Just a Number(98)
Dad and Owen will still have a lot of work to do to get even close to where their relationship was before all of this happened, but I’m more confident now that this is an attainable goal.
I slip my keys into the locks and disengage them before letting myself into Owen’s condo. He’s there almost immediately to greet me, coming from the living room where I assume he’s been watching television.
“You’re back,” he says quietly, pulling me into his arms and lifting me off the ground. He presses a soft kiss to the side of my neck before releasing me.
“I am, and I’m so happy to be,” I reply, letting my hands slide down his chest, my fingers curling into his shirt. I’m about to step up onto my toes to give him a proper kiss after being apart for the day when I see a nervousness in his eyes that I can’t explain.
Before I can ask him what’s wrong, though, I hear footsteps coming from the living room behind him before a woman says my name. Slowly, I lean to the left to peer around Owen’s body, and my mouth drops as my eyes widen in surprise.
25. Through the Grapevine
Making Amelia go see her dad is what’s best. I hate that I’m not going with her, and a part of me does believe that showing a united front might make Alan see our relationship for what it is. However, I think she might stand a better chance of getting him to listen if she’s alone. My presence will only upset him further, and I really want to avoid repeating the events of the other night.
I walk Amelia down to the parking garage and kiss her before she climbs behind the wheel of my car. The roads aren’t nearly as bad as they were the other day, but I still tell her to drive safe. This is really just something that everyone says; I know Amelia will drive safe. She’s always been a cautious driver.
We never discuss how long she’ll stay away, because we honestly don’t know how long her talk might take. Of course, I want her back in my arms tonight, but I can be patient. If she needs more time with Alan, then I tell her to take it. She’ll call me if she decides to stay the night, so I don’t worry, but aside from that, I urge her to not stress about updating me and I’ll see her when she comes back to the condo instead.
I go about my day as I would any other—only perhaps a little more withdrawn. My thoughts often drift to Amelia, and I wonder how she’s making out. In an attempt to keep my mind off things, I call Stephen to see if he’s heard from Gretchen or her attorney.
“Nothing new, I’m afraid,” he tells me. “She’s holding out for some kind of payout.”
“Is there anything we can do to speed this up? I just want to put this mess behind me,” I groan, sitting on my couch and laying my head against the back of it. I close my eyes, pinch the bridge of my nose, and try to keep my anger at Gretchen from escalating. It only sort of works.
“You should know she’s trying to claim you were seeing someone while the two of you were together,” Stephen informs me. “As your brother-in-law, I know that’s not something you would do…but, as your lawyer, you know I need to ask.”
“No.” I pause, wondering if sleeping with Amelia over Thanksgiving could be held against me if it came to light. “Amelia and I… I mean, I hadn’t legally filed for separation when we…shit.”
“But you’d left and told her you were going to? And your marriage was already circling the drain, was it not?”
“You know it was. Stephen, did I fuck this up? Amelia and I…we didn’t think this would go beyond Thanksgiving.”
Stephen sighs, and I hear the clicking of his computer keyboard in the background. “We’ll work it out. Does she know you and Amelia are together?”
“No,” I respond. “She showed up and suspected—but that was before we even were. And I filed for separation almost the minute I got back in the city.”
“Right. Well, we’ll figure it out.” Stephen stops talking, seemingly distracted, before coming back on. “Hey, your sister’s here to go to lunch. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Sure.” Before he hangs up, I say, “Have you told her?”
“Not my place. She knows I know something, and she knows it has to do with you and who you’re seeing, but she’s not pressing me.”
“Okay. Well, if she does, don’t lie to her. Tell her the truth. I’m hoping to get a chance to talk to her in the next couple of days. Once things settle down with Amelia and her dad.”
“I take it he didn’t handle the news so well?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” I tell him, my jaw still bruised and throbbing at the memory of Alan’s right hook. “Have a good lunch. Tell Jules I say hi.”