by Hadley Quinn
She sighed and answered with a shrug. “I don’t know. With him, I have no idea. He just puts me on edge like that.”
“Melanie, you should have called me.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I don’t want what happened last time to happen again.”
“You’re protecting him?” he scoffed with a sarcastic laugh. “Fuck, Melanie. That asshole needs to be slapped with a restraining order!”
“I was protecting you, Jay! I don’t want you to get in trouble! All that shit last time scared me. I thought you were going to be arrested! And then I come here bringing the food and didn’t even think about the fact that he could have followed me—”
He stepped past her abruptly and headed to the sidewalk. He looked up and down the street for any cars parked on the road, looking for the ’84 Camaro Jordan owned. Sure enough he spotted it six houses down, almost at the end of the block.
Jay’s entire body went rigid. He couldn’t see the driver, but the second the car flipped a u-turn on the road and burned rubber the other direction, he knew damn well the black car wasn’t a coincidence.
“Oh my God,” he heard Melanie whisper behind him.
Her voice brought him out of his inner thoughts and he turned around. “Go in the house. You’re staying here today.”
She didn’t even argue with him and headed for the front door. He called Teague once he found his phone in his bedroom, just to see when they’d be home.
“We’re almost to Dodger stadium to watch a one o’clock game,” Teague said. “It was kind of a last minute idea, but I’ll head back.”
“No, don’t do that. Just let me know when you’ll be back and I’ll follow Melanie home.” Jay knew that wouldn’t be until at least five if they stayed for the whole game, which meant he needed to figure out what to do about his date with Sophia.
But after he hung up with Teague, he couldn’t find Melanie in the house anywhere. He even looked out back and in his shop. He checked the front of the house last and finally noticed that her car was gone.
“Fuck,” he hissed as he trekked back into the house. He was about to call her when a text came through from her.
Melanie: I’m sorry for putting you in the middle of this. Again. XO
Jay sighed and shook his head. Melanie had tried keeping the peace with Jordan until she couldn’t handle him anymore. After he caused her to fall and break her arm, he’d spent less than thirty days in jail and was handed a small amount of community service. As far as Jay knew, Jordan hadn’t tried to contact Melanie since.
If Jordan was going to keep this shit up, he was going to really fucking piss Jay off…
Jay: Just come back to my house for now.
He went to his room to change his clothes when her reply came.
Melanie: I have errands to do. Just do ur manly work.
Jay: I’ll let u watch my manly work. I’ll even keep my shirt off for u.
Melanie: As much as I just squealed excitedly like a little girl, I have to pass. You’d end up telling me I owed u for it.
Jay had to chuckle. Yeah, he probably would tell her that.
When he couldn’t convince Melanie to return to his house, he continued on with his plans for the day and spent the next three hours out in his shop. He didn’t get much done before it was time to quit. He was so tempted to call Sophia and cancel the date when she called and did it first.
“I’m so sorry, Jay,” she said over the phone. “My sister is in labor, and even though she’s probably far from having the baby, I want to be there for her.”
“Not a problem,” he told her, trying to contain how pleased he was. “Go be with your family.”
“I’m sorry you wasted the time getting ready. I’ll make it up to you.”
What the fuck did she think he needed to do to get ready for a date? He hadn’t even jumped in the shower yet and he was supposed to pick her up in thirty minutes. Jeans, t-shirt, shoes… It wasn’t that complicated.
“Oh don’t worry about me,” he suppressed a smile. “I’ll manage.”
As soon as he got off the phone he was back under the hood of the Chevelle.
***
Melanie quickly stepped through the door to Teague’s house, glancing over her shoulder. She was getting sick of this, always being on the lookout for Jordan. She hadn’t heard from him for two months, naïvely hoping that he would be done with her and move on. But now she was getting texts from him again, begging to speak with her. His voicemails to her were of the same sort, but even though he sounded extremely remorseful about what happened, his continuous apologies weren’t enough.
And now he was back to driving three hours from Fresno just to see her.
She really did need to talk to him about the baby, though. Putting it off any longer wasn’t going to resolve anything and she wasn’t going to feel comfortable with her decisions until she at least spoke to Jordan.
She sat down on the couch and found his number on her phone. It really would have been the easier choice to put it off again, but she needed to get this over with.
“Thank God,” Jordan exhaled when he answered her call. “Melanie, I really want to see you. To talk to you. Please. I know I’ve fucked up over and over but—”
“Yes, I’ll meet with you.”
He paused. “Really? Well fuck, I just got back to Fresno. If you would’ve just—”
“That’s fine. I’ll meet you there. I’d like to see family and friends anyways, so I’ll be staying at my Uncle Tim’s house for a couple of days.”
“Okay…so when do you want to meet?”
“Tonight. But I’m not meeting you alone, Jordan. I’ll have someone with me.”
“If you think you’re bringing that motherfucker here to my house, think again,” he growled in a low voice.
“I’m not exactly sure which ‘motherfucker’ you’re talking about,” she replied, holding back a smile. He could be talking about Teague or Jay—or Camryn, for that matter—but Melanie was pretty sure he meant Jay. “And besides, I’m not meeting you at your house. You’ll meet me at my uncle’s gym, got it? Seven o’clock.”
He paused again but she could hear him take in a breath of air and release it. “Fine, seven o’clock. See you there.”
Melanie hung up and released her own breath of air, hoping she’d feel more relaxed. But the worry that was pulsating through her wouldn’t let up. Uncertainty was the emotion she felt the most of these days, but she could hardly complain about it. It was her own stupidity, her own mistakes that had gotten her to this point. And she felt guilty and heartbroken that she’d put Camryn through so much crap over the years. One of these days she would make it up to her big sister.
Melanie’s goal was to stand on her own two feet, and although she knew how much she had accomplished so far, it still seemed so unreachable. She was twenty years old and had a part time job, but she was also pregnant and still living with her sister without any true direction. She loved life and had the energy to make something of it, but so far she had no idea where to start.
She exhaled a deep breath of air, and since steady breathing hadn’t helped, Melanie decided to jot a few notes down in her songbook to calm herself before she left for Fresno.
Chapter Five
“Tell me you didn’t just put that in your mouth.” Jay had watched Kyle drop a donut on the garage floor, pick it up, and take a huge bite out of it.
“I just swept this floor,” Kyle answered with his mouth full.
“That’s still disgusting.”
“Not as disgusting as you eating a jalapeño-fucking-habañero-whatever-the-fuck-it-was-called garlic pickle on a dare.”
Jay slowly smiled. “That was for money.”
“It’s still gross. Even if—”
Kyle stopped short when he stared into the office. Jay turned around to see the familiar brunette step up to the counter, but then she spotted him through the window and smiled with a wave.
“That’s Sophia, right?” Kyle asked.
/> “Yeah,” Jay answered as he wiped his hands on a rag.
“You two back together?”
“Nah, we just… I don’t know what she wants, to be honest,” he shrugged.
“Well based on that low-cut top I’d say she wants you to bone her,” Kyle chuckled.
Jay didn’t respond and just pushed through the doors to the waiting area of Beck’s auto shop. They had no receptionist since customers usually talked to Beck directly to schedule a project.
“Hey,” Jay greeted as he walked to the counter.
Sophia Nixon had a beautiful smile—it was one of the things about her that Jay really liked—and she used it often. Today was no exception, but he got the distinct feeling that something was up.
“Hi,” she answered him. “I thought I’d take you to lunch since I bailed on you five nights ago.”
Jay weighed his response, thinking it unusual that she would show up at his place of employment and expect him to be free. He glanced out the front windows and spotted the limo waiting in the parking lot.
“I’m working, Phee. I’m just about to paint a car.”
She bit her lower lip and eyed the clock above Jay’s head. “Even just a quick stop somewhere? We can eat in the limo on the way back. Thirty minutes tops.”
“I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“It’s thirty minutes, Jay,” she said, almost prayerfully with her hands clasped together. He couldn’t figure out why she was so adamant to spend time with him all of a sudden. First the date on Sunday that she canceled, and now this.
“If I could, I would,” he told her, just as Beck entered the waiting room from his office.
“Hey, what’s up,” Beck said, looking over the two of them as he tossed a folder on the file cabinet.
“Jay needs to eat lunch,” Sophia answered. “If you guys could just give him a short break, I’ll bring him back really soon. Twenty minutes,” she added this time.
“His friend already fed him,” Beck shrugged with a smile, “but okay.” He returned to the garage without realizing he’d just made things worse. Jay faced Sophia again and her curiosity was obvious.
“What friend?” she asked with a smile. “What friend of yours would be considerate enough to feed you lunch?”
She was clearly on the mark if she was thinking of his other guy friends, but that wasn’t the case this time.
“Her name is Melanie,” Jay answered.
Sophia’s eyebrows shot sky high. “I don’t recall you having a friend named Melanie,” she stated casually.
“She’s Teague’s sister-in-law and my former housemate. She dropped off a sandwich for me on her way to work.”
Sophia leaned against the counter slightly as she seemed to deliberate a reply. “You know, if you’re seeing someone you could just tell me,” she finally said.
Normally Jay would be an ass and laugh it off, but he wasn’t feeling that light-hearted about her insinuation. “If I were seeing someone, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now,” he replied evenly.
Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes softened and she seemed pleased. If she’d been any other girl but Sophia, Jay would have dismissed her right from the bat. But he shared a history with this woman and owed her a decent amount of respect.
“Look, Phee,” he said. “I’m busy all this weekend, but maybe we can meet up for dinner on Sunday night. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” she answered right away. She unexpectedly leaned over the counter, slid her hand behind his neck and pulled him forward, planting a kiss right on his lips. When Jay didn’t resist, she lingered against his mouth for a moment before pulling away. “Bye, Jay. I’ll be looking forward to your call.”
He watched her leave, enjoying the amount of effort she put in to give him a good view of how her short skirt could move when she walked. Smiling with amusement, he returned to the garage.
***
When Jay entered Teague’s house later that night, he was greeted instantly.
“Rawk! Hey fuck-fuck-fucker!”
With a smile at the expected salutation, Jay answered, “Hey cocksucker. How’s it goin’?”
The bird replied with his usual head bobbing as he paced up and down on his perch, and then Jay noticed Melanie standing at the kitchen entryway with her arms folded across her chest.
“Now he’s gonna be saying cocksucker?” she scoffed.
“Well I hope so, but he’s probably not that smart,” Jay grinned. “But that would make my damn year if he did.” He glanced around the house and asked, “Where is everyone?”
“Chase had to go to the emergency room earlier today, so Teague and Camryn went to visit him after Max took him home,” she answered over her shoulder as she returned to the kitchen.
Jay followed her and sat at the counter. “What happened to him?”
“He got stung by a bee, and apparently he had a really bad reaction to it. He’s okay, though. The worst part was dealing with media, even with the special treatment for privacy.”
Jay watched her mix a salad in a large bowl as he mulled over the awkward relationship that Teague had with his half-brother, Max. After finding out that Max was Chase’s biological father and not Teague, Teague’s life literally crumbled apart. The situation with Max was still a strange one, but Teague and Camryn were always there for Chase no matter what.
“Tell me how your meeting with Jordan went,” Jay finally asked Melanie. He hadn’t spoken to her much this week except for a text informing him she was back in town on Monday and that everything was okay. When she brought him a sandwich earlier, Melanie was going to fill him in but she was already running late.
“It went as expected,” she answered. “Like I said, I took Brandon with me and we met in my uncle’s office at the gym. Tim was there too, so all we did was talk about stuff.”
Jay considered that silently. He approved. Brandon was one of Camryn’s best friends—her deceased fiancé’s brother. He was a nice guy and he’d been there for Camryn and Melanie over the years. However, he was happier to hear that Tim was there too. The guy was a legit boxer and Jay could picture Jordan Meyers feeling a little uncomfortable in his presence.
“And?” Jay asked. “What kind of shit is that dickhead gonna give you?”
Melanie frowned at him but answered anyway. “He agreed to paying child support, but that was after I told him I wouldn’t move in with him.”
“He wants you to move in with him? Fuck no, you’re not moving in with him. You tell him I’m moving in too and see what he says.”
Melanie smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure that would be a lot of fun.”
“Yes it would be,” he nodded decisively as he reached for a garlic stick from the breadbasket.
“I’ll feed you now if you want,” Melanie told him. “I have no idea when they’ll be back. Cam said she’d text me when they knew a time.”
“What’s for dinner?” Jay asked, eyeing the dish that was covered in foil on the stove.
“It’s baked spaghetti. You’ll love it. Think lasagna but with spaghetti noodles.”
“I’m sold,” he said, standing up to grab a plate.
When he pulled the foil off, it really did look good. He grabbed a serving spoon and scooped a large section of it onto his plate. He was headed back to the counter to sit down when Melanie cleared her throat loudly. She was gesturing to the bowl of salad with a nod of her head.
“I’m not a damn rabbit,” he sighed, but he picked up the tongs and plopped a small amount onto his plate.
“I put extra meat in the baked spaghetti, just for you,” Melanie said. “So yes, you can eat some vegetables with your dinner. What are you, five?”
“And-a-half,” he smiled before taking a big bite of spaghetti. After he swallowed he asked, “Is there dessert?”
“Maybe,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Depends on how much of your salad you eat.”
She placed a bottle of vinaigrette in front of him and he paus
ed mid-bite. “Can I at least use ranch?”
“Don’t have any.”
He didn’t even mind after taking several bites of the baked spaghetti. It was by far one of the best meals he’d had in a long time. “Cam can make this for me every time you guys invite me for dinner,” he said. “This is amazing.”
When she didn’t respond, he looked up from inhaling his food. Melanie’s face was expressionless but she said, “For your information, I made this. By myself.”
“Really? You’re getting good at this, pretty girl. If I had the money, I’d hire you to be my personal chef.”
“Right,” she lightly laughed. “I’d get all kinds of jokes thrown my way, and if something didn’t go right in your life, you’d blame my cooking.”
He was amused but shook his head. “Nah. I give credit where credit’s due. This is awesome, Mel. Thank you.”
She dished up a small amount of spaghetti and a large portion of salad and sat next to him. “I don’t mind making food for you, Jay. It’s easier to make a full dish of something than just a single portion. If you come over more often, you could eat with us more often.”
“I don’t need to turn into a mooch,” he said, getting up for two glasses of water.
“Why do you think Teague asked you to come over?” she said before taking a bite of salad. “He misses you.”
“He’s worried about me,” Jay corrected.
“What’s the difference?”
Jay sighed and set a glass of water in front of her before he took a drink of his own. When he returned to the stool next to her he said, “Because I’ve never really been good on my own. Without Teague, I do a lot of stupid shit.”
Melanie laughed, but Jay knew she wasn’t making fun of him. It was the laugh of familiarity; a laugh that said, “I know exactly what you mean.” When she leaned over to put her arm around him she said, “You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, Jay. And you’re ambitious. You have goals and I know you’re going to achieve them.”
He smiled when she laid her head against his shoulder. His fondness for Melanie had grown immensely since the day he met her. He loved that Camryn was married to his cousin; she was perfect for him and Jay was thrilled his best friend was so happy. Melanie shared a lot of Camryn’s attributes—she was beautiful, witty, thoughtful, and sweet when she wanted to be—but the one difference between the two sisters was that Melanie wasn’t as reserved. She felt how she felt and she didn’t care who saw it. She was usually pretty happy, laughed a lot, and was quick to enjoy life even if it sucked at the moment. She was actually inspiring to be around, even when she challenged him on his worst days with her feistiness.