by Magan Vernon
I trailed my thumb along the thin fabric of her shirt, her back tightening beneath my grasp.
“I was actually just leaving, but call me after you go over that paperwork, Mr. Chase,” she called, skidding over the threshold.
I swore the woman winked and even added a little extra sway to her hips as she headed back down the hallway.
My mouth watered thinking of how close I just had her, if these two geezers didn’t interrupt.
Either Clark or Stark cleared their throat, bringing me back to the present.
“Don’t tell me you’re really considering voting for the park proposal?”
I snapped my head toward his. “I haven’t looked over the documents she brought me yet.”
Stark let out a laugh, putting a pudgy hand on my shoulder. “Adrian, let’s talk.”
I didn’t respond as we went into my office, the old men taking their perches on the wing back chairs as I leaned against my desk. Wishing I had Melanie up against it instead of listening to these blowhards.
“You know, we used to work with your father back when he was in hedge funds...”
Stark’s words trailed.
No one wanted to talk about my dad.
Forty-nine and drops dead on the golf course from a stroke.
I’d just finished my undergrad and was ready for law school, but instead found myself dealing with finances my mother couldn’t handle and a reason to grow up a lot faster than any twenty-one-year-old kid should have to.
“Yes, I’m aware,” I said as politely as I could.
My dad worked with all the old businessmen in town. The ones who called him at all hours of the night when their stocks weren’t going the right way.
I think half the reason I was elected to city council was because the men pretended to have a conscience, driving Dad to an early grave so they needed to throw me a bone.
“He was the one who always talked about putting more investments into this town. He said business is what would drive this economy and we were glad to see you continued his plan,” Clark added, folding his wrinkled hands together on his lap.
“There are a lot of things my dad thought of, but he isn’t here to continue them.”
Stark scoffed. “Get your head out of that do-gooder’s pussy, Adrian.”
My jaw clenched as I stared down the old man’s beady little black eyes.
“Do not talk about Melanie like that.”
Clark put one hand on his friend’s shoulder, the other palm out toward me. “I think what Saul is saying, is that we don’t want you going back on your investor’s just because the new intern at the animal shelter is sweet on you.”
I tried not to recoil at his old-fashioned use of words. Sweet on me?
More like the woman had entrapped every thought occupying my brain and if I didn’t have her in my bed soon, I was going to go fucking crazy.
“She does have a point, you know,” I said, clearing my throat as I glanced at the documents she left on my desk.
Somewhere in there was her phone number and as soon as this damn little meeting was over, I was calling her back here.
Stark let out a cough that sounded like he should really cut back on the cigars. “Bull shit, Adrian. You know damn well that a park will cost the city money when we could be making it. Who the hell wants a bunch of mangey dogs running around when those moms and their snot nosed kids could have a Starbucks and we can sit back in our Bali retreats with a nice tall glass or something strong?”
I shook my head, trying to ignore the fuzzy beating from my head to my chest. “Well, sir, I don’t have a place in Bali.”
He pointed a crooked finger at me. “Not yet you don’t. But you’re a smart man, Adrian. I’d hate to see you lose focus just because of a pair of gams.”
Clark nodded then turned toward me. “He’s right. We have us and Monroe on our side, now we just need to swing at least one of the other guys. Which one isn’t a dog lover or have grandkids?”
“Leviathan. That man hates dogs and kids, so why the hell isn’t he voting with us?” Stark added, leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled.
“Maybe he needs a little persuading. He does still have a hand in some of those burger franchises. Maybe if some hot shot real estate developer talked to him about putting one of those in the new strip mall, he’d reconsider his vote.” Clark’s bushy eyebrows rose, those beady little black eyes narrowing like a menacing raccoon.
“Hey, add a playground, and it would win the community vote too,” I added with a laugh, but it was like a punch to the gut, my stomach souring.
Both the old men laughed. “Now that’s the spirit.”
Stark and Clark continued on jabbering about setting up a meeting with Leviathan but my gaze trailed to the door where a flash of red I hadn’t noticed before stared at me like a damn judgey grandmother.
Melanie’s purse.
She must have dropped it at some point.
Did she realize it or...?
My gaze flickered to the silhouette against the frosted glass window. She couldn’t see in but did she...
Oh. Shit.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I leapt off the desk, throwing the door open and ignoring the old men’s calls.
Melanie’s back was already turned, her shoulders shaking.
“Melanie...I...”
She whirled around, her eyes red and blurry, but her mouth forced in a scowl. “A burger place playground will satisfy the local moms? Is that what you think of all of this? That you can just buy people off? Flowers? Was that my buy off or was it the orgasms?”
The old men’s voices went silent, the air surrounding us stale as every hair on my body prickled into tiny goosebumps.
“Melanie, I can explain.” I took a step forward, but she shook her head, putting her hands out just out of my reach.
“No, Adrian. I’m done with your explaining. I just came to get my purse, but I got a hell of a lot more.”
Stark slowly walked out, holding the red leather bag in front of him. “Ma’am, I believe this is yours.”
Melanie’s face was about as crimson as the bag as she took it, but her gaze stayed on mind. “If you actually do even read the documents, I sent you, lose my number. Okay? I don’t need someone pretending to be on my side just so they can rip everything I worked for.”
“Melanie.”
Her name slipped off my tongue, but I also knew there was nothing I could say to make this better.
All I could do was watch the tears cloud her eyes before she blinked them away.
“I have to get to work. I’ll see you at the next city council meeting and look forward to hearing your vote.”
She didn’t let me get in another word before she turned on her heel.
My feet glued to the floor, Stark and Clark’s hands on my shoulders, whispering their condolences or their ‘good riddance’ but I wasn’t listening to a damn thing they said. Not until my heart got to my brain and I ran down the hall, only in time to see Melanie drive away.
My heart dropped down to my stomach.
There was no easy way to fix this.
Hell, the only way to do it as far as I could see was to vote ‘yes’ on the park.
But then where would that leave the investors?
My future?
Everything...
Chapter 9
I couldn’t sit another minute in the office. Every time I even tried to sit at my desk, I thought about Melanie splayed on top of it.
Melanie who ran out of the office.
I grabbed what I needed off my desk, shoving it in my briefcase before I decided to call it a day, seeing if I could work at a coffee shop or at home.
But instead of heading toward my car, I ended up turning right, then left.
It was late enough in the afternoon that the Camphors and mulberries shaded the sidewalks, bringing the temperature down another twenty degrees.
I didn’t know how long I walked before I reali
zed the pain in my foot from trekking too long in Prada loafers, definitely not made for anything more than sitting in a board room.
A clearing of palms led to a small park, heavy on the word small.
It was nothing more than a bench, a grassy field about the size of a master bathroom with a rusted goal post and a jungle gym I was fairly sure had been there since the 1970s.
Since the place was empty, I plopped down on the bench, my briefcase at my feet.
Red marks on the document poking out caught my attention and I pulled the papers to my lap.
Melanie’s number was right in the dead front and center of page two, not much for hiding.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, skimming over the next paragraph. The one talking about her survey. About the investment in the future of the community.
Yeah, an investment that wouldn’t bring any money to the council members who would crucify me and my business.
“Excuse me, mate, mind if I have a seat? The other bench broke from under me,” a deep Australian accent forced my eyes forward.
Against the sun at his back, his coppery hair was like a halo, shining down over his well-worn jeans and stained t-shirt.
“Yeah, sure,” I muttered, scooting to the side.
“CJ, if you hit your sister with the ball again, I’m going to take it away,” he yelled, not even giving me a second glance.
I followed his call, two young kids with matching coppery hair, kicking a ball around the patch of grass.
“Pathetic area for soccer practice, but it’s the closest one to the house.”
That accent.
Those kids.
Turning sharply toward him, I tilted my head, making sure I was picturing the right guy. “You’re Chance Bateman, right? Aubrey Bloom-Bateman’s husband?”
He laughed, leaning back into the bench, his arms casually hanging against the wooden back. “Aye. And you’re that councilman, right? The one who was giving my Melanie a hard time.”
Oh, I gave her a hard time all right.
But as soon as I thought about her and the knowing smile Chance gave me, that sinking feeling was back in my gut.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’s a big fan of mine.”
“Aw, I wouldn’t say that. It seemed like you two were awfully chummy at Vinny’s the other night. I don’t think she even noticed anyone else was in the room but you.”
I swallowed hard, the memory feeling like a lifetime ago. “Yeah, well, kind of screwed that up when it came to the park vote.”
He nodded. “Ah, yes, Aubrey filled me in that you’re the evil corporate bad guy who doesn’t want a new park.”
I shook my head, smirking. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“So why else would you say you don’t want a park there?”
I sighed, leaning back on the seat. Tension had gathered in my shoulders and I probably should have just shut my mouth since that’s what got me into this mess in the first place.
But maybe it was the sun, or the guy’s carefree attitude, but I found the words slipping easily off my tongue. “I have a lot of investors on the board who want to see Lot 42 turn into a strip mall complete with a coffee shop and burger joint.”
“Isn’t there another one of those about five minutes up the road?” he asked, no sense of malice in his voice.
“Yeah. Five minutes one way. Three the other way.”
“Sounds like you’re not very convinced there needs to be another one either.”
I blew out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. “I don’t know, anymore.”
He put a hand on my shoulder. “Well, mate, I can tell you this much, there will always be coffee shops. There will always be other investments. But if you’re even giving this a second thought, whether it has anything to do with Melanie or not, you shouldn’t go forward with it.”
“Is this you talking or your wife who wants the dog park?”
He laughed. “This is coming from a guy who made a hell of a lot of mistakes in his relationships. But being honest, that’s the thing I wish I did from the beginning. Sometimes my head gets in the way of my heart and that is the biggest mistake.”
I nodded, even though his words weren’t fully hitting my fuzzy brain.
Losing the investors on this park could cause me to not only lose a shit ton of money, that I didn’t need anyway, but any future trust from the council.
“And, hell, if you really are looking for an investment opportunity, why not just have some of those food trucks do rounds at the park? There’s one that shows up to some of the kids’ soccer practices over on Palm Lane. Best damn waffles on a stick I’ve ever had. You’ll have to try them sometime.”
I blinked hard, turning to see Chance’s white, bright smile.
Maybe he did have a point.
Not just the food truck option, but about following my heart.
I stood up, grabbing my briefcase. I needed my computer and to have my assistant set up a few meetings. “Thanks, Chance. I think I’ve got some work to do.”
He held his hand out. “Happy to help, as long as you don’t tell my wife we had this conversation.”
“You’re secrets safe with me.”
Chapter Ten
I woke up, my face pressed to the oak desk in my home office.
I remembered shutting my eyes for just a second after I got off the phone with a man from Chile Camion out of some little beach town.
The man had talked for about two hours, half in English, half in Spanish, and mostly all of it going a mile a minute.
I glanced at the clock then froze.
Then jumped up.
I knocked down all of the sticky notes I had scattered, realizing it was way more than a few minutes I’d been sleeping.
“Shit,” I muttered, running to the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush with one hand and my phone in the other.
A text from my assistant flashed on the screen asking if I wanted to put in another flower order and I hovered over the reply button.
No.
Flowers weren’t going to do it this time.
But I did have another plan.
I pulled up another document on my phone, looking over the legalese while I finished brushing my teeth.
By the time I shaved, I’d transferred a deposit to my condo manager and was ready to head into town.
This time I wasn’t going to let some council members cloud my judgement.
***
I’d never actually been inside of the animal shelter or seen the secretary with her lime green fingernails and ‘don’t fuck with me’ scowl.
“Can I help you, Mr. Chase?”
Okay, so she definitely knew who I was.
“Yes, I’m here to see Melanie.”
“Why do you want to see her? To make her cry again?”
Ouch.
Her words were like a virtual slap, my cheeks burning.
“I had an inquiry for her.”
“An inquiry isn’t a good enough answer for me to get this phone and call her up here.”
“It’s okay, Emma,” a soft voice broke through.
Like a breath of fresh air, Melanie came from around the corner. Her hair up in a ponytail wearing jeans and another one of those button-down blouses, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.
In or out of her clothes.
If this didn’t work.
Fuck.
My shoulders fell just thinking about it, but I straightened them, licking my lips as I slowly rounded the desk.
“What do you want, Mr. Chase? I’m getting ready for our meeting tonight, even though I don’t see the point, but I’m still going to do my job.” She curled her lip, her eyes narrowed as if I was the lowliest bug beneath her tennis shoes.
Swallowing hard, I tried to tamp down the rapid beating of my heart with each step. “I was coming to see about a certain dog with a broken foot, but thought I’d talk to you first.”
She raised an eyebrow, blinking slowly. “Luka
?”
I found a smile splitting across my face. “Yes, Luka. The dog who aided in helping me first run into the cute barista I’d seen at Starbucks across from my condo for years. I thought it was about time he needed a home.”
She shook her head, her eyes darting to the ground. “Adopting a dog isn’t just going to fix things.”
“Well, then who else am I going to bring to the new dog park, especially during food truck Friday? I’m sure Luka will be a big fan of the waffles on a stick.”
She snapped her head up. “What? Dog park? Waffles?”
I took two steps forward, closing the space between us as I took her hands in mind. “Yes. I’m voting yes to the park. I spent all night calling different food truck vendors and I think a new proposal with a rotation of food trucks will bring just as much business and a place for my girlfriend and I to take Luka for a walk.”
“Girlfriend?” she stuttered.
I laughed, brushing my thumb against hers. “Is that not the right word? What else should I call you?”
“You can call her whatever you want as long as you just kiss her!” I turned to see Aubrey and Emma both smiling behind the desk.
I turned back to Melanie’s reddened cheeks. “Well, what do you say, Melanie? Should I kiss you?”
She leaned onto her tippy toes, whispering into my lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Part III
Melanie
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Two pink lines stared back at me.
“No. Not now, not today,” I whispered, hoping no one was standing in ear shot outside of the one stall bathroom of Vinny’s restaurant.
Today was the biggest day of my new career as assistant in the Parks and Recreation Department. The one I got because of my internship with Aubrey Bloom-Bateman and a successful implantation of a new park. And I guess with a little help from my boyfriend, councilman Adrian Chase.
The one who was also the source of my current problem staring at me from a stick I just peed on.