#Chapter 32 – Slut

“Ian, you need to slow down!” I call after him, shaking my head as he bursts through Victor’s back door like a tornado. Alvin isn’t far behind him. “Boys –“

I step into the kitchen moments later and see that they’ve left chaos on their wake. Their backpacks are thrown on the floor and four little shoes dot their path up the stairs. The greatest casualty yet, Amelia stands with her mouth still open in a gasp, looking after them with tea splashed all over the island and her white sweater.

“Oh, god,” I say, quickly moving to the paper towels. “I’m so sorry Amelia, did they startle you?” Ripping one free, I quickly work to mop up the mess on the kitchen island where she was sitting. Then, on mom instinct, I reach to dab at her sweater

“I’ve got it,” she says, twisting away from me with a dirty look.

Yup. Great one, Evelyn, not only have your sons ruined her sweater but now you’ve tried to pat her chest with a paper towel. Awesome.

“I really am sorry – they’re just hurricanes with legs. I’ll pay for the dry cleaning of the sweater,” I offer, lamely.

“Don’t worry about it,” she murmurs, carefully applying water at the sink. “It’s last season, anyway.”

As Amelia is distracted, I stare at her. God, she really is more beautiful in person than on the fashion magazines, if that’s possible. Standing next to her, I feel every inch the country mouse next to a swan.

Our relationship is, at best, frosty. I guess this is understandable, I think, watching her clean her sweater. I’m a constant reminder of a passionate night Victor had six years ago. And considering that Victor and I have grown closer lately…well. In her position, I guess I’d be cold too.

Amelia catches me looking and meets my eye unhesitatingly. I try a soft smile and she smirks, moving to the teapot to make another cup.

“Would you…” I venture, “make me one as well?”

Amelia shrugs and gets a second mug out of the cabinet. I sit down at the island. Victor has made it clear that he doesn’t think Amelia has anything at all to do with our sons’ kidnapping. I still have my doubts, but if Victor believes her, that means Amelia is going to be sticking around. If she’s going to be my sons’ stepmom, then I both of our lives would be better if we could come to some kind of agreement. A friendship, even.

“Um, it’s a lovely sweater.” I venture, trying to start somewhere, anywhere. “Where did you get it?”

“Paris.” She says shortly. Of course. Everything she owns is from Paris.

“I spent some time in Paris,” I say as Amelia drops teabags into the mugs. “When I was a teenager.”

She turns to look at me, giving me rather a withering stare. “That’s funny,” she says. “I would have had no idea.”

taking it for the cut it was. She’s not going to make

says you’re planning to go back in

her cup of tea back to her seat at the island. “Yes, for the fashion. This year I’ll

tea. As I return to my seat, Amelia flips through the magazine that she was looking at before the boys came and interrupted her day. Determined to make headway, I put on

in that one?” I

twenty pages and then holds up the magazine so that I can see it. It’s a picture of her, looking

say, leaning forward for a better look. Before I can get it though, she snaps the magazine

your wedding

says, “it was just for the shoot. That dress is too risqué for Victor. Not

glad she’s talking. “And if it

to me,” she says, still flipping pages and continuing to not look at me, “I’d have three different gowns – one for the ceremony, the reception, and the after party. And each would be more fantastic than the

say, meaning it. It wouldn’t be my choice, but it sounds very

looking

marrying Victor,” I

sold thousands of magazines. “We got this amazing chateau off the coast that’s totally exclusive, so no paparazzi, and nobody

her palm as she thinks about her perfect day. “Cases of champagne flown in from France, private jets to get all the guests to and from the

wow.” I say, genuinely impressed. “And then, the marriage? Are you

she pulls out of her reverie. “I just told you

the wedding,” I say.

at me again and then thinks for a moment. “Being married to Victor is everything I ever wanted. Of course I’m excited about that. Things

considering. “I thought…Victor wanted to start

her attention back to the magazine. “Victor doesn’t know what he

a moment, thinking to myself that Victor seems to know exactly what he wants: a marriage,

I’d like for Amelia and me to be friends, and if I were her – I mean hell, I was her. Six years ago I was a girl a

Amelia,” I say,

“Yeah, I heard all about that.” Her voice drips with the

excited about my wedding too, but then after all the excitement was gone, I realized that I didn’t think enough about what my life was going to be like as this man’s wife. It was a mistake. I wish I had given it

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