Page 50 of Whatever You Need

“You don’t have to rush off.”

I slid my hands in the pockets of my dress slacks. “I have an early meeting anyways,” I lied. “Why don’t you visit with your mom. You don’t get to see her very often.”

I wasn’t sure how long her mom was in town for, but I knew something must have gone down last night. Amelia didn’t look very happy about whatever it was they talked about yesterday. It didn’t take a genius to figure out things were strained between these two.

“Let me at least make you a coffee to go.” She hurried over to the Keurig machine and placed a paper cup underneath.

I shoved a hand through my hair while her mother and I silently waited for the coffee machine to do its job. I could see Amelia fumbling to secure the lid on the cup. Her jumpiness had me concerned, and I worried that leaving her alone with her mother might not be a good idea.

“Here.” She gave me a shaky smile and handed me the coffee.

“Thanks.” My eyes bored into hers, silently asking her if she was okay.

She nodded and reached up and patted my chest. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

I slid my hand down her arm and threaded my fingers with hers. “Call me if you change your mind about coming over.”

“I won’t.”

Her mother cleared her throat, reminding us that she was in the room. I bent down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll catch you later.”

“It was nice meeting you, Ms. West. I hope you enjoy your visit.”

Tamara pursed her lips. “Thank you.” And then she turned on her heels and walked away from me.

“Well, okay then! I guess that’s my cue to leave,” I muttered under my breath. I grabbed my duffel bag off the floor while Amelia handed me my coat by the front door. I cupped her face and brought us nose to nose. “Have a good day, sweetheart.”

“You too.”

I could not leave her condo quick enough. That woman was intense and nothing at all like I had pictured her to be. While the physical resemblance was undeniable, Tamara West was as warm and friendly as Cruella De Vil. I wouldn’t be surprised if she skinned puppies herself in her spare time, just for the fun of it.

* * *

Amelia stoodover the paint tray, pouring the last of the trim paint into the foil pan. We had one more coat to add along the window and we were all done.

“So how did your visit go with your mom?”

She paused what she was doing and sighed. “I’m sorry if she seemed so cold. She’s a little uptight, but her bark is worse than her bite.”

“I wasn’t concerned about me, I was more concerned about you. You seemed a bit agitated around her.”

She groaned. “You picked up on that, huh?”

“It was like missing a hole in a doughnut.”

“Our relationship is complicated. Her attitude this morning was directed toward me, not you. I’m sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable.”

“Amelia, I’m not offended. I’m just concerned about you, that’s all. I didn’t like seeing you so upset. I couldn’t give a shit what she thinks about me.”

I hoped I wasn’t out of line, but her mother obviously had issues with us being together. I didn’t even attempt to start a conversation with her this morning. Given the tension in the room and her silent treatment, I worried that anything I said wouldn’t be very nice.

Her eyes lowered before looking back up, I couldn’t help but notice how sad she seemed. Maybe I shouldn’t have even brought the topic up.

“She isn’t happy with me at the moment, but she’ll get over it.”

I couldn’t imagine having a mother like that, she was the exact opposite of mine. Amelia was sweet and caring, which made it hard to believe a woman like Tamara West could give birth to something so perfect.

We spent the next half hour finishing up and I couldn’t have been more relieved when I took the final swipe of the paintbrush.

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