What He Couldn't Buy

1

Amelia Thatcher felt the overpowering sun on her skin. It was so sunny outside that it was as if she could feel each new freckle developing on her face. Come on Amelia, just two more hours. Two more hours and your shift will be over, she told herself over and over again. This mantra helped her maintain her sanity as she stood against a wall, waiting to refill drinks for sunbathing socialites. Every once in a while, she subconsciously placed her hand against the side of a water pitcher, letting the condensation cool her for a moment before she wiped her hand on her white pants, and continued to watch the wealthy women.

"Cece, would you like anything to drink? Iced tea?"

"Oh Margs, you didn't know? I'm doing the whole no sugar thing that they're doing in L.A.! Now that Chris is single and back from Mykonos, I want to look my best," Celine flashed a snarky grin towards her long time frenemy Margaux. By subtly dropping new Chris-related gossip, Celine was displaying her dominance within their social circle.

Margaux's obsession with Christopher Worthington-Hunt dated back to kindergarten and she was usually up to date on his life. Unfortunately, since Celine and Chris' fathers were business partners, Celine often received news before Margaux. Similarly, Celine VanDerMeer, and Christopher Worthington-Hunt were always expected to get married someday. They had never actually been in a relationship but familial obligation, sporadic flirtation, and the possibility of beautiful offspring all pointed in the direction of their eventual marriage.

Running her hand through her ponytail, Amelia acted as a fly on the wall. Since it was 1pm on a Tuesday, Margaux Banks and Celine VanDerMeer were the only guests that were sunbathing next to the country club pool. Somehow, after two long hours of listening to the duo's obvious power struggle, she was finally free.

Amelia got onto her rusty old bike and made her way down the serene country roads. She wasn't the type of girl who liked to get up at the crack of dawn just to hit the gym, but she enjoyed powering her way through a bike ride. The sound of waves crashing on the beach were somewhat muted by the lush trees that grew just beyond the sand, but they could still be heard, along with the low hum of Amelia's bike. She was usually a rule follower, but Amelia never wore a helmet because she really loved the feeling of the wind going through her hair. She skidded to a stop in front of a large white gate, punched in a code, and then proceeded down the gravel driveway.

"Amelia? Amelia, is that you?" called a voice from down the hallway.

Amelia smiled to herself as she slipped her shoes off and pranced down the hall.

"Yes Mrs. Bell, it's me!" She tapped on the door at the end of the hall before pushing it open.

An elderly woman sat, gazing out the window with a half-smile on her face as she painted the scenery outside.

"Good. Now tell me, how was your day?" said the woman, without glancing up from her work.

Amelia sat down on a white couch, "Pretty good, but it was a very slow day at the club..." she trailed off rattling off details from her day so far.

Around 5pm, the two women were sitting in the same room. Amelia was reading when Mrs. Bell suddenly spoke.

"Amelia, do you have plans for this evening?"

"Nope"

"Why a beautiful girl like you does not have plans on a beautiful summer night, I will never understand," she said as she shook her head. "Anyway, I wanted to know if you could accompany me, there is a charity dinner and fundraiser tonight."

Technically, Amelia had to agree since Mrs. Bell was paying her to work for her and help her during the summer. Realistically, Amelia knew that Mrs. Bell was quite capable of taking care of herself; what she really wanted was a friend. Since graduating from high school in May, Amelia had been living with Mrs. Bell in the Hamptons. Mrs. Bell had been kind enough to allow Amelia to take up a second job at the country club, to help go towards her college tuition.

"Of course! Need help getting ready?"

Mrs. Bell chuckled, "yes, we shall get ourselves all dolled up for our night out."

Mrs. Bell let Amelia borrow one of her daughter's old dresses. "See the trick is to save a beautiful gown like this. Sure, for a while people will say it's 'last season' then it will be 'out of style' but eventually it will be vintage and people will be willing to pay double what you originally paid for it!"

Amelia was wearing a long red dress that had a deep v-neck with floral embellishments. She was somewhat relieved that the dress had a slit that made it easy to walk.

Amelia swiped on some mascara and light pink lipstick as Mrs. Bell wrapped herself in a shawl. They took a picture using the self-timer on Amelia's camera (after many failed attempts, Amelia gave up on trying to explain the concept of a selfie), and headed out to the chauffeured car.

***

"Chris darling we're going to be late if you do not hurry," Victoria Worthington-Hunt yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

Chris adjusted his cufflinks and then bounded out of his room.

"Now what did I tell you about full Windsor knots? Your head is far too small, you should only tie a half Windsor." Victoria chastised as the two Worthingtons made their way out the front door. The remainder of the car ride consisted of Chris rolling his eyes as his mother tried to retie his tie, with no lighting except for the occasional flash of a passing streetlamp.

Chris stumbled out of the car, pulling at his collar to adjust to his new knot. Immediately, he found himself in the throng of endless handshakes and introductions. Despite the fact that this event was meant to raise money for wells in third-world countries, even more money was made off of the countless business deals that resulted from a social event like this. He started making his way towards the bar, smiling at the representatives from the charity. They were always brought in for events like this, meant to inform guests about their cause and such, but most people just wrote a check without even thinking about the cause they were allegedly supporting. 

As he walked away from the bar with his Old-Fashioned in hand, Chris saw Cece and made his way towards her. Suddenly, he noticed something red out of the corner of his eye. A beautiful girl was stepping into the outdoor tent. Her golden hair shone under the twinkle light decorations. She was tan and her eyes were mysterious but also comforting at the same time. Who is she? He thought. She looks too young to be a trophy wife...

Chris changed his direction and began to walk back towards the entrance of the venue. His eyes were darting around, in search of a man that the girl in the red dress might be accompanying. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jeez!" he jumped, nearly spilling his drink.

"Sorry man, you looked out of it," his best friend Theo grinned.

A look of relief washed over Chris' face when he realized it was just Theo who had decided to scare the crap out of him. "Hey, who is the one in the red dress over there? I've been in Greece for a month but damn I thought at least you would've gotten to her first."

"She looks familiar but I would've remembered a face and a body like that. But look, she's with old Rosie Bell"

Everyone knew Rosemary Bell's family was estranged as a result of decades of greed over inheritances. Rosie had grandchildren but they had never been around.

"Maybe she's one of the mysterious grandchildren?" Theo guessed.

"Well whoever she is, lets find out."Chris narrowed his eyes and made his way over to the beautiful woman in red.