Page 4 of Unexpected Temptation
Amelia made it down to the bottom of the stairs and stood.She could hear her parents talking in the dining room.
“I’m leaving,” Amelia hollered out.
There was a moment of silence.
“Okay, dear,” her mother said, and then nothing.
Amelia stood dumbfounded.She took a breath at the crushing feeling that pierced her heart.Weren’t they even going to say goodbye?Her parents started talking about the party the night before, like Amelia didn’t exist.At that moment, she knew she was making the right decision.
Amelia swallowed her tears, squared her shoulders, and walked out of the only home she’d ever had, knowing without a doubt she would never be back.
Amelia stopped the car at the end of the brick driveway and looked back toward the house in her rearview mirror.
“Goodbye,” she whispered before she looked forward to a life that made her happy.Amelia drove slowly through the part of the city she’d known her whole life.Except for a few friends, she had nothing to come back to.
Chapter Three
Three days later, Ameliadrove into the town where, according to Meredith’s emails, Mr.Stone lived.
She had thought long and hard about what she would say to him, but finally decided she would tell him the truth.As much as she hadn’t wanted to hurt the man’s feelings or the embarrassment it would cause her, he deserved that much.She was dreading this more than she thought she would, but knew she had to get this done before she could appease her conscience enough to be able to move on with her life.
Amelia found a parking spot in front of the town diner and looked around.The beauty and welcoming feeling of the town settled something in her.The way people waved even when they didn’t know her.The children were laughing and playing in their yards or riding their bikes in the street.The town looked small, but the old white WELCOME sign on the outskirts of town boasted that 4,523 people lived in this area, so it was more significant than she had first guessed.
The colors, sounds, and smells had also caught her attention and held her spellbound.The lush green pastures, the flowers that grew in abundance, and the mountains in the backdrop spoke to her in a way she couldn’t explain.This is the type of place she wanted to make her home, and after she had dealt with Mr.Stone, she would move on until she found somewhere like it.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t had a bite to eat that day.She hadn’t eaten very much in the last few days.Her nerves had taken away most of her appetite.
Even though she’d been nervous as hell about being on her own and the task she had to accomplish, the farther she drove away from the only home she’d ever known, the higher her spirit seemed to go until she felt a freedom she’d never experienced in her life.
She figured if she could get through the ordeal of the day, her spirits would rise further, and she’d be downright joyful.
Amelia hadn’t known how truly miserable she was until she was away from the place and people who put her into an abyss of insecurity and misery.
If they thought she would be back, they were mistaken.Amelia never wanted to deal with them again.She should have felt guilty for walking away from her family, but she had never truly felt a part of it.Frankly, they’d never really wanted her to be a part of it.It had always been the three of them together.She’d been invited to go a handful of times, but only when she was younger.Since she had become a teenager, she hadn’t been invited anywhere with them.When she asked to go, they always came back with some excuse, like she wouldn’t enjoy it or some other nonsense, which she never believed.She knew they were ashamed of her.It didn’t take an Einstein to figure that out.
It didn’t matter whether she was a nice person or kind to others.She didn’t look or act like them.And to them, it was the only reason they needed to shut her out.
