Through The Window

by Wendy Campbell

  “Tell me about it.” He grinned.

  It figured. Just when she started to think there might be a spark between them, she realized he was using her to get to Julia. “Sorry, you’re too late. She’s gone.” Mel turned to walk back to the hotel.

  “Wait.” He grabbed her hand, held tight when she tried to break free. “I’m not interested in your friend, Mel. I wanted to apologize for…for touching you. Multiple times. Why didn’t you tell me you were a lesbian?”

  She looked away. “You wouldn’t understand.” She tugged her hand, but he held tight.

  “I’m not finished.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, she glanced at him. The highlights and shadows made an intriguing contrast of his chiseled features. He’d gotten better looking in the strong, quiet way that defined him so well. His dark hair could use a trim, but the tousled look suited him. Her heels put her eye level with his mouth. Would he taste as good as he looked?

  His voice pulled at the edges of her fantasy. He was too close. Ignoring her pounding heart, she cleared her throat and tried for a normal voice. “If you’ll excuse me—”

  “I won’t.”

  “Won’t what?”

  “Excuse you. I don’t want you to leave. I want to get to know you better.” He wasn’t smiling. He actually looked stern. Wasn’t someone supposed to smile when they said something like that?

  “Are you really a lesbian?”

  “I’ll never tell,” she said in a teasing tone, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “Didn’t think so.” That sounded like a challenge, daring her to contradict him. She wanted to, but she couldn’t force the words out. “Tell me something,” he went on. “When we were in high school, I asked you out and you sent Yvonne. Why?”

  “You never asked me out.”

  “I did, in our junior year. In Phys. Ed, you smiled and winked and I did it. I asked you out, but Yvonne showed up.”

  Shocked, she just stared.

  “Why did you send your sister, Mel?”

  “I didn’t. You never asked me out. Never.”

  Jordan studied her. “Yes, I did.”

  Then the details clicked together. “At the end of our junior year?”

  He nodded.

  “It figures.” She let out a long breath. “I was—” she stopped. “I was taking Yvonne’s geometry test. That’s why she was pretending to be me in PE. We rarely switched classes, but she’d threatened—never mind. She never told me you asked her, I mean me, for a date.” She sent him a steely look. “Why didn’t you ask me out again?”

  “I figured you were like her, gorgeous on the outside, bitchy on the inside. My mistake. I was wrong.”

  “You’re damn right—”

  “I was wrong,” he repeated in a husky voice. “Half-way. The gorgeous part is true. The bitchy part was wrong.”

  Her body leaned toward him, and she couldn’t do a thing to stop it. “I think you might have it backwards,” she whispered.

  “No, I have it right. Now.” He framed her face in his hands and kissed her senseless.

  Her bones were melting, all except her arms, which wrapped themselves around his neck. The kiss deepened, turning hot and wild. Her toes tingled, the breath caught in her throat. God, the man could kiss. His hands slid down her sides to her waist. One drifted to the small of her back, leaving a hot trail through her dress. Finally, he was finally touching her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jordan finally had his hands on Melanie Quinn. The spark he hadn’t felt for so long, the one he feared had died until he’d seen her, touched her, flashed with the power of a firestorm. He held her tight, letting her feel his desire. Not until he had a wad of material in each hand, did he realize he’d been about to pull her dress off, right here on the sidewalk, in the glow from the streetlights.

  When she deepened the kiss, his thoughts evaporated into an even stronger wave of lust.

  Suddenly, she jerked back so hard she would have fallen if his arms hadn’t been around her. Through a haze of desire, he saw her eyes open wide, her face pale. Something was wrong, but the testosterone pumping through him dulled his senses, stole the blood from his brain. Her chest heaved, her breath came in pants, and she looked frantically around, like she wanted to hide.

  “Stop.” She held up both hands, palms toward him.

  Then it hit him. She never said she wasn’t a lesbian. Maybe she was, but he’d felt her desire. She’d been as hot for him as he was for her. Hadn’t she?

  She sucked in air. “This is a mistake.” Did she yell or were his ears ringing?

  Jen Marsh’s voice came from behind him, but he didn’t care. Melanie made him feel alive, for the first time in more years than he cared to count. He wanted her so much he ached. It didn’t matter if they were on the sidewalk, it didn’t matter who walked by. He’d wanted to cheer, to thank God for being able to want, really want someone again.

  Frozen, he watched her turn on her heel and run to the corner. When she reached it, she looked back with an anguished expression. Then she kicked off her heels and bolted out of sight. Yep, he wanted Melanie Quinn, the lesbian who would never want him in return.

  ****

  Melanie sprinted back to the hotel. She had to find Anna and get out of here before Jen, or Jordan, returned.

  “Mel.” Anna’s voice rang out just as Mel reached the portico. “Jen’s back,” Anna said. “She’s disputing the outcome of the bet. She’s drunk and making a commotion. Marvin told her you’d gone out the back. Where’s Julia?”

  “Gone. Anna, I have to get out of here. Now.”

  “I’ll give you a ride. Frank’s getting the car.” A figure turned the corner, and Mel jumped behind a 6-inch wide column. She grabbed Anna’s arm.

  “Lean against it,” Mel whispered, “so I can hide.”

  Without a word, Anna leaned against the column. Mel concentrated on being as skinny as possible. Anna gave a cheerful greeting, and Frank drove into the portico.

  “Is it clear?”

  “Yep. She went inside. Oh, hi, Jordan,” Anna said.

  “Don’t move.” Mel grabbed for Anna’s arm, but missed as her friend waved. She grabbed Anna’s blouse instead. “I can’t let Jordan see me either.”

  After a minute, Anna whispered, “He’s heading for the parking lot. Let’s go.”

  ****

  The next morning, Mel’s alarm went off. She hit at the button and knocked the clock to the floor. Grumbling, she forced herself out of bed. Ignoring the hangover, she blamed her mood on Jordan and his abysmal timing. It was irrational, but she couldn’t help it. After last night, any thought he had of her would have LESBIAN stamped all over it. For the first time in her life, Jordan had actually noticed her, kissed her, and she’d snubbed him.

  In public.

  Why did he have to kiss her? If he’d kept that amazing mouth to himself, she wouldn’t have spent the night tossing and turning and trying to banish dreams that could, at best, be classified X-rated. She wondered what she’d do the next time she saw him, then realized she had fifteen minutes to get ready. The big surprise at Last Chance started in half an hour. She put the puppy in the backyard, took some aspirin and started a cold shower.

  After five seconds of shivering, she caved and turned up the hot water. She started in with a bar of Dove. With her eyes closed, she could imagine Jordan in the shower with her. That brought her back to reality. Irritable, she twitched her shoulder and realized the tape Julia had put on last night was still there. She pried up an edge and pulled. Enough skin came off with it that her eyes watered. More gently, she took off the other piece and stood under a spray of water, waiting for the pain to subside. When it did, she got out and slipped into a pair of jeans and the “Girls Rule” T-shirt Carley gave her, hoping the hot pink letters would help her focus on the negative aspects of being in lust with Jordan.

  At the moment, Mel couldn’t think of any. She towel-dried her hair and grabbed a hairbrush for the road.


  “Charm,” she called out the back door. “Come on.”

  Halfway to town, Alex’s car gave a horrific screech. The hairs on the back of Mel’s neck stuck straight out. With a jerk and a thud, the tank died. She managed to coast to the shoulder, where she took a couple of deep breaths. Now Anna would be facing a crowd of people alone, unless Mel could fix this.

  When she peered under the hood, she couldn’t make sense of the hoses and greasy metal so she slammed it closed. Charm jumped out and danced around her feet. Mel wiped her hands on her jeans and searched her purse for her cell phone. She must have left it on the counter. Resigned, she started walking down the road.

  A few minutes later, she heard the deep rumble of a diesel truck. The thought of Jordan seeing her, walking alongside the road, made her heart hammer. When she couldn’t stand the tension, she turned and saw Lyle as he coasted to a stop next to her.

  He rolled down the window and gave her an amused look. “Need a ride?”

  “You’re a savior.” She picked up Charm and climbed in the passenger door. The dog crossed the bench seat to lick Lyle’s face.

  “Hey there, let a man drive, okay?” He gently pushed the puppy back to Mel and pulled onto the road. “Alex’s car giving you trouble?”

  “It gave up the ghost, which is just as well. We weren’t getting along.”

  Lyle chuckled. “Where to?”

  “Last Chance. I talked Willie into having his hiking groups meet there on Sunday, and I’m late. It’s a surprise for Sara.”

  “I don’t recall that Sara likes surprises.”

  “She’ll like this one, if we sell enough.”

  They drove past a fenced pasture with three cows. Charm pressed her face to the window and howled the rest of the way to town, effectively stopping all conversation.

  The café tables at Last Chance were full. Stunned, Mel stared through the window at the line of people at the counter. She could see at least a dozen more lounging on the steps to the second floor. She raced inside and skidded to a stop when she saw Sara behind the counter with Anna.

  “What are you doing here?” Mel asked. Charm squirmed in her arms and licked the woman standing next to her. “Sorry,” she said to the woman.

  Sara dropped the hiking shoes she’d been ringing up. “What happened?”

  “Alex’s car died by Hadley’s Pond. This was supposed to be a surprise.”

  “Sara claims she came in to do paperwork,” Anna said, shooting a glare at Sara.

  Sara ignored her. “Mel, you look frazzled. Bobby, take her puppy.”

  Mel recognized at least a dozen people in the store. Maybe the locals were curious about the crowd. She handed Charm over to the pre-teen boy and joined Sara behind the counter.

  “I’ll make drinks, and you work this line.”

  Sara slipped away before Mel could protest. The next customer was a fit, older man with short-cropped graying hair. She put on her business smile and started ringing up his purchase.

  “Excuse us,” Anna said with a dire expression as she pulled Mel away from the register.

  “What? Is he a criminal?” Mel whispered, as they stood with their backs to the front counter. Maybe Anna recognized him from America’s Most Wanted. Mel tried to remember where she’d put the box knife.

  Anna gave her an odd look. “Of course he’s not a criminal.” She glanced over her shoulder. “At least, I don’t think so.” She took a handful of napkins, ran them under warm water. “Wash your face. It’s smeared with grease.” After Mel did as she was told, Anna took an ugly green ski cap from a drawer and shoved it on her head. “Better. Your hair is a mess.”

  “My hair?” She reached for the cap, but Anna grabbed her hand.

  “Fix it later.” Anna wrinkled her nose. “Green isn’t your color.”

  Mel started to protest, but her friend lifted an eyebrow and went back to the register.

  “It could be worse,” the man said with a smirk. “I could really be a criminal.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her cheeks went hot. “Not much fazes Anna. Guess I looked bad enough to get her attention.” She rang up his purchase as quickly as she could. It took two more sales before she dared talk to anyone, and then she did only because Sara jabbed her in the ribs.

  “Be sure to keep this away from your food,” Mel said to a young woman. She put the mosquito repellant in a separate bag from the energy bars and moleskin. “Where are you headed?”

  “Snoqualmie Pass. We’re doing a day hike.” The woman paused, looked around. “There are more people than I thought there would be.”

  “There are two groups going out,” Sara said, setting three drinks on the counter. “These are for the next customer.” She headed back to the machine.

  “Thanks for shopping with us,” Mel said.

  Willie waved to her from the door before leading a group outside to a big white van. Business slowed after that. Mel spent some time with a man in his twenties, debating the merits of a GPS unit while silently thanking Anna for taking her on one of those electronic treasure hunts—geocaching, she’d called it—when she visited Denver.

  “Here’s your puppy.” Bobby said, as Charm covered his face with licks. He giggled. “I gotta go.”

  They barricaded Charm behind the counter and helped the last two customers. Anna sighed and plopped onto a stool. Sara set her coffee aside and boosted herself onto the counter. “What a morning.” She crossed her legs beneath her, looking fifteen again. “You shouldn’t wear green. It makes your face look sallow.”

  “Thanks. What are you doing here?” Mel asked as she pulled off the hat. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”

  “I like it, surprise or not. How’d you come up with the idea?”

  “The first day I was here, Willie told me he was stocking up on supplies in case his customers forgot something. He didn’t seem happy about it, and since they were meeting just outside of town, I figured they should meet here and stock up.”

  Anna smiled. “In two hours, we rang up close to a thousand dollars in sales, when you count the GPS and the rain gear the last guy bought.”

  “I never thought of catering to the hiking tours,” Sara said. “It’s a great idea.”

  “It would have been better if Alex’s car hadn’t died,” Mel added. “Then you could have relaxed while we took care of the customers.”

  “I’m glad I was here. I wouldn’t have believed it otherwise.” Sara leaned against the back wall. “Now tell me about the reunion. Anna said you won the bet, but we were too busy to talk. Then I’ll call Alex and have him deal with the car.”

  Melanie paused, her head cocked. The deep rumble from outside sounded like a big truck coming down the block. She stared out the window, waiting. It couldn’t be Jordan. Could it?

  ****

  Jordan drove the engine and focused on the call. His mind was fuzzy from lack of sleep and adrenaline letdown, both a result of the disastrous reunion. When the tones went off, he climbed into the rig with a sigh of relief. Anything to keep from thinking about Mel. He listened to the dispatcher give the details. A semi hit a car near Hadley’s Pond. Minor injuries. No big deal.

  When they arrived, all he could see was the twisted remains of Melanie’s ugly car. He couldn’t remember stopping, parking, and getting out of the rig. Visions of the last time he’d cared for someone and came home to the disaster that killed her, swamped him. With sheer will, he forced his mind back to the present, to the mangled car in front of him. Back to Mel.

  Middleton set the wheel chocks while Jordan made sure the car was empty. He leaned against the rig to support his shaking legs. Melanie hadn’t been in it, thank God, but where was she?

  He intended to find out, just as he intended to find out why she’d rejected him. The chemistry between them burned like a wild fire. He’d felt it in their kiss, knew she had too.

  “You want to stabilize the semi driver or search the perimeter?” Middleton asked.

  “Search.”

>   Jordan found nothing. The Aid Car parked behind them. Together, they got the driver out of the semi. The guy was lucid and swore he never saw anyone, but he’d fallen asleep at the wheel and probably hadn’t even seen the car.

  Jordan helped load the driver into the Aid Car, then counted the seconds, the minutes, until the police arrived. When they did, Middleton was inclined to stay and chat, but Jordan started the engine and let it idle with a loud rumble until Middleton got in and swore.

  “That car belongs to a friend,” Jordan said. “I need to make sure she’s okay. Then you can tell me about your date with Kathy Jo.”

  Jordan planned on going to Mel’s cabin, but when he saw people leaving Last Chance, which was closed on Sunday, he parked at the curb.

  ****

  “You’re not getting out of here without giving me the details,” Sara said, but Mel barely heard.

  The fire engine stopped by the front door. The passenger door opened, and a firefighter she remembered seeing at the car fire got out. Jordan came around the front. Her body vibrated. Her x-rated dreams flashed through her mind, making her cheeks burn. Since she was still behind the counter, she dropped to the floor like they did in the military movies when someone yelled “Hit the deck!”

  “What’s wrong?” Sara asked as she hopped off the counter.

  “Nothing,” Mel whispered. “Pretend I’m not here. Please?”

  “You’re insane,” Sara muttered, but she gave her usual greeting.

  “Is Melanie here?” Jordan’s voice made her heart race. “A semi flattened her car, and we couldn’t find her.”

  “She’s fine,” Sara said. “She stopped by and told us the car died on the way to town.”

  “It’s not a car anymore,” the other guy said.

  “Is the semi driver okay?”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  Sara snorted. “Then it’s no great loss. I’ll have Alex straighten it out.”

  Charm licked Mel’s face. A giggle threatened to escape, so she bit her lip. Then the puppy licked her eye. Eeew, her tongue slid part way up Mel’s nose. Sara scooped up the puppy.

  “Mel’s puppy,” Sara said. “I’m babysitting. Anna, take her.”