Page 65 of Refurbished

“That’s great. I can’t wait.” He walked away. I thumped my head back against the wall. Zach didn’t have a clue that I was falling apart, and I was proud of myself for that. What I knew, though, was that I couldn’t do this for very long. The bear cubs were cuddled around me, and I didn’t have anything to do until this afternoon. Barnaby was outside the barn door. I could hear him snuffling, desperately trying to calm me, but with the cubs I felt comforted, so I decided to stay where I was. Everything was better with bear cubs on your lap. I sat with my eyes closed until my phone alerted me to a text.

MAMA AMELIA

Would you like to have dinner with me?

EION

You know?

MAMA AMELIA

I heard. But we don’t have to discuss it.

We can be friends regardless of my son.

EION

I’d like that. Yes, I would love to join you for dinner.

MAMA AMELIA

Perfect. I’ll send details. Is 7:30 p.m. good?

EION

I’ll be there.

I wasn’t sure if I would talk to her about Angus, but I did know she and I had become close, and I needed someone. She is a nice woman who helped the Sanctuary so much. I didn’t want to stop talking to her simply because Angus and I didn’t work out. Plus, knowing she was still willing to spend time with me made me feel better. It was still shocking that Angus, whom I thought I knew, would say those things about me. He said he had loved me, so why would he not tell me in person instead of confiding in his friend? All of it hurt bone deep, and the pain in my chest returned.

After finishing the evening feeding, I went and sat with Orlando. “I gave him my heart. How have I ended up being crushed again?” I had some apple slices that he could smell right away. It was impossible not to smile as he snuffled in my pockets because he wanted more. “At least you still love me.”

The worst part of all this was that I was still in love with Angus. That was a big difference between now and when Trey left me. I wasn’t that sad when Trey left. It hurt that I was facing this life-changing thing alone, that he couldn’t try with me because I lost part of my arm, but it didn’t feel like this. My heart ached, and it felt like something inside of me was crushed. I gave up the apples and kissed his snoot. What I wanted to do was go back to the trailer and curl up with my boyfriend, but he wasn’t there anymore. Sighing, I headed back to get ready for dinner with Amelia.

The place that Amelia arranged to meet me at was definitely a greasy spoon. Nobody would realize she was anything but a gorgeous soccer mom. As soon as I entered, she stood up and gave me a huge, warm, motherly hug. I melted into it and immediately realized how much I needed someone human to talk to. “Hey there, gorgeous.” She kept her hands on my arms and pulled back.

“Hey, Amelia.” Shit. My voice broke immediately, which wasn’t a good sign. I hadn’t planned to discuss the situation with her, but it didn’t mean those feelings weren’t still there.

We got comfortable in a booth. Smiling the whole time, she handed me a menu from the holder at the end of the table. “Everything here is good. It’s all typical diner food and terrible for you, but we deserve a treat now and then. Plus, you eat like a bird.”

I laughed. She was certainly mistaken unless I was an ostrich. “You make me laugh. Is this food as good as yours? Because everything you cook is so amazing.”

“Thank you, sir. Have you started to make plans for the new nursery?” She chuckled. “Calling it a nursery when it might have a bear in it strikes me as funny.”

“Large animals are funny that way, but they are babies, too. It will be so nice to have somewhere that is temperature-controlled and safe for big babies. With the money the Sanctuary has access to, it will bring us up to a higher tier, and we will be getting a lot more rescues.”

“That’s fantastic. Are you changing all the old buildings?”

“Yes. By the way, the sign is gorgeous. I’d like you to come see everything, spend time with Orlando.”

“That would be fun, and I will do that for sure.” I smiled at her. It felt like Amelia would be my friend for a long time, and I would have to forge that friendship with her without her son. It was okay, though. We talked for a long time about what was planned for the facility. Sharing our ideas excited me, and she offered some great ones. I guess it was all on me now.

“How are you doing, Eion?” She took my hand and gave me a tight smile.

“I hurt. I’m sick to my stomach and feel like I might die.”

Squeezing my hand, she looked like she wanted to say something, but didn’t. “Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it?”

I sighed and really thought about what I wanted to do here. “Will you keep being my friend?” To my ears, it sounded like I had begged. It was strange that before I met Angus, I didn’t want anyone around me, but after spending time with Angus and Amelia, I realized that having people in your corner helped.