“Good.” I paused. “Does all of this mean you’ll get the money back?”
She nodded. “Eventually, anyway. My lawyers are working on the recovery. Some of it has been spent, but now the insurance company will have to pay the company back for all of it, as far as I know. But it might take a while. It’s not my money per se anyway—it was the business’s money, really. It will be absorbed with the sale, I guess, when I get it back.”
I grabbed the arts section of the newspaper and handed it to her, and her brow furrowed with annoyance. “This wasn’t supposed to be announced until next week.”
I sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. “I had no idea Winters Corporation was selling out so quickly. When you told me what you were planning, I thought you meant at the end of the year or something, not now.”
She nodded. “It’s time. No, more than that, it’s long past time.” She took my hand. “Even before the accident, I was thinking about it, and now that I have you…” She blushed. “I mean, now that we’re friends again, I’m determined to let it go.”
We hadn’t yet had a conversation that defined what we were to each other now. Anyone watching us that didn’t know better would think we were close friends, but nothing more. Except for the first bath after her accident, we remained chaste and clothed around each other. We kissed cheeks and touched arms and hands, but nothing more than I would do with my aunt or Meghan, for example. We weren’t ready for more than that, and we were both okay with waiting to decide. Still, it made for awkward conversations. What were we now? Friends? We loved each other—that was clear and undeniable. But our relationship was too complicated to label as friendship.
She let her hand rest in mine. “I think I was using work as a place to hide all of these years. I didn’t use to mind the hours or the work. It kept me busy, I was good at it, and I made a lot of money. But ever since you and I got together last fall, it’s started to seem like a burden. Even before the accident, I was exhausted and burning out quick. It takes up too much of my time—time I’d rather spend having a life with my family and with…other people that matter.”
I smiled and squeezed her hand. “How long will it take to wrap up business?”
She shrugged. “I’ll start liquidating next week. And of course nothing will be final until the stolen money is recovered. A few projects will continue even after the final sale—the installation at Teddy’s, for one, but I can sort out those kinds of details with the company’s buyers. I also want to help place as many of my employees as possible in new jobs before we wrap up.” She seemed thoughtful. “Still, if I’m lucky, I can be done by the end of the fiscal quarter in June.”
“So soon?”
She nodded.
“Have you given any more thought to what you want to do next?”
She smiled. “Yes. I want to work for Art for the People—that charity I raised money for at the gala. You know, the one that provides art training and supplies for kids and teens?”
I let go of her hand and leaned down to hug her. “That’s wonderful. What a good idea. You’ll be great at it.”
“It’s a nonprofit, so I won’t make very much money—if any—but I don’t care.”
She flicked her eyes up to mine and glanced away. “Actually, I’ve also been thinking of downsizing. I want to sell this house and move somewhere smaller.”
“But Amelia, why would you do that? You love this house, and it’s part of your family history.” If she sold it, it might pass out of family hands forever.
She shrugged. “Actually, I’m starting to hate it. It’s old, so it takes a mountain of upkeep, and I rattle around in here like a ball bearing in a box. My cousin Gertrude has shown some interest in it before, so I might be able to keep it in the family.” She looked at me. “I could take the sale of this place and invest it, and perhaps use some of the dividends for Art for the People.”
“But where would you move?”
Her fingers rubbed the back of my hand. “That all depends. It won’t sell immediately. It takes a while to move a house like this, even when someone’s interested. I was thinking of putting it up for sale in May or June, and then hopefully I can sell it by the end of the summer.”
I knew now what she was getting at and why she was being so cagey. Since we had decided to give each other a second chance, we both knew that we might someday become more intimate again. If that happened, we might decide to move in together. All of these were mights, though, and the might-nots hovering around us still weighed on them. It was too early to tell. But if we did take that next step, the end of this summer might be just about the time we would decide to take the next step. We were both thinking this without saying it, and I was tense with suppressed anxiety. We would have to make a decision about our current status sooner or later, but I wasn’t ready for that conversation.
Seeking to avoid just that, I sat back down in the armchair and let her eat. While she did, I read the two articles in the newspaper more closely, stunned again to think that the mighty Winters Corporation would close its doors for good in the near future. It was an institution—something as much a part of the art world as the artists themselves. The art community would certainly suffer.
I glanced up at Amelia. She was reading a different section of the paper while she munched on her toast. She had the usual little wrinkle between her eyes, the one she always had when she read, and I couldn’t help but stare at her, my heart heavy and tight in my chest. I still couldn’t get enough of the sight of her. Even now, with her mussy, bed-head hair and her bandages and bruises, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Chapter Twenty-two
The morning of the wedding was the first markedly hot day we’d had this year. New Orleans has what most locals think of as one and a half seasons: a short winter and a long summer. Generally by March, or even late February, the city is already heating up, and the heat builds over what is technically spring and lasts until late October before cooling off slightly. Our winter had been longer than usual this year, and while we’d had very warm afternoons for the last two weeks, when I walked outside of my apartment the morning of the wedding, it felt hot for the first time. I paused, squinting against the sun, and then struggled to maneuver my dress and my bag of wedding essentials into one hand as I rooted around in my purse for my sunglasses. Jonathan emerged a moment later, locking the door behind us. I’d essentially loaned him my car for the week in return for shuttling me around, and he loved every minute of it.
We both had several bags of things to take with us to the wedding venue, and I realized about three blocks from my place that we’d forgotten something. By the time we left again, we were running a little late, so Jonathan drove like a madman through the French Quarter. I closed my eyes most of the way.
Aunt Kate and Jim’s ceremony was scheduled to start at two, but the rest of the wedding party was supposed to arrive as early as possible to take care of all of the last-minute tasks and situate the guests before the bride and groom showed up. While I’d been out of it and recovering from the breakup, Meghan had taken on the bulk of preparation work. Really, with all her work, she should have been the maid of honor, but when I’d suggested that we switch roles, she and Aunt Kate had been flabbergasted, so I backed off.
That morning I had to meet several of the vendors and direct them where and how to set up. Jim’s other sons, Jim Jr. and Jack, had been here all week like Jonathan, and they arrived at the venue soon after us. Jonathan and I chatted with them a bit before we all returned to work. I already liked Jonathan very much, and he and his older brothers were almost carbon copies. All three men worked in some facet of the construction business, and all three were tall and striking. Jim Jr. and Jack were both attached right now, but my aunt was working her hardest to decide which female cousins she should steer Jonathan’s way today. I’d humored her in her plans, as she seemed to get a kick out of the idea that he might find one of them attractive, marry her, and move to New Orleans.
As time passed, I grew more and more anxious for Amelia’s arrival. This would be her first time out of the house since her accident, and it would be the first time she’d seen my friends and family since before we broke up. She arrived just after one thirty, looking better than she had all week. Her black eyes still looked painful and alarming, but overall, her color was much better, and she seemed to be filling out a little again. Since the cut on her forehead had stopped seeping, she’d also been able to replace the bandage there with a much smaller one, mostly for appearances at this point. She still looked banged up and injured, but now it didn’t necessarily seem as if she should be resting in a hospital bed somewhere, either. She’d decided to wear a suit today, and it hugged her slight curves beautifully. Even smacked around and dinged up, she looked wonderful.
We raced to each other and hugged, and I think my fierceness surprised her a little since she drew back a moment later.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Just nervous.” I gestured around me. “About the wedding, about having you here. You know—everything.”
She laughed. “You and me both, Chloé. I know you said your aunt didn’t mind having me here, but I can’t help but think that she hates me after what I did to you.”
“She’ll get over it, Amelia. Anyway, she feels bad about how she treated you before. You can use that against her.”
She laughed, and I led her into the courtyard where the chairs for the ceremony had been set up. Several guests were milling around sipping champagne or lemonade, and I paused, not quite sure where to put her. Jim’s sons solved this dilemma a moment later by coming over to greet us. Jim Jr. and Jack’s girlfriends had arrived, and we all introduced ourselves. I could see all of these strangers appraising Amelia and was satisfied to ascertain that everyone was simply interested in getting to know her—none had any preconceived notions about her. Unlike just about everyone else coming to this wedding, these five people, in addition to being younger than almost everyone here, were just about the only outsiders attending today. Jim’s brother and his brother’s wife were here, too, but otherwise the entire guest list consisted of my aunt’s friends and family. This didn’t bother Jim or his family in the slightest, but it did make things a bit awkward for them. Amelia, like them, was an outsider, and it made sense to leave her with them. Jim Jr. and Jack’s girlfriends invited her to sit with them during the ceremony, which was a weight off my shoulders.
Meghan came over a few minutes later to get my help, and she and Amelia greeted each other with a nod. Meghan was too distracted to say anything to her, and again, I was relieved to find things running so smoothly. I quickly hugged Amelia before following Meghan off to the side, where she tasked me with helping some of the older guests to their seats. Technically Jim’s sons were the ushers as well as the groomsmen, but as there were so many people to help at this point, it didn’t really matter who did what.
Finally, Meghan and I were called back inside the cottage—the bride and groom had arrived. We passed Jim as we walked through the rooms, and he gave us a quick hug and directed us to my aunt. We found her in the wedding suite, and when she turned toward us, I couldn’t help but get a little teary. She was wearing a long, billowy ivory dress in a folksy, bohemian style. She had a crown made of natural flowers and a simple wildflower bouquet. Her face was more made up than I’d almost ever seen it before, but it suited her. All three of us hugged and had to blink back tears for a couple of minutes in order to calm down. Eventually Jonathan appeared in the doorway, and we gave him a thumbs-up, ready to start. The music began a moment later, and we waited for our cue to begin.
The ceremony was brief and sweet. Jim and Kate had written their own vows, and they made just about everyone cry. I glanced over at Amelia just once and saw that she was becoming emotional, too. I had to look away quickly, trying to keep my calm as much as possible. As the bride and groom kissed, the machines we’d rented began to billow bubbles into the crowd, and everyone cooed and clapped in appreciation. Jim and Kate raced through the crowd back to their special suite, and the rest of us were directed over to the table with the seat assignments for the reception. Having made the table assignments myself, I knew where I was sitting, so I went directly to Amelia, launching myself into her arms, and we squeezed each other long and hard. I didn’t need to explain why I was so happy to be in her arms, or why I needed her in mine—she knew. We hadn’t talked about the ring she’d given me, or what it might mean, but I was still wearing it on a chain around my neck. The chain was long enough that no one could tell what hung at the end of it. It was our secret for now. Whether the ring would end up on my finger remained to be seen, but wearing it this way was a step in that direction. When we looked at each other, I could tell we were thinking the same thing: if we decided to take the next step, to get back together for real, it might be our turn at the altar someday.
While Jim and Aunt Kate would have their own special table, the rest of the wedding party and our partners would be sitting together. As we waited to be invited into the reception room, the nine of us stood around chatting. Meghan and Zach stood as far away from me and Amelia as possible. I was disappointed, but I also didn’t expect anything more from her for now. I knew she felt badly about how she’d treated Amelia in the past, but she hadn’t forgiven her for breaking up with me yet, and with reason. Still, if Meghan couldn’t get past what had happened, we would have problems down the line. But this also wasn’t the place to get into it.
We were all finally directed inside, and a few minutes later the bride and groom were announced. Our table clapped the loudest and the longest, all of us on our feet. Meghan whistled, causing several people to look over at us and laugh.
Kate had forbidden speeches, so dinner passed fairly quickly. While we ate, the courtyard where we’d had the ceremony was cleared of chairs, and the dance floor was laid down. Jim and Kate both loved to dance—had met in a swing class, actually—and they wanted to make as much time for it as possible. They had a band and a DJ that would take turns through the afternoon and evening. A proper Creole wedding lasts all day and night, after all, and for Kate and Jim, that meant boogying until your legs fall off. Amelia and I took the floor most of the slow songs, her arm and bruises preventing anything more lively. I went out a couple of times early on with Meghan and Kate, and Amelia watched us, grinning, from the sidelines.
Kate was, of course, extremely busy and distracted, but she’d made an effort to ask Amelia about her injuries and thank her for coming. Kate seemed almost natural with her, and I could only hope that the remains of her reserve would disappear the longer Amelia and I stayed friends. Even now, they were well on the way toward mending bridges.
Early in the evening I excused myself to the restroom, and when I came back, I couldn’t find Amelia. I looked around for a few minutes and finally spotted her speaking with Meghan. They’d hidden at the far end of the reception room. Just about everyone was outside in the courtyard now, so they had the place almost entirely to themselves. Both of them looked grave and serious as they spoke. I decided not to interrupt, understanding that they needed to talk, but I stood in the doorway just in case. Eventually, I was relieved to see Meghan give Amelia a quick hug before she turned to leave. Meghan threw me a wink as she passed me, and I watched her rejoin Zach before going over to Amelia.
“Everything okay?” I asked her.
She nodded, looking thoughtful. “Better than okay. She apologized to me for how she’d behaved before.”
My shock must have shown on my face, as Amelia laughed. “I apologized to her too, Chloé. I should have pushed a little harder to be pleasant with her before. She means a lot to you, and I want all of us to be friends.”
; “Did you talk about the rest of it? I mean about this last month?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not the time or place. But we’re getting together next week to do just that. Just the two of us. We both want to clear the air a little, and I think we should do it alone. I invited her out for lunch.”
I gave her a long hug. “Thanks, Amelia.”
“For what?”
“For trying. I know it would be easy just to brush her off. She can be a pain in the ass, and she holds a mean grudge.”
She looked at me evenly. “That might be true, but she’s your best friend. It matters to me that she like me, or, if not like, at least doesn’t hate me. We’re both a part of your life, Chloé, and we both want to make it work as well as possible.”
My pleasure was overwhelming and I couldn’t hold back. I grabbed her and squeezed her much harder than I should have. She gasped in pain, so I drew back a little, and then she pulled me into her again. A moment later we eased up to look at each other, our faces inches apart. I saw the question in her eyes and met it by moving forward. Her lips met mine, and her tongue flickered into my mouth. I instantly heated up. I touched her tongue with mine, and we were soon lost in the kiss. I was instantly on fire for her, my excitement immediate and strong. My nipples hardened and my legs weakened as her tongue continued to explore mine. I’d rarely been as turned on.
After a long time, we both yanked apart, gasping for breath. I took a couple of careful steps away from her, almost afraid of what we might do if we kept going. My hands and legs were shaking, and I was light-headed and weak with desire. I was tempted to take her, right here, twenty feet away from a party of family and longtime friends.
We grinned at each other, and then we were laughing, the laughter exploding out of both of us on a wave of anxious excitement. The laughter killed most of the mood, and we joined hands before walking back to the courtyard together.
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