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Later that night, after they’d made love twice more, Jack rolled over and lightly kissed the tip of her ear, waking her.
“I’m not going through with it. I’m going to tell her the wedding’s off.”
Amelie murmured something inaudible in recognition.
He shook her slightly. “Amelie? Did you hear what I said? I can’t do it…”
Jack climbed over the top of her then, and put his face as close to hers as possible. She opened her eyes. He searched them, waiting for a response. “Hello? Say something.”
She thought for a second before responding. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
She inhaled then let it out slowly. “I’m sorry.”
“It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. The success rates on these sorts of things are fairly low. It’s not a very smart investment, if you ask me,” he said.
“Oh, Jack,” she grunted.
He waved her off. “It’s ok. Or at least it will be at some point.”
“I know how much you love her. There’s history there.”
“Yes.”
“Which means it’s going to hurt like hell.”
He exhaled. “Telling her, you mean? Yeah… I’m thinking we should go somewhere afterward. That it would help if I got away.”
Amelie nodded slightly. “Sounds like a plan.”
The following morning, they flew out of Iceland together hand in hand. They each had a layover in New York before catching separate connecting flights, Jack heading back to Texas and Amelie on to Florida for another shoot. They stood in the airport terminal saying their goodbyes where Jack promised to call when it was done.
He kissed her once more, turned, and headed toward his gate when he heard Amelie call after him.
He looked back over his shoulder.
“Hey, Jack,” she repeated as though maybe he’d missed it the first time.
He lifted his chin in the air to signal that he’d heard her.
“Where is it you want to go? Now, that I’m gainfully employed, I’ll need to make plans.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I hadn’t gotten past the somewhere with you part of the equation.” He thought for a moment, and then winked. Surprise me, kid…”
She smiled and then handed the attendant her ticket and made her way down the ramp toward the plane.
NINETEEN
A week later, when the call Amelie had been so desperately waiting on still hadn’t come, she told herself there had to be a good explanation. She alternated between worry and fury. A thousand reasons crossed her mind as to why Jack hadn’t kept his promise. By day ten, she was so fed up that she hopped a plane bound for Austin—where she intended to find out for herself, once and for all, just what in the hell was going on.
Once home, the first stop Amelie made was to pay her mother a visit. Her mother put on a pot of tea as Amelie confronted her about the letters, about the real reason that her mother had placed her in the hospital, and why she’d lied for so many years. In the end, she did not get the answers she wanted, so she simply grabbed the letters and walked out. It would be a long time before she would speak to her mother again, and a very long time before they would be able to mend the relationship that had been so badly broken.
Her next stop was Jack’s office. Amelie waltzed in and demanded to see him without bothering to call. If he hadn’t given her the decency, why should she give it to him? Her intrusion wasn’t received very well, and after being led to a small conferen
ce room, and told to wait, a young woman finally appeared and asked Amelie to follow her. She was led down a long corridor and showed into a second, more spacious conference room where Amelie was asked if she would like anything to drink. Amelie shook her head and thanked the young woman, very aware of the expression on her face clearly marked as pity. Whatever it was, it made Amelie’s stomach turn. Approximately five minutes later, Jack appeared and was, needless to say, shocked as hell.
He closed the door behind him and crossed the room in two quick strides. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
