Enchanting Melody

by Robyn Amos

  “Is that true? Or is she just never satisfied with anything that you do?”

  “That one,” Melody muttered.

  “And that bothers you?”

  She rolled onto her back. “Seriously, quit psychoanalyzing me. My mother doesn’t get me. She never will, and I’ve accepted that.”

  Will opened his mouth to respond.

  “And if you ask, ‘Have you?’ I swear to God I’ll hit you.”

  He closed his mouth so quickly his teeth clattered. After a moment of silent contemplation between them, he decided to try again. “All mothers are difficult. It’s their job. That doesn’t mean they don’t love you.”

  Melody turned to face him. “When you say all mothers are difficult, I think you mean that they complain when it rains too much, or expect you to drive for an hour just to carry groceries in from the car. You don’t know my mother.”

  Will waited for her to continue, and just when he thought she might not go on, she began to speak.

  “She’s a joy, she’s a dream. She’s the pinnacle of class and manners. Everyone loves Beverly Rush. The woman only gets cranky when it comes to me. She heaps praise and adoration on my sisters. Me? I’m Cinderella. I think she’s forgotten that I’m her firstborn—the one she’s supposed to dote on.”

  Will felt his heart swell for Melody. Her tough exterior was beginning to make a lot more sense. All her life she’d felt that she had something to prove to her mother. When she’d finally decided that was a futile effort, she’d gone as far in the opposite direction as one could go. Then she stared you down and all-out dared you not to accept her the way she was.

  “People have strange reasons for acting the way they do,” Will said, determined to say his piece and change the subject. “All I know is, your mother does love you—”

  Her disgruntled snort interrupted him. “You only think that because in your world, there’s always a happy ending, and mothers love all their children equally. But I live in the—”

  Will reached out and placed a silencing finger over her rapidly-moving lips. “You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that it’s impossible to resist loving you, Melody Rush. I know that, because I’m falling in love with you.”

  Will watched her face carefully. He wasn’t expecting reciprocation. Quite the opposite, in fact. He expected her to make some smart remark about him being a sap.

  Instead he noticed that her body had gone still. As she looked up at him, her lashes began blinking rapidly. Dear Lord, her eyes were welling with tears.

  She tried valiantly to fight it by darting her eyes around and turning away, until finally she gave in. Clapping both hands over her face, she turned into the pillow and sobbed violently.

  “Oh, my God, Melody. I’m sorry. Baby, what’s wrong?”

  Terror-stricken, Will rubbed her back as she continued to cry. Finally, when the tears subsided, she raised her head, taking the tissue he offered her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, realizing that she was mortified by her emotional reaction.

  She sniffed, reaching out to punch him in the arm lightly. “Yeah, but why did you have to make me go all girly, saying things like that?”

  He sighed. “Because I love you.”

  Melody leaned forward and burrowed her head into his chest, hugging him tightly. And Will knew she loved him, too.

  Chapter 10

  Melody’s alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. on the day of her sister’s wedding. The ceremony wouldn’t start for another twelve hours, but she had a full schedule of hair, makeup, photos and other maid-of-honor duties to contend with.

  Brain barely functional, Mel made a beeline for the shower, and just as she was about to turn on the life-effusing spray, the phone rang.

  Cursing savagely, Melody stepped out of the tub, nearly tripping. She made a mad, naked dash for the cordless phone, certain her sister was already in some sort of wedding crisis. With any luck the wedding was canceled and she could go back to bed.

  “What is it?” she barked into the receiver, closing her tired eyes.

  “Finally! Geez, don’t you check your messages anymore?”

  Melody’s eyes snapped open as she stared at the phone like a foreign object. “Bass? What the hell—it’s six in the morning.”

  “I wouldn’t have had to call so early if you’d called me back. The wedding’s today, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I was just starting to get ready.”

  “Well, you haven’t gotten back to me about any of the details. I just went ahead and borrowed the red tuxedo jacket we talked about. And I found this killer ruffled flamenco shirt at the Salvation Army.”

  As Bass spoke Mel felt her entire body go hot with embarrassment. How could she have forgotten that she’d invited Bass to be her date months ago—long before she’d met Will? They’d had a ball dreaming up scandalous outfits for him to wear just to freak everyone out.

  Wincing, she chewed on her lower lip trying to figure out how to explain that things had changed. The urge to make a statement on Stephanie’s big day had long passed. While she’d always gotten along with her younger siblings, the wedding activities had given them an opportunity to genuinely bond.

  “Oh, God, Bass. I don’t know how to tell you this. There’s been a change in plans.”

  “What is it? I’ve been leaving you messages for over a week. Since you didn’t respond I assumed the original plan was still a go.”

  Melody’s guilt rose up in her throat strong enough to nearly choke her. She’d been severely neglecting her friends. In fact, last night had been the first she’d spent in her own apartment in weeks. She’d stumbled in from the rehearsal dinner after midnight and had gone straight to sleep.

  “Bass, the reason I’ve been so scarce lately is that I’ve been seeing someone.” She held her breath waiting for his reaction.

  Even though it had been nearly two years since there had been anything other than friendship between them, she’d avoided telling Bass about Will. Although he’d had a front-row seat to her other few and fleeting romances, things were very different with Will. She wasn’t ready to receive judgment on this relationship.

  “Well, I owe Tha twenty bucks. She said you were probably getting laid, but I said you would have told us if you were seeing a new guy.”

  She heard the disappointment in his voice and more guilt welled up inside her. “He’s my dance instructor. I didn’t want to mention anything to you guys because I knew there would be a lot of ribbing about it.”

  She heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. “So, you’re taking this dance instructor to the wedding?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry.” Mel couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt worse. She briefly considered calling Will to explain her prior arrangements, but dismissed that thought immediately. Bass wouldn’t really want to spend the evening with her family. He disliked them more than they disliked him. This type of thing was much more Will’s speed.

  “What is he? Some clean-cut, smooth operator your family would approve of?”

  “Probably, but that has nothing to do—”

  “It’s okay, I get it now.”

  His tone spoke volumes and Melody’s guilt was temporarily displaced by rising anger. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You disappear for weeks. You cut off all of your friends. Now I find out it’s because you’re dating your high-society dance instructor. I’d say all the evidence is in. Assimilate much?”

  “How can you jump to so many conclusions? You haven’t even met the guy yet.”

  “You never gave me that opportunity, did you? You know, I always thought your hard edge was an act, but it turns out you really are a—”

  “Whoa. Don’t say anything that I might have to slug you for later. All this over a wedding that you couldn’t possibly want to go to anyway? After this is all over, we’ll get the gang together, and I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  After a long pause, Bass finally answered. “Only i
f you can fit us into your schedule.”

  Melody hung up the phone feeling like the biggest heel in the world. Bass had every right to be angry with her. She’d never blown him off like that before.

  Mel physically readjusted her head, trying to jar it back into working order. After her relatives had really turned up the heat on the wedding-date interrogation last night, how could she have forgotten about Bass? Sure, most of their plans had been tongue in cheek, but she’d never given him reason not to make the obvious assumption that he was still invited.

  She’d been so focused on Will lately, there had been little room in her mind for anything else. In fact, there was only one thing that had kept her from spending last night at Will’s apartment. Stephanie had insisted upon sending a limo to pick her up, and Mel wasn’t ready to reveal any part of her relationship until her family met Will at the reception.

  Up until now, she’d continued her strategy of misdirection and deception to throw them off Will’s trail. Her family could now only be disappointed when they saw how normal Will turned out to be. They would never believe a nice guy like that could see something in her.

  Melody stepped into the shower, realizing how much she agreed with that sentiment. Ever since Will had confessed his love for her, she’d been asking herself just what someone like him saw in her. And more importantly, she didn’t want him to change his mind.

  Wanting to prove to him that she could fit into his world, she’d done just that. They’d worked out at his gym together, they dined at four-star restaurants, they’d even spent a day at the spa. And, although she was pretending to do all those things grudgingly, she’d never had more fun doing anything with anyone.

  The truth was, she knew she loved Will, but she wasn’t brave in the way he was. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. If she put herself out there like that, he’d have all the ammunition he’d need to break her heart. As long as he thought she could take him or leave him, he might stay interested.

  God forbid she actually start to count on him being there for her. One day, he might not be.

  As she dried herself off, Melody studied her face in the mirror. She barely recognized herself anymore. It had been weeks since she’d lined her eyes with dark liner, and her most recent attire had been soft and feminine, instead of dark and grungy. She’d let Will pick out a few things for her, only because she loved the look he got in his eyes when he saw her in them.

  Assimilate much? Bass’s words screamed in her head.

  She lifted her chin defiantly as she felt some familiar doubts creeping up on her. It felt good to be loved. And Melody refused to be ashamed of that.

  Finally, they were standing outside the ceremony room of the Plaza Hotel, and it was just seconds before Melody had to walk down the aisle. She had been a rock. The most perfect hand-maiden anyone could ask for. Fetching this and carrying that for Stephanie all day, trying to ebb the flow of her sister’s nervous tears.

  The wedding coordinator gave Melody her cue. She squeezed her sister’s hand and whispered good luck as she left Stephanie alone to make her way down the aisle.

  She had grudgingly participated in all the wedding activities up to this moment. She’d tried on three different iterations of Keenan’s creations, until they’d settled upon these simple red silk sheaths that clung to each maid’s slender form. She’d attended party after party where she’d endured questions about the suitability of her date.

  Now as she marched down the aisle to a string quartet playing “Fleur de Lis,” her eyes strayed to the left and found Will. He winked at her with pride.

  She’d even paid half a month’s rent to stay in this hotel which she thought was old and way overdone. But now, as she took her place at the altar, and watched the audience rise for her sister’s entrance, it all clicked.

  She got it—the reason people shelled out so much money and created this big spectacle. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Keenan take Stephanie’s hand and kiss it gently.

  Love. It was nothing short of a miracle. People made as much fanfare as possible in telling the world they’d found true love, because it was just that big a deal. The enormity of it all washed over her. In a world full of misguided crazies, how was it possible for two people to fall in love…with each other…at the same time? Suddenly it seemed like an overwhelmingly impossible task.

  Melody stole a glance at Will. He claimed to love her. But how did two people know it was going to last forever?

  What made people brave enough to stand before God and all and declare such a thing? Melody admired Keenan and Stephanie, because she didn’t know how she could ever be that certain.

  Will had had many reservations about attending Stephanie’s wedding with Melody, but now that he was there, he was actually having a good time. He’d gotten a big kick out of seeing her walk down the aisle in that tight-fitting red dress. He’d been informed that the bridesmaids, except for Melody and her youngest sister, were models, but none of the professionals had anything over Melody’s natural beauty.

  The only thing missing was Melody’s hair swinging around her waist. The hairstylist had pulled it tightly back from her face into a shiny updo. Nothing like the sexy curly mass it was when she’d done it herself—it looked like it had been shellacked into place, impenetrable to the forces of nature.

  This evening had proved to be a source of new insight into Melody. She’d said she came from wealth, but Will hadn’t realized to what extent until he attended the wedding. The entire venue dripped opulence, the likes of which he’d never seen.

  New York’s elite in politics and fashion surrounded him. In fact, the business contacts he’d garnered at the cocktail party alone could catapult his career to the next level.

  With a gut punch of clarity, he realized that Melody had been born into the life he’d spent years trying to achieve. He couldn’t fathom turning his back on all of this.

  In fact, he could see himself becoming a part of it. He’d already made a good impression on Melody’s parents. They’d seemed a bit stunned when he’d first arrived at the table and introduced himself as Melody’s date. But Beverly Rush quickly recovered her composure and turned on the charm.

  Despite their obvious differences, Will was startled by all the similarities he noticed between Melody and her mother. Beverly was the source of Melody’s elegant beauty, from her delicate bone structure to her catlike dark eyes. The women also shared an air of strength and single-mindedness. Beverly controlled all the conversations around her and deftly steered things to her liking. Will noticed so much of Melody in Beverly that he couldn’t help liking the older woman, despite knowing Melody would view that sentiment as disloyal.

  But it was Nathaniel Rush, Melody’s father, that he’d bonded with most. They’d immediately become locked into a spirited debate over the current state of the stock market.

  “Nathan, I do this for a living. Trust me on this one,” Will said in the face of the older man’s stubbornness.

  “Son, I’ve won and lost more money in the stock market than you’ll ever handle in your lifetime. My experience tells me—”

  “Experience is what’s going to get you into trouble. Listen…” Will trailed off when he saw Nathan’s gaze rise above his head.

  He turned to find Melody gaping at the two of them in horror. “Wow, here I thought I’d made the safe choice for a date, and I find you arguing with my father. I thought you’d at least make it to the entrée before that happened.”

  Will rose to kiss Melody on the cheek. “You look gorgeous,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her chair out for her.

  Beverly Rush positively beamed. “What a gentleman. There’s nothing like a man with old-fashioned manners.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” her father said. “We weren’t arguing. Just having a little difference of opinion. When your boy gets to be my age he’ll realize—”

  “Father, that’s enough. I promised Will he wasn’t going to have to talk business tonight. If
you want to hear Will’s opinions on the stock market, call him at the office and pay his fee.”

  Will felt his cheeks warm, not wanting Melody’s family to think he’d stoop to soliciting their business, but before he could protest, Nathan stretched his hand toward him.

  “Give me your card, kid. I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.”

  As Will handed Nathan his card, he squeezed Melody’s hand under the table. He couldn’t wait to have her all to himself later that night.

  Melody smiled back, and Will, momentarily forgetting his surroundings, started to lean in to kiss her.

  “It looks like things are getting serious between you two,” Beverly interrupted. “How long have you been dating? Melody has been very sparse with the details.”

  Will leaned back in his chair feeling like a deer in the headlights, and he could see Melody was about to open her mouth with a smart remark.

  “Leave her alone, Mother.” Melody’s younger sister Vicky had arrived at the table with her young date in tow. He was tall and lanky, looking awkward in his ill-fitting suit. “You promised not to embarrass us in front of our dates.”

  Beverly looked aghast. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m just trying to get better acquainted with William.”

  “Uh, it’s just Will,” he corrected. “My father used to say, with our income, we could only afford the first four letters.”

  Will felt his face heat for the second time that evening. He couldn’t believe he’d volunteered that information—especially in this setting. He’d always been very careful with the details of his childhood. Particularly when in the company of those from wealthier backgrounds. But, after watching the tension mount between Melody and her mother, he realized how lucky he’d been as a child.

  What his parents hadn’t had to offer in luxuries, they’d more than made up for in unconditional love.

  Beverly turned to Melody. “Well, at least tell me how the two of you met, dear.”

  Melody was spared having to answer her mother as the bandleader announced that the bride and groom would be dancing their first dance as man and wife. The room lights dimmed and the audience watched as Stephanie and Keenan glided around the floor. Immediately afterward, the bridal party joined them, and Will got the opportunity to appreciate his hard work firsthand.