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Jack looked confused. “Didn’t you get my email?”
Amelie eyed him up and down. “Yeah. Why?”
“Because you didn’t respond.”
She waved her hand in the air as though she were dismissing his concern. “I wanted to surprise you.”
Jack smiled and took her in. She was beautiful—her blonde hair piled in a messy bun that sat atop her head, her face bare without a trace of makeup, and she was dressed casually in shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops. Not much had changed, Jack thought. He shook his head. “Yeah, well, a response would’ve surprised me. I never have—ever understood your logic.”
“When did you get in? Are you hungry? I’m starving… and I know just the place,” she asked as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the exit.
“Amelie.” Jack stopped mid-stride.
She turned and waited.
“It’s really, really good to see you.”
Amelie led him into a poorly lit crowded restaurant. She nodded to a waiter who appeared and said something in Spanish that Jack wasn’t quick enough to catch. He glanced around the place and back at Amelie. “You’re sure you want to eat in this place… it doesn’t look very safe.”
She laughed. “I consider this to be one of the finest eateries in all of South America. And believe me when I say I’ve tried quite a few of them”
The waiter set two bottled waters down at their table. Jack picked up one of them, twisted the cap off, and pushed it in her direction. He did the same to his and took a sip. “So you come here often? To South America, I mean?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I live here part of the time, when I’m not traveling so much.” She gulped her water and twisted the cap back on. “But what about you? What brings you here? Business? Pleasure?”
“You.”
She furrowed her brow. “Me?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. Amelie paused and picked at the label on her bottle of water. “I heard about the divorce. I’m sorry…”
Jack eyed her, confused. “You did? How?”
Amelie smiled wryly. “Google alerts.”
“Ah. So you’ve been stalking me, then.”
“I prefer to call it keeping tabs on an old friend…”
He nodded in her direction. “What about you? What’ve you been up to?” He glanced at her ring finger though he’d already noted it was bare.
“Work mostly. But I have three kids and a very handsome husband. They keep me pretty busy.”
Jack felt his mouth go dry. “Oh, wow. The kids… what are their ages?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Geez, Jack, relax. I’m just messing with you. No kids for me. No husband, either.” She couldn’t stop giggling. “I’m sorry. That was mean, I know. But you’re practically as white as a ghost.”
He frowned. “That was mean.”
The waiter placed two plates on the table then and walked away. “I ordered you the special. I hope that’s ok.”
He shrugged, nonchalantly. “Are you seeing anyone?”
Amelie stabbed at her food and took a bite. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
Jack looked away.
