Read Online Amelia by Bernadette Marie - Free Book Online Page B

Penelope.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Amelia sat in her dark motel room waiting for Penelope to walk through the door. She was counting on the fact that she had no money and nowhere to go, therefore she would return to the motel.
    She’d spent the better part of an hour walking the streets near Sam’s office looking for her. Sam had called a few friends in the area to keep an eye out for her, but she seemed to have vanished.
    Amelia knew they’d been stupid to have done what they did. But damnit, she really liked Sam and Christ she really wanted to tumble with him more than once—but she’d just like to get to once.
    Just as she thought it the door opened and a very tired Penelope walked through.
    “I almost thought I was going to have to call the police.” Amelia stood from the bed and moved toward her. “Where the hell did you go? Where have you been?”
    Penelope looked up at her with swollen red eyes. “I’ve been walking.”
    “This whole time?”
    Penelope shrugged. “Most of it. I headed back to Sam’s office when I got tired. I didn’t know where else to go. I sat in his office for an hour while his mother brought me snacks and he made me drink water.”
    “You went back to Sam’s?” Her voice shook and that pissed her off. She’d been trained to have a solid voice. Having it shake wasn’t an option.
    Penelope nodded. “I’m not mad.”
    “You’re not?”
    “No. I’m sad.”
    All of this girlie emotion stuff wasn’t resonating with Amelia. “You’re sad that you saw me and Sam kiss?”
    “Yes. I saved myself for someone who lied to me. Now I’m pregnant and he’s dead—and a liar. And you have Sam.”
    “Sam and I aren’t really anything. It just happened.”
    “He’s nice.”
    “He is.”
    Penelope set her purse down on the small table and toed off her shoes. “Did you know him before? Before Adam died?”
    “No. I only met him at the funeral before you walked in.”
    “Oh. He must really like you then.”
    “I’d like to think he does. Here, sit down on the bed. Put your feet up. You shouldn’t have been walking that long.”
    Penelope moved past her to the bed, propped up the pillows and sat down as Amelia sat in a chair by the table.
    “What do you think Vivian will say?”
    Amelia’s jaw tightened. “It’s really none of her damn business,” she sighed. “But I assume she’ll accuse me of trying to gain something.”
    Penelope nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”
    Where did they go from here? “I’ll tell her if you want me to.”
    “What do you think?”
    “There is part of me that says I should say to hell with it, leave town, and forget all of this.”
    Penelope’s eyes grew wide with something that looked a lot like fear.
    “I’m not going to,” she assured her and Penelope’s face softened a bit. “I like him and I should be able to screw who I want to since my own husband didn’t care who he screwed.”
    Penelope rested her hands on her stomach and at the same time the reaction felt like a kick in Amelia’s gut.
    “I didn’t mean that bad—Christ, it couldn’t have come out good either.”
    “It’s okay. I’m getting used to it. Vivian looks at me like I’m a disease. Her disease.”
    “You’re not. You’re as drug into this as we are. Even more so, you don’t have anything to go on but his handsome face. Vivian can at least draw on some good memories for her girls.”
    Penelope wiped away a tear that had fallen from her eyes which had filled. “I should have decided not to keep the baby.”
    That had Amelia on her feet. “You wouldn’t dare?”
    “No. No.” Penelope sat up. “I mean I should have decided a long time ago to make adoption arrangements. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not mother material.”
    “Okay then.” Amelia lowered herself back into her chair. “Sorry. Not my body. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset.”
    “I understand. I can’t lie—I thought of that too. But it didn’t seem right. This