Page 51 of Aydin

Amelia was still locked in the guest bedroom and refused to speak to me, but today would be the last day I allowed this to go on. I picked up the plate of food I’d cooked, walked to her room, and tapped on the door.

“What?”

“I made breakfast.”

“Not hungry.”

“Amelia, you need to eat.”

“I ate already.”

“When?”

“While you were working out.”

“I’m not talking to you through the door.”

I waited for a response, then the knob turned, and she stood dressed in only a large shirt with her thick thighs showing in a pair of boy shorts. Her hair was pulled into a bun in the back, and she had on little makeup, only enhancing her full lips, round cheeks, and oval eyes.

“Where are you going?”

I sat the plate on the dresser and gulped down the last remnants of the coffee.

“To work.”

“Amelia, we talked about this.”

“You yelled, but no conversation happened.” She pouted, plopped down on the bed, and continued with her makeup.

“Until Addison is found, you need to be out of sight. This is the best place for you.”

“You’ve convinced me, but why can’t I still go to work? You’ll be there.”

“Because you’ll be a distraction.”

“For whom?” She turned to me.

How would I admit I’d grown to like our bickering back and forth? Hell, even when she answered the phone when I called, something about her voice made me want to be in her presence. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. Besides, when I tried to fire her, she refused.

“Me.”

She stared into my eyes.

“Oh.”

“Look, how about a compromise?”

“Okay.”

“You can go to the office with me, but we won’t stay the full day.”

“Why not?”

“I still need to track down Addison, and I’d planned on doing that with you here.”

“Then if you need to do that, I won’t interrupt. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

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