming for Christmas. Perhaps they would have hit it off.
As well as being on the wall in the train station, he was on a wall not far from her apartment in just
his underwear. On that billboard he was the size of a giant, the muscles of his thighs and abs bulging. And, admittedly, that was not all that was bulging. She could see the poster whenever she left the house to get to the
mall. She often saw it on her way home from a job. Without fail, she saw it when she closed her eyes in bed at night and it was just her between the crisp white sheets; just her and her thoughts of him and what might happen
if they got together one night.
They might save conversation for the morning after.
"He's not coming home for Christmas," Freda said. "Nor for New Year. He's not sure
if he can make it for my birthday. I'll be lucky to get an email at this rate. It's all about him and the team now."
"He's got contracts," Amber said, feeling natural defending him. "Big commitments."
"I know you're in love with him," Freda teased, "but can't you pretend you're
on my side? He's a big boy and he spent all our childhood doing whatever the hell he liked and he's still getting away with it, so, you know, a little support."
"Er, 'he doesn't know what he's missing?'" Amber replied.
"Good," said Freda. "And he's an idiot."
"He's the 6 Billion Dollar Idiot," Amber added.
"Literally. Okay, I feel better. But what would make me feel even better is if you came for Christmas
Dinner. Family's the most important ..." Freda started, but then she remembered the accident. "I'm sorry," she said.
It was hard losing your family in a freak accident. Amber knew the difference a second could make.
"Please come," Freda said. "I can't bear to think of you alone this Christmas after
everything you've been through."
"It happens," Amber said, stone serious.
"All that you've been through," Freda said, "and here I am whining about my idiot head
brother."
"I like talking about your idiot brother," Amber said. "I can tell how much you love him."
She hoped that Freda couldn't detect the feelings that she had for him too as that would have been embarrassing and, well, just sort of icky.
They sat staring at Taylor's gorgeous, serious profile in silence.
"Creepy, isn't it?" Freda said.
"No," said Amber thoughtfully, lost for a moment. "Not really."
Freda looked at her curiously.
"It's not creepy," Amber said. "He's an ordinary guy, like all celebrities."
"Like any other ordinary billionaire celebrity?"
"They're still human."
Freda didn't look convinced.
"He used to be a family man," she said. "When