Just a Number(99)

“Will do. I’ll call you if something else comes up.”

“Perfect.”

After hanging up with Stephen, I decide to clean the condo and do a bit of laundry. This only keeps me busy for a few hours, and then I’m instantly bored again. It’s now three in the afternoon, and I’m back to wondering how Amelia’s conversation with Alan is going. She should have arrived shortly after noon, which means she’s been there for about three hours. This has to be a good sign, right? That’s a pretty lengthy conversation between two people who are on the outs.

Yeah, I’m going with this being a good thing.

I decide to prepare myself a snack, and while doing so, decide to make dinner for Amelia and myself. I still don’t know if she’ll be home tonight, but I could at least have a meal ready for her in case she is.

I won’t have time to properly thaw anything in my freezer, and upon looking in it, I realize I don’t have much in there, anyway. I take a cab to the market, welcoming the menial task of grocery shopping because it keeps my mind occupied. Most of the time.

An hour later, I return home and begin organizing the food after putting a roast in the oven. I pour myself a glass of wine while the roast cooks and head into the living room to watch some television. I flip through the channels despondently, unable to find anything that holds my interest for more than a few minutes, when my telephone rings.

Someone’s at the front door.

Amelia has a key, so it can’t be her.

Gretchen? Julia? Alan should be with Amelia, so I doubt it’s him…

“Hello?” I say, bringing my phone to my ear.

“Owen, it’s me,” a familiar voice says. “It’s Samantha. Can I come up?”

Samm? How random, considering she lives in Texas with her second husband.

“Owen?”

“Sorry, uh, yeah,” I stammer, hitting the pound button to allow her access.

What the hell is she doing here? Are she and Will having problems? Wait…if that’s the case, why would she come to me and not Amelia?

Because Amelia’s not home right now, and Samm probably just flew into the city for the night, I tell myself, feeling pretty stupid.

Having been friends almost as long as Alan and I have been, Samm and I have always been close. Even when she and Alan split when Amelia was younger, we stayed in touch. Will is a good guy, too, so I’m shocked that they might be having issues.

There’s a knock at my door, pulling me from my musings, and I go answer it. Samm hasn’t changed much, her light brown hair cropped to her shoulders and framing her face, making her blue-gray eyes stand out. I’d forgotten just how much Amelia resembled her. She’s wearing a heavier jacket than what she’d be wearing in Austin, which makes sense given the climate difference, and she’s got a small carry-on sized bag in her hand.

“Hey,” I welcome her, opening the door further and pulling her in for a hug. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Is it?” she asks, her voice kind, but the question confusing. “Surprising, I mean?”

I take a step back and silently offer to take her bag and jacket from her, all the while eyeing her with confusion. She accepts before carrying on. “Alan called me the other night.”

A lead weight forms in the pit of my stomach, but this doesn’t stop my nausea from crashing around it. “He did.” This isn’t a question. Even though I have yet to confirm this with him—or Amelia, considering she’s probably going to learn about this at some point during her talk with her father—I don’t doubt it. I’d have included her mother in on this if I’d been blindsided like him, too. “He didn’t say anything.”

“What the hell is going on?” she demands.

I lead her through my apartment and into the living room where I offer her a seat. “It’s a long story. Would you like a glass of wine? Coffee, perhaps? Maybe tea?”

Samm ponders her options for a second before requesting wine. I go to the kitchen and pour her a glass, returning to find her with her legs pulled up comfortably beside her as she rests against the arm of my couch.

I sit on the other end of the couch, and she shifts slightly so she can look at me while we talk. “So?”

“What did he tell you?”

Samm sighs, looking down into her glass. “I don’t even know if I understood him. He sounded loaded. I’ve known him to drink and to even get a little carried away, but he sounded…”

“Destroyed?” I finish for her, my guilt over everything that’s happened overwhelming me.

“For one,” she replies. “He kept saying something about Amy dating an older man. Your name came up a few times, too.” Samm sighs, shaking her head. I can see that she’s come to the conclusion about Amelia and me dating, but she’s still confused and maybe in a state of denial. “I hate to even suggest it for fear of offending you…” She bites down on her lower lip, something Amelia picked up from her. “Are the two of you…you know…together?”