by Mya O'Malley
“Care to tell me why you’re so opposed to all of the males in the human race?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
That got a laugh out of her. “I have nothing against men. I’m friends with you, aren’t I?”
“You know what I mean.” His tone lowered.
Walking toward her purse on the counter, Melody grabbed it and then shut the lights out. “Want to grab a drink?”
“I’d like nothing more. Lead the way.” He held his arms in front of him.
Chapter Five
“I had no idea. I’m sorry to hear about Jack, that’s a tough one.” Oliver shook his head and stared directly at Melody.
Melody was at a loss for words. It wasn’t like her to spill everything to a man she barely knew. Oliver was somehow becoming a close friend and she was thankful for his presence.
“But, you know, it has been about three years now, hasn’t it?” Oliver sat waiting for Melody to respond, but instead her mouth gaped open.
“I never said anything to you about how long it’s been. How did you know that?” Something akin to confusion, or fear, seeped into her.
He shook his head and dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. “Come on, Melody. Of course you did. You mentioned it about an hour ago, when you first starting telling me about what happened.”
She was sure that she hadn’t, but then again, how would he know that information. Deciding to let it go, Melody recalled that she did have a long, busy day. Perhaps she had mentioned it.
Oliver fidgeted in his seat and glimpsed around the pub. “I just think that you have so much to offer and that you would make a great wife and mother one day.”
Emotions were getting the best of her. She felt a tear escape and had to turn away. She had been a good wife, hadn’t she? As if reading her mind, Oliver leaned over close but did not touch her. “I’m positive that you were the best wife, and I know that your heart is big enough to try again.”
She still couldn’t face him as more tears escaped. Not knowing if it was the wine or just life catching up with her, Melody swallowed hard and wiped her cheeks. “Oliver, if you don’t mind, I’d rather not discuss this any further. I’m not ready. I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready to try again.”
That seemed to quiet him and a moment of silence ensued between the two. The chatter of other customers and the sound of Christmas music on the jukebox filled the air. Why was he so insistent about her love life anyway? It was odd, wasn’t it? But then again, Oliver seemed to be an odd man now that she thought about it. The way he waltzed through the door each evening at closing time, through a locked door, nonetheless. The way he suddenly appeared in her life, unannounced with no ties, no family in the area. Maybe the friendship was fate, meant to be? Who knew, but she did enjoy his company and yes, she did trust him. Call it a feeling, but she completely trusted this man. Weird.
“Penny for your thoughts?” He winked at her.
Looking at Oliver, she smiled and went to touch his hand. Oliver pulled away before she could make contact. Now that she thought about it, that was another strange thing about the man. It was like she experienced an electric shock, not unlike one that you would get from walking on a carpet and then touching someone, the few times they had touched. It had to be coincidence, but it was clear that Oliver was not a touchy-feely kind of guy. Unlike Jack, she thought. Jack had been affectionate, always touching her, reaching over to steal a kiss. He would have made a wonderful father.
“My Lady, come here.” Jack smoothed Melody’s auburn hair. She had always loved that nickname he had for her: My Lady. He claimed that it sounded so close to Melody and somehow it had stuck. He was the only one who had ever used that nickname and she had adored the sound of it coming from Jack.
“How about one of these days we start thinking about adding to our little family?” They were lying on the grass together at the park by the lake, where they often went for quiet walks together. He suddenly grew serious.
“Really?” Her eyes were alight with visions of the two of them as parents.
“Really. I’m ready, My Lady.” Melody had been ready for at least a year now, but Jack had wanted to be secure, waiting for the big promotion at the insurance company, which had finally come.
“Oh, Jack! Yes!” She squealed in delight and Jack laughed, holding her tight.
“I can just picture a little girl with your auburn hair, your light brown eyes, your stubborn disposition…”
“Hey.” She poked at him playfully. “I can picture a little boy, with bright blue eyes, your crooked smile…” He stopped her and leaned in for a long kiss.
“Are you okay?” Oliver questioned.
Snapping back to the present, Melody cleared her throat. Oliver’s eyes misted over, and she wondered if he, too, was lost in his own past.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay, Oliver. What about you? Are you and Liza planning on marrying and having children?”
His head dropped for a moment, as his blue eyes clouded over. “Melody, I would love nothing more.”
But then why did he seem so down? Perhaps Liza didn’t share the same feelings? Deciding that she didn’t want to pry any further, Melody lightened the mood. “Enough about love. Tell me about your new job.”
Oliver rambled on for a while about his job as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Melody spoke of her job, including all of the perks and responsibilities that running your own business held. Every once in a while Oliver perused the crowd at the bar, as if searching for someone. Melody wondered if he was attracted to someone at the end of the bar, the way he kept glancing over at a woman who was with her girlfriends. It seemed that a good looking man was talking to them, trying to get to know one of them.
“Hmm, and here I thought you only had eyes for Liza.” Melody teased.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Oh, please. I see the way that you’re staring at that blonde.”
“The blonde? Oh, you caught me. I may be attached, but I can still appreciate a pretty woman, can’t I? Besides, she kind of reminds me of Liza.”
“Speaking of Liza, do you have a picture of her?”
Whipping out his cell, Oliver proceeded to show off a picture of a young, pretty blonde sitting on a park bench with a wide smile plastered to her face. She was quite attractive. Melody had to laugh, the photo reminded her of one of those happy photos you find when purchasing a picture frame.
“Is she a model?” Melody inquired.
“A model?” Oliver seemed confused.
“Just kidding, I mean, she looks like she could be in one of those picture frames.
Oliver just laughed and quickly changed the subject. “Are you hungry? I could go for a burger and fries.”
* * * *
She was too smart for her own good. Why, yes, he had found the photo of Liza at the supermarket in the photo frame section. He had wanted to be prepared, knowing that Melody would eventually ask to see a picture of his “girlfriend.” He should have stopped a random woman on the street and snapped her picture instead, only then he would have probably been hauled into the police department.
After ordering some burgers for the both of them, Oliver stood and excused himself to use the restroom. He spied the man who had been talking to the blonde earlier, noting that the man was handsome and well dressed. The man was now sitting alone as the blonde woman apparently had another suitor. How to strike up a conversation? He could always ask the guy what the score was on the football game that was displayed on the television set close by.
Approaching the man, Oliver sidled over and cleared his throat, perhaps too loudly. The man glanced over and sipped at his beer.
“What’s the score?” Oliver attempted.
The man pointed to the screen. “Right there, man. It’s fourteen-ten.”
“Oh, sorry, forgot my glasses.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders and the man swigged at his beer again.
“Couldn’t help but notice that you were talking to that blonde over there.” Oliver
stated.
“Huh?” Glancing over at the woman, he shook his head and muttered under his breath.
“What was that?” Oliver leaned closer. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I said, you can have her.” The man cheered along with half the bar as his team scored a touchdown.
“No, I’m not interested. But, I’m assuming you’re single?”
That seemed to get the other man’s attention. He stared at Oliver with an uneasy look in his eyes.
“I was wondering because I happen to know that the beautiful woman across the bar is unattached. She’s my close friend, and well, I would like to see her happy.”
Scrutinizing Melody from across the bar, the man whistled softly. “She is quite pretty. What’s her story?”
“What’s your story? Are you divorced? Girlfriend?” Oliver asked.
“All of the above. Well, actually except for the girlfriend part, we broke up last week. My name’s Pete, by the way.”
“Pete, I’m Oliver. Nice to meet you.”
“Same here. Now, about your friend…”
“Not so fast. Pete, what is it that you do for a living?” Oliver peered at him.
“What are you, her father?” Pete chuckled.
“No, I’m her close friend, Pete.” Oliver showed the man that he meant business by lowering his tone.
“I’m a contractor. I own my own business.”
“Okay. Are you looking for something serious or casual?”
“What is this, an inquisition?” Pete shook his head.
Oliver noticed Melody staring at him from across the room and knew that he would have to speed this up.
“Look. If you are serious about a relationship, I’m going to step into the bathroom. Make your move then, go slowly, though, don’t overdo it. If you’re just into casual dating, then forget it. Got it?” Oliver raised his brows and then retreated to the restroom.
Peeking behind the door to the men’s room, Oliver stood and waited to see if Pete would make a move. After a brief moment, Pete stood and slowly advanced upon the area where Melody was seated. Half of Oliver wanted to shout for joy while the other half wanted to rip Pete’s head off for making moves on his Melody. What, did he expect that it would be easy to sit back and watch another man take his place? Pete was going for it. He walked over and pulled out a seat next to Melody. Oliver had to chuckle as Melody spun her head around, no doubt looking for him. Pete shook her hand and motioned for the bartender to come over. Watching Melody shake her head from side to side, he silently cursed. Melody would not be receptive to this man. What was he thinking? A stranger in a bar? But with such limited time, he had no choice but to try. A few minutes later, Oliver watched the man retreat back to his seat, a downcast look upon his face. Not wanting to give up on Pete, he made his way over to the man.
Pete saw Oliver advancing and pulled out the stool next to him. “Man, I thought you said that she was interested.”
“I never said that. She doesn’t know what she wants right now. She’s just confused.” Daring a quick look over at Melody, she appeared to be fuming. She was grabbing her bag and seemed ready to bolt.
“Look. If you want, stop by her store. It’s in town, the bookstore, it’s called Melody’s Café. Gottta run.” Oliver hustled over to Melody, who was halfway out the door.
“Wait up, Melody!” He rushed to catch up to her.
Melody stopped in her tracks and turned on him in a flash. “How dare you!” Those brown eyes were not so warm right now. “How dare you!”
“Melody! Wait!” She was leaving, walking out the door. He moved quicker, wanting to reach out to her, but knew better.
“Melody, I’m just trying to help!” It was of no use. She ran ahead, not stopping until she reached her car. It looked as if he would be walking home tonight, which was fine as his hotel was only a ten minute walk from here. He took two steps forward and then hesitated. No, Oliver wasn’t ready to go home yet. He walked back into the pub, which was decorated with white twinkling lights. The sight reminded him that Christmas was just around the corner and he had plenty of work to do before then. Looked like he’d keep his new friend Pete company for a while.
* * * *
The nerve of that man. She had been so annoyed with him that it had taken her hours to fall asleep. She had been tempted to call him at his hotel at 2 a.m. just to give him a piece of her mind, but thought better of it. She would have probably said something that she would have regretted. Oliver was a good friend. He was just trying to help her, she realized. If their friendship was to continue, though, she would need to set him straight where matters of dating were involved. In her current frame of mind, Melody was not interested in dating, not now, or ever, for that matter.
The sound of the bell that Melody had recently put by the door for the spirit of Christmas jingled as a woman and her young daughter entered the store. The little girl couldn’t have been more than five years old. She clutched onto her mom’s hand as Melody approached them.
“Hi, is there anything that I can help you with?” Melody asked.
“Clara, would you like to ask the woman about the book?”
Clara gazed up at Melody with dark green eyes. “May you please show me books about taking care of cats?” The words came out in a deliberate way, the child emphasizing each word carefully.
“Well, Clara. We just happen to have a few new books in about cats.” Melody stooped to the girl’s level and smiled warmly. “Right this way.” Melody led the mother and her daughter to the pet section and patiently showed them several different options for cat care.
Melody was satisfied that she had helped the mother select just the right book when she saw a familiar-looking man standing nearby, just watching her. Cautiously, the man approached her.
“You’re a natural with children. Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher?” The man looked at her with a small grin. Why did he seem so familiar? Now she remembered those smoky gray eyes. It was the teacher from the other day, the English teacher. Clearing her throat, Melody felt a small smile begin to form.
“Thank you, but no, I’m quite happy being right here. Are you back for another book?” Melody was back to her all-business attitude.
“Well, yes, I was. I was wondering if you had anything with a touch of the paranormal? You know how teens are these days, with all those books on vampires and such. I like to take hold of something that interests my students, to motivate their learning, engage them so to speak.”
There he was, looking at her with that all too sexy gaze. She had a hard time looking away. “Um, sure. This way, please. We have some new releases and some older but popular series if you’re interested.”
Melody led the man to the teen section and pointed out a few different options. Melody was rambling on, something that she did when she was nervous. She didn’t even hear the man until she noticed that he was looking at her, chuckling softly.
“What?” That stopped Melody.
The man offered her his hand. “I was saying that my name is Adrian. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh. Adrian.” She seemed to ponder over the name. “Well, yes, my name’s Melody.”
He didn’t break his stare. “Melody, that’s a beautiful name. It’s nice to meet you, Melody.” Melody noticed that his hand was still outstretched, waiting. She reached over and shook his hand, feeling something, not quite the jolt that she and Oliver had been feeling, but something more like two nervous teenagers meeting for the first time.
Melody was the one to break the silence. “So that’s it. Take your pick. As a matter of fact, we have a special going on right now if you purchase an entire series from an author.”
Adrian brushed his dark hair from his eyes, still never breaking the stare. “I think I’ll just buy the one today.”
Shaking her head firmly, Melody was insistent. “No, you see, if you’re going to read that first book to your students, you definitely need to read the entire trilogy, and it’s pa
rt of the promotion so it wouldn’t make sense not to…”
Cutting her off, Adrian scooped up the one book and grinned. “I think I’ll be back to get the rest. It was nice to meet you, Melody. I hope to see you again.” And with that, he was off to the register where Cassie was grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary.
“Well, that’s just silly.” Melody muttered to herself as she grabbed a nearby box that needed to be unpacked. “And frivolous.”
The bell sounded and Melody’s eyes were drawn to the door. Adrian was leaving. Well, good. That man unraveled her somehow. Yes, there was definitely something about him that made her uneasy and Melody knew very well what that something was; it was the undeniable attraction she felt for him. She had felt it the first time she met him the other day and it only seemed stronger today. It seemed as though he was interested as well. Melody couldn’t mistake the way he stared at her. The fact was, there were plenty of good-looking—scratch that—unbelievably sexy men around, and it didn’t mean anything. Get your head out of the clouds, girl, she chided herself.
In a moment, Cassie came bounding over, looking like an excited schoolgirl. “I know somebody who’s smitten.” Cassie couldn’t contain her grin.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous? Then why are you all red and flustered?”
“It’s hot in here.” Melody mocked fanning herself off.
“He told me that’s he’s interested.” Did Cassie just wink at her?
“What is this? High school? Besides, since when are you ever this nice to anyone? You gave all of my dates the third degree since high school and you even did it to Jack.” Melody’s expression deflated when she mentioned his name.
Cassie bent over so that she was eye level with her friend, who was crouched over, placing books on the lower shelves. “Stop. Just stop.” Cassie reached for Melody’s wrist and held it tightly.