Page 12 of Actually Yours

“Thanks for the ride,” she says, her voice soft, her gaze on the ground between us.

What made me think picking her up and carrying her like a caveman was a good idea?

“Let’s get you home.” I hear the defeat in my voice and I try to rally. Amelia showing up on my doorstep in the dead of night has shaken me to my core, but she doesn’t need to know that. She needs to remain oblivious, as always.

I walk away from her, stopping myself from helping her into the passenger seat and buckling her in like I so desperately want to. Instead, I make my way to safety, all the way over to the other side of the car.

“Ready?” I ask after we’re both settled into our seats.

“Yup.” She gives me an uncertain look, like she’s trying to figure me out.

Good luck. I can’t figure myself out when she’s around.

“Are you still at the same address? In Richmond?”

She throws me a shocked glance. “How do you know where I live?”

Act cool. “Robby must have told me. I have a pretty good memory.” I tap my head for good measure and start the engine.Time to wrap up this brief reunion.

“Oh, that makes sense. You’re also pretty observant.”

“You need to be, in my job,” I tell her, lying because I’m actually not usually an observant type. She’s just easy to pay attention to. Like right now, in the dim light of the passing streetlights, I can see how tired she is, how drawn her features are, how upset Robby’s note has left her. And how beautiful she looks. How beautiful she always looks.

“For all your non-courtroom negotiations?”

She’s teasing me, but I could see the disappointment on her face when she’d learnt just how boring my job actually is. Most people think lawyers lead a fast-paced, main-character-in-a John-Grisham-story kind of existence, when in reality, I spend my days reading and writing dreary documents. Compared to the men she dates, I’m old, dull and lifeless.

“And don’t forget the writing of contracts. That can get pretty tense.”

She laughs and my stomach clenches. Amelia’s laugh has a smoky quality to it, a sexy sound that I’ve been trying to forget for almost twelve months now.

“It can’t be more exciting than cutting and colouring hair for a living. That’s really living on the edge.”

Having seen some of the hairstyles and colours that Amelia has created, I want to argue, but that would once again reveal just how much I know about her. Not a rabbit hole I want to go down.

“Tell me about Bella’s wedding.” I’d heard a bit about her best friend over the handful of times we’d talked, and I know Amelia loves her like a sister.

“It was a beautiful day.”

Her words are sincere, but her tone is sad.What happened here?

“Did it all go smoothly?” I frame the question like a lawyer, not asking her directly what I want to know, which is why the wedding of her best friend has made her look so defeated.

“It did. It was perfect.”

We’re stopped at a traffic light, and my gaze is drawn back to her. She’s wearing my sweatshirt and I will my thoughts away from the body that was shown in such a perfect way by the daisy-yellow dress underneath. There had been too many curves on display for my peace of mind.

“The light’s green.”

I press my foot on the pedal and we lurch forward. Apparently, in Amelia’s presence, I don’t know how to drive.Wonderful.

“So, the day was perfect…” I prod.

“It was…” she trails off, her voice wistful. “Bella looked beautiful. Her vision of a yellow-themed fairyland came to life perfectly. It’s just that…”

She stops again, and I bite my tongue, hard, to stop from asking more questions. If she wants to share, she will. It’s not my place to probe any deeper.

“It’s just…now that Bella’s married, things will be different.”

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