Rules of Contact
Page 58

   She did like him. She more than liked him. Which meant her heart was getting involved, and that was scary as hell.
   “Yes, of course I like him.”
   “But . . .”
   Once again, this was what happened when your friend knew you all too well. Amelia realized she couldn’t escape having this conversation.
   “But I’m afraid.”
   Laura got up, shoved the suitcase to the end of the bed and sat next to Amelia. “What are you afraid of? That you’re going to fall in love with Flynn and he’s going to break your heart like that asshole you were married to?”
   She sighed. “You know, sometimes you cut right to the heart of the matter like a surgeon.”
   Laura beamed a smile. “You sure know how to throw a compliment. I’m right, aren’t I? Are your feelings for Flynn more than fun, dating and sex?”
   “Yes, they’re more than all of those.”
   “Are you in love with him?”
   Laura had softened her voice when she asked the question.
   “Maybe. I don’t know. I thought I was in love with Frank. I gave my whole heart to him. I thought I knew everything about him, that we were destined for forever. That turned out to be a nightmare. He wasn’t who I thought he was. So what do I really know about love?”
   “You’re afraid to give a guy your heart again. You’re afraid your feelings are going to be crushed. I totally understand. But don’t let one jerk keep you from trusting in love. It’s out there and it’s waiting for you. The right guy is out there. The right guy could be Flynn.”
   “Maybe. I don’t know.”
   Laura sighed. “You said that already.”
   She lifted her gaze to her friend, needing Laura to understand, to be there with her. “Because it’s true. I don’t know what to believe in. I can’t trust my own heart or my own feelings. I just need . . . time, I guess.”
   Laura went quiet for a few seconds, then finally nodded. “You’re right, and I’m being pushy. I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy. I want you to feel good again, to fall in love again. This time, with the right guy.”
   Amelia leaned against Laura and laid her head on her best friend’s shoulder. “I know you do and I love you for that. But this time, I’m going into it with my eyes wide open. I’m never going to let a man hurt me again.”
   Laura put her arm around her shoulders. “It’s good to be wary, but don’t close yourself off to the possibility that love could be out there for you. Give it a chance. Give Flynn a chance. He’s a nice guy and he seems really into you, so don’t close the door, okay?”
   “I promise I won’t.”
   After Laura left, Amelia finished up the few things she needed to do around the house—washing dishes, taking out the trash—then took a shower and got ready, her eye constantly on the clock. Flynn was picking her up at nine, so she made certain she was ready to go by eight thirty.
   Her stomach grumbled and she realized in all the rush she hadn’t eaten yet. Too late now. She’d grab a muffin at the airport or something.
   To calm her nerves while she waited for Flynn, she sat at her breakfast bar and made notes about three new dishes she planned to create for Ninety-Two’s holiday menu. When Flynn knocked on the door, she put her pen and paper aside, grabbed her travel bag and opened the door.
   “Hi. I’m ready.”
   His lips curved. “A little anxious about the trip?”
   “Maybe a little.”
   “Don’t be. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to have fun. And good morning.” He stepped in, grasped her arms and pulled her against him for a kiss. She leaned into him and let the warmth of him surround her for a few seconds. But then she realized they were on a timetable, so she pressed her hands against his chest and took a step back.
   “Okay, enough of that.”
   “You’re no fun,” he said.
   “I’m tons of fun and you know it. Grab my suitcase.”
   He shot a frown at her. “You’re very bossy when you’re stressed.”
   “I am not stressed. Can we go now?”
   She was totally stressed and she didn’t know why. Okay, she knew why. There was a lot of pressure on this visit, and it was all pressure she was putting on herself. She really needed to relax. Maybe she’d have a muffin before the flight and a glass of wine on the plane.
   Though the combination made her wrinkle her nose.
   They got to the airport with plenty of time to check in and make their way to the gate. She also grabbed a muffin and an orange juice.
   She was surprised to discover they were flying first class. She’d argued with him a couple of weeks ago when he’d told her he was paying for her ticket, but he’d won that argument. If she’d known then it was a first class ticket, she would have argued more.
   “First class is frivolous,” she said as they waited to board.
   “You won’t think that when we get on the plane.”
   “Whatever. I’m fine with coach, you know.”
   He gave her a look that told her he was just about out of patience with her. “Want me to switch out your ticket?”
   “No. I want to sit with you.”
   “Then we’re sitting in first class. I’m a big guy. I like bigger seats. And I can afford first class seats for both of us, so quit complaining about it.”
   She rolled her eyes and decided to let him have this one. Plus, the seats and extra legroom were awesome, so complaining did seem bitchy.
   The plane took off. Not long after that the flight attendant asked her what she wanted to drink. She looked at her watch and saw it was ten thirty. Too early for wine, she supposed, so she ordered a sparkling water. They also took orders for lunch, and she had her choice of grilled chicken salad or pasta. She chose the grilled chicken salad.
   She settled in to read a book on her e-reader, while Flynn took out his netbook, shoved in his earbuds and started watching a movie. It wasn’t long before she was peering over his shoulder at the movie he was watching. He finally noticed and took out his earbuds.
   “You want to watch with me?”
   “That might be hard to do.”
   “Not really.” He handed her one of his earbuds. She laughed and shoved it in her ear, nestled close to him and watched the movie over his shoulder until their lunch arrived.
   Lunch was amazing, and included wine—and dessert—which made her very happy. Then they showed an in-flight movie, so she put in the earbuds they provided. The flight went by so fast that before she knew it they were landing in Austin. Which made her wish she hadn’t turned down that refill on the wine, because now she was nervous again. But she kept her nervousness to herself and followed along as Flynn picked up the rental car and they climbed in.