"Sure, why not?"
"Um, don't you think that’s a little overkill?"
Michael stopped his massage and turned to her with a confused look on his face.
"Overkill?"
"Michael, we just started dating, and it isn't even that serious."
Michael turned grave and watched Melanie carefully.
"Am I missing something here? I'm just talking about going to a party, eating dinner, and having some cake. What's serious about that?"
Melanie shook her head. She was often amazed at the stupid things men could say; and for as intelligent as Michael was, he could sometimes do dumb things.
"Come on," he said as he approached her and kissed her on the forehead. He suddenly began to laugh hysterically and Melanie shot him the oddest look.
Now, what the hell is he laughing at? she thought.
She followed her thought with the actual question, and Michael stopped laughing, but did continue to smile widely as he spoke.
"Oh, it was just the thought of you around my brothers—not to mention my mother. The scene was funny."
"Why is that?" she asked.
And the answer better be good, you big oaf, she thought.
"Well, Brian can be a little gruff, Nathan is still in mourning over the passing of his wife and Joshua can't stand women. You'd probably get along with David the best, but he has work so he can't be there. Anyway, you’re a ray of sunshine, and I was just wondering how those interactions will go."
"Uh huh," she said as she crossed her arms and began to tap her foot, "and what about your mother?"
Michael just waved his hand as if to shrug off the idea. "Oh, my mother will be ecstatic that I have a woman in my life. When I told her I had a date last week, I thought she was going to dance a jig."
"A jig?"
"Yeah, it's a funny little dance…"
"I know what a jig is," she said still tapping a foot.
Michael smiled at her again and she glared.
"Do you see the tapping foot? That means I'm not happy," she said as she actually pointed to her foot.
"Oh, I thought you were trying to find a Steampunk beat," he said with a wide grin.
Melanie tilted her head. She was not amused at his joke. Michael continued to smile, then opened his arms and gave her a hug. She had a choice of whether to unfold her arms or remain cross at him. She decided on the former and hugged him back.
"Look," he said, "you don't have to go if you don't want to. Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal. I just thought it would be fun to have you there. It would also be fun to get my mother off my back."
Melanie looked up at him as he hugged her and gave him a skeptical look. She was very uncertain about this but decided to consider it.
"Which brother is having a birthday?" she asked.
"Joshua, he's turning twenty-five. He's also the youngest."
"And he's the one that can't stand women?" she asked.
Michael pulled away. "Oh, you'll be fine. You're not trying to date him, and he wouldn't want to date you. Besides, my mother will keep him in line."
Melanie kept her eye on Michael as he began to massage his neck again.
"So, why does he hate women?" she asked.
Michael paused for a second and stared at her blankly.
"That's personal," he replied. The levity had gone out of his face. Melanie didn't buy it and shook her head.
"Uh, huh," she said. "You see, this is what I mean. You invite me to your meet your family, drop a bombshell about a brother hating women, and then say it's personal. That's not really fair now is it?"
"I'm not sure I should say. It's his life."
Melanie shook her head and came to Michael. She patted him on the chest while sporting a patronizing smile.
"Now do you understand why inviting me to meet your family is a big deal? Is it possible that sometime during this party I might actually find out why he hates women?"
Michael opened his mouth to speak and then quickly shut it again. The movement was comical, but Melanie refrained from laughing. He was thinking about her words, and she believed he needed to consider them carefully. After a moment, Michael hung his head and spoke carefully.
"Her name was Jessica," he said as he slumped his shoulders and turned dour. "They were high school sweethearts with no big plans; at least not initially. Josh was set to go to college, but she wanted to stay home. My brother promised her that he would stay in contact and even promised to visit, but it became a moot point. She magically got pregnant."
Michael walked over to the kitchen and began to fumble about for a glass. He found one and then began to search for something to put into it.
"She told us that she lost the baby. We found out later that it was a lie; she was never pregnant. But by then it was too late. Josh had given up his college and his scholarship. Do you have any idea how few people get a full ride scholarship?" he asked Melanie.
Melanie shook her head. She could quickly see where this was going and without hearing another word about Jessica, she hated the bitch.
"Well, it turns out that marriage wasn't to Jessica's liking. She overspent rapidly, and Josh had to take two jobs. Jessica wouldn't get one herself. When it came to a place to live, she insisted on living with her mother. That woman was a real piece of work. Divorced three times, living with a loser of a boyfriend, and she'd been on welfare for years."
Michael found the tea and poured a glass.
"Well, eventually Jessica got pregnant, and that made matters worse. Josh was upset because he always wore condoms; he was too afraid to raise a kid in his current situation."
"Oh, God," Melanie said. She could predict very quickly where this was going.
"Yep, it took all of us as a family to insist on a paternity test. At the end of one particular argument, Brian knocked him out; it was that bad. But, we'd heard stories about this woman, and Joshua's firm admittance to always using condoms made us suspect. Do you have any idea what it's like to ask your kid brother if he knows how to use a condom?"
Melanie shook her head again. Condoms weren’t that difficult use, but she knew people did misuse them.
"It practically tore the family apart, but my mother finally convinced him to get the paternity test. Wanna guess the results?"
"Not his," she said.
"The mother's loser boyfriend," Michael stated.
"Oh, damn," Melanie exclaimed with emphasis on the last word.
"Yep, while my brother gave up a scholarship and worked two jobs to pay her bills, she was sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Apparently, her mother knew all about it and had convinced Jessica to keep Joshua around to help pay bills. When we went to move his stuff out, we learned that Jessica's mother had stolen Joshua's identity; with Jessica's help by the way. He still has bad credit. It's been nearly two years since he left her, and he now only dates women for sex. Other than that, he won't deal with them. Oh, and by the way, what I just told you is the P.G. version. It's actually worse, but at least the judge accepted the paternity test. Boy that was a nightmare," he shook his head slowly and sighed as he thought about his brothers failed marriage.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he turned gay; and who would blame him," Melanie said calmly.
Michael nodded his head. He took a sip of his tea and thought about the tale he had just told. He looked over to Melanie who was thoughtful in her own right.
"Melanie, you don't have to go. Joshua is a great guy. He's a stand-up kind of man. That's why he did his duty, or at least what he thought was his duty, when Jessica lied about being pregnant. He would certainly behave himself around you, but you don't need to worry. The whole thing was just a thought."
Michael took another sip of his tea and headed back to his laptop. Melanie contemplated on the story she had just heard.
Huh, maybe my life isn't the only messed up one in this relationship, she thought.
"What time is it on Saturday?" she asked.
Michael turned to her and watched her
carefully.
"You don't have to go," he repeated seriously.
"Do you want me there?" she asked, a small smile gracing her face.
"Of course," he replied.
"All right, I suppose I can make an effort," she smiled.
Chapter 7
Melanie was impressed as Michael turned his car into the housing development. They were in a suburb of Seattle, and from here, the sounds of the city were non-existent. What did exist, were a lot of evergreens and shrubbery, as well as fine looking homes.
"I thought you said you weren't rich?" she asked him.
"I'm not. I'm just a middle class kind of guy. Why do you ask?"
"These are nice houses," she replied.
"Oh, well my dad had a plumbing business, and it did pretty well. He sold it off before he died, and before that, he was able to buy a nice house. But it's not as if it's a mansion. It's just a nice house."
"Uh, huh," she said, "Well it's nicer than my loft."
"My car's nicer than your loft," Michael said.
Melanie gave him an evil eye. After that, she turned her head back to the complex. As an artist, the first thing she noticed was the lack of power poles, or any utilities for that matter; they must have been buried in order to hide them from view.
The houses themselves were moderate size, tile roofed, with red brickwork on the front. Manicured yards graced each home and she was pleased to see several variations of small trees and shrubbery. While it was all one development, each house was unique and had a welcoming feel. It was certainly nicer than Melanie was accustomed to, but she shrugged it off. Michael was right, they weren't mansions, but the homes were pleasing.
The couple soon turned into a driveway near the end of the street; this home was much like the others—light brown vertical siding, large arched windows, and red brick columns for accents. The house itself sat away from the road at least half a block and was back dropped by several evergreens that towered over the roofline. Melanie nodded her head and approved of the scene. She thought it might make a nice wet on wet painting.
The car was parked and Michael made ready to get out. Melanie was nervous; Michael was oblivious. She took a deep breath and exited the car.
Oh, well, she thought, might as well be myself.
Michael led them through an open garage door and Melanie noted the late model Toyota Camry. She nodded her head in approval. It was not a flashy car, but it was clean and spoke to some aspect of its owner's personality. She figured it was Michael's mom; why else would it be parked in her garage.
Entering the house deposited them directly into the spacious kitchen with hardwood floors, oak cabinetry, and a skylight installed into the vaulted ceiling. The first thing either of them noticed was a man about Michael's age and build, leaning against the marble topped island and drinking beer from a bottle. However, he had a more rugged appearance than the man who was now entering the house. His hair was shorter, his face more chiseled, and he sported a tan. All of which spoke to a man that worked outside with his hands.
"Asshole," the man said with a nod of greeting as he took a sip of beer.
"You must be Brian," Melanie said as she chuckled. She found the cavalier greeting of the man to be funny. He didn't appear to mean the comment. For all she could determine, he might as well have been Dagger with her signature "Sup?"
Brian scrutinized the woman that had addressed him. He seemed to have missed her entry with Michael, but now that he noticed her, he took the time to take a good look.
"Now, what the hell did my brother say to you to allow you to recognize me that easily?"
"Oh, he just said you’re the second oldest and work in construction. He also said you like to curse. I can see by your muscles that you must workout or have a job that keeps them toned."
"Yeah, well my pansy brother has to go to a gym. Us real men get muscles from real jobs," Brian said, still eyeing Melanie carefully.
"Real jobs?" Michael said. "Seriously?"
"Look Bro, you design the shit, I'm the one that has to read that chicken scratch you architects printout so an actual building can be built."
Melanie walked up to Brian and eyed his arms carefully. She turned her head from side to side; from Michael and Brian's perspective, she was either confused or curious. Brian's arm was bent as he held a beer close to his mouth so the muscles were easy to see and Melanie reached out and poked it. She then poked Brian's ribs and unceremoniously lifted his shirt to see the muscle tone.
Brian looked at Michael oddly. What the hell is this? he seemed to say with his eyes.
Michael just shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea.
Melanie finished her inspection and then appeared bored or appeased, or perhaps her attention was needed elsewhere. The men couldn't discern.
"Well, you’re a little pipsqueak aren't you?" Brian said as he looked down.
"Uh huh," she said without giving him much attention.
Her focus was now turned to the interior of the house, and the men watched as she glanced around, nodding her head with approval. Brian's face contorted with confusion.
"Michael, who is this piece of tail?"
"Seriously, Brian?" Michael asked in return.
Brian was unable to answer as another man came into the kitchen from a side opening which appeared to be an entryway to a formal dining room.
"Michael!" he cried out as he entered and the two brothers headed toward each other.
"Nathan, how are you?" Michael asked as he took his little brother in a bear hug and proceeded to lift him off the floor.
"Ah," Nathan called out.
Melanie watched the affair and came to Michael's side. When Nathan was returned safely to the ground, she looked up at him with a scrunched face. Nathan noticed the woman at his brother's side and looked down at her with confusion as she eyed him with curiosity.
Nathan was shorter than his brothers by a few inches, slimmer of build, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. While his build was slimmer, he was still toned, and his body type gave him a more fit appearance than his older brothers. While Michael and Brian were buff, Nathan was athletic, perhaps the body of a runner rather than a weightlifter.
"Who the hell is this?" Nathan asked as he looked at Michael and Brian. As his eyes fell on Brian, the man just shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no fucking clue," he said as he took a sip of his beer.
"I'm Michael's piece of tail," Melanie said plainly.
Brian spit his beer back into his bottle and had to cover his mouth as he laughed. Nathan just looked at her as if she had just told him the world was about to end. Michael snorted himself and shook his head. His snort turned to a chuckle as he took the time to introduce his lover.
"This is Melanie Price. She's a paralegal that I met while working on Mom's estate planning. Melanie this is Nathan. He's the second youngest."
"Ah, well nice to meet you Nathan," she said as she extended her hand. Nathan raised an eye at Michael, but took the hand gingerly and shook it just as gingerly.
"Nice to meet you," he said carefully.
A small ruckus was suddenly heard and shrill voices intruded upon the introduction of Melanie and the Angel brothers. Suddenly two little children came into view from a hallway.
"Daddy, Joey scared the cat. Now, we can't get the cat. And I want the cat."
Nathan bent down as a girl of about five came to him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her up and set her on his knees.
"Oh, really," Nathan said.
"Na ah," the little boy said as he came to his father.
"Yea huh," the girl replied and made a funny face at her little brother. "He bit its ear and now it's under the bed, and it won't come out."
Nathan looked up at the adults in the room and gave a serious look. He chuckled and then turned his attention back to the kids.
"Well, maybe you should leave the cat alone for awhile and it might come out on its own."
"But, I wanna play with it,"
the girl said as she cast her eyes downward.
"I know, Little Angel, but give it some time," Nathan kissed his child on the forehead, gave her a hug, and set her down.
"That's so cute," Melanie whispered to Michael.
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," Michael whispered back.
Melanie shot him a glare and Michael had to chuckle.
She is so damn cute, he thought.
"Melanie," Nathan said as he stood fully. "These are my Little Angels, Katherine and Joey. Katherine is five and Joey is three."
Katherine walked to Melanie, looked up, and tilted her head back and forth.
"I'm a little angel," she said.
"Yes, you are," Melanie replied with a wide smile as she bent down to the girl.
"Will you help me get the cat?" Katherine asked Melanie sadly.
Melanie stood up with a frown on her face. She looked at the men in the kitchen; each one of them was just as confused as the other ones were. Brian was the only one to speak.
"Don't look at me," he said shaking his head. "It's not my fucking cat."
"Not around the kids," Melanie said as she glared at him. Brian widened his eyes and scrutinized Melanie for a second. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his beer.
"Well, Katherine," Melanie said as she bent back to the girl. "I suppose I can help you. Have you been nice to the kitty?"
"Uh huh," Katherine said as she nodded her head. "I tried to poke her with a stick to get her out, but she wouldn’t move."
"Try hitting it harder," Brian piped up and Melanie turned her head and glared at him. Brian just chuckled.
"Well, let's see what we can do," Melanie said to Katherine as she turned her attention back to the girl.
"I wanna help," Joey said.
Melanie looked to Nathan for approval. Nathan smiled warmly and nodded his head slightly.
"Okay," Melanie said. "Let's see if we can get the cat, but we have to be nice to it and not scare it. Okay?"
"Okay," both children said. Joey went off on his own and Katherine grabbed Melanie's hand to pull her along.
"Come on," Katherine said.
After the trio had trudged off into the bowels of the house, Michael turned to his brothers.
Enticing An Angel Page 7