Say Goodbye to Melody

by Velvet Vaughn

  Elliot needed for Chem-Co to have a breakthrough product and he needed it fast. After his last (secret) stint at rehab, he thought he could control his gambling addiction this time. Sixth time’s the charm, right? But one innocent drunken bet led to two and before he knew it, he was in so deep, he wasn’t sure he could surface. He was down a significant amount of cash and out of options to repay the debt and the note was due soon. Short of smothering his old man with a pillow for the life insurance money, he was running out of options.

  Since he didn’t think he had the stomach for patricide, it was time for Plan C.

  Chapter Three

  Excitement had Melody up at the crack of dawn. She couldn’t sleep. Her employees were scheduled to arrive at the offices for their first day on the job. Employees! This was getting real.

  After a three-mile run on the treadmill, she powered through a few yoga poses that Talia Cohen had taught her, before jumping in the shower. She’d purchased a new outfit to wear and the silk blouse felt amazing against her skin as she slid it on. Not one to wear pumps since they didn’t jive with working in a lab, she stepped into a pair of one-inch wedge heels. Most days, she wore a comfortable pair of Nike sneakers, but she wanted to make a good impression on her employees. She had employees! Two of them.

  After grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator—she’d never acquired the taste for coffee—she headed to her shop. Traffic was light this early, so after a stop at a local bakery, she made good time and pulled into her allotted parking spot less than ten minutes later. Four spaces came with the rent, so if business took off and they needed to hire more employees, she would need to look for a different location. Actually, she’d been thinking of doing away with the store front altogether once the new production facility was completed. She would move the entire operations there. The building would include state of the art offices and meeting rooms. Most of her business would be online or phone sales, so it made the most sense. Her lease was for one year, so the building should be complete by that time.

  She hadn’t planned on having a brick and mortar store where people could just walk in and purchase, but Kendall and Olivia thought it would be a good idea, a way of drumming up business and enthusiasm for Harmony in the beginning. She didn’t have much in the way of product to sell yet, except for the cream and cleanser. Soon, she would have an entire line and then it might make sense to run the storefront.

  She paused before unlocking the door, her fingers reaching up to trace the stylized logo etched in the glass. She’d worked with graphic designers to come up with a brand strategy and she loved the concept. It was hip and fresh and captured her style perfectly. She unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. The interior of her shop was classy and trendy. Large posters of her friends—who happened to be celebrities—decorated the walls promoting Harmony.

  The way the shop was set up, people could enter from the street into a small showroom that right now, consisted of an open space with a shelf that ran the length of the back wall where she would display her products. A table off to the side held tester bottles and a sign-up sheet for newsletters. A wood and glass counter housed a computer and cash register, fronted by two bar stools for people to sit and ask questions. Deanna would greet visitors and she would sell the product or put in orders if needed from there.

  The front of the store was floor to ceiling glass, with the remaining three walls comprised of exposed brick. The floors were covered with hand-scraped Acacia in a light color. The posters of Jade, Layla, Taylor and the recent addition of Harlow Duquesne were mounted on the walls in borderless acrylic frames. Speakers were strategically placed so music would play softly in the background.

  While Deanna was dealing with the public, Melody and Raine would work in the small but functional lab in the back to develop the line. She hand-mixed the ingredients right now, but once the facility was built, machines would do it for her. The back of the shop also included a storage area where she kept the inventory, along with ingredients and empty jars just waiting to be filled. There was space set aside for an employee break room complete with microwave, coffee maker and fridge. She also had a cozy office space…cozy being a nice way of saying tiny. Overall, the space wasn’t large, but it suited her purposes for now. She scored a great deal on rent from a client of her brother.

  The building on one side housed a tasting room for a local winery that drew a large crowd, especially in warmer weather when they set up tables with umbrellas for people to sit and sip the wines. They’d landscaped outside their door with flowering trees in pots and she made a mental note to do the same for her stoop. She hoped their business trickled over to her store. The other side was a shop that specialized in kitchen ware and culinary items, and she crossed her fingers that the women who shopped there would be intrigued by her store and visit. Overall, it was an ideal location for her business.

  She started a pot of coffee to go with the pastries she picked up from the bakery. She didn’t drink the brew, but she knew both Raine and Deanna did, so she made sure to purchase a new machine just for them. The bell over the front door chimed and she hurried out to see her employees enter with smiles on their faces. She rushed over to them. “I’m so glad you two are here. Welcome to Harmony. Thank you both for agreeing to work with me. I’m so lucky to have you. And I’m sorry I’m babbling.”

  They both laughed. “Are you kidding, Melody? We’re the lucky ones. We are going to have the best time,” Deanna Prescott announced, hugging her. As usual, Deanna was dressed in designer clothes that probably cost more than Melody’s Chem-Co monthly paycheck, and her makeup was expertly applied. The hunter green silk blouse and black pencil skirt accentuated her curvy figure. She wore three-inch pumps that made Melody’s toes ache in sympathy. Her dark hair was cut into a fashionable angled bob, a sharp contrast to the long locks she used to favor.

  “Thank you for this opportunity,” Raine Vickers said, taking her turn to hug Melody. “I was so unhappy at Chem-Co. I dreaded going into work. I was so excited, I was up at three this morning. I couldn’t wait to get here today.” Raine dressed the same as Melody—favoring function over fashion. Her short-sleeved blue top and knit pants were comfortable and would fit easily beneath a lab coat. Canvas sneakers like the ones she wore at Chem-Co covered her feet. Her strawberry blond hair was in loose curls around her face and today she wore contacts instead of her usual black-framed glasses. “And look at how smooth my skin is already.”

  Raine didn’t wear excessive make-up, so her skin was on display without the layers of foundation and powder that Deanna favored. Her skin glowed with health. It was harder to tell if Harmony was working on Deanna since the products she applied concealed and covered her face. She’d given both women a supply of the products when they agreed to work for her. They needed to believe in the product to sell it effectively.

  Her friends’ enthusiasm relieved her. She’d been worried that they’d be nervous coming to work for her upstart company instead of one that guaranteed job security and benefits that she couldn’t yet offer. If the products took off, she hoped to provide a comprehensive benefits package to her employees. Still, she did pay them both a competitive salary to the ones they were pulling in at Chem-Co. Plus, this would be much less stress and, she hoped, fun.

  “I brought breakfast. It’s in the break room. Let’s eat and then I’ll give you guys the tour.”

  She motioned for the two women to proceed her, but Deanna wandered off and bent down to pick something up. When she turned, Deanna was holding a piece of paper. Her brows narrowed as she read the note. “What the heck is this?”

  Melody hadn’t noticed the paper on the floor when she entered this morning, but then, her hands had been full of pastries. She took the note and read the typewritten message: Stop now before it’s too late.

  She turned it over but there was no name or identification of any kind. “I have no idea. There’s no telling where it came from. It could’ve been dropped by one of the worker
s setting up the shop.” She folded it back up. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Someone could’ve shoved it under the door,” Deanna mused.

  Raine walked over and crouched down to check the clearance. “There is a small gap, so it’s possible.”

  Melody held up the note. “Why would someone leave this for me? I’m not infringing on anyone.” That had been proven in court, thank you very much. “It’s not like we’re selling drugs to children or anything. It’s a line of beauty products, for goodness sake.”

  “Maybe someone wanted this space?” Deanna tried.

  She shook her head. “It’d been empty for six months. The owner bent over backwards to get me to sign the lease.” Including knocking off a chunk of rent and agreeing to a one-year contract.

  “Could it be someone at Chem-Co?” Raine asked worriedly.

  “I don’t think so.” She held off telling the two women who had just resigned from their stable, steady jobs to work for her upstart company about Elliot Kingman’s offer. She wanted to make this work on her own. “Mr. Kingman accepted the court ruling.”

  Deanna shrugged. “Maybe someone did drop it and it has nothing to do with us.”

  “I agree. Let’s eat.” She detoured into her office to toss the note on her desk, intending to dispose of it later. After the women indulged in the pastries and coffee, she gave them a tour of the small space. The doors didn’t officially open until tomorrow, and a grand opening was planned for one week. All her friends would be attending, and she expected a large crowd packing the shop for the chance to meet Jade, Layla and Taylor.

  After she handed each woman a key to the front door, she explained that the back exit was for emergencies only.

  Deanna gushed over her counter space, complete with a leather chair that was bar stool high. “I brought this.” She pulled out a crystal bowl and proceeded to fill it with Almond Hershey Kisses.

  “That’s a nice touch,” Melody mused. “I didn’t think of offering treats.”

  While Deanna acquainted herself with the computer and cash register system, Melody took Raine back to the lab. They needed to fill dozens of jars to have on hand for the grand opening and it would take the entire week.

  The staff of TKO Productions was overseeing most of the planning for the event. Jade would be on hand to pose for pictures. Layla planned to sing a few songs and Taylor would sign the latest copy of her book. Reed Steele, her architect, was scheduled to attend as well. If they could get him to take off his shirt and display his famous Abs of Steele, women would flock to the shop in droves.

  The opening was being catered by both Kaitlyn Colton and Mama Demarchis, Kendall’s mother-in-law, who owned a Greek restaurant in town. They would provide finger foods and assorted snacks. The same bakery she stopped at this morning would be supplying a variety of tasty treats. The shop next door would be providing cases of their award-winning wines. It was going to be quite an event.

  One week later, the infomercial was scheduled to run, and she wanted to have enough product on hand in case the response was good. That meant they’d most likely have to work long hours to replenish the stock after the open-house…assuming it went well.

  She trusted both Raine and Deanna—she wouldn’t have hired them otherwise—but she would not be sharing her recipe with anyone. She would be the only one with the exact details of what went into each jar of Harmony. Even when the facility was completed, and she had to hire more staff to work the equipment, she would be the only one with the exact measurements. The machines would be computerized, and she would have the only access. It might be overkill, but she didn’t want to risk someone stealing her formula.

  Raine headed off to get acquainted with the lab while Deanna was still busy with her new computer system. They wouldn’t accept online orders until the grand opening when the official website would be launched. They would have a week to work out bugs before the infomercial aired.

  Melody headed to her office and had just collapsed into her chair when the bell over the door jingled, indicating someone had entered the shop. The sign clearly said that they weren’t open yet and the workers had all finished, so she wasn’t sure who might have wandered inside. Deanna could handle it. She closed her eyes but a commotion outside her door had her opening them and pushing to her feet.

  “I demand to speak to Melody Franklin right now,” a male voice insisted.

  “I’m sorry, sir, she’s not here,” Deanna informed the visitor.

  “I just saw her walk by the window,” the man claimed. “She’s here.”

  “I misspoke,” Deanna amended. “What I meant to say is that she’s not available. If you would like to make an appointment—”

  “I’m family. I don’t need an appointment. She’ll speak to me.”

  Melody groaned. She thought she recognized the voice. It was her cousin Richard. He was arrogant and obnoxious, and he was persistent. He wouldn’t go away without speaking to her, she was sure. The knob on her office door turned and it started to open but Deanna’s voice was razor sharp now.

  “I said she’s not available.”

  With a sigh, she opened her door. Deanna almost fell through since she was blocking Richard’s progress.

  She caught her friend and said, “Thank you, Deanna. This is my cousin, Richard. I’ll speak with him.”

  Rich narrowed his eyes and smiled smugly at Deanna as he strolled past her and entered her office like he owned the place.

  “Thanks, and I’m sorry,” she mouthed to her friend before closing the door and facing her cousin. He was inspecting her office, looking at the pictures framed on the walls of her first few clients: Jade, Layla and the gang. While he studied her photographs, she studied him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him, but he hadn’t changed. His hair was longer, and age was creeping up on him in the form of wrinkles—he needed to try Harmony—but otherwise, he was the same annoying son of her father’s older brother.

  “What do you want, Rich?”

  He turned with a feigned grimace. “Is that any way to talk to your dear cousin? We haven’t seen each other in years.” He held out his arms. “I expected a warmer welcome.”

  She barely managed to not roll her eyes, and no way in hell she would hug him. Rich had been trying, even as a child. And frankly, he’d always given her the creeps. She tried to hide her reaction, but it was hard. “Fine. Hello, Richard. How are you?”

  He dropped his arms and bared his teeth in an attempt at a smile. “I’m fine, Cousin Melody. Was that so hard?”

  She did roll her eyes this time.

  “I see you’re doing well for yourself.” He glanced around her office furnished with items she picked up in a second-hand shop and ran his hand along the leather chair in front of her desk. “Did you come by it legitimately or did you steal it, too?”

  It took a moment before his words penetrated and when they did, her spine stiffened. “Steal…what are you talking about?”

  “A little birdie told me you plan on taking my property illegally. Isn’t that the definition of theft?”

  Melody’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I haven’t stolen anything from you or anyone else, ever.”

  “Does the parcel of land on Stone Mill Road sound familiar?”

  “Yes, of course.” It was the location where she was building her production facility.

  “It belongs to me.”

  Her mouth dropped open again, in outrage this time, and her hands clenched into fists. “You’re crazy, Rich. My father owned the land and he left it to Max and me.”

  “If you had bothered to check the legal records, you would’ve discovered it belonged to our grandfather and he willed it to both of our fathers. That means half of that land is mine and I forbid you to use it to build some stupid make-up factory.” He shook his head and tsked. “What a hideous way to desecrate the family land.”

  Melody concentrated on breathing, lest she fly across the room and land a right-handed haymaker to her
cousin’s left temple. “It’s not a make-up factory and your father lost his half in a bet to my father and you know it.”

  Rich raised his brows. “Really? Do you have proof?”

  That brought her up short. Did she? She’d heard the story of the high-stakes poker game. The tale was repeated at least once a year whenever several family members gathered. The game came down to the two brothers and they each put in their stake of the property. When her dad won, his brother had tossed his cards in disgust and then proceeded to upend the table, sending poker chips flying everywhere. The story had been told so often over the years, it was practically an urban legend.

  “You’ve heard the story, same as I. You know what happened at that poker game.”

  Rich extracted a piece of paper from his back pocket. “This is what I know.” He slapped it on the surface of her desk. “It’s the deed of the land, signed over to both of our fathers. Now, if you have proof otherwise, feel free to present it and I’ll go away.”

  “This was dated forty years ago.”

  “So?”

  “What is it you want, Rich? Money? Is that what this is about? You want me to pay you for half the land? Are you attempting to extort money from me?”

  “Oh, no, I would never sell my part of the family history.”

  “Family history? Are you kidding me? It’s a plot of land in the middle of nowhere with no redeeming qualities. It’s good for nothing. In fact, you probably couldn’t even give it away.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did you even know I was planning on building there?”

  “I keep an eye on what’s mine. I’ve watched over the land for years. I happened to drive by and see the survey sticks. I thought it had to be some kind of sick, sick joke.”

  “You just happened to drive by an out of the way plot of land on the outskirts of town?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “Sure. I check on it often to make sure there are no homeless camps set up there. Good thing, too, or I wouldn’t have known about your nefarious plans.”