Through The Window

by Wendy Campbell

  Sara gave a cheery farewell. The door chimed, but Mel stayed in place until the rumble of the fire truck faded away.

  “It’s clear,” Sara said. “Does this have anything to do with last night?”

  Mel got to her feet and wiped the dirt off her cheek. “Yes. I won the bet. It wasn’t so bad playing a lesbian. Maybe the two shots Julia forced me to drink did help.”

  “You actually stayed on your feet?” Sara asked. “I thought one stiff drink left you light-headed and giggling.”

  “It does.” Mel told her about the bet and Jen’s disappearing act.

  “And?” Anna prompted.

  “Jordan kissed me. Not just a peck on the lips. He really kissed me, the toe-tingling, wild-tongues kind of kiss. Then Jen was behind him. I panicked and put on the lesbian act. Now he thinks I really am one.” In frustration, Mel kicked the counter and howled when pain shot through her foot.

  “I’ve been thinking of installing a punching bag,” Sara said, “but I’d have to draw Carl’s face on it.”

  “I’ll help,” Mel said in earnest as she climbed on a stool.

  “You know what you need to do?” Sara raised her eyebrows. “Get Jordan out of your system. You’ve had a thing for him ever since you were a kid.” She waited a beat and turned to Anna. “I told you she wouldn’t deny it.”

  “You never gave me the chance,” Mel protested.

  “Feed the fantasy to get over the object of your fantasy,” Anna said, as she rubbed her chin. “It might work. If he can make your toes tingle with a kiss, imagine what else he can do.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jordan stuck in Mel’s mind like a burr. Every time she saw a fire truck, her heart pounded, and she started to sweat. When she turned on the stove, she thought about starting a kitchen fire just bad enough to call the fire department, but she was afraid she’d burn the place down. Or Jordan would be off that day. She daydreamed her way through scenarios, from bumping carts at the grocery store, to showing up at his front door. Her emotions swung wildly from never wanting to see him again, to wanting to marry him.

  A car door closed, and she looked out the office window. “Nicholas,” she called, “you have another one.”

  Nicholas trudged out of his office, his charmer grin plastered on his face. She hid a smile, knowing he expected another local woman determined to check out the new guy. When he looked out the window, took in the tall blonde stepping out of a Lexus, he stopped and sucked in a breath.

  “Quick,” Mel said, “put on your Snake Charmer smile, before you scare her away.”

  He gave her a disgusted look. “I feel sorry for your brother. I really do.”

  She laughed. “You’ll love him. You’re made from the same mold. What are you two lovebirds doing this weekend?”

  “Getting out of town. If I’m lucky, I won’t be in on Monday.”

  She elbowed him. “How old is she?”

  “Twenty-two,” he said in an outraged tone. She laughed as he frowned and went outside to meet his date.

  She really liked Nicholas, she thought as she locked up. He would help make this office a success. He had already secured three new clients, and they weren’t opening for two more weeks. His drive and enthusiasm made her feel guilty for cutting her days to eight hours, but Sara needed her. After a ten-year absence, she owed Sara more help than she could ever repay.

  Her butt protested as she got on the bike she’d bought after Alex’s car got flattened. True, she could use some fresh air and exercise, but she didn’t need bruises on her butt. Whoever created the damn banana shaped seat should be placed before a line of women and forced to take the consequences.

  With a wince and a groan, she started pedaling. At least it wasn’t raining. The temperature hovered around seventy. New growth lined the road, and only one big hill stood between her and town. The deer and coyotes didn’t bother her, and she refused to think about cougars and bears.

  Trying to convince herself that she would love her newly toned body, she rode to Last Chance to cover the last two hours, which she did every Wednesday and Friday so Sara could spend time with her kids. When she got there, Sara was flipping through a stack of paperwork. It usually took her a few minutes to wrap up, but ten minutes later, Sara still had her head bent over a stack of papers.

  “Sara, aren’t you picking up the kids?”

  “I just wanted to finish this.”

  “Can I do it?” Mel asked.

  “You bet. I need the final inventory tallies by Wednesday. The lawyers scheduled a meeting. Carl’s insisting the inventory is worth ten times its value and wants half, in cash, as his part of the divorce settlement. I think he’s trying to put me out of business.”

  “The rat bastard.”

  “You said it.” Sara straightened and stretched. “Yvonne will be here next week. With both of you helping, I should have enough time to figure out what game he’s playing.” Sara handed over the inventory sheets and left.

  Yvonne was coming back, and would roll into Cedar Valley like a tornado. Sara could use her, no doubt about it, but Mel didn’t have to like it. Like she always did in a crisis, she called Anna.

  “What’s the problem?” Anna asked.

  “Jordan’s the problem,” Mel said. “I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s driving me insane, and Yvonne is coming back next week.”

  “Give me an hour.” True to her word, Anna walked in the door an hour later.

  “Julia’s right,” Anna said, after listening to Mel vent. “Your problem is sex deprivation. The solution’s simple. Have sex with Jordan before Yvonne can get her hands on him. Once she knows you have the hots for him, she’ll go after him with all she’s got.”

  “Jordan thinks I’m a lesbian,” Mel said and dropped her head into her hands.

  “Change his mind.”

  “How? Just tell him I’m not a lesbian and suggest we get naked?”

  Anna laughed and sat on a stool. “That might work, but I’d recommend seduction. It’s a lot more fun.”

  “I’ve never seduced anyone.” She paced behind the counter.

  “Hmmm.” Anna tapped her chin. “You want classy or kinky? You could really get into it and dress up like Wonder Woman. No, go for Cat woman. It’s a good fit, since you don’t make noise when you walk. The outfit is tight, so it’ll show off your boobs. Wear that push-up bra Julia made you buy.”

  “Cat Woman? I can’t pull off Cat Woman. Every time Jordan is within ten feet, my body goes haywire, and I make a fool of myself.”

  “Do you want me to ask Frank to get some porn so you can practice?”

  “Anna!”

  Anna made a face. “Then go for kinky. Get some sexy lingerie and a short skirt. Or you can wear the black negligee.”

  “It shows my nipples!”

  “If he’s a boob guy, you’d score major points. But you still need the short skirt, too, in case he’s a leg man.” Anna gave her a smug look. “You’re going to chicken out, aren’t you?”

  “No.” Mel waited a beat and threw her hands in the air. “Yes! I can’t do this. Would you just ask him if he likes me?”

  Anna gave her a level stare. “Should I send him a note, like we used to do in algebra?”

  “Yes! That’d be great.”

  “What are you, fourteen?” Anna leaned forward. “Melanie, you need to handle the situation like an adult.”

  Mel shook her head. “I don’t feel like an adult. I feel insane. This entire idea is insane.”

  She would have kept going, but Anna stood up with a self-congratulatory smile. “Right on time.”

  The door chime sounded. Mel’s breath stuck in her throat, and her body melted into a pool of lust as Jordan stepped inside.

  “I called him,” Anna whispered. “You can thank me later.” Anna reached over the counter and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Go for the black underwear. Trust me.”

  In five seconds Anna was out the door. Mel wanted to shout at her to wait, to save he
r, to distract Jordan while she escaped out the back, but Anna was already gone.

  “Hi.” Jordan walked up to the counter, looking relaxed and sexy, but his eyes gleamed with unfinished business. “Anna said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “Um…actually, I’m closing up.” Mel needed more time. She needed a plan. Dammit, Anna was right. She needed to grow up. “Do you mind hanging around a few minutes?”

  “No problem.”

  “Thanks. I just have to...” Mel trailed off, her mind blank. “Figure out what to do,” she muttered, but Jordan apparently had excellent hearing.

  “I’ll try not to distract you.”

  Fat chance. While Jordan sat at the counter and flipped through a hiking pamphlet, she managed to get through the closing routine without any huge blunders. She got her bike out of the back room and headed for the door. Jordan took it outside and waited while she set the alarm and locked the door. Then she stood there like a complete idiot.

  “Want to go to The Hungry Belly?”

  “Sorry, I can’t.”

  “Oh.” Her skin prickled with embarrassment. Of course he didn’t want to go out with the local lesbian thief.

  “I have to be at Roger’s in an hour, but I have time for coffee.”

  And add a caffeine buzz to her already frayed nerves? No way. “How about a walk instead?”

  Jordan looked at her bike. “Tell you what, I’ll give you a lift home, and we can go for a walk from there.”

  “Okay. I bought the Crandall cottage.”

  “I know.”

  ****

  Of course, Jordan knew where she lived. Like an adolescent, he’d driven by a dozen times, hoping to get a glimpse of her. Maybe in a bikini. Or short shorts. Or naked.

  Hoping she didn’t notice he’d gone stiff, he turned a bit and opened the passenger door.

  She gave him a nervous smile and got in. “So, you’re a firefighter.”

  “Yep.”

  Her arm rested on the open window as wind tossed her hair around. She tucked it behind her ear. The pink shirt she wore molded her breasts, reminding him of the sexy dress she wore to the reunion. His body quivered. Think of something else. But nothing came to mind except her breasts. Now that she was off limits, he couldn’t stop thinking about her breasts, about feeling them pressed against him. Every time they hit a bump, he could see them wiggle in his peripheral vision. Or it could be his imagination. Either way, they still made him crazy.

  “How long?”

  “Hmm? Oh, three years next month.” He struggled to keep his gaze on the road, and not on her jiggling breasts.

  “What did you do before that?”

  “I lived in California.”

  A long pause. “Why did you come back?”

  “This is home.” He shrugged. “How about you?”

  “Opening the branch office is a good career step. I also wanted to see if the Valley was like I remembered.”

  “Is it?”

  “In some ways. The outskirts have grown. Downtown is familiar, but just different enough to keep me guessing. I turn a corner, and there’s the neighborhood where we used to trick-or-treat. Beyond that is a gated community with million dollar homes instead of Mr. Maloney’s dairy farm.”

  He grabbed onto the thought of Maloney’s old dairy farm, of the hours he’d spent hosing down the milking shed, like a lifeline. Finally, the sexual buzz eased. “I know what you mean. It took a while before the old and new blended together in my mind. I don’t think about it now, except when a new building or development goes in.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “I may never come to terms with the changes. I could be back in Denver in a few months.”

  That surprised him. He couldn’t have her anyway, so it’d be easier, but a part of him ached at the thought of not having her around.

  “Too bad.” Jordan strained to keep his voice casual as he parked in the driveway. He took her bike out of the back and set it on the porch. “Ready?”

  “Almost.” She went inside and brought out a white, half-grown pup. When she tried to hook the leash to the collar, the puppy tackled it. They played tug-of-war for a while, then Mel pulled the leash away and the puppy chased it.

  “So this is the little girl you found.” He grinned and reached down. The puppy abandoned the leash to lick his hand.

  “I should find her a home, in case I go back to Denver. She’d hate living in an apartment, but I haven’t been able to give her up.”

  “She’s a cutie. Hard to believe someone would throw her away.” He’d like five minutes in an alley with the person who could toss away a life—any life—so easily.

  They fell silent as they crossed the road and headed down a narrow trail flanked with firs and maples. Blackberries grew in big mounds, occasionally stretching across the trail. He held them aside until she passed. When the trail widened, they walked side by side with the puppy running ahead of them.

  Mel skirted a puddle and their arms brushed. Poof. He went hard. Again. No one else blew his testosterone off the scale. Knowing he couldn’t touch her, couldn’t take her in his arms and make love to her, nearly knocked him to his knees. The lure of forbidden fruit, he thought, and walked on in tortured silence.

  ****

  The silence hung between them. Mel took a deep breath and walked into a spider web. Sticky strands clung to her face. Frantic, she jumped back, scrubbing at her face. Her skin crawled. She could feel creepy spider legs in at least a dozen places and shook like a dog, trying to dislodge them. She tipped her head, shook out her hair. Nerves skittered along her arms. She swatted at them and started on her shirt when she saw Jordan watching her.

  She froze and met his gaze, her hands on her breasts. “Spider web,” she explained in a small voice and lowered her hands.

  “Turn around.”

  When she did, his hand brushed over her butt. Electricity shot through her.

  “You missed him,” Jordan said and started walking.

  “I don’t like spiders. Alex used to put them in my bed when we were kids.” She hurried to catch up. Her face felt hot, and not just from embarrassment. They walked in silence. She glanced over, saw his taut expression. “Jordan, I want to apologize for what happened the other night.”

  “No need. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry. I hope we can still be friends.”

  He met her gaze, then looked away. A lock of dark hair brushed his forehead. Her fingers itched to touch it.

  “Are you apologizing because I led you to believe I was a lesbian?”

  “That’s part of it.”

  “What’s the other part?” She stopped and when he did, she looked right into his eyes. They’d resolve this, or they’d end it right now.

  “Melanie. My behavior was uncalled for. I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “I’m not a lesbian.”

  “Really?” Despite his calm tone, his body stiffened. Tension sizzled in the air.

  “Yes. After you kissed me, I was going to tell you, but Jen showed up. I didn’t want to lose the bet. I’m sorry.”

  He stared at her, his expression unreadable. Where was his calm acceptance, his acknowledgement of her apology? Why wasn’t he kissing her?

  Finally, he spoke. “You led me to believe you were a lesbian because you didn’t want to lose a bet?”

  Stung by his incredulous tone, she said, “That’s why I was pretending to be a lesbian in the first place.”

  “So a bet is more important than the truth?” He crossed his arms and shot her a challenging look.

  “No. Yes. I mean, of course not, but it’s not that easy.” She ran her hands through her hair. “You always make my head spin. My words come out backwards, and I trip over my feet. Do you have this effect on everyone?”

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  On the side of the trail, a maple tree lay with the roots in the air. It must have come down in a storm. If she didn’t handle this right
, whatever chance she had at a relationship with Jordan would be as dead as that tree. To keep her focused, and to get a few feet away from him so she could think, she climbed on the tree and sat.

  “I’ll try to explain,” she said.

  He didn’t join her on the tree, but he didn’t leave either.

  “When we graduated from high school, I ran away. I didn’t just leave. I ran, and it’s not something I’m proud of. Things happened, which I’m sure you know all about, this being gossip central. I started over, but I couldn’t leave it. Not entirely.”

  Jordan leaned against another maple, faced her, and hooked his thumbs in his front pockets.

  “As the years passed, I knew I had to come back. Not just to put the rumors to rest, but because I needed to be here. I needed to see if this is still home.”

  “Is it?”

  “I’m not sure. But I need to figure that out. I won’t let my past direct the course of my life. Not anymore.” She let her gaze drift up to the cheerful pattern of overlapping leaves above Jordan’s head. “When Jen came into Last Chance, it was like a showdown. It didn’t work out like I planned. I’m sorry I sent you mixed signals. That’s the last thing I wanted to do.”

  The tension in his stance shifted into something elemental, something sexual. Somewhere, so deep she never even knew it existed, a part of her answered. Emotions roiled through her like storm clouds, with elation on top one second, and being totally freaked out on top the next. She wanted Jordan, more than anything, but she didn’t want to want him. Wanting him meant heartache.

  “Did you win the bet?”

  Unable to speak, she nodded.

  “What was the penalty if you lost?”

  She sucked in air. “I would have sung a love song. Then, I would have left Cedar Valley.”

  The inside edges of his eyebrows lifted, an obvious sign of incredulity. “If you lost, you’d move? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”

  “Uh-huh,” she admitted. “It could have been a huge mistake, but everything happened so fast, and she makes me insane. Can you understand why I needed to win? I can’t leave, not yet. I’m not a lesbian, and your behavior wasn’t out of line. At least, it wouldn’t have been at any other time. Like now.”