Page 157 of Chandelier Enthralled
It wasn’t lost on me that I had done the same for Amelia on those chilly nights. We’d sat out here drinking wine. While I read, she would take a nap before bedtime, which always made me laugh.
Willa seemed to sense where my mind had gone. “Tell me more about how you met Amelia.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m good with complicated.”
“Our story reflects my lifestyle.”
“I want to hear.”
I took a deep breath. “Soon after we expressed an interest in buying Pendulum, we were introduced to Amelia.” I paused. “They presented her to Jake…as a gift.”
“Presented?”
“As a submissive.” I tried to explain it better. “With her consent, of course, she was matched with Jake. He’s a famous football player and—”
“Hot.”
“You could describe him as that, yes.” I smiled at her.
“You’re all pretty hot, actually.”
“I’m clearly the standout in our clique,” I joked.
“You really are,” she replied, winking at me.
“Anyway, I really liked Amelia. Managed to persuade Jake to let her go. He ended up with Stella. The rest is history.”
“What was she like?”
“Amelia?” I avoided glancing toward the pool, toward the place she took her last breath. “Playful, and a bit damaged. I tried to make her happy.”
“She liked being a submissive?”
“Yes.”
“Did she spend much time here?”
“Some. We had only been together a short while.”
“Did she have a job?”
“She worked at an animal rescue place in Burbank.”
It was in Willa’s eyes, the sudden realization that Amelia had lived and breathed and dreamed just like her—before her life had been tragically cut short.
The weight of it was overwhelming.
Amelia was bright and unique, and the fact her life had been extinguished so prematurely filled me with a profound sorrow. It wasn’t just the absence of Amelia, but the realization there would be countless untold stories, unspoken words between us that would never be shared.
“She loved animals,” Willa said softly.
“She really did.”
“You had that in common.” On my reaction, Willa added, “Cameron mentioned how gentle you are with nature.”
That made me smile. “Amelia had striking blue hair, which was artsy.”
