“Oh, I’m not easily offended. Don’t worry.”
Jo watched Amelia closely, searching for a hint of judgment or shock, but she gave nothing away. How could Callum’s mum—pristine and proper Amelia Loughlin—not react to that? “Really?”
“Really.”
“So, can I talk about it with you…or would you rather I didn’t?”
Amelia shifted and brought her cup to her lips. “Youknowyou can talk to me about anything.”
“Okay, so…Ada mentioned this dark room. There’s a few of them at the club, but two of them are private. So, no group sex, basically.” Jo studied Amelia, but she seemed as comfortable as ever, simply nodding along. “I chose the private room. I’m not into sharing. When I’m with someone, I want their full attention on me.”
“Understandable.”
“There was a woman in the room. I didn’t see her face, but my God.” Jo closed her eyes, her skin tingling at the memory.
“My God…what?”
“Let’s just say it was an interesting encounter.” Jo laughed as she held up a hand. She knew when to quit while she wasahead. Amelia was open-minded, but Jo didn’t want to test the boundaries of their friendship. “That’s all you need to know.”
“You didn’t see her face? Doesn’t that bother you?”
“No. Not at all. People go to the club for all different reasons.” Jo shrugged as she sank deeper into the couch. “To be honest, not seeing her just added to how unbelievably hot it all was.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
“Look, I know it’s not for everyone, and I know this is probably completely overstepping by even talking to you about it, but I’m just shocked at how much I enjoyed being there. I’m…heading back tonight.”
“She must have been quite something if you’re going straight back for seconds.” Amelia rubbed a thumb up and down the handle of her coffee cup, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I didn’t know you were bisexual.”
“It’s not something I’ve ever felt the need to broadcast, but yeah… I’ve always been attracted to women.” Something in the air shifted between them. Jo hoped Amelia wasn’t upset that she hadn’t told her about her sexuality. It just wasn’t something that had ever come up in conversation before.She’s a lesbian. How has it never come up before?Jo quickly shifted on the couch and settled beside Amelia. “Hey, I know it’s been a rough six months or so for me, but I wanted to thank you for being there through it all.”
“You needed a shoulder. I have two.”
“I know, but I didn’t expect you to stand by me when he left. I expected you to take Callum’s side. And rightfully so.”
“My son is an idiot who lost the best thing that ever happened to him,” Amelia said as her hand covered Jo’s. The warmth of her touch sent a shiver up Jo’s arm. “If he can’t see that, then that’s on him. ButIwasn’t going to cut you from my life just because he made several stupid mistakes.”
“Well, I appreciate that. I appreciateyou, Amelia.”
Amelia’s cheeks flushed, but it hadn’t been Jo’s intention to embarrass her. Still, it had needed to be said. It was important to Jo that Amelia knew she had saved her on more than one occasion lately. She deserved to know she was appreciated.
“I mean it. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Jo sat back and slowly drew Amelia’s hand into her lap. “And you’ll be pleased to know that I won’t be coming here anymore to offload on you. You saw me through the worst of it, and after last night, I’m ready to live my life and enjoy it how I see fit. No more wallowing. No more locking myself away.”
Amelia nodded slowly, staring down at her cup. “You don’t need me now…therefore, you won’t be coming over anymore.”
“Oh, no. That’s not what I’m saying. Not at all.” Jo turned fully to Amelia and smiled. So many times over the years, she had wanted to reach out and touch Amelia, to let her fingers glide through that gorgeous dark hair. They gazed back at one another, and as Amelia’s dark eyes met hers, Jo felt that pull all over again. “Hey, I’m not abandoning you.Never. I just want you to know that life is changing for me. That I’m happy again.”
“And it’s all because of this mystery woman at a sex club?”
Jo let out a breath, her eyes wide. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
“Then I hope you continue to enjoy those moments with one another.” Amelia squeezed Jo’s hand before gently pulling away, but her touch would linger in Jo’s memory. It often did when they were this close to one another. “What time are you heading there? Do you have time to stay a bit longer?”
“Oh, I’m not booked into the room until eight. Decided to take care of that this morning before I moved from my bed.” Jo laughed, shaking her head at her own impulsiveness. But maybe impulsiveness was good. It certainly beat sitting at home expecting life to just change by itself. “I was worried someone else would book in before me.”
“It sounds to me like fate if the room was available for you again tonight.” Amelia winked as she rose from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Hey, Amelia?” Jo followed, hovering in the doorway when her nerves threatened to get the better of her. “Did you want to head out one night and get dinner together? This week or next…whenever you’re not snowed under with work?” Amelia’s dedication to her work—a property developer for the local council by day, a house flipper by night—meant she was rarely available at the drop of a hat, but Jo was in no rush here. She had all the time in the world to sit around having dinner with Amelia.
