Page 17 of Dirty Ginger

“Sort of,” Amelia admitted. “But maybe it was better that I saw him right away. Kinda like ripping the Band-Aid off, and now I can walk away and not have to think about him anymore.”

“You’re probably right,” Clara said gently. She made her way over to the table with three coffees on a tray and set them in front of each sister before taking a seat next to Maisie. “Beckett paid you back, then?”

“I told him I didn’t want his money,” Amelia said, hugging the warm mug with her hands. “This is my mess, not his.”

“Apparently he disagrees with you,” Maisie stated before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, apparently.” Amelia snorted. “He snuck the check into my pocket at some point.” Probably during that last kiss that nearly melted her into a puddle on the floor. She smiled at her sisters. “I’ll just have to sneak it back in his.”

“He’s never going to give on this, Amelia,” Clara countered, lifting her mug to her mouth. “It’s a lot of money. That’s from the inheritance Pops left you, and Beckett knows that.”

Amelia watched Clara sip her coffee and didn’t doubt her decision. “Beckett was just protecting me. He isn’t paying for my mistake. I won’t let it happen.”

“I get that,” Maisie said with a shrug.

A long pause followed as they drank their coffees before Clara addressed Amelia again, “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but it’s my job as your older sister to look out for you.” She set her mug back down, leveling Amelia with a hard look. “I get wanting to have a rebound to forget about Luka for good, but Beckett isn’t a one-night stand. He can’t ever be that for you.”

Amelia’s heart clenched in agreement. “Beckett isn’t a rebound.”

Maisie chimed in, “So, that kiss was nothing?”

“It was just a kiss. That’s it,” Amelia said in an instant. “A thank you for knocking Luka out.”

Maisie barked a laugh. “That’s some thank you.”

Clara, though, wasn’t laughing. She shook her head, and before taking another sip of her coffee, she said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Amelia clicked mugs with Maisie. “Don’t you worry about me. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

---