by Mya O'Malley
“We’re good for another two hours.” Cassie brought a rush of cold winter air in with her. Trent pulled the chair out for her and they both sat back down at the table.
“Isn’t it beautiful in here? With all of the holiday lights and decorations?” Cassie gushed, glancing around the cozy, dark restaurant.
Melody took in the romantic-looking room, from the sparkling lights to the decorated Christmas tree in the corner and wished that Jack were here to share it with her. Clearing his throat, Oliver glanced at her and winked. Reaching to grab his hand to squeeze it, he abruptly pulled away once more. She had promised herself that it was just a quirk of his and she would not let it get to her.
Oliver was a natural with conversation. He was fun to be around and included everyone at the table. He reminded her of Jack once again with his easy laughter and wit. Trent and Cassie seemed to enjoy his company as well, laughing at his jokes and engaging him further.
“Well, where does the time go?” Oliver threw up his hands and signaled the waiter.
“It was a great time, let’s do this again.” Trent stated.
“Sure was.” Smiling widely, Melody glanced over at Oliver, whose head was down and eyes were clouded with emotion. He seemed sad, and he avoided her gaze. She figured that maybe he missed Liza. It must be difficult for him to be away from his girlfriend for so long.
Chapter Nine
Feeling tired after a long but enjoyable night, Melody sipped at her second cup of coffee and yawned. Jack had stayed out of her dreams last night, but not her thoughts. Jack was never far from her mind, especially now, around the holidays. Melody planned on going shopping today, cutting out a little early and heading to the mall before the after dinner crowd took over the place. Her list wasn’t extremely long; she would buy gifts for her parents, her brother Tom, her nephew, Cassie and Oliver. The one special gift that she couldn’t forget would be for Jack. Jack had always loved buying one special ornament for their Christmas tree each year that they had been together and Melody had continued the tradition.
“Excuse me. I was wondering if you could help me with something.” Melody took in a tall man who seemed vaguely familiar.
“Sure. What is it that you’re looking for?” Melody placed her coffee cup on the counter and came out from behind the counter.
“Well, I’m taking a trip to Alaska within the next few months and I was looking for maybe a tourist guide or something so that I can become familiar with the region.”
Who did he remind her of? It came to her suddenly and she couldn’t help but smile. It was Ben Summers, one of her favorite actors. She and Jack had seen practically all of his action movies as well as a romance or two. And he’s traveling to Alaska? Melody had always wanted to visit Alaska, see the open wilderness, the wildlife, Aurora Borealis…
“I’m hoping that I get lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis. I heard that it’s beautiful, but I’ve never seen it.”
“Wow, consider yourself lucky to be taking such as trip. I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska and seeing the Aurora Borealis is a dream of mine.” He was certainly handsome.
“Yeah, too bad my girlfriend just broke up with me. You see, we were supposed to go together, it was something that we had planned for a long time, but then she just up and left.” He glanced at the floor, shuffling his feet.
“Oh.” It was all that she could muster. Thinking it a bit strange to tell a complete stranger about his breakup, Melody tried changing the subject. “So, yeah, we have several guides here. I would recommend this one. It has some beautiful photographs and tons of information about lodging and restaurants.” She picked up the book and skimmed through it, showing him some crisp, clear photographs. Stopping at one particular photo of the Aurora Borealis, she was amazed by the beauty of it.
“Oh, look. Isn’t it beautiful?” Melody beamed.
“Would you like to go out sometime?” The man interjected.
“What? Me?” Melody was taken aback, she hadn’t seen this coming.
“Yes, you. I think that you and I might just hit it off.” He smirked, and Melody got the feeling that this guy was pretty smooth with the ladies.
“Um, sorry, I’m attached, but thanks, I’m flattered.”
“You’re attached? But I thought…” He seemed perplexed, staring at her. Before the man could continue his sentence, Cassie walked past her with some papers, then turned on her feet and walked over to them.
“Craig?” Cassie inquired, squinting her eyes at him.
“Oh, hey.” He averted his eyes, pulling at his sweatshirt.
“You two know each other?” Melody was curious now.
“Yeah, well actually I know his wife, I went to school with Tara.”
Clearly uncomfortable to be caught in his lies, Craig placed the Alaska tourist guide back on the shelf and slipped away without a word, making his way to the door.
“What’s the matter? You’re not going to Alaska either?” Melody called out, knowing that there were no other customers in the store at the time.
Cassie’s mouth dropped to the floor. Staring at her friend, she grabbed on to her shoulder. “What’s come over you?”
“What’s come over me? That man has some nerve. Coming in here like he’s unattached, pretending that he’s going to Alaska!” Melody cried.
“Whoa, slow down. What happened?”
Melody filled Cassie in on the whole interaction with Craig. Shaking her head, Cassie spoke. “I just can’t believe that he would do that to Tara. I mean, what’s wrong with him?”
“Hmm. Good question. And how did he know that I love Alaska and the Aurora Borealis, huh?” Melody was on fire.
“Well, he could actually be going to Alaska, and you’re far from the only one who would like to see the Aurora Borealis, Melody,” Cassie stated calmly.
“Yeah, well, something stinks around here and I have a feeling I know just who’s to blame!” Reaching for her cell, Melody went to call Oliver before she remembered that the man didn’t have service on his phone.
“What are you doing?” Cassie watched in confusion and Melody slammed her cell down in a huff.
“The man is infuriating. Who doesn’t have a cell phone? And who doesn’t have a last name?” Melody complained.
“Oliver?” Cassie ventured. “You think Oliver is behind this?”
“Of course Oliver is behind this, don’t you see? He’s behind everything.” Exasperated, Melody headed for the back room.
“Melody? Are you sure you don’t have any feelings for Oliver?” Cassie questioned.
Luckily the store was still devoid of customers as Melody yelled out, “No, I don’t have any feelings for that man!” Slamming her office door behind her, Melody didn’t breathe until she sat down and placed her head on her desk. Within minutes, her heartbeat had returned to normal. Now that she wasn’t seeing red anymore, Melody could think clearly. Why on Earth was Oliver so insistent on finding her a man? It was like he was obsessed with the very thought. Drumming her fingers on her desktop, she received a text on her cell.
Christmas dinner at my place this year. Feel free to bring Oliver if you wish J Tom
Thank you I’ll be there. Let you know about Oliver.
Most likely I’ll strangle him before then, Melody thought to herself. Just then a knock on the door startled her as Cassie poked her head in.
“Going to run to the bank. Can you watch the floor?”
Melody stood and grumbled something unintelligible while she headed for the floor. Cassie eyed her friend and shook her head.
* * * *
Bachelor number three, bachelor number three. The meeting was set for today, but Oliver wasn’t sure that he should meet up with him at all. Perhaps Craig had paid a visit to the store and maybe he had hit it off with Melody. He had hopes for that one. He seemed nice and serious about finding a girlfriend. Well, there’s only one way to find out, right? Placing a call to Melody’s Book Café, Oliver waited while the phone rang and rang. Fi
nally, he heard Melody’s voice on the line.
“Melody’s Book Café, may I help you?”
“Yes, I think you can. Is there a sweet auburn-haired beauty I could speak with?” Oliver teased, imagining Melody smiling on the other end of the line.
“You! You did it again, didn’t you?” Melody yelled at him.
Oh, this didn’t sound good at all. He supposed that meant Craig had paid a little visit and he had ratted him out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Melody.” Keep cool.
“He’s married, Oliver, he’s married!”
“Oh.” It was of no use pretending, he had messed up this time.
“Oh? Oh? That’s all you can say? You sent a married man to come into my place of business to ask me for a date? And to pretend that he’s going on a trip to Alaska?” She was beyond mad. His Melody had a hot temper when she was mad, that he did remember, but he had never been the brunt of her anger before, and quite frankly, she had never been so angry about life back then.
“Sorry. I was just trying to help.” What else could he do but apologize? There was no talking his way out of this one. Why did Craig have to rat him out? And how did she find out that he was married? Those were questions best saved for another time.
“I don’t want you coming by tonight,” she stated quietly.
His heart dropped. His evenings with Melody were the only thing that kept him going these days. He looked forward to it all day long.
“Melody…”
“Do not come by tonight,” she said it again with more meaning.
He placed the receiver of the phone down gently as he planned his next move. Fine, she didn’t want to see him tonight, she wanted some space. He would use the time to his advantage, perhaps go by the mall again after meeting up with bachelor number three to continue his search. Yes, the meeting was now definitely on with bachelor number three.
Heading back down to the computer room at his hotel, he wanted to refresh his memory about bachelor number three and see if there were any other emails. He had decided not to meet any other men after these three, but after the last disaster, he wasn’t against possibly meeting up with another one or two candidates if today’s meeting didn’t work out.
He reviewed the man’s profile and thought that although the man was handsome, there was only some very basic information available. It didn’t state what the man did for a living nor did it state if he was divorced. Hmm, it did, however, say that the man was looking for a serious relationship and that it was his first time on one of these sites. That was good. Maybe this one wasn’t married or a player.
Shutting the computer down, Oliver hustled back to his room. He figured he had enough time for a nice lunch and maybe even a swim before heading out.
* * * *
Today’s meeting took place at the park by the river. They were supposed to meet by the park bench next to the fountain. Hoping that the bench would not be occupied, Oliver was relieved to see that it was empty as he approached it to sit. It was cold out today, that’s why this place was empty. Why on Earth had the man insisted upon meeting at the park in the winter? Sure it was a nice enough day, the temperature was around forty-five degrees and there hadn’t been snow yet, but still. Rubbing his hands together, he wished he had thought to bring gloves. He saw a man approaching; he was good looking in a sort of casual way.
The man scanned the park, taking in the park bench as a look of disappointment registered on his face as he no doubt thought that Oliver had taken his meeting spot. He stood back, leaning against a tree, continuing to search the area with his gaze.
“Are you waiting for someone?” Oliver asked casually. He would try his best not to scare this one off.
“Yeah, actually I am. A woman, I was supposed to meet her at this park bench. Have you seen anyone here?” The man had a good voice, smooth, a bit husky. Melody would like it.
“No, but please, sit.” Oliver patted the spot on the bench beside him. Bachelor number three peered around and then sighed as he took a seat.
“The thing is, I set up a date on this ridiculous website. I’m supposed to meet this woman named Sue, but quite honestly, my heart isn’t in it. I couldn’t stand being rude though, so here I am.”
“Why are you here if you don’t want to be?” This guy had piqued Oliver’s curiosity.
“I signed up on the site a while ago. I’ve only met one other woman on it that obviously didn’t work out. I made a date with Sue a few days ago, but only because she contacted me. But I can’t stop thinking about someone. My mind is only on her.”
“Her? Sounds intriguing. Tell me about her.” As a romantic himself, Oliver was all ears.
“I met her about a week or so ago at a store and well, I can’t seem to get her out of my head.”
“Sounds perfect. Did you ask her out?” Oliver waited.
“No, I don’t know if I should. I don’t want to scare her away. This one seems different somehow.” The man glanced at Oliver for understanding.
“I know what you mean, I’ve been there. I would say go for it. You only live once.” Oliver knew that to be true, and cherished each day that he had left before saying good-bye forever.
“I think I will, I just don’t know how. She’s beautiful, but I get this feeling that she’s been hurt before. She’s cautious.”
“Then be careful, go slow, but don’t let her get away,” Oliver advised. He was so wrapped up in hearing this man’s story he completely forgot about his reason for being here. About to bring it up, something stopped him. This man wouldn’t be right for his Melody. He was obviously falling hard for someone else. The men made small talk and he found that he enjoyed this man’s company. Oliver could see how they would have been friends had they met while he was still alive. The man seemed to have good morals, values. This was exactly the kind of man that he had hoped to find for Melody.
Glancing at his watch, the man laughed. “Look at that. Sue never even showed, go figure. Takes care of that problem, right?”
“I suppose it does,” Oliver said, looking away, toward the river.
“I think I’ll go home and just remove my profile from that awful dating site.”
It was pretty awful, Oliver had to agree. “It was nice to meet you.” Shaking hands with the man, Oliver started to rise. “Say, you must really like the cold if you picked a place like this to meet for a first date.”
The man smiled broadly. “I come here all the time with my dog. It’s beautiful, looking over the river.”
Melody loved dogs and had always wanted to get one. She had grown up with a boxer and they had planned to start looking for a dog soon, but of course that had never come to be.
“A dog?” Oliver beamed. “What kind of dog do you have?”
“A boxer.”
A boxer? Oliver’s heart dropped in his chest. He could see his Melody here, with this man. He could see her happy with him, don’t ask him how he knew; call it a gut feeling, call it angel’s intuition.
“Hey, if it doesn’t work out with your girl, there, I know this woman…”
“Not interested. It’s going to work out, I just know it. Thanks though, it was great to meet you.” The man pumped his hand and took off.
Chapter Ten
“I think I need some help. I’m ready for the last book in the trilogy.” Adrian was back, he was smiling and he was adorable. Melody’s heart melted a little bit more each time that she saw him. She found herself looking forward to him coming back to buy the last book. The last book? It concerned her that this was, indeed, the last book in the trilogy. Jack’s face came to view as she recalled the dream from last night, he told her that she needed to let him go, but that he would always love her. Swallowing back her fear, Melody placed a smile on her face.
“The last one, huh?” Melody asked.
“Yup. But I think today I’d also like to ask you something else.” His tone was suddenly serious.
Melody’s pulse sped up. “Oh?”
“Melody? Would you consider going out with me for a cup of coffee?” His gray eyes bore into her and she gulped.
“I…” The dream with Jack last night, his aftershave, came back to her again. Looking away, she cleared her throat and then turned back to see Adrian. Adrian with the dark hair, smoky eyes, and that stubble on his sexy face. Adrian with his kind, gentle demeanor.
He took hold of her hands, held them both in his own larger hands. The feel of his touch warmed her, made her feel alive.
“Please. Say yes.” His eyes pleaded with her, drawing her in. How could she say anything but yes to him?
“Yes, Adrian. I would like that.”
“Great, Melody. How about I pick you up later when you get off?” His gaze continued to hold her.
“Um, sure. I can probably get out of here around seven tonight.” She would check with Cassie to make sure that her friend was okay closing up on her own tonight. She was sure it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Seven o’clock it is. See you then,” He turned to leave.
“Wait.” Melody called out, holding up the last book of the trilogy. “Your book.”
“Ah.” Sweeping the book from her hand, he smiled at her and headed to the register. Cassie was watching the interaction, a cautious smile on her face.
Moments after the bell sounded announcing Adrian’s exit, Melody casually strolled up to speak with Cassie.
“Would you be okay if I cut out early, say around seven o’clock tonight?” She twirled her shiny auburn locks with her fingers.
“Does it involve doing anything interesting, say, with that gorgeous hunk of a teacher?” Cassie pried.
“Yes.” It was a simple response from Melody, but Cassie squealed aloud.
“Tell me everything!” Cassie insisted.
Melody went on to tell her friend about her plans to have coffee with Adrian. Cassie insisted that she leave earlier to go home to change her clothes and freshen up before Adrian returned to the bookstore to pick her up.