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She had been mistaken. It wasn’t shock. It was anger.
“You didn’t call.”
Jack deadpanned. “So you flew all the way here?”
She motioned at her surroundings. “It certainly appears that way, doesn’t it.”
“Amelie, this… I mean… now really isn’t a good time.” He ran his fingers through his hair, stared at her, and then exhaled loudly. “I really wish you just hadn’t shown up here like this…”
“You haven’t told her. Have you?”
Jack lowered his voice. “Look… I can’t discuss this here. Can we meet somewhere later?”
She took a few steps and stood directly in front of him, glaring into his eyes. He retreated. “Please, Amelie. I’m begging you… please keep it down. Let’s not do this here, ok?”
“It’s now or never, Jack. This is it.”
He crossed his arms. “I’d like a chance to talk… to explain… but… like I told you, this is not the time or the place.”
“Really? I’m pretty sure that somewhere within the past ten days or so, you could’ve found the time or place,” she hissed. Amelie pulled out a chair and sat, propping her feet up on the table. She leaned back and met his eye. “I’m not leaving until you give me an answer.”
He spoke carefully lowering his voice to a whisper. “She owns twenty-five percent of my company, Amelie. Which means that she pretty much has me by the balls.”
“Surely, even you aren’t ignorant enough to mix business with pleasure in such a way,” she scoffed.
Jack frowned. “One would think.”
Amelie rolled her eyes as the realization set in. “Jesus.”
Jack stood for a moment considering how to respond. Instead, he perched himself up on the table in front of her and folded his hands in his lap. “We were looking to expand, I needed capital… and her family offered. I thought I would be able to buy them out. But then we got involved, then engaged, and well…”
“So you thought you’d solve the issue by marrying her.”
He laughed nervously, not exactly denying her accusation. “Well, it sure made getting a prenup out of her a whole lot easier. And hey, all is fair in love and war, as they say.”
“It sounds like the two of you share the same philosophy on the subject, so I guess you deserve each other,” she said, her voice cold, unemotional.
“What would you do… in my situation?”
She removed her legs from the table and scooted back in the chair, attempting to put as much distance as she could between the two of them. “What would I do? You want to know what I would do? Well, for one, I would hope that the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with wanted the same thing for the same reasons. I sure as hell wouldn't force someone who didn’t want to be with me to do so. I would walk away. But apparently, that’s just me.”
Jack frowned. “It’s not that simple. I wish it were. But it’s not. You’ll see… someday.”
Amelie stood and met his gaze head on. “Well, then. I guess there is nothing more that needs to be said here.” She took an envelope from her purse and handed it to him. “But I did want to give you these.” He eyed the envelope, confused. “It’s the letters I wrote to you while I was in the hospital. There are only a few of them. But I thought you might want them, nonetheless.”
He swallowed and then tucked them into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
She looked him up and down once more before she walked to the door and placed her hand on the handle. His voice stopped her from turning it. “Amelie,” he paused before continuing, “I want you to know that I really am sorry.” He stood and walked toward her. “You’ll be all right, won’t you?”
Amelie smiled. “Of course.”
Jack put his hand on the door, keeping her from opening it. “I know it’s really a lot to ask… but… I was wondering if you might still come to the wedding? I know what I’m asking seems ridiculous… it’s just that… you’re my oldest and dearest friend… and I’ve been thinking so much about my mom not being there and all… and I guess there’s just no one who understands what that feels like the way you do.”
Amelie swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. He might as well have punched her in the gut. She took a deep breath and stared at the floor, willing herself not to cry. When she thought she could finally speak, she did so slowly. Her voice broke, but she managed. “Sure. If it means that much to you, I’ll be there.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, visibly relieved. “Oh, and Amelie…”
She glanced up briefly.
