by Skye Turner
Blue winks at Jessie and points to the counter. He laughs and calls out, “By all means, woman, get your coffee first. I see where your priorities lie.”
She sticks her tongue out and blows him a kiss as Erik hands her a coffee. He gestures to the table at large that he’ll be over in a bit.
Once everyone is situated, Lexi in Jude’s lap, Blue in Jessie’s, Clove next to Liam, Cruz, me, Bradi, and Erik, we get to the topic at hand.
Bradi breaks out her laptop and starts clicking. Blue has a notebook out and her pen is at the ready. As she’s clicking on her computer, Bradi starts to talk. “Ok, so we leave Thursday. You have Thursday night free to explore or whatever. No late night though. Y’all are on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts interviewing you on Friday morning and then the concert in Central Park is Friday night. Devil’s Lair has a six song set and then you will do two together before your set begins. You have twelve songs give or take. The after party starts around 11PM. You have two interviews and an informal photo session for Rock With Me. I’ve also scheduled a stop at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital on Saturday. I have some t-shirts, hats, posters, and buttons being delivered for y’all to sign and give out. Your flight home is Saturday night at 9:31PM. It’s going to be jam packed, but the show is sold out and GMA tweeted about the interview and performance this morning.” She looks around the table. “Any questions?”
Everyone is staring at her in admiration. She tucks an escaped tendril of hair behind her ear. “What?”
Jude is the first to speak. “Everything sounds great, Bradi. You are killing this shit.”
Her cheeks flush and she smirks. “Did you ever doubt my awesomeness?!”
Everyone laughs. A chorus of “No’s” is heard around the table. We all eat and drink and finalize the plans since everyone at this table plus Bradi’s boyfriend, Micah and Erik’s boyfriend, Alec are coming on the trip. Lexi kisses Jude one last time and grumbles about needing to get back to work. She bakes everything in this place and they sell out every single day, so she’s trying to create a surplus for the weekend. Erik says he needs to get back behind the counter. He’s the coffee guru in this place. Blue and Jessie leave, Liam and Clove head home to pack a bit more since they are moving into their new home next week; thankfully, it’s only around the corner from me, Jude leaves to get a ride on his bike before coming back to help Lexi close up, and then, it’s just me and Cruz.
We finish our coffee in silence. I love that about Cruz. He never pushes. Well, he rarely pushes. He looks at me and I can tell he wants to say something.
“What?”
Shaking his head, he chuckles, “Are you going to call her?”
I flop back in my chair and drum my fingers on the table as I think. The thought of calling her makes my palms sweat, yet I get dizzy with my rage at the same time. I’m in a quandary.
“I don’t know. I know what you said. I hear you. I think the same thing sometimes, but then I think that she deliberately gave me the wrong name and I get pissed.”
He just looks at me. He sighs and speaks. “She did, but maybe that is her name. Just not her first name. You know my name is Robert Cruz, yet I’m Cruz.” He stands up and pins me with his crystal gaze. “I’m just thinking you need to talk before you condemn her completely. After all, she didn’t know you were Dade Rodrigue of the famous rock band, Bayou Stix either, now did she?!” His brow arches with his question.
Shit! Why does he have to point out and say out loud what I’ve been thinking in my head this whole time?! I mean, fuck, it’s so much easier to stay mad at her when I think she just blatantly lied to me. But didn’t I do the same thing in a way?! I told her my name, but I never volunteered my last name or my full occupation either. Dammit, Cruz! Fuck you for being right! Ugh.
He’s watched my face and he smiles slightly as he starts to walk away. “You and Clove are both open books sometimes. You just keep the cover closed a lot more. Call her.”
I nod as he walks out. As he clears the door, I see a pretty brunette stop and stare at him with a look of recognition on her face. She sees me watching her and smiles slightly as her cheeks flush. I smile back as I call out a “Later” to Erik. He salutes and holds his fingers to his face in the universal signal for “Call”. Damn my meddling friends.
*dpgroup.org*
Chapter Six
Melonie
I’ve just finished up with my last patient of the day and take off my white lab coat as I walk back to my office. Dropping my coat onto the chair in front of my desk, I fall into my chair and lay my head back. It’s been a long day. Hell, it’s been a long few days.
I had forgotten about him. Ok, that’s a lie, but I had convinced myself to forget about him. What was the point?! We’d had an amazing time on St. John and then he just up and disappeared. I was supposed to meet him for dinner. No message, no call… nothing. I thought he’d just left. How was I supposed to know he didn’t just decide he was done with me?!
It wasn’t all him. Mel. You played a part in this shit, too. You never told him your real name. You never asked him what he did.
He’s a fucking rock star! A rock star! He’s famous. I acted like a loose groupie on an island with him. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t know who he was, hell that makes it worse.
Face it, Mel. That was a fluke. An island affair that was over with as soon as his plane kissed the sky.
But why can’t I stop thinking about him? Dammit!
Because he’s the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen, Melonie and out of an island full of women, he chose to spend time with ME!
I never thought I’d see him again.
I cried for two days when he left!
God, seeing him the other night… out of the blue… he was still so gorgeous. He looked shell shocked when he saw me.
Closing my eyes, I try to stop the memory.
The party was amazing. I’ve never seen so many famous people in one room. It was surreal. I saw James Black, the movie star, arguing with some beautiful, yet trashy-looking woman in the parking lot when I arrived. Then, I walk into the Old Governor’s Mansion and I see Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. at the bar. Keith Urban smiled at me when he handed me my drink from the bartender. I just blinked in awe.
I needed a minute to take it in so I went in search of a bathroom. I was walking down a plush carpeted hallway when I heard a shocked “Rayne?” in the voice I’d convinced myself I’d never hear again. I immediately froze, slowly turned, and there he was.
Dade.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. Was he real? He can’t be real.
He recovers before I do. He closes the distance between us in a few strides and then he’s in front of me. I can’t breathe. Grabbing my arms, he exclaims, “Rayne? What are you doing here? How did you find me?” A strange looks crosses his face. “Did you know who I was all along?! Are you a groupie?”
What? What is he talking about? Who he is? Who the hell is he? And is he pissed at ME? He LEFT ME on an island with no good bye.
I try to pull my arm free. “Let me go, you asshole!”
His face tightens and he jerks me into his body. He’s breathing hard as he grits out through his teeth, “What are you doing here? And I’m an asshole? Are you kidding me?”
He pulls me into his body so forcefully, my hair falls out of its clip and cascades down my back. His eyes rake my face and then he groans. I halfheartedly try to pull back as my body betrays me and melts against him. As he groans again, he swoops down and kisses what little breath I have right out of me. He backs me into the wall as he devours my mouth and sucks on my tongue. My hands are roaming his arms and chest and I want to bury them in his hair. I can’t get enough. It’s like my body has just been waiting for this. For him.
Somehow, I remember he left me. Months ago. Jerking back, I take him off guard and I slap him as hard as I can. He steps back as the sound reverberates down the empty hallway. I slump against the wall with my heart racing, my palms we
t, and my nether regions clenching in anticipation for what I know only he can give me. Shaking in desire and rage, I stare at him with my hand over my mouth.
He spits out, “You slapped me!”
My hand is throbbing from the contact with his face. I straighten and glare at him as I rub my stinging palm. “You. Do. Not. Touch. Me! Don’t ever touch me again!”
His face registers his shock and confusion. “Why are you mad? Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you, Rayne?!”
He’s lying! He LEFT me!
I screech out, “You haven’t been looking for me! And my name isn’t Rayne!”
His face falls and I just want to hug him before it’s quickly masked. He barks out, “What?”
How dare he look at me like this is MY fault! Screw him! “You heard me. My name isn’t Rayne. Funny you want to find me now, but you didn’t care enough to even tell me you were leaving!”
A sound down the hall takes my attention from the rage building on Dade’s face. I blink in shock as Clove, my patient, and her fiancé walk out of a room. Clove looks exhausted, so my doctor instincts take over. “Clove. Liam. I’m sorry we disturbed you. Is everything alright?”
I see Dade’s head whip towards me as I talk to them.
Clove assures me she’s fine, just tired after her long, excitement fueled day, and then asks how I know her BROTHER!
Her brother? What the ever living fuck? HER BROTHER?!
I get lightheaded and feel like I’m going to pass out. I gasp. “Your brother?” I look between Clove and Dade and clearly see the resemblance. How did I not realize this before?! She looks exactly like him, just in female form. I swallow back the bile rising in my throat as I whisper, “Your… He’s… Oh my God… He’s your brother?”
Slumping against the wall to stay upright, I try to see through the spots wavering in my vision. Liam is talking so I try to concentrate on what he’s saying. He says that Dade is his bandmate and friend and that he is certainly Clove’s brother. He wants to know how we know each other… and is asking why Dade is calling me Rayne. Oh, God.
Dade looks at me and the disgust on his face makes me shrink back.
He lights into me. His flat statements are coming so fast, I can’t even follow completely. I said I worked in an office and I’m a baby doctor. His sister’s baby doctor. My name isn’t Rayne. While I’m flinching with every barb, and he’s laughing, but nothing about this is funny, he makes a direct hit… straight to my heart, “And for the record, I left in a hurry because I got a frantic call that my baby sister was in the hospital. I was going to call you once I got to the airport, but you never gave me your number. But then again, you also told me your name was Rayne. What the fuck else did you lie about? I’ve wasted enough time searching for someone who doesn’t exist and obsessing over lies, Dr. Melonie Bird.”
Wow, the insults keep coming and each one is more painful that the last. I am going to vomit at any second.
“Have a nice fucking life!” He says so coldly I’m not sure how it’s not snowing in here, before he storms down the hall and I hear the door slam against the wall as he wrenches it open.
What the hell just happened? What did I do? Oh my God…
I turn towards Liam and Clove who are staring from me to the door Dade just flew through with looks of worry and confusion on their faces. I can’t stay here. I have to get out of here. I’m about to puke or cry. Or both. I can’t be here.
I apologize and race for the door, leaving two stunned people in the hallway.
As I get outside, I heave into the bushes and puke until I can’t breathe. Tears are rolling down my face as I try to understand what the hell just happened and what I could have done differently.
As I sit in my luxurious car with the scent of leather and the ocean surrounding me, I cry until I can’t cry anymore.
My phone alarm goes off and I shake my head to clear it. I sigh as I see the reminder. “Dinner with Mom and Dad.”
I forgot all about that. I have about an hour to go over charts before I have to leave for Hammond to meet my parents. It’s been a few weeks since I went out to see them and my mom wants the whole story with Dade. Not the Cliffs Notes version I gave her on the phone a week ago.
For a little more than an hour, I bury myself in work. I have a lot of babies coming in the next few months, so I’ll be a busy doctor.
Closing the last chart, I stand and stretch. I need to go for a run but there’s no time. If I’m going to make dinner on time, I need to head out now. Who knows what traffic between Baton Rouge and Hammond will be like?
The drive relaxes me though the road construction on the Interstate in Louisiana never ends. They’ve been working on and off of this thing for about fifteen years. As I get closer to Hammond, and drive through Albany and Springfield, the city fades away and all you see are trees and nature. I enjoy it. The closer I get to Hammond, the more the landscape will change.
I take my turn and make my way to the restaurant. It’s my daddy’s favorite and we’ve been coming here since I was a child. It’s also a piano bar and six nights a week, they have live entertainment that can be heard throughout the restaurant.
Looking at the dash, I see I have ten minutes to spare, so I sit in the car and touch up my makeup before finger combing my long blonde waves. I look in the mirror as I fluff my hair and take in my appearance. My face is heart shaped and my skin is smooth, with an olive complexion.
I do have some laugh lines around my eyes, but I don’t think they detract from my appearance. I’m not a drop dead gorgeous girl, but I know I’m attractive. My eyes are a smoky blue swirled with hazel and my lips are full and naturally rosy. My cheekbones are prominent and my nose is straight and patrician. I’m attractive.
I don’t think I’m attractive enough to have turned Dade’s head anywhere other than the island though and with him being a famous rocker, I doubt I’d have even been a blip on his radar in most other places.
Shaking my head, I try to stop those ridiculous thoughts again. It’s not like they matter anyway. He hates me.
Groaning over the fact that I cannot get him out of my head, I straighten my back as I head into what I’m sure will rival the Spanish Inquisition, also known as dinner with Arlene and Terry Bird.
The door opens as I approach and George, the proprietor for the past forty years, greets me. “Well hello, little Melonie! You’re still as pretty as a picture. Your parents are already inside at their usual table. I’ll tell Marco to bring some bread out for y’all. I’m glad you made the trip out to see us tonight.”
I smile into his rotund face and lean down to kiss his cheek. “Thank you Mr. Clavandine. It’s always a pleasure to see you.”
He blushes. “Go on. Get inside. They’re waiting on you. If I was a younger man, I’d demand to wine and dine you.”
I laugh. This is the same conversation we’ve had for the past ten or so years. He’s such a flirt and as sweet as can be. One of the great ones.
I chuckle as I head inside. “I couldn’t do any better than you, Mr. Clavandine.” I wink as he laughs.
I can see my mother’s ash blonde head from across the restaurant. She’s a statuesque woman and is extremely beautiful. She was a pageant queen in her day, and hoped I’d follow in her footsteps. Sadly, I was more interested in studying things and getting my hands dirty than looking pretty, so she eventually gave up on that dream.
My daddy sees me and stands up. He walks around the table as I approach and pulls me into his strong arms. “How are you, Cricket?”
I hug him back and snuggle against his familiar smell. There’s nothing on earth a Daddy’s hug can’t cure.
Pulling back, I look at him and smile. “Hi, Daddy. I’m good.”
He searches the eyes that match his for a minute, before he grunts and lets me go to pull out my chair as I kiss my momma’s cheek.
I sit and an ice water with lemon is placed in front of me along with a fresh loaf of crusty bread. Daddy pas
ses the bread around and I take a sip of my water as I wait.
Momma smiles at me and tsks. “Melonie, baby. Tell us how you are. And don’t give us that spiel about being fine.”
I laugh. Momma never did bite her tongue. She’s a true Southern woman. Loving and nurturing, but strong and not scared to stand up for those she loves and things she believes in. She’ll wear pearls and a dress, but can shoot a gun, skin a deer, and intimidate a 6’4” man with just a withering glance. I really don’t like when that glance is directed at me.
She’s a true steel magnolia.
Daddy asks. “How is the practice?”
Work is something we can talk about. He’s a doctor, too, only he’s a veterinarian. He was so proud when I decided to go into medicine.
“It’s great. We have so many babies on the way in the next few months. We’re growing every day. We just had to hire two more nurses and we also are looking into hiring a nurse practitioner to help out because we’re so busy. Dr. Bush and I each have our own ultrasound technicians now. We were just getting too backed up with Jan by herself. She’s amazing, but she’s only one person. I have her and Dr. Bush hired her own.”
I’m really proud of our practice. We started it together five years ago and things have just picked up ever since. I still can’t believe that not only am I a respected doctor, but that I also have a practice with an amazing woman who respects me and my professional opinions. It’s a dream.
Momma is nodding as Daddy and I talk shop for a bit more. Once our food is placed in front of us, we just chat about local stuff and she catches me up on the house renovations and her latest community projects. When everyone is done and the plates are cleared, Daddy orders a bourbon and Momma and I each order a coffee.
The drinks are delivered, along with the check and I grab it before Daddy can and slip my card inside. Momma takes a sip of her coffee and then straightens her silverware. That means the serious conversation is coming out. Daddy looks at me and arches his brow. I smile.