Page 24 of Beauty Of Her

“Julia, are you okay?” Amelia’s voice brought me back to the present. I realized that I had been lost in my thoughts for too long.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced a smile.

“You don’t seem fine. What’s going on? Talk to me.”

I hesitated for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh. “It’s just… I’m scared, Amelia.”

“Scared of what?”

“I’m scared of getting hurt… again. After my divorce, I thought I could never trust anyone. But then Brett came along, and he’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, it’s not. It’s just… He’s so free and spontaneous, and I’m just so…not.”

Amelia scoffed. “You are not boring, Julia. You just need to let loose sometimes.”

“Amelia, I’m boring. Even Peter said I was boring toward the end.” I swallowed the lump in my throat that always formed whenever I reminisced about the end of my marriage.

“Yeah, you were boring to Peter because you were missing a dick.” She rolled her eyes.

“Amelia…” I warned.

“Are you still protecting him, Julia?” Once Amelia started to drum her red nails on the stainless steel table, it always meant one thing: she was pissed. “It was never your job to protect Peter during your marriage, especially now.”

“Ouch. What, did you have a bad night or something?” I twisted my face. Amelia wasn’t one to have a filter, but sometimes I wish she had just a tiny one.

“No. As a matter of fact, I had a great night.” She tilted her chin a degree upward.

“Sex?”

“Of course.” Amelia flashed a brilliant toothy smile.

“How do you do it?” I leaned across the table. “How are you so free? You went through a divorce. How did you bounce back?”

Amelia was about to speak but then frowned, and that was when I realized how silly I was acting. To a degree, she still hurt, but masked it better. “It wasn’t easy, but I made it back. And I know you will, too. Give Brett a chance.”

I squeezed the bridge of my nose while glancing at my watch. Shit. Only ten minutes before the next big meeting of the morning. “He’s never had a serious relationship before. Kinda guessing he’s a player.”

This got Amelia’s attention as she straightened her posture. “Players can be a lot of fun once they’ve found the one.”

“How do you know?” I chewed my bottom lip. “Do you think it’s a red flag?”

“Look who you’re talking to, and stop looking for the flags.” Amelia gnawed her inner cheek before shaking off any hesitation. “Don’t let it bother you. Just go with it.”

“Is this something I want to go with?” I held up a finger before Amelia could drown me with her impossible eye rolls and flailing arms. “Just hear me out. He’s younger than me. A playboy, okay? Never married. No kids. Does he want marriage? Does he want kids? His own children?”

Amelia was about to speak but clamped her mouth shut.

“Exactly.” I pointed between her wide green eyes. “These are things I want to consider before diving into something. Not just with him. With anyone.”

Amelia tapped her black stiletto heel against the gray-tiled floor. “Jules, I still think you’re reading too much into it. First off, stop ignoring the poor guy. You’re going to ruin this before it’s even begun. Don’t be that kind of person.”

“And what kind of person is that?” I swallowed, my throat clicking.

“Self-sabotage, Julia. It’s an ugly look.”

“I’m not self-sabotaging anything.” I crossed my arms. “How could you say that?”

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