Page 71 of One Reckless Night

I sat forward. “Bereavement leave? What are you talking about?”

Shawn sighed. “Her mom passed away.”

“Her mom?”

I felt like I had slept through the last week. What the hell did I miss?

“Her mother was at a long-term memory care facility in Miami.”

“I didn’t know,” I said.

“She apparently had advanced early-onset dementia. She had a series of strokes, and… well, it wasn’t good. She passed away a couple days ago. Amelia met with HR the morning after her mom died to set up her leave. It’s why she took most of last week off. She’d been in the hospital with her mom.”

I felt like the world’s biggest dickhead. My mind raced, pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Her sudden disappearance during the conference, her reluctance to open up about her personal life, the way she’d looked at me when I’d asked about her dependent on the insurance plan. It all made sense now. And I’d been too wrapped up in my own issues to see it.

“Why didn’t she tell me?” I asked.

Shawn shrugged. “I don’t know, man. But from what Clair said, Amelia’s been dealing with this for a while. Maybe she didn’t want to burden anyone with it.”

I ran a hand over my face, my chest aching. “How long is she on leave?”

“Not sure,” Shawn said. “Clair mentioned she has to go back to England for a while to settle her mom’s estate. Could be weeks. Maybe a month or two.”

I felt my stone heart crack. Amelia was gone. And she might not come back. The thought made my chest hurt. A wave of regret washed over me. I’d pushed her away when she needed kindness. Her mother died shortly after we had our conversation.

I was the biggest asshole in the world.

“Fuck,” I groaned and dropped my head to my desk. “Son of a bitch.”

“You okay, Jared?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

But I wasn’t fine. I felt like I’d been punched. Amelia had been carrying this weight alone, and instead of being there for her, I’d pushed her away. I’d let her walk out of my house, out of my life, without even trying to understand what she was going through.

I sat up and looked at him. “Does she have anyone here?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Shit. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You going to be okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not the one that just lost my mom.”

“Alright, I’ll see you around.”

Shawn left and I sat there, staring at the folder on my desk. I needed to fix this. I needed to make things right. But I didn’t know how.

I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I had to talk to her. I had to tell her… what? That I was sorry? That I was an idiot? That I was scared of letting her in, but I didn’t want to lose her?

I grabbed my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found her number. I hesitated, my finger hovering over the call button. What would I even say? Hey, Amelia, I heard about your mom. I’m sorry I was a jerk. Can we talk?

It sounded pathetic, even to me. But I had to try. I couldn’t let her go without at least telling her I was sorry for her loss. I took a deep breath and pressed the call button, my heart pounding as the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. And then her voicemail picked up.

“Hey, it’s Amelia. Leave a message.”

I hesitated, debating what to say. I probably should have thought about that before I called. “Amelia, it’s Jared. I… I heard about your mom. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I should have been there for you. Call me when you get this. Please.”

I hung up and stared at the wall. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. But it was a start.

By the time I got home that night, I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I poured myself a drink and sat on the deck, staring out at the water. Amelia didn’t call or text me back. I wasn’t going to keep hounding her. She had her hands full and didn’t need me bugging her.

I had screwed that up like I screwed up everything nonmedical. It was my curse and I didn’t need to subject Amelia to it. The best thing I could was leave her alone.