Saving Amy (16 page)

“More wine, Amy?” Vivienne asked while already topping up my glass.

“Is she even old enough?” David piped up, displaying an impish yet loveable grin. Naturally I blushed tomato-red and decided there and then he must be the joker of the family.

“That’s enough, David,” Vivienne admonished and I caught sight of Richard shielding one hand with the other as he flipped David the bird with a satisfied smile on his face. Their immaturity was just too adorable.

David had a point of course. Ten years was quite a significant age
gap which
I’d always expected to be frowned upon, and I found myself wondering why his parents were being so gracious, so accepting of me. I couldn’t even begin to work it out so I decided not to try, knowing it would only spiral into another episode of self-pity. I’d have plenty of time for that later.

Silently, I willed Richard to say something and take the attention away from me but he remained frustratingly quiet. Assessing the wicked grin splayed across his face I was almost sure he enjoyed watching me squirm.
Jackass.

“I’ve not seen Richard this happy in such a long time. You’re clearly doing something right,” Vivienne praised. My boggled mind was so busy mulling over her words that my cheeks forgot to blush.

Richard unhappy? Why?

“That’s awfully nice of you,” I muttered nervously and by now my cheeks were blazing a full on inferno.

“Well, it’s true. I was beginning to think he’d never get over Joanna.”

What the actual fuck? Joanna!
Joanna
Joanna? Joanna Interfering Shrink Lady Joanna?
Just when I thought I couldn’t despise her any more.

“
Mom!
” Richard finally broke the silence. He looked at me warily and I turned away, wrestling with a thousand different emotions yet trying to remain calm and polite.

The atmosphere between Richard and me was dense and uncomfortable throughout the main course of wild salmon, rocket and baby potatoes. My stomach churned with irrational jealousy and I didn’t enjoy the meal one bit.

Alistair returned halfway through the course. His face was unyielding and serious – even more so than before. My nosey subconscious wondered
who
the call was from but then I decided it was probably something wholly uninteresting and business related.

Dessert followed – homemade profiteroles bursting with salted caramel cream and melted dark chocolate – and the Lewis clan continued their endless ream of irrelevant questions and cheek-burning compliments.

“Amy would you like a tour of the rest of the house?” Richard asked while Gracie cleared away our dishes. I nodded passively. I was annoyed with him even though I knew I had no right or reason to be. The rational part of my mind knew he was entitled to a past, but my subconscious was livid – full-blown jealous with its masked eyes blazing greener than the hulks.

Richard guided me by the hand up the impressive, open spiral staircase which led to a vast landing with lightwood floors and rich red walls, lined with an assortment of spectacular framed pieces of art. It was stunning; like a high-end gallery – or at least how I imagined one to be. My eyes wanted to pause and admire the paintings but I could still feel the gentle pull of Richard’s hand, encouraging me to follow him.

He slowed to a stop at the end of the landing by a gleaming window that spanned the full width of the first floor, allowing the most dazzling, panoramic view of the world below us. I stared in awe through the glass, absorbing the beauty of the perfectly manicured lawn of at least ten acres that was lined with four or five different varieties of trees, evergreen shrubs and meadow-like flowers. It backed onto a glittering lake with the scene of the forest silhouetted onto the still water like a flawless canvas.

“Are you annoyed with me?” Richard asked, genuinely confounded and snapping my eyes back into the room.

“Yes,” I answered honestly. “But I know I have no right to be.”

“Can I ask
why
you’re mad at me?” He truly had no idea and my anger faded into guilt.
I
didn’t even know why I was mad anymore and I shrugged my shoulders like a sulking child. Then he raised my chin with his finger, forcing me to look at him. “Talk to me, baby.”

I couldn’t ignore him when he was like this – his intense green eyes blazing with concern, his brow furrowed, his voice soft and encouraging…

“I don’t really know anymore. I think I’m just a little overwhelmed.” Yep, there went the eyebrow. I was sure it was a reflex as natural as breathing for him. “I know so little about you, Richard and it’s all been thrust upon me in under two hours.” His jaw dropped open and his expression morphed from confused to nervous in a nanosecond.

“And you don’t like it? The things you’ve learnt today…” His brow crumpled, narrowing his beautiful eyes and I’d say he looked scared though I couldn’t fathom why.

“No. I mean yes, of course I do.” Holy crap I was a stuttering mess.

Pull yourself together,
my subconscious scolded.

“If I’m honest, I just feel a little out of my depth. Your parents have
so
much money.
You
probably have so much money, but I wouldn’t know because I don’t really know you. I didn’t even know you had a brother and sister till a few hours ago.” He definitely looked scared now. And so was I.

“Right, we’re leaving,” he said sternly and I didn’t know if I was relieved or afraid.

“Why?
Where?
”

“We’re going home and we’re going to talk. You want to know about me? Then get your ears ready, baby, ‘cause I’m going to talk into them till they start to burn.” He winked an adorable wink and my whole body tingled with excitement – and maybe a little apprehension.

B
ack in Richard’s apartment I kicked off my heels and flexed my squished toes. I didn’t realise they were too tight until I took them off and the feeling was exquisite – like sinking into soft leather. With that in mind, I headed to the corner-suite and slumped myself into it. Suddenly I was exhausted, but then Richard joined me, pulling my feet onto his lap and rubbing them gently, causing the tiredness to leave me as fast as it came.

“So, what do you want to know?” I sat up sharply. He’d taken me off-guard with such a direct question. Being so close to him, absorbing the warmth of his fingers kneading the soles of my aching feet, I had almost forgotten why we were here.

Right, where to start?

“Your parents… am I right in thinking they’re ridiculously wealthy?” I asked in a playful tone. He grinned, amused.

“My father owns the largest real-estate company in Washington State. It is the second largest in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world.” Real estate,
of course!
Alistair’s remark suddenly made sense now. “He ranks at fifty-three on the Forbes 400.”

Holy fuck!

My heart picked up its pace as I realised I had just had dinner with one of the wealthiest men in America… and I was in a relationship with his son.
Eek!

“What about your mom? She’s so lovely,” I felt obliged to add – because she really was.

“Yes, she is. And she seems quite taken with you.” I smiled bashfully even though I wasn’t quite convinced. I was sure if she
really
knew me, she’d realise I wasn’t good enough for her son. “She’s the chief founder of the Finding Hope charity. She set it up shortly after Kate’s death. It’s an organisation dedicated to the support and rehabilitation of young addicts. They do such amazing work.”

Abruptly, I began to feel awfully embarrassed and burning shame bored into my cheeks. I wondered idly if Vivienne was the ‘support’ Richard was always trying to push on me in the hospital. Maybe one way or another, I was always destined to meet his mother.

“Have you told her about me?” I asked because a niggling voice in the back of my head wanted to know if Vivienne just wanted to
save
me too. His reflexive eyebrow sprang into action. He clearly didn’t understand my question and I sighed dejectedly when I realised I was going to have to spell it out for him. “About my…
problems?
” Holy hell I was embarrassed.

“Not everything,” he admitted and I didn’t think I wanted him to elaborate any further if I was ever going to be able to look her in the eye again. “Is that why you’re mad at me?” he asked regretfully.

“I’m not mad at you.”

“But you
were
.” Crap, there was no getting out of it. I was going to have to let him know what a crazy, jealous bitch I was.

“I wasn’t mad, Richard. I was… jealous.” I stared at my knees and tried to conceal my blazing cheeks with my hand.

“
Jealous?
” The son of a bitch grinned at me!

“Glad I amuse you,” I muttered under my breath.

“I’m sorry. I should be flattered.” He winked at me and amazingly it didn’t shift the foul mood I was drowning in. “This is about Joanna isn’t it?”
Ugh.
The mere sound of her name made my stomach churn.

“You had a relationship with her?” I questioned and I knew I sounded pathetic and possessive but I just couldn’t help it. My subconscious would undoubtedly continue to torture me until it knew all the gory details.

“Yes. But it was a long time ago.”

“How long?” Christ, I sounded desperate. If I’d been him, I would’ve told me to fuck the hell off.

“We met in college, became friends and it went from there. The rest is history.”

“How long were you seeing each other?”

“Four years,” he answered, very matter of fact. I thought I was finally starting to piss him off. But four years? He must have loved her. The thought pounded into my heart.

“Did you love her?”

What are you playing at, Amy? Let it go.

“I used to think I did.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
I felt my brow furrow like his often did. “It was only when I met you I realised I had no idea what love was before.” My jaw dropped open and even though he’d said it before, I think it might have been actually sinking in.

He loves me.

Me!

“Oh, Richard, I’m sorry,” I said guiltily before nestling into his chest. He tightened his arm around me and kissed my hair.

“Don’t be. Just know that you have
nothing
to worry about. Joanna is my past, baby.
You
are my future.” My heart danced a quickstep – he had just said out-loud that we had a future.

“She still fancies you, you know,” I said because I knew damn well that she did. I’d seen the way she gaped at him with her puppy-dog eyes. Plus I couldn’t think of another reason for her to hate me as much as she did.

“I know she does.”

What!

“I’m not blind, Amy. But I can assure you the feelings are most definitely not reciprocated.” My pulse quickened and I felt rather proud of myself. I’d won. Take that, Interfering Shrink Lady. I planned to reply with a light-hearted, possibly sarcastic comment but before I had chance his face was in front of mine and I felt him on my lips.

I woke up in an empty bed and my tired half-open eyes scanned the bedroom in search of clues to Richard’s whereabouts. His pointy black work shoes were still paired neatly on the floor by the fitted closets so I knew he had to be in the apartment somewhere. Heaving my weary legs out of bed, I stretched my arms above my head. It revived me a little and I threw on Richard’s stripy blue shirt from the previous night and set off to find him.

I could hear his voice filtering through into the hallway and I knew straight away he was on the phone. His ‘phone voice’ was louder than his ‘real life’ one and a little more eloquent and authoritative. Following the sound, I found him shirtless and edible in his study. He had his concentrating, pursed eyebrows face on but it smoothed out immediately when he spotted me in the doorway.

“Yes… 7:15… And the private departure lounge is reserved? Yes… Thank you.”

My heart sank. Was he going somewhere? How long would he be away? After hanging up the call he sauntered towards me with his arms outstretched. I fell eagerly into them and held him close, savouring the feel of his warm skin against my cheek and the scent of tea-tree mixed with Armani cologne.

“Are you going somewhere?” I asked dejectedly. Releasing me, he cupped my face in his hands.

“
We
are going to Florida for a few days.”

What the…
My sunken heart leapt straight back up into its rightful place.

“I have a conference at Gainesville Medical Centre Thursday morning. We leave tonight.”

Tonight!
Internally I was battling against a full-on panic. I wasn’t ready. What would I pack? What would the weather be like over there this time of year? It was early September – did that mean it was still summer or had fall began? Was it hot or cold in the fall? Was I going on an airplane? Of course I was going on an airplane…
duh.
Would I need sunglasses? Shit I didn’t own any sunglasses. Would I…

“I have to leave soon. I’ll be back around lunch,” Richard said, snapping me back into the room. I nodded in slow motion and realised I still hadn’t said anything. Then he smiled his deliciously wicked grin at me like he knew just what a fantastic bastard he was, kissed my forehead and left.