Here we go.
She took a deep breath and looked up, expecting to see Luc, but when she saw who was really standing there, her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. She’d seen that face before, in a photo Luc used to carry in his wallet. For all she knew it was still in there.
Amelia looked so harmless, her skin pale, her hair flat and lifeless and in need of washing, Julie almost felt sorry for her. Having a child with a chronic illness had obviously taken its toll on her.
“Hi, there,” she said, looking nervously around the office. She spoke with one of those adorable Southern accents, and despite looking a little run-down and tired, she was still a very beautiful woman.
“Hello, Amelia, I’m Julie.”
“You know who I am?”
Unfortunately.
Julie rose from her chair and crossed to the door, reaching out to shake her hand. It was small and delicate, just like the rest of her, but her grip was firm.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Amelia said. “I just had to meet the woman who finally got a ring on Luc’s finger.”
The way Julie understood it, Luc had been more than ready to settle down with Amelia. It was she who ran off with someone else. Which obviously hadn’t worked out very well for her.
“Have you got a minute?” Amelia asked her. “Can we talk?”
“Come in.” As much as Julie wasn’t looking forward to this, she knew that it would be best to clear the air. Since Luc didn’t seem inclined to talk to her about it, she could hear it straight from the source. At least here, in her office, she had the upper hand. Amelia was in her territory.
Amelia stepped inside. Julie shut the door and gestured to the chair across her desk. “Sit down.”
Amelia hesitated, looking conflicted. “Are you sure? I know this is awkward...”
Not as awkward as it would be if they didn’t talk. “I’m sure. Please, sit.”
Amelia sat on the very edge of the seat, as if she might jump up at any second and bolt for the door. Julie returned to her chair and sat.
“I understand there’s been talk,” Amelia said. “I wanted to clear the air. I’m not sure what Luc has told you...”
Not a single damned thing, but she didn’t tell Amelia that. When in doubt, change the subject. “First, how is your son?”
At the mere mention of her boy, her face lit. “Antsy. Ready for his surgery, but still a little scared. He knows his recovery will be slow and painful. But he can’t wait to get on his feet again so he can play with his friends. He’s crazy about baseball, and for a five-year-old he’s really good, too.
“The last few months, as he’s become more and more limited physically, have been very hard for Tommy. Tommy’s father, my ex-husband, rarely sees him. He never could forgive me for giving birth to a less than perfect child.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Julie said, feeling sympathy for the boy. She knew too well what it was like to grow up in a single parent home. Though her father, at best, was never more than half a parent. At best.
“He traded me in for a younger model,” Amelia said with a weak smile. “I guess that’s what happens when you marry for money and social standing.”
The admission surprised Julie, and it must have shown.
“I don’t deny that I’ve made many mistakes,” Amelia said, head held up proudly. “My only regret is how it’s affected my son. After all he’s been through, he deserves better. He deserves a father who gives more than a monthly check.”
“He has you,” Julie said. “What more could he possibly need?” She would have given anything to have her mother back, for her parents to trade places. For her father to be the one who died.
Tears welled in Amelia’s eyes. “My gosh,” she said, dabbing at them. “You are just so sweet. I want you to know that when I came here I had no idea that Luc was married. He’s a lucky man.”
“I’m the lucky one,” she said, and it was true. It was a wonderful thing he was doing for her and she couldn’t lose sight of that. Even if he did fall back in love with this adorable woman. Who would blame him?
“I hear a bit of an accent there,” Amelia said, cocking her head slightly. “Where are you from?”
“South Africa. But my parents were from Wales originally.”
“Were from? They’re not with you anymore?”
“No.”
“Mine are alive and kicking,” Amelia said with a sigh of exasperation. “And still trying to tell me how to run my life.”
“I’m sure they mean well.”
“No, they’re just nosy and controlling. They always have been. I swore that when my Tommy was born, I would allow him to grow up to be whatever he wants to be. Play with the friends he likes regardless of their social standing, marry the girl he loves even if she’s penniless. All of the things I never had. I’ll even let him go to public school if that’s what he decides he wants.”
It sounded as if she and Amanda had quite a bit in common when it came to family. “My sister and I went to a private girl’s school,” Julie told her. “I hated it. I never felt as if I fit in.”
“And I fit in too well. I was an entitled, spoiled brat. If not for my Tommy, I probably still would be, but having him has taught me so much about what really matters, you know?”
Julie could only imagine.
Amelia relaxed back into her seat, looking a bit less as if she might bolt. “How did you and Luc meet?”
“We were both volunteering for Doctors Without Borders.”
“Oh, you’re a doctor, too?”
“No. Currently I’m Luc’s research assistant.”
“Research for what?”
“Luc’s medical inventions and surgical techniques. They’ve made him quite famous in the medical community.” And very wealthy.
“What is it that you do exactly?” Amelia said, looking genuinely interested.
“I conduct interviews, collect data and statistics.”
“So you must see him a lot.”
“Actually, no. As chief of surgery for the hospital, he’s always on call. There are days when I barely see him.”
Amelia scrunched up her nose. “Don’t you hate that?”
“That’s just the way it is,” she said. “The way it’s always been. But I work long hours as well, so I can’t really complain.” Nor would she ever feel the need.
“I used to hate that Luc’s career meant more to him than I did. I was so jealous. At the time, I was used to getting what I wanted, and he did try to accommodate me. Looking back now, I have to wonder why he stuck around as long as he had. Why he wasn’t the one who dumped me. I was such a bitch sometimes.”
Julie had no answer for her. But she was guessing it was because he loved her, and he was willing to overlook the not-so-perfect stuff.
“He’s still mad at me,” Amelia said, eyes lowered. “I feel so bad for the way I treated him and I was really hoping we could put the past to rest, but that doesn’t seem very likely. He won’t even talk to me.”
“Just give him time. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“I appreciate the encouragement, but I think it’s misplaced. And you’re probably the last person I should be confiding in about this. To be honest, I’m not even sure why you’re talking to me. If the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t talk to me. Or if I did, I would tell me to stay the hell away from my husband. Why aren’t you, by the way?”
Because he isn’t really my husband. “You two clearly have unresolved issues. It’s in both your best interests to deal with them so you can move on.”
“That’s all I want.”
Julie wasn’t sure she believed that. She didn’t not believe it, either. Luc had always described Amelia as cold, heartless and manipulative. To Julie, she just seemed
sort of...pathetic.
“How is his mom doing? I heard that she’s been sick. It must be difficult for him, as close as they are.”
“It is.”
“Do you get along with her?”
Julie hesitated and Amelia cringed.
“Am I getting too personal? I’m sorry if I am. I’m just curious. Too curious for my own good, my daddy used to claim.”
“Yes, we get along. I consider her one of my closest friends.”
“She hated me—but I didn’t like her, either. She and Luc were very close and I was threatened by that.”
Elizabeth was as down-to-earth and easygoing as her son. It was hard to imagine her hating anyone. And Julie had always considered his close relationship with his mother a good thing. She’d certainly never felt threatened or jealous.
Amelia must have read her mind. “I don’t blame her for not liking me. I was different back then. I was very much into appearances. Her disability made me uncomfortable and I’m sure it showed. I’d never known anyone in a wheelchair. I had no idea how to act around her. I realize now how ridiculous it was for me to let her disability define who she was as a person. The idea of someone judging my Tommy based on his physical capacities makes my heart hurt. I feel as if I owe her an apology. I asked Luc if I could visit her. He didn’t seem to think that was a good idea.”
“Her health is compromised, leaving her vulnerable to infection. I’m sure that’s the reason.” Though to be honest, she really wasn’t sure.
“And I’m sure that you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Amelia said with a sad smile. “But I appreciate the effort. I guess some things just aren’t fixable.”
She genuinely seemed to want to rectify her past mistakes. Luc should at least give her the chance to explain, for both their sakes. “I’ll talk to Luc and see what I can do, but no promises.”
“You know,” Amelia said, “you’re not at all what I expected.”
When Julie smiled, she really meant it. “Neither are you.”
* * *
That morning, the instant he stepped through the hospital doors an hour later than usual, Luc was ambushed by half a dozen people needing him for one thing or another. Sign this. Initial that. Should it be the red or the blue pill? It was the major drawback of being chief of surgery. When he did finally get to his office, Ruth greeted him with one brow raised, looking from him to her watch, then back to him again. “Working a half day, are we?”
“I know, I was up late and slept through my alarm.” All night, Luc had been attuned to even the slightest noise coming from Julie’s room across the hall. When she woke he wanted to talk to her, but he never got the chance. The last time he looked at the clock it had been four forty-five and still dark. When he opened his eyes again, sunlight was pouring through the blinds and the clock said 7:38 a.m. He’d gotten up and checked Julie’s room, but of course she was gone.
He took off his suit jacket and waited for Ruth to get up and retrieve his lab coat, but she just sat there. “Lab coat?” he said, expecting her to jump to attention.
She didn’t.
“I’m very busy,” she said, but she just sat there, arms crossed, glaring. She didn’t look busy to him. She did look pissed off though.
“Did I do something to upset you?” he asked her.
“Like what?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I’m asking.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that a week after your wedding you’re hooking up with ex-girlfriends?”
“Hooking up?” He’d never heard her use the vernacular of a much younger generation. “Do you even know what that means?”
“I know that what you’re doing is wrong,” she said, chin tilted stubbornly. “How do you think this will make Julie feel?”
Pretty lousy if what his mom said was true. “Cancel anything I have before noon,” he told Ruth, getting the lab coat himself. He had a lot of explaining to do, and he had the feeling it might take a while. “And for the record, I am not hooking up with Amelia. I’ve barely spoken to her.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard.”
And he didn’t have the time to sit there and explain. Ruth’s feelings on the matter were the least of his worries.
He headed to Julie’s office three floors up. He knocked on the door, hoping she was there.
“Come in,” she called, so he opened the door...and got the shock of his life when he realized Amelia was sitting there with Julie.
Talk about awkward.
Or was it? Julie and Amelia looked completely at ease with each other.
“What the hell is this?” he asked, his tone sharper than he intended, feeling like the odd man out.
Julie looked at Amelia, and Amelia looked at her, and then both women burst out laughing.
Eleven
“We weren’t laughing at you,” Julie insisted to Luc several minutes later after Amelia left her office and they were alone.
“You looked right at me and laughed,” he said, not sure who irritated him more, Julie or Amelia. Or maybe it was how cozy the two of them had looked sitting there together. This was not supposed to happen. Julie was supposed to dislike Amelia as much as he did.
“Not ten seconds before you knocked we were talking about how you would react if you walked in and saw us together,” Julie said. “It’s the timing that had us laughing. Not you.”
It sure hadn’t felt that way. He sat on the corner of her desk. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
About what? Was she joking? “For starters, what Amelia was doing here.”
Julie shrugged. “We were talking.”
Thanks, Captain Obvious. “I could see that. What were you talking about?”
“You, mostly.”
Swell. Did he even want to know what was being said?
Probably not.
“I should have told you that she was here,” he said. “And that her son is my patient. And I know the fact I didn’t looks suspicious—”
“Luc, stop. You don’t owe me an explanation.”
Of course he did. “We’re married, I should have said something about her being here.”
“This marriage is only pretend, remember?”
He was getting a little tired of her reminding him of that. Who was she trying to convince, him or herself? “Then, as your friend, I should have told you.”
“I’m sure you had your reasons not to. Besides, I think it’s good that you’re finally getting a chance to settle things with her. You should have done it a long time ago.”
“There’s nothing to settle.”
“For her there is.”
“That’s not my problem. And despite what you’ve probably heard, I have not been spending time with her. She, on the other hand, has been stalking me.”
“I know. She told me.”
He blinked. “She did?”
“Well, she didn’t use the term stalking, but I know she’s been trying to see you. All she wants to do is talk.”
“You believe that?”
“Unless I hear otherwise from you, what reason do I have not to?”
He could think of a couple dozen. “You don’t know her the way I do.”
“People do change.”
Not people like her. “She’s the same old Amelia, trust me.”
“How can you know that if you won’t talk to her?”
He knew Amelia was manipulative, but to coax Julie over to her camp with a single conversation? That was quite an accomplishment, even for her. “As I said, I have no need or desire to discuss or settle anything from our past. Period.”
“She’s been through a lot. I really think that she’s different now. Who knows, she may still
be the love of your life.”
Oh, good God no, she wasn’t. “She is not the love of my life.”
“Either way, it’s okay with me if you spend some time getting to know her again. And if you decide you need to end our marriage—”
“Absolutely not.” Was she serious? What kind of friend would he be? Besides, he would choose Julie over Amelia any day of the week. The trouble was making her believe that. Julie had never had a man in her life who hadn’t disappointed her deeply in one way or another. It was almost as if she expected it, planned for it even. He refused to let that happen to her again. He wouldn’t let her down, no matter what he had to do. “Until you get your permanent citizenship you’re stuck with me. As long as it takes. I don’t go back on my promises.” He took her hand and squeezed it hard, his eyes locked on hers. “I mean that. I don’t want this to come between us. You’re the most important person in my life.”
“It won’t come between us.”
“You promise?”
She smiled. A real smile. “I promise.”
Somehow that just didn’t seem good enough. There was something else going on here that he just couldn’t seem to put his finger on. “Are you sure you’re okay? My mom said you cried. You never cry.”
Her cheeks blushed a vivid shade of pink. She never cried, and she blushed even less often. “I wish she wouldn’t have said anything to you. It was really, really embarrassing.”
“She was concerned.”
“It was PMS, that’s all. Every now and then it makes me emotional. And for the record, I do cry occasionally. I just don’t let anyone else see it. It was just bad timing.”
“So, if you have PMS, I guess that means you’re not...”
“I’m not pregnant.”
He waited for the relief to flow over him, but weirdly enough, he felt a twinge of disappointment instead. He wasn’t ready to be a parent, and neither was Julie, but knowing there had been a slight possibility, it had gotten him thinking. But the timing couldn’t have been worse. And he was completely overlooking the fact that, as she liked to point out, he and Julie were married in name only.
“I was thinking, if you’re going to be seeing Amelia—”
More Than a Convenient Bride Page 10