by Cathryn Fox
Her phone buzzed as vehicle lights flashed in the opposite direction. Beneath the lamplight, Ryeland caught sight of the resort’s shuttle coming down the hill and knew he should move his Wrangler. “Come on, let’s go,” he said quickly as she checked her message.
She blinked up at him and her voice came out strained, anxious when she said, “I can’t.”
“Mel—”
She gave a quick shake and cut him off. “No, you don’t understand, it’s not that…I…I have to go. There are some things I have to take care of.” Before he could protest, she cut across the street, flagged down the shuttle, and disappeared into the night.
He stood there dumbfounded as he watched the shuttle drive away and couldn’t help but wonder what was so important that she’d flag down a shuttle and head back to town when she was drop dead tired.
Chapter Five
Mel jumped from the shuttle and moved away from the tourists as they made their way down Main Street to browse the shops or head into one of the many restaurants that catered to the summer vacationers. She cut the corner and slipped into the shadows, hurrying toward her mother’s place on the other end of town. Despite the exhaustion pulling at her like a weighted serving tray, she picked up her pace. As she approached her mother’s rundown apartment building, her chest grew so tight it took effort to fill her lungs.
Even though she knew what to expect—hell, she’d found her mother like this as far back as she could remember—it still didn’t make it hurt any less. The warm evening breeze washed over her face, but she was so very cold inside she shivered. She wrapped her arms around her body, covering her work shirt as she peered into the night. She moved closer, catching sight of her mother slouched against the apartment’s front door. A huge man stood over her, and her pulse raced a little faster. Officer Sattler, the man who was there that night so long ago, one of the few who knew the truth about what happened in that hotel room, straightened to his full height when she approached.
“Mom,” Mel said breathlessly as she quickly climbed the set of stairs. “Mom, come on. Get up.”
Officer Sattler turned to Mel and she tried to ignore the pity in his eyes. “Mel,” he began as she averted her gaze, her stomach clenching around the lump forming in the pit of her gut. “I can’t keep doing this. Someone is going to press charges one of these days and I’ll have no choice but to take her in. You know that, right?”
“I know and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Mel said, even though they both knew it was a straight up lie. Honestly, if her mother continued to drink and trash things, mainly whatever guys she was with, she was going to end up in the drunk tank and there wasn’t a damn thing Mel could do about it. She bent and grabbed her mom’s arm. “Come on, Mom. Get up.” Sattler reached for her mother’s other arm and helped Mel lift her. Once they had her standing, Mel wrapped her mother’s arm around her shoulder. Mel might be petite herself, but her mom was still smaller. Thank God, because Mel had to do this far too often. She shot Sattler a quick look. “I got her. Thanks for the help, and for letting me know.”
“Melody,” her mom slurred. “You’re such a good girl. Isn’t she a good girl?” she said to the officer.
“Yeah, she’s a good girl, Rita,” he agreed, and once Mel fished the keys from her mom's purse, the officer turned to leave.
“You take care of yourself, Mel.” Sattler’s voice was so steeped with concern, Mel had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions in check.
She worked to harden herself. “I will, thank you.”
Mel dragged her mother into the building, and once inside Mom’s apartment she lowered her onto the sofa. “I’ll make you some coffee and get you something to eat.”
“Mel, come here.”
“Mom, come on,” she said barely able to keep the annoyance from her voice. “Let me make the coffee.”
“Come here, baby.”
Exhaling slowly, Mel dropped down onto the coffee table beside her mother. “What is it?”
With her head bobbing, her mother tried to focus her glassy eyes as she reached out to run her fingers through Mel’s hair. “Men are no good, baby. No good. You know that, right? They take what they want and this is how they leave you.”
“Okay, Mom,” Mel said, cutting her off. “We can talk about this in the morning.” She stood and grabbed the blanket at the end of the sofa.
“Your father, he was no good too. I never should have married him. If it wasn’t for…” Her words fell off, and she pinched her lips together.
“Why don’t you try to get some sleep? You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Her lids blinked open, and her eyes looked lost and vacant as she stared at some spot behind Mel’s shoulders, but Mel heard the wistfulness in her tone when she asked, “Is everyone back, Mel?”
“Yeah, everyone is back,” she said softly, knowing exactly what her mother was asking. That’s when it occurred to Mel that she should have expected to find her mother in this condition tonight. Every year when the tourists started filing in, her mom would get pie-eyed drunk. Maybe it was a reminder of what they had and she didn’t, but heck, if a person wasn’t happy with their lot in life, they either needed to do something about it or accept it. Mel would be damned if she was going to fall into the trap of alcohol and self-pity.
“You don’t come around much anymore,” her mom said.
“I’m busy. I’m working two jobs now.”
Her mother briefly closed her eyes, then opened them again. Instead of commenting on Mel’s jobs or how she was trying to make something of herself, she turned the conversation back to her, like she always did.
“They’re no better than me, you know. No better than any of us. They come here every summer and walk around turning their noses up at the locals.”
“I know,” Mel agreed, having no idea if her mom was talking about the tourists in general or someone specific.
“You know you have to stay away from those rich boys, baby. They’ll only break your heart.”
“I will.” Her thoughts raced to Ryeland.
Her mother laughed, a disturbed, maniacal titter that chilled Mel to the bone. “They make promises they can’t keep.”
“Doesn’t everyone,” she said under her breath, thinking back to the last time she rescued her mom from a night in the drunk tank, only for her to promise never to drink again.
Finally her mom’s eyes slipped shut, and when she started snoring, Mel tucked her in and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and scanned the contents to make sure her Mom still had food, noting that she’d barely touched any of the groceries Mel had dropped off last week. Mel pulled out the package of deli meats and mustard. She slapped together a sandwich, wrapped it in foil and put it back in the fridge. Then she cleaned the coffee pot and prepared a fresh brew for morning.
Tipping her head from side to side, she stretched out her achy neck muscles and made her way back into the living room. A quick glance at the clock told her she could still catch the last shuttle back to the resort if she hurried. There was no point in staying overnight. Like so many times before, her mother would only be sleeping it off anyway, and come morning likely wouldn’t even remember that Mel had been there. Mel grabbed a sheet of paper from the broken printer propped up in the corner of the room and scribbled a note. Fighting the pang of sadness nipping at her soul as she took one last look at her passed-out mother, she left the apartment and secured the lock behind her.
She retraced her steps and ran when she caught sight of the shuttle getting ready to pull out from its stop. She flagged it down and let loose a grateful sigh when the doors opened for her.
“Thanks, Jack,” she said to the elderly driver who’d been doing the night runs every summer for as long as she could remember.
“You’re out late tonight.” Jack smiled at her. “I don’t usually see you in town at this time.”
She took the seat directly behind him. “Just had some last-minute things to t
ake care of.”
His smile fell and he gave her a sympathetic look in the rearview mirror like he knew what she was talking about, so she changed the subject. “Things must be picking up now that the tourists are all back in town.”
“Yeah, I did a few extra runs to the Cave. Seems to be the hot spot tonight. Is that where you’re headed?”
“I…” Mel thought about it for a moment, and her first instinct was to say no, but tonight the thought of going back to her room to write until she fell asleep didn’t sound quite as appealing as it had earlier. She exhaled slowly and sank farther into her seat and stared out the window, finding it a little harder to fight down the emptiness inside her. Being with her mother always left her feeling out of sorts.
Jack drove through the lamp-lit streets and glanced at her in the rearview mirror. The lines around his cloudy eyes deepened as he looked at her. “Come on, a young girl like you should be out having some fun. From what I hear it’s initiation night. I dropped Jaelyn off earlier. So what do you say, you want me to drop you there too?” He winked. “Someone’s got to keep that girl out of trouble.”
“Yeah, okay. I guess I’ll go see what she’s up to.” She rested her head against her seat and stared at the roof of the bus. She rarely went to the Cave, and after last year, when Trevor set out to “bag” her as he called it, she’d decided to avoid the place all together. She would never be someone’s summer conquest again. Which made her wonder why the hell she said yes to Jake. She shook her head, hoping to knock some sense back into her brain. What the hell had come over her? Perhaps she was just so damn worn out she couldn’t make good decisions.
Or perhaps it was because Ryeland might be there, some inner voice whispered.
Her stomach did a weird little flip-flop as she thought about him. Like it or not, he had a way about him that made her forget her resolve to stay clear of men. Maybe it had something to do with the way his eyes went nearly black when he looked at her, or how the groove around his mouth made that sexy dimple when he tossed a smile her way.
She closed her eyes. Despite her best interests she let herself think about him a moment longer. Around her, tourists talked amongst themselves and from the back of the bus she could hear a bunch of rowdy boys razzing each other. She caught a whiff of weed and figured they were gearing up for a good time tonight.
When the bus finally stopped, she exited and walked the pebbled path leading to the sandy shoreline. She searched the crowd for Jaelyn, knowing her friend would be in the midst of the fun. Heck, her friend wouldn’t miss initiation night if her life depended on it. She looked at a group of guys and girls hanging off one of the vehicles as music blared from the car’s radio. One of the pretty blondes climbed to the rooftop and started dancing, and the boys all began cheering her on. At least it wasn’t Jaelyn this time, she mused.
Mel walked toward the bonfire, weaving her way through the throng of partiers, and scanned the crowd a second time. She approached the fire and when she looked through the flames, she caught sight of Ryeland. He stood with his back to her and she took advantage of the moment to look her fill, admiring his wide shoulders and long, hard body. He really was hot, and everything in the way those jeans hugged his ass almost made her forget why letting him get too close was a bad idea. Clearly she wasn’t the only one who thought he was the catch of the night, considering all the girls hovering around him. Suzette stepped up to him. Suzette Preston: perfectly made-up face, perfectly styled blonde hair, long, lithe body that made Mel feel like a hobbit. Basically, she was the antithesis of Mel. Suzette blinked long thick lashes and looked at Ryeland with adoring eyes.
Ryeland fisted his hair, a habit Mel was becoming familiar with, and unfortunately, when he turned her way, she was far too slow to react. Her gaze flew to his and when his lips quirked into a smile, she knew he’d caught her staring. Damn.
A squeal came from the lake and Mel was thankful for the distraction. She removed her shoes and dug her toes into the sand, enjoying the warmth on her feet as she followed the sound. Water splashed in the distance, and a second later, Jaelyn burst through the surface, two guys standing over her and laughing.
Mel grinned and shook her head. In typical Jaelyn fashion, she wrapped an arm around each of the boys who, from the grins they exchanged, clearly felt she was a sure thing tonight. They laughed as they carried her to the shore. At least she’d found a way—or two—to get over Cole. When she saw Mel standing there she squealed, freed herself from the boys, and rushed forward.
“Mel, you came!” Jaelyn reached out to give her a big, wet hug.
“Don’t.” Mel laughed as she tried to push her away. “I spent half the day wet already and would like to spend the rest of my night dry.”
“That’s too bad, because I like my girls wet.” Mel’s heart fell into her stomach at the familiar voice behind her. She turned and came face to face with Trevor. Christ, if she’d known he was going to be here tonight she never would have come. Then again, why wouldn’t he be here? No way would he miss out on the biggest party of the season, not when it was his chance to mark his next conquest.
“Go away, Trevor,” Jaelyn sputtered as water dripped down her face.
Ignoring Jaelyn, he stepped closer to Mel, a predatory look on his face. “I’m pretty sure Mel can speak for herself. Isn’t that right, Mel?”
“Absolutely. Now go away,” Mel said, but she may as well have been talking to a piece of driftwood for all the attention he paid her. He continued to come closer, ignoring her, and Mel knew she had two choices. Give him a good swift kick between the legs like he deserved, or just get the hell out of there. Since she really didn’t want to cause a scene or any more rumors, she turned to leave. But he had other ideas.
He grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him. “Ah, come on, Mel. What are you mad about?”
She flinched as anger raced through her. While she could stand there and list a dozen reasons, she didn’t want to be doing this with him—not here with everyone watching. God, what had she been thinking? Coming here tonight was such a stupid, stupid mistake.
“Drop it, Trevor,” she whispered between clenched teeth, then turned her back on him again. Head down, she trudged across the beach.
“But we had some good times, baby.” He followed close behind, bending to be heard over the blaring music, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Why don’t you stop pretending you didn’t like it, ’cause I know you did.”
“Go away, Trevor,” she bit out again.
She heard his hand hit his chest. “You’re breaking my heart, baby.”
“And I’m going to be breaking your face if you don’t fuck off.”
Mel looked up and came face to face, or rather face to chest with Ryeland. She lifted her eyes higher and when she caught the intensity backlighting those beautiful silver orbs as he stood there glaring at Trevor, her heart pounded a little harder in her chest.
“Ryeland, don’t,” she pleaded, putting one hand on his chest to push him away. “It’s not worth it.” No, getting his ass kicked because of her past mistakes definitely wasn’t worth it. And Mel had no doubt Trevor would give him a good beating. Ryeland was lean and cut, but Trevor was an all-star football player who played dirty, and a nice guy like Ryeland didn’t stand a chance against him.
Nice guy?
Ryeland closed his hands over hers and held it against his packed muscles. She could feel the strong, rhythmic beating of his heart as his warm palm engulfed hers. It made her feel strange…safe.
“Cut it out, Trevor,” Jaelyn said, catching up to them from behind. She grabbed his arm to pull him away, but he shook her off and she fell to the ground.
Mel pulled away from Ryeland and rushed to her, leaving Trevor and Ryeland standing there, testosterone coming off them in waves as they sized one another up.
“You got something to say?” Trevor asked, smirking as he squared off against Ryeland. While they were both the same height, Trevor had a good
fifty pounds on Ryeland, which didn’t bode well for anyone.
Ryeland widened his stance. “Yeah, why don’t you try picking on someone your own size?”
Trevor looked Ryeland up and down and scoffed. “You know anyone?” When Trevor’s friends came up to stand beside him, they laughed and bumped fists. Except Ryeland wasn’t without his own friends, and when Justin, Cameron, and Nikko flanked Ryeland, Mel knew this was going to get ugly really fast.
“Fight, fight, fight,” the crowd chanted, gathering around them. Everything inside Mel clenched. She shouldn’t have come here tonight. Ryeland didn’t deserve this.
“Well,” Trevor asked again over the deafening chant. “You know anyone?”
“Yeah. Me,” Ryeland said as he continued to hold his own against Trevor.
Trevor laughed and jerked his thumb toward Mel. “Why would she want anything to do with a pretty boy like you? It’s not like you’d be able to make her moan the way I can.” His mouth twisted. “Isn’t that right, baby?
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” In the blink of an eye, Ryeland had Trevor on the ground, pounding Trevor’s face into the sand. Trevor cursed and fought to gain purchase. One of Trevor’s friends kicked Ryeland in the ribs to knock him off and Cameron jumped in to help out. Before Mel knew it, fists were flying everywhere. In a mass of arms and legs and sand flying into the air, Jaelyn grabbed Mel to haul her backward before anyone landed on them.
The crowd grew thicker, the chants louder, and even though Mel kept screaming, “Stop!” her pleas went unheard. Worry for Ryeland ripped through her as her heart slammed harder against her chest. Why couldn’t he have just minded his own damn business?