Page 63 of Whatever You Need

We both took time looking over the specials before Denzel returned with our drinks.

“Do you know what you want, Amelia?” Mom asked while taking a sip of her wine.

I pursed my lips. “I’m debating between the shrimp cocktail or the bacon wrapped dates.”

“Why don’t we get both,” she suggested and turned to Denzel. “I’ll also have the kale and apple salad.”

“And how about you, Ms. West?” he asked, as my mom handed her his menu.

My eyes paused on the lobster bisque, which was Marco’s favorite. I shook my head and moved my eyes over to the specials. “I’ll have the spinach salad with cranberry dressing, please.”

He winked. “Perfect choice. I’ll be right out with your appetizers.”

Silence settled over us and I looked down at my water. My mom reached for my hand. “Why don’t you tell me about this Marco fella?”

I contemplated how much I wanted to get into. If someone were to tell me this morning that I would be sitting here, enjoying lunch with my mother, talking about my now ex-boyfriend, I wouldn’t have believed it.

“There really isn’t much to say other than, I am one hundred percent, head over heels in love with him.”

“Does he know how you feel?”

“I told him.” My voice was strained and with every second that ticked by, more pressure built up in my chest. The hurt on his face and the pain from his words would not leave my head. It felt like I was back in that house, reliving one of the most painful moments of my life. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I forced them back. Allowing my emotions to break free wasn’t going to do me an ounce of good. It wasn’t going to change the outcome, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to bring him back.

“You can talk to me, Amelia.” She stared at me closely, sensing my internal suffering. I felt so damn mentally exhausted. “You don’t have to keep everything bottled up inside. It might make you feel better if you talked about it.”

Picking up my napkin, I wiped my eyes, wondering how it was possible that I even had any tears left to shed. At some point, I would be all cried out. “I can’t right now, Mom. It hurts too much.”

If she was disappointed, she didn’t show it. “Fair enough.” She placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Believe it or not, I have a little experience with heartbreak myself, so if you ever change your mind I am always here to listen.”

I just nodded my head, because I just wasn’t quite there yet. Denzel approached the table and placed our appetizers in front of us. I took a sip of my Coke while he refilled our ice waters.

I was just about to dig in when I spotted Owen walking our way. My stomach clenched in discomfort.

“Tamara, it’s good to see you.” He walked around the table and kissed her cheek. “Is it just me or do you get more gorgeous every time I see you? It must be that Florida sunshine because you look radiant.”

“Thank you.” She smiled as he pulled out a chair to join us.

He flagged down a passing waiter. “I’ll have my usual.” The waiter discretely nodded his head and walked away. Owen grinned, leaning back in his chair.

“So, Owen.” I gave him a tight smile. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“Do I really need an excuse to have a drink with the two prettiest ladies in town?” The corner of his mouth tipped up. I couldn’t believe how thick he was laying it on. You would think he would get sick of his own lines after a while.

“Such a charmer.” I picked up my soda and tried to sound convincing. I had a feeling he was up to something, I just wasn’t sure what. He was acting way too friendly.

“Actually.” He scooted his chair closer to mine. Our legs practically brushed up against each other. “Tamara, I heard you were in town and I was hoping to run into you.”

“Oh, why is that?” She put her white napkin down on the table.

“Well, I think it’s time we started putting on a united front, don’t you think?” He draped his arm along the back of my chair. He really needed to learn personal boundaries. “Considering I’m going to be your son-in-law in a few months.”

I gritted my teeth. He was trying to rattle me, but I refused to engage. Maybe he would take the hint and move along if I just ignored him.

“Well, we should all get together after the holidays then,” she suggested.

The waiter came over holding a silver tray. Owen grabbed his scotch and said, “Make sure you put it on the company account.”

My eyes did an internal role in my head. He really got his rocks off acting so superior to our staff. It was obnoxious. I was certain thatpleaseandthank youwere not in his vocabulary.

---