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Maybe he was happier single. He could have been like this with everyone by now, but she wouldn’t know since they both kept their contact strictly professional.
Amelia knew she could turn this over in her head until she’d dissected every second of that interaction. She almost wanted to, just to see if remembering it would settle the subtle buzzing under her skin.
But she had work to do.
She powered on her computer to check her email. What she found was her corporate boss, Cheryl, telling her to remind everyone that no one was allowed to work from home under any circumstances.
Why not just do that themselves? Why did her name have to be on it?
She actually knew why, and she didn’t like it. Amelia was the first point of contact when people had questions or complaints about policy, so it had to be her who sent it out. Judging by the fact that a few people worked from home when sick so they could save PTO, there were going to be issues with this reminder.
After she sent it out, she got exactly what she expected. She spent her whole morning sipping on coffee and responding to emails, which were mostly comprised of people asking different versions of the same question. Can there be an exception to this ridiculous, no-exception rule? By the time it was noon, Amelia was tired of having to deliver the bad news.
Luckily, her phone jingled, reminding her of lunch with her mom. They were discussing the annual family vacation and finishing off the last remaining to-do items before they left this weekend.
Her brother, John, lived in the city. But her parents preferred small-town life and lived about an hour away. Amelia didn’t get to see them nearly as much as she wanted to. The vacation was a way for them to all reset and spend a week in each other’s company.
She rubbed her eyes. She only had about fifteen minutes until she met with her mother, and she wanted to be in a decent mood. It took a lot to get her mom to drive to the city.
She stepped away from her computer, heading for the restaurant on the first floor of her office building, where she and her mom had agreed to meet.
Amelia was the spitting image of her mother, with the same dark hair, light brown eye color, and face shape. Her mom looked nice today. Her hair was curled and lay across her shoulders after a recent haircut. Her clothes were clean and complementary.
Amelia sighed in relief—her mom must have been in a good mental state.
“Hey, Mom,” she said, giving her mother a hug.
“Hi, honey!” her mom replied brightly. “You look like you’re exhausted. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I’m just busy, as always.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow, but the hostess greeted them, stealing the opportunity to inquire further.
They sat, and the topic of food dominated their conversation up until they ordered. After their menus were gone and their drinks delivered, Amelia swirled her sweet tea, thankful for more caffeine.
“So, has anything big happened recently?”
“Nope,” Amelia replied. “Just the usual work stuff. I’m trying to get everything squared away for next week. But honestly, I just think that everyone is looking forward to having me out of the office.”
“I’m sure they all love you.” Her mom gave her a smile. Amelia wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t say anything. “Any fun dates?”
Her stomach flipped. She should have seen this coming.
“Um, not really.” She hoped the answer would make her mother drop it.
“Do you know Mr. Saylor’s boy?”
Mr. Saylor lived next to her mom and dad, and while she liked her parents’ neighbors, she didn’t exactly know them.
“No, why?”
“Because his son is a doctor and he’s looking for a vacation.”
“And?”
“And I think you two would get along.”
Amelia nearly choked on her drink. “What?”
