Keeping You

by Jessie Evans

  Lark hadn’t told Melody much about either of the new hires. They had interviewed yesterday, while Melody was in Atlanta taking a French Sauces class before heading out on her disastrous date with Chad, the cheapskate. She only knew to expect two new faces, one male, and one female.

  Melody greeted Braids Girl—Lucinda—and then scoped out a good place to take a few pictures. The staff parking lot was on a hill above the venue and there was a great view of the garden and faux Greek ruins. Aria said the fake, crumbling pillars looked cheesy in the middle of the Georgia countryside, but Melody thought the scene was lovely.

  She shot some stills of the venue, then a few of Mitch making hideous faces at Sadie-Lynn that Melody knew Felicity would find hysterically funny the next time Melody babysat. She killed as much time as she felt she could, but fifteen minutes later, there was still no sign of the other new hire.

  “It’s cool, the six of us can handle it,” Mitch said, throwing an arm around Melody, treating her to an unwelcome whiff of his onion-y underarm.

  “No, I can suit up and help out. I don’t want y’all to be slammed, and it’s Lucinda’s first day.” Melody wrinkled her nose and discreetly began to breathe through her mouth. She couldn’t believe she had ever thought Mitch was cute. His body odor was seriously out of control.

  She made a mental note to convince Lark to have a talk with Mitch about his crystal deodorant. Melody knew Mitch was a hard-core, save the planet hippie, and she loved him for it, but really, there were some sacrifices that had to be made in the name of personal freshness.

  As she spun on her heel to retrieve her uniform from inside, an enormous mechanical roar came from the bottom of the hill. The ungodly noise had all seven of them turning as a group in time to see a decrepit MG Midget in desperate need of a muffler rumble up the hill. It stop-started its way to the parking area, sputtering and coughing and threatening to die several times before finally pulling to a shuddering stop beside Lucinda’s VW bug.

  A moment later, a boy with dark brown hair spiked up all over his head like an unruly hedgehog emerged from the driver’s side and began strutting toward them.

  The sun caught him from behind, accentuating his wide shoulders, narrow hips, and long, long legs. The man had enough swagger for five Mick Jaggers.

  “Oh my, who is that luscious little dumpling?” Manny asked beneath his breath.

  “I’m assuming he’s the new guy.” Melody frowned.

  New guy was admittedly easy on the eyes, but he was fifteen minutes late and the cocky expression on his face practically oozed defiance. He was the poster child for Does Not Play Well With Others, and a far cry from Lark’s usual, easy-going hires.

  What in the world could her sister have been thinking?

  “Hey.” New guy jerked his chin at the assembled company by way of greeting. “I’m Nick.”

  “You’re late,” Melody said, sliding out from beneath Mitch’s arm.

  Nick shrugged, his eyes skimming over Melody to take in the rest of the staff. “Looks like we’re all still standing around anyway, right?”

  Melody’s frown deepened. “We’re still standing around because we were waiting for you.”

  “Sorry.” Something about his smile made Melody feel like a cat that had been stroked the wrong way. “I’m sure we’ll still have plenty of time to wait on rich people today.”

  “Dude, Melody is, like, our boss,” Mitch said in a whisper that was ridiculous considering Melody was standing right next to him. “Or, like, the sister of our boss, which is almost like our boss.”

  Nick’s eyes returned to Melody, flicking up and down with a bit more interest, his attention arousing a strange mixture of nerves and awareness that only served to irritate her even further. Melody knew she was pretty, but she wasn’t the type of girl boys like this one paid attention to. She was wholesome and sweet, the girl most likely to be mistaken for a kindergarten teacher. Bad boys were as repelled by her as they were attracted to tattoos, of which this boy had several if the ink peeking out beneath the sleeves of his white t-shirt was anything to judge by.

  “So, you’re the one who married Nash,” he finally said, his eyebrows lifted in obvious surprise. “Never took Nash for a cradle robber, but…whatever works for you two.”

  “That’s my other sister,” Melody said through gritted teeth. “And I’m twenty two. That’s hardly fresh out of my cradle.”

  “Sorry again, my mistake,” Nick said with a mocking laugh that made Melody see red.

  Crimson red, the color of blood, with bombs shaped like Nick’s smug, spiky head exploding inside of it.

  “You’re fired.” The words were out of Melody’s mouth before she realized she was going to say them.

  Or remembered that she didn’t technically have the power to hire or fire anyone. Lark owned the business. But Lark was her sister before she was her boss, and Lark would never tolerate a jerk talking to Melody like a dumb, blond, baby bunny.

  “What?” Nick’s green eyes lost the crinkle at their edges, but his smile stayed firmly in place.

  “I said, you’re fired,” Melody repeated, standing up a little straighter. “Get back in your piece of crap car, and leave. Now.”

  “I thought you needed the help,” Nick said, still smiling.

  Argh! Melody wanted to punch him right in his shiny, white teeth, an urge that was so intensely unfamiliar it made her head spin, and her words breathy when she said, “Please. Leave. We won’t be needing your help today.”

  Or any other day, if I have anything to say about it, Melody thought.

  “Fine.” Nick shrugged, his grin finally fading a watt or two. “Tell Lark I’m sorry I was late. I had car trouble. And tell your other sister I’ll see her at dinner tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll hit it off a little better than me and you.”

  Melody crossed her arms, keeping her frown firmly in place as Nick turned to stride back to his car, looking like the hero of some angsty teen movie in his black jeans, tight white tee, and carefully mussed hair. She was so angry that Nick was in his car and pulling down the hill before the significance of his words hit her.

  Aria was going to dinner at Nash’s parents’ house tomorrow night. So if Nick was going to see her at dinner that meant…

  “Did I just fire Aria’s brother-in-law?” Melody asked, turning back to the staff, panic rising inside of her.

  Natalie nodded. “I thought you knew.”

  Melody shook her head, stomach clenching tight.

  Mitch shrugged. “Whatever. He was kind of a douche, anyway.”

  “I don’t know,” Natalie said, casting Melody an uncertain look. “I thought maybe you were a little hard on him, Mel.”

  “For sure. That wasn’t like you. You’re the sweet one, sugar,” Manny agreed in an affectionate voice that made his words even harder to take.

  Had she been too hard on Nick? She’d been in a terrible mood all day. Had she let that spill over onto some unsuspecting stranger? If so, it would have been terrible under normal circumstances, but with Nick being Aria’s family—which meant he was practically her family, too—it was even worse.

  “Can I have your keys, Manny?” she asked, holding out one hand. “If I leave right now, maybe I can catch him.”

  “Here, take mine.” Lucinda held out the keys to the VW.

  “Thank you,” Melody told her breathlessly and ran for the car, heart slamming against her ribs. A few minutes later, she was down the hill and closing in on the MG as it sputtered to a halt at the stop sign marking the turn back to the main road, and died.

  “Thank god,” Melody whispered, chest loosening as she watched Nick get out of his car and kick the tire. She was going to catch him in time to fix this.

  Nick glanced up as she pulled in behind him, the surprise in his eyes hardening into a more unreadable expression when he saw her get out of the car.

  “I’m sorry,” Melody said, closing the distance between them, determined to make this better. “I was being a jerk.
I didn’t realize you were Aria’s brother-in-law.”

  Nick shrugged, but his expression didn’t change. “That’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not all right,” Melody said. “I’m not usually like that. I’m just…having a bad day.”

  Nick held her gaze and finally, after a long moment, his softened. Amazingly, he looked even hotter without the attitude.

  “Me, too. A bad month, actually.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sorry I was an asshole back there.” He smiled, but this time the smile didn’t make Melody want to punch him in the teeth; it made her smile back.

  Nick’s grin grew even wider. “Since you’re not my boss anymore, is it okay to tell you how pretty you are when you smile?”

  Melody crossed her arms and shrugged, thrown by the compliment. “Well, I was actually hoping you’d agree to come back. Work the event. You know…start over.”

  “So I’m un-fired?” he asked.

  “You’re un-fired.”

  “Then forget what I said about the pretty smile,” he said.

  “I don’t think I will,” Melody said, surprising herself for the second time in less than fifteen minutes. There was something about this boy that brought out the unexpected in her.

  Nick took a step closer, until Melody could smell soap and gasoline and something smoky like a campfire, all mixed together. It was a dangerous smell, a scent that made her think of trouble, but it was awareness that made her pulse speed faster, not fear.

  “You have a boyfriend?”

  Melody shook her head. “Not at the moment.”

  “That’s strange.” He cocked his head, considering her through narrowed eyes.

  “What’s strange about it?”

  “Girls like you always have boyfriends.”

  “How do you know what kind of girl I am?” Melody asked, standing her ground when he moved even closer, until only a few inches separated them and she could feel his energy sizzling against her skin. “We met ten minutes ago.”

  “You’re a sweet, loyal, do-gooder type of girl,” Nick said, grin never wavering. “You never miss church on Sundays, make time to visit all your elderly relatives and listen to their boring stories you’ve heard a million times, and wouldn’t say shit if you had a mouth full of it. You don’t go past first base on a first date, and you expect a boy to treat you like the princess your daddy raised you to be. You’re hard working and expect the same of others, but above all that, you’re kind. And that’s why you followed me to hire me back.”

  Melody frowned, displeased by the accuracy of his description. Was she that boring and easy to read?

  “Sounds like you’ve got me all figured out,” she huffed.

  “Yep.” He brushed a piece of hair over her shoulder that the wind whipped immediately back into her face. “But there’s one thing I can’t pin down.”

  “What’s that?” Melody asked, watching breathlessly as Nick’s lips moved closer to her own.

  “Why you’re standing here flirting with me,” he said in a soft voice. “And why you’re going to let me kiss you right now.”

  “Who said you’re going to kiss me?” Melody asked, shocking the heck out of herself by cupping Nick’s handsome face in her hands and pulling his mouth within ravaging distance.

  Their lips met with an intensity that sent a surge of delight coursing through Melody’s body. Lips gave way to tongues and before she knew what was happening, Nick’s fingers were digging into her hips and her hands were digging into his shoulders and they were stumbling backward until Melody’s back collided with Nick’s stalled car.

  What felt like a heartbeat later, Nick started bunching up her skirt, baring more and more thigh with every twist of his fingers.

  He was within inches of exposing her sensible white undies to the world when Melody came abruptly to her senses.

  “Wait!” she practically shouted against his lips, making him flinch in surprise.

  She grabbed her skirt and jerked it down as she slipped past him and backed toward her own car.

  “I-I have to go,” she said, absurdly flustered. She felt like an idiot for running from a kiss, but she didn’t know what else to do.

  This wasn’t her. Nick was right. She was a do-gooder. And when it came to her bases, she was an excellent in-fielder. She didn’t kiss strange boys in public, much less allow them to touch her there less than half an hour after being introduced.

  Only one boy had ever touched her there, and that was after six months of dating.

  “Gotta…get back to work,” Melody said in what she hoped was a semi-normal tone.

  “All right,” Nick said, watching her scramble for the door handle with a crooked smile on his face. “See you up there in a minute.”

  “Right,” Melody said, cheeks so hot they felt like they were about to catch fire. “See you up there.”

  “And Melody,” he said. “No hard feelings, okay? I like do-gooders.”

  Sure you do, Melody thought. That’s why he was looking at her like a cute little kid, instead of a girl he had been making out with a second before. He might like do-gooders, but they didn’t make his blood rush, didn’t make him want to kiss like it was the end of the world and there were only a few minutes left before the asteroid hit.

  Melody had never kissed someone the way she had just kissed Nick. She hadn’t thought she would want to. Sweet, loving, romantic kisses were the stuff of her most secret imaginings, but now…

  She supposed that’s what had scared her, really. Not that she was acting out of character, but that she had liked it so much. So. Very. Much.

  With a last nervous glance in Nick’s direction, Melody climbed into the car and turned it around. Although she told herself she was imagining it, she could have sworn she felt Nick’s eyes on her the entire way back up the hill, daring her to take a walk on the wild side.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Aria should have known the bomb was going to drop at some point. The past nine days with Nash had been heaven, so it almost made sense to her when she found herself in hell Sunday evening.

  After all, there was no light with darkness, no rose without thorns, and apparently, no marriage without a mother-in-law determined to make her son’s new wife suffer.

  From the moment Aria and Nash walked into the elder Gearys’ home Sunday afternoon, Joy Geary had made her disapproval of Aria abundantly clear. To Aria at least. Nash seemed determined to ignore his mother’s cool reception. When Aria pulled him aside to voice her fears that his mother hated her like rabies, he feigned ignorance, saying that his mother had been sick and was probably still under the weather.

  “Besides, she wouldn’t hate you like rabies,” he said with a laugh, leaning down to press an affectionate kiss to her forehead. “I don’t think Mom has any strong feelings about rabies one way or another.”

  “Everyone hates rabies,” Aria said.

  “But everyone in my family is going to love you.”

  “If you say so,” Aria said, moving into Nash’s arms and pressing her cheek to his chest. But not even a full strength Nash hug—which was quickly becoming one of her favorite things in the world—could banish her anxiety. All through dinner, she would swear Joy was glaring at her, watching her with dull, watery green eyes, looking for an excuse to pounce.

  After dinner, Aria excused herself with the other moms and headed out to the backyard. Felicity was younger than the Geary grandchildren and the two Geary kids still living at home, but Aria was sure the baby would find someone willing to play. If not, Aria would crawl around in the dirt with Felicity herself. She’d do anything to escape the tension in the house.

  “Has the tribe driven you crazy yet?” Raleigh came to stand beside Aria on the grass, watching her two sons as they ran toward the trampoline at the rear of the large yard.

  Aria smiled. “No. I love the tribe.”

  And she did. Nash’s brothers and sisters and their broods all seemed to be sweet, fun-loving people. Even Nash’s little b
rother, Nick, who—according to the gossip she’d heard from Natalie—had displayed a bad attitude when he’d first shown up for work, went out of his way to be welcoming. It was only Joy who had her on pins and needles.

  Joy. If her mother had known what a sour face her daughter would have as an older woman, she might have reconsidered her choice of names.

  “Well, you don’t have to, you know,” Raleigh said, surprising Aria.

  She looked over to find Raleigh watching her with a shrewd, but kind, expression.

  “It’s you and Nash that matter,” Raleigh continued. “I think we’re getting along great, and if you love the crazy that comes with a family our size that’s awesome, but if you don’t…that’s fine, too.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Aria said carefully, glancing back to check on Felicity, who was still crawling around, pulling up handfuls of grass and throwing them into the air.

  “I’ve never seen my brother this happy,” Raleigh said. “You’re good for him, and he seems good for you, and that’s all that matters. You didn’t marry our family, you married him, you know?”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Aria would have sworn she heard a warning hidden beneath Raleigh’s words, but before she could figure out a way to discreetly ask if there was something she should be worried about, Raleigh’s youngest son took a fall from the trampoline, sending Raleigh running to kiss the bumps and bruises.

  Afterwards, there didn’t seem to be an easy way to bring up the subject again, and so Aria did her best to forget the conversation and enjoy the evening.

  It wasn’t until an hour later, when she came out of the bathroom and ran straight into Joy that she wondered if Raleigh had been trying to subtly warn her of an ambush.

  “Hi,” Aria said, forcing her biggest smile. “Thank you so much for the invitation tonight, Joy. Dinner was amazing.”