“Babe, rein the snotty attitude in. I’m gettin’ there,” Callum returned, shifting until he laid on his side and had his chin propped on his hand. “It’s nothing bad,” he said when he saw how worried her eyes had grown. “In fact, you’ll probably be relieved and wanna say ‘I told you so’. Word to the wise: Don’t.”
“Well, now you’ve got to tell me what Zeke said,” she insisted eagerly, shuffling her body toward his on the bed.
“Zeke said that your ex-asshat alibi’d out on the most recent attempt on your life. He was in Chicago attending a conference at the time and surveillance tapes track him the night of the hit and run. There’s no way for him to be two places at once.”
“Yay!” Melody beamed. “I told …. “
Holding up a finger, Cal shook his head and glared at her. “Unless your ass misses the feeling of my hand, don’t finish that.”
“Fine, I won’t say it, but I will say that if you’d listened, you would have heard me mention before that Brad wouldn’t do what you thought he did,” Melody informed him pertly.
“The asshole is a hothead. Hotheads are impetuous. Impetuous assholes try stupid shit like poisoning cookies and trying to mow down their ex-girlfriends. I wasn’t wrong to be highly suspicious of him. However,” Cal paused, inhaling deeply and gathering his strength to make his next statement because he REALLY hated to make it, “It does look like Brad is innocent… at least of attempting to kill you.”
“Uh huh,” Melody said brightly, nodding joyfully.
“That doesn’t mean that nobody did, Melody,” Cal cautioned her sternly. “We’ve got two attempts on your life that strongly suggests that somebody wants you very, very dead. And that’s a big problem for me considering that I need your ass alive to do things like building a life together. So, unless you want to crush my hopes and dreams, we remain vigilant. Sooner or later, we’re gonna catch a lead. Truthfully, we already did catch one. At least, a little one.”
“What?” Melody questioned.
“That last note you got. The crime lab was able to lift a partial print from it. As Zeke expected, it didn’t match Brad’s fingerprint, but also sadly, it didn’t turn up any matches in any data base, either.”
“So we’re back to square one,” Melody huffed grouchily.
“Not exactly. If we could come up with some potential suspects, Zeke could use the partial print to potentially rule them out. So… let’s talk enemies. I know I’ve asked before, but have you maybe thought of a couple?”
Melody closed her eyes and dropped back against her own pillow, kicking her legs against the bed as she squealed. “I swear, Cal, you are the only boyfriend alive that would be thrilled if I started naming off people that hate me, but sorry, to my knowledge, I haven’t accumulated any raging psychos intent on doing me harm. I’m not exactly the kind of girl that draws attention.”
“First, I’m not your boyfriend. Boyfriends are for seventeen year olds going to prom. I’m your man. There is a distinct difference,” he explained solemnly, enjoying the annoyed look Melody shot him more than he should.
Melody snickered. “Sorry. You’re my man. Should I qualify it with you’re my old man?”
“Again with the smartass comments. You must really want that spanking,” Cal noted dispassionately as he watched Melody flush and fidget beside him in bed.
“What’s second? You started this out with ‘First,’ so I know you’ve got more. Keep going,” Melody invited irritably.
“Second is that I seriously loathe the idea that anyone could hate you enough to hurt you, but if you had some suspects, I could get proactive with this shit. Maybe start playing a little offense. And finally…and maybe most importantly, you are exactly the kind of woman that draws attention to herself, Melody. You can’t help it, Princess. It’s just you.”
“It is not,” Melody replied sharply, frowning at him. “I’m quiet and private and I go out of my way not to piss folks off…unlike some I could name,” she added with a look that encompassed Cal from tip to toe.
“Yeah, you’re all those things, babe. But you’re also sassy, sexy and sweet. Men look at you twice, Melody. Women notice men looking at you twice. Makes ‘em jealous.”
“Yeah, that’s why Brad cheated on me. Because I was sooooo sassy, sexy and sweet,” Melody muttered, unable to hold Cal’s gaze.
Fuck, Cal thought with an inward curse. He knew Melody had no feelings for Brad any longer. Hell, if anything, she held him in a kind of mild disdain and less mild disgust. His betrayal, though, had left her with an emotional wound that hadn’t quite healed. Oh, the scar was forming, but the injury was still tender to the touch, the nerves still exposed. And unfortunately, he’d just stepped all over those nerves.
“Baby, Brad cheated because he’s a faithless dick that didn’t know a phenomenal thing when he had it waiting at home in his bed. Sucks for him, but it worked out great for me.”
“Oh, it did, huh?” Melody said softly, her body slowly relaxing as he ran a hand up and down her bare arm.
“Fuck yeah, it did. It means that I got you, free and clear…unencumbered by any pesky pissants. Believe me, Princess, you were never the problem in that relationship. That fucker went out and had hamburger helper in the streets when he had premium sirloin at home. He was a monumentally stupid fucker, and I’m the guy that reaped the rewards of his idiocy. I’m sorry he hurt you, darlin’, but you gotta know…I’ll never be sorry that he cheated. It meant I got you.”
“You know, sometimes I wonder how I fell in love with you so fast,” Melody confided quietly, “But then, you go and say something like you just did and I realize it doesn’t matter. You were made for me.”
“Same goes, baby,” Cal returned huskily, leaning forward until their noses touched. “Same fuckin’ goes.”
Chapter Twenty-Two: Everything She Ever Wanted and More
Watching as her new staff of eight dedicated employees disperse into the books stacks several days later, Melody felt positively giddy with excitement. She felt nervous and anxious and happy and thrilled… so many emotions barraged her that she wasn’t sure which one she felt the most.
It was finally time.
The moment of truth.
The point of no return.
The final leap.
The critical juncture where she finally took her life back into her own hands and showed the world that she could do what she loved and still be successful.
It was her Grand Opening Day.
Biting her lip as she watched her capable staff give the shelves one last straightening before they unlocked the front door at the strike of nine, she reminded herself that there was no reason to be nervous. She’d meticulously planned every last detail of this day. Now, she just had to trust in God, her employees, and herself to see it through to the end.
It wasn’t as though Melody and her employees weren’t prepared here at Hooks and Books. Everyone from Austin, the assistant manager, to Sunshine, one of her five cashiers, had been fully trained. Melody’s store possessed a top of the line computer system and inventory that would make any major retailer jealous. Heck, she even had book signings of several semi-famous authors scheduled over the next few months. Talk about a boon... meeting that independent author at a book signing she’d attended on a whim several months ago and striking up a conversation about their mutual love of crochet had really paid off. Usually she was shy, but for some reason Melody had been in a talkative mood that day. She and the other woman had spoken for over an hour. So, when she’d called the author – who, luckily, was semi-local – not only had the writer volunteered to come and sign her copies of her next book, she’d contacted some of her author friends, as well. Now, she had six signings scheduled over the next two months and several more messages from other independents that were looking for opportunities to meet new readers. It was beyond anything she’d ever hoped to accomplish so soon after opening.
Glancing at her new gold wrist watch, she smiled. The elegant piece had b
een a congratulatory gift from Cal. He’d given it to her before they’d gotten out of bed this morning. Actually, it was the second gift he’d given her this morning, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to share the first present he’d offered her today in polite company. – even if it had left an even bigger smile on her face than the watch had.
“Princess?” she heard a familiar gravelly voice call for her.
“Back here,” she called, stepping into the doorway of her office and smiling at the tall man approaching her. “Hey, there, handsome,” she greeted Cal when he was close enough to touch. Lifting up on her toes, she cupped his cheeks and offered him a soft hello kiss. “Good morning,” she murmured shyly, blushing as she recalled just how very, very good their morning had started together.
“Sure the fuck was, Dirty Girl,” Cal rumbled against her cheek before stealing another kiss, this one just a tad deeper than the last. Releasing her lips a few seconds later, he grinned at her. “Got your sign above the door lit up and working, babe. I used the blue bulbs like you wanted. You were right; they look better than the red.”
Smiling, Melody nodded. That’s what she loved about Cal. He could always admit when she was right about something. And while he helped with the store, he never once argued when she made the ultimate decisions regarding the business. She knew she’d pay him back for his patience and understanding when he started working on his gym. “I’m glad,” she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Can you think of anything I might have missed, Cal?”
Cal snorted. “If you have, I don’t know what it would be. You’ve got a premium location, great employees, a comfortable atmosphere, and pieces of inventory that should appeal to everybody in town. Plus, this shop has the prettiest owner in the country. People would be fuckin’ fools if they didn’t use this shop. This place is the shit, Melody. I’m proud of you, baby. Asshole exes and psychos trying to screw with your brain and you were still strong enough to accomplish all this. Takes balls, Sweetness.”
“I didn’t do it alone,” she acknowledged softly. “I had you at my back. I never knew what difference it could make to have a man in my corner that was willing to fight both with AND for me. Especially one that loved me the way you do. I don’t know that I’d be here right now without you. I finally feel like I’ve got everything I ever wanted and more, Cal. And you did that for me. I love you so much for that.”
“I love you, too, Princess,” Cal returned, dropping a tender kiss to her upturned nose. “But, I can still think of a couple things you don’t have quite yet. I’m working on those, though. In fact, I think one of ‘em just arrived,” he said, looking at something over his shoulder.
“What?” Melody questioned blankly, her brow furrowing in confusion as she gazed at the unreadable face of the man she loved. Erggh! As attractive as she found Cal’s poker face, sometimes she still felt the urge to mar it with a right hook to the jaw. She usually loved his unexpected surprises, but today…today needed to be a well-oiled machine. The unplanned could spin the whole event toward crushing failure.
And she could NOT afford crushing failure.
“Baby, right now, I want you to take my hand, close your eyes and trust me,” Cal ordered, bending his head to smile down at her. “Can you do that for me?”
“I… what? I guess so?” she returned, her mind growing slightly muddled. As much as she loved it when Cal surprised her, they only had about seven minutes before she opened the store. Closing her eyes, she pursed her lips. “Uh, okay. My eyes are closed.”
“Now,” she heard her man’s deep voice direct as he slipped his arm around her waist, I want you to walk beside me, but keep your eyes closed, Melody. I mean it. NO peeking.”
“Okay, okay,” she huffed. “But this better be a quick surprise, Cal. In just a few minutes, I become Paradise’s newest business owner,” she reminded him as she felt him guide her through the stores, the only sounds being the amused chuckles of her employees.”
“Okay, stop,” she heard him command, his hand tightening on her waist. “Okay, babe. Happy opening day. You can look now.”
Opening her eyes, Melody gasped in shock as she stared into an achingly familiar pair of cocoa colored eyes. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “RJ?” Melody whimpered, hardly believing it was possible that she was seeing what she was seeing as her eyes filled with tears. Barely aware that half the town stood behind her brother watching them with their own fair share of tears in their eyes, too, Melody hurtled toward her sibling. “RJ!” she squealed, jumping into his open arms.
“Hey, Rugrat,” Rhythm’s rich baritone voice murmured against her temple as his arms enclosed her little body. “Did you really think I’d miss my baby sister’s big day?”
“I can’t believe you’re here! You weren’t supposed to be able to make it home for another month,” she sniffled, drawing back to punch his arm in true sisterly fashion.
“I lied,” he replied with a blasé shrug of his broad shoulders. Seeing her eyes darkening ominously, he laughed. “It was for a good cause, sis. Cal pulled a few strings and got me home a little early. We wanted to surprise you,” he explained, lifting his chin at Cal as the other man slipped his arms around Melody’s slender waist. Making a face, RJ shook his head as he pointed at him. “No. I mean, just no. Get your hands off my sister,” he ordered with a growl. “I can’t handle seeing that my first twenty minutes home.”
“Tough,” Cal retorted with an unapologetic smile at his former soldier. “You’ll deal. It’s your fault anyway. You sent me to her. You knew her. You should have known I would never have been able to resist her. She’s mine now,” Cal stated as the gathered crowd laughed.
“Yes, but she was mine first,” another distinctly familiar, but patently unwelcome voice chimed into the conversation. “And a girl never forgets her first, does she, Melody?”
Chapter Twenty-Three: Hound Dogs, Hillbillies, Hookers, and Hostages
“Hey, isn’t that the asshole ex-fiancé?” Melody heard a very recognizable female voice ask from the crowd. Turning, she waved as she found Patience McKinnon’s familiar face. “Patience, you got to come?” she addressed the younger woman.
“Yep, and I brought along the whole crew with me to support you. So, if you need us to help you kick a little asshole ass, just you holler, you hear?” she offered with a wink at Melody as she gestured at her girl posse that consisted of sisters, Harmony, Faith, and Honor, and their honorary sister, Maggie Winstead. Also standing in their little group was Melody’s nurse from the hospital, Millie. Each woman smiled supportively at her.
“Thanks,” Melody said gratefully before turning back to face the current thorn in her side. Offering an obviously perturbed Cal and RJ sidelong looks, she took a half step forward before Cal hauled her back against his chest. “Brad, what are you doing here?” Melody asked softly, well aware that a goodly portion of the town stood just inside her store watching them.
“Well, now that the ridiculous question of whether or not I was the party responsible for trying to hurt you has been answered, I thought now would be the perfect opportunity to discuss our future, darling,” Brad replied gently.
“Are you kidding me? Just because you didn’t try to kill her doesn’t mean that you didn’t hurt my baby sister, you fuckin’ punk,” RJ growled angrily, his muscles flexing as he balled his fists at his side.
“I made a mistake!” Brad yelled as Melody’s eyes narrowed on him.
“He made a mistake,” Melody repeated in a voice that seethed with latent anger…anger that she thought she’d buried deep. “He made a motherfucking mistake,” she said again as the anger began to grow into a kind of living, breathing rage. “Is he fucking insane?” she finally shrieked as she caught the nods of solidarity that her friends were offering behind her from the corner of her eye. Smacking Cal’s hand until it loosened, she took a step toward the man that seemed determined to screw up her day. “You are, aren’t you, Brad? You’re crazy.”
“Mellie, babyk
ins…” Brad murmured as he lifted a conciliatory hand but took a step back when he caught the dangerous sheen gleaming brightly in her eyes. “Sweetheart, I love you.”
Looking over her shoulder, Melody met Cal’s understanding blue eyes.
“Let him have it, Princess,” Cal said quietly, his words for her ears only. “Tell him what you need to say so that you can put him and his bullshit behind you and know that it’s you and me from here on out.”
Nodding, Melody mouthed the words, “I love you.”
Cal simply offered her an answering smile.
Turning back to the man she’d once thought she’d spend her life loving, Melody shook her head in disgust, disgust for Brad and for herself. “You don’t love me, Brad. You couldn’t possibly. In fact, I doubt you even know the definition of the word. See, love is selfless. It’s loyal. It’s all about dedication and devotion to one person. Somebody that loved me couldn’t have done the things you did. Things like screwing my friends…fucking the matron of honor I’d chosen for our wedding,” she reminded him, hearing gasps from their audience behind her. “Oh, yeah, ladies and gentlemen. That’s what I was going to marry. That’s right, folks! This man right here standing before you,” she announced, pointing to Brad, “He has singlehandedly fornicated his way through the greater Knoxville area… but it was just a mistake, right, Brad,” she sneered, her irate eyes boring into Brad’s. “Sorry, jerkface, but that’s not a mistake. You’re a hopeless hound dog and this is a way of life for you. A sick, unhealthy, emotionally bankrupt way of life that I want no part of sharing with you!” she yelled. “I want you gone, you Douche Canoe! Out of my store. Out of my town. Out of my freaking life!” she shrieked, shaking with the force of her ire.
“No, I won’t! We’re meant to be together. If you could just look past my indiscretions and forgive me, then we could start over.” Brad shouted back, shaking his head. “Honey, we can…”
Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise) Page 26