“I’m beginning to think that not relying on friends might be a good thing.”
“Adrianne, stop.” Melanie reached out again and this time managed to snag the Oreo package. “You need to snap out of this funk you’ve been in lately. And don’t tell me that it’s easy for me to say. You didn’t use to let stuff like this bother you. You use to be confident and outgoing. This has turned into a never-ending pity party. It’s so unlike you.”
Adrianne dunked one side of an Oreo in her milk. She did it a few times until part of the cookie softened so much it disappeared into the white beverage. “Do you remember how I was back in high school?”
Melanie managed not to wince as an image popped into her mind. They’d all had awkward years growing up, but Adrianne’s had seemed to last a whole lot longer. She’d struggled with her weight, had bad acne, glasses, and braces. Pretty much any one of those might have led to some teasing, but all four? Yeah, she was sure those years hadn’t been the easiest for her sister.
“You’re nothing like what you were in high school,” Melanie tried to assure her.
“On the outside maybe. But inside? I can still hear what the boy I asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance in graded ten said to me. He couldn’t just have turned me down. No, he had to take the knife he’d shoved into my chest and twist it.”
Melanie frowned. “What did he say to you?”
With a sigh, Adrianne dropped the remainder of the Oreo into the milk and looked at Melanie. “He said that no guy would ever want to be seen with me. That I was going to just get fatter and fatter, and that I’d never get married or have children because no man would ever want to touch me. And that was after he’d told me he wouldn’t have gone with me to the dance if I’d been the last female on earth.”
Melanie’s jaw went slack, and it felt like she’d been slugged in the stomach. “Who was it?”
Adrianne shook her head. “Not going to tell you that. Let’s just say that as each year clicks by, I’m hearing his words louder than ever.”
“But he’s wrong. Teenage boys can be such…” Melanie bit down on her tongue.
“At least the ones I had the pleasure of being around.”
“Hey. Did Alex know him?” When Adrianne didn’t answer right away, Melanie said, “He was a friend of Alex’s? Oh, my word. Did you tell Alex what he said to you?”
“One of the reasons I approached him was because I thought he’d be safe since he and Alex were friends.” Adrianne brushed a tear away from her cheek. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been difficult to be around lately, and I’ve taken some of my hurt out on you. Sometimes I wonder if you work at changing your appearance so you don’t look like me.”
Melanie was speechless. She stared at her sister, aching for the inadvertent role she’d played in her distress. “No, it had nothing to do with that.” Melanie paused as she realized that she was going to be letting down another one of the walls she’d kept in place for so long. But she had to. If she could ease this part of the hurt Adrianne was feeling, she would do it for her. “You want to know why I color my hair, keep it short and wear colored contacts?”
Adrianne’s eyes were wide as if she recognized the significance of the moment. “Only if you want to tell me.”
“They wanted girls with beautiful long blonde or red curls and blue or green eyes. It was those things that made me a target and then a victim. I do this,” Melanie waved her hand around her face and hair, “so I won’t ever be a target for them again.”
Now it was Adrianne’s turn to stare. “I never knew.”
“I know everyone thought it was just a phase. That after what I’d been through it made sense that I would go through an emotional stage. It wasn’t a stage, and it had nothing to do with being goth though I did play that up at the time with the black nail polish and dark makeup since it seemed easier to explain. And now,” Melanie shrugged, “it’s just who I am. Well, minus the nails and makeup.”
“Is what happened the reason you don’t go out on dates now? Do you not plan to ever get married or have kids?”
“Partly. I’m just not comfortable with guys in a romantic way. I mean, how many men would want a woman who keeps a gun under her pillow?”
“I don’t know. That may turn some guys on.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to be with a guy like that.” Melanie wrinkled her nose. “Honestly, though, I have so many issues as a result of what happened, I’m not sure I could contribute to a healthy relationship.”
“What about Tyler?”
Melanie hoped she didn’t reveal in any way what the sound of his name did to her. “What about him?”
“You seem pretty close to him.”
She shrugged. “We’ve been friends for a long time, but I think you’re right about what you said about me being closer with guys than girls.”
“So you only see Tyler as a friend?”
“Yeah. And that’s how he views me.”
“Well, the BlackThorpe gossip mill is saying differently.”
Melanie frowned. “What?”
“Someone saw you in Tyler’s office. They said it looked like more than a friend moment.”
Irritation flowed through Melanie. She grabbed an Oreo out of the bag and gave it a twist to separate it. “They need to mind their own business. I was upset about something, and Tyler was…praying for me.”
Adrianne’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped open. “He was praying for you?”
Melanie understood why Adrianne was so surprised by that. “Yeah. That was a new one for me.”
“That was really sweet, honestly.”
“Yes, it was.” Melanie hadn’t ever had someone pray for her like that. She knew that Tyler was fairly involved with his church and that his faith was an important part of his life because of things he’d said during the conversations they’d had over the years.
Melanie glanced over toward the door leading to the garage when she heard it open. Alex walked in, his briefcase in hand. He still wore his suit from the day though he’d abandoned the tie at some point.
“Hot date?” Adrianne asked as he set his briefcase down on the floor.
Alex shot her an exasperated look as he yanked open the fridge. He pulled out the jug of orange juice and took a glass out of the cupboard. “I was at Marcus’s going over some contracts.”
After pouring himself some juice, he put the jug back and came to sit at the table with them. He eyed the package of Oreos. “Having a girl chat?”
“Yep. Spilling secrets all over the place,” Adrianne said as she pulled an Oreo out and offered it to him. “Your turn. Why don’t you ever go out on dates?”
“Oreos and Orange juice? I think not,” Alex said with a wave of his hand. “And I don’t go on dates because I don’t want to.”
Melanie figured it was only fair to let Alex keep his secrets. They all had them even though she and Adrianne had shared a couple. She wondered what Alex would do if he ever found out what one of his friends had said to his twin sister. He was still in contact with some of them from high school, but not all of them. It was possible that the guy who’d so badly hurt Adrianne was long gone from Alex’s life. She hoped that was the case because she couldn’t bear the thought that Adrianne might encounter him again if he happened by to visit Alex.
“So I hear you had an interesting meeting this afternoon,” Alex said.
“Me?” Melanie asked. “You mean with Marcus? Did you see Scout?”
“Yes, I did. He’s working well with Meredith. Marcus spent a good ten minutes raving about the program and the work you’ve done with it.” Alex took a sip of his orange juice. “But that wasn’t the meeting I was referring to.”
“Not you, too.” Melanie’s shoulders slumped as she scowled at him. “Never figured you guys would be gossiping grannies.”
Alex and Adrianne shared a look and then started laughing. Melanie fought the age-old urge to give them both a kick in the shins. It had been her go-to move as a kid when she’d
felt they had ganged up on her.
“Don’t do it,” Alex said with a grin, obviously recalling the twin kick move. “Or I’ll tell Mom that Tyler’s more than just the friend you keep saying he is.”
That threat pretty much guaranteed Melanie wouldn’t do anything. And their knowledge of the office gossip meant she wasn’t going to tell them that she and Tyler were going out for dinner and a movie the next night. Maybe she should text Tyler and tell him she’d meet him at his place or at the restaurant.
“Well, on that lovely note, I’m going back to my work.” Melanie shoved the package of Oreos over to Adrianne.
“Thanks for the chat,” Adrianne said.
Melanie glanced over at her to see if she was just joking, but her expression was serious. “You too. Have a good night.”
~*~*~
After having a late-night conversation with Ryan about the latest office gossip, Tyler half expected to get a text from Melanie canceling. That she hadn’t done that, either meant she hadn’t heard the gossip or she didn’t care. He really hoped it was the latter.
As he pulled his vehicle to a stop in front of a set of closed gates, Tyler stared in surprise—even though he shouldn’t have been—to see the tight security around the Thorpe residence. Uncertain what to do, he glanced around to see if there was a way to contact the house. His gaze landed on a panel set into the stone pillars flanking the gates.
Tyler was just about to get out of his car when the gates began to open, and he spotted Melanie walking out. Once she was through the large gates, they began to close behind her.
Tyler got out of the car as she got closer and quickly rounded to the other side to open the door for her. He noticed that she wore familiar knee high boots over jeans and a light blue sweater with a collar that draped softly below her neck. Her black jacket just skimmed her waist, no doubt in deference to the cooler fall temperatures that had rolled in that day.
“I was wondering how to get through the gates,” he said as she neared him.
“Yeah, Alex has really upped the security around here in recent months. You can just press the button on that panel to call someone at the house to open it. We have cameras on the property so we will know if someone entering is expected or not.”
“Got all the bases covered,” Tyler said as he waited for her to settle into the passenger seat. “Probably a good idea given what’s been happening.”
“Yeah,” Melanie said as she reached for her seatbelt.
Tyler closed the door once she’d buckled up then went around to slide behind the wheel. He put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway.
“I thought maybe you’d cancel tonight.”
“I did consider it,” Melanie confessed.
“Because of the rumor?”
“Yeah. Both Alex and Adrianne asked me about it.”
Tyler looked over at her. “And you still didn’t cancel?”
“Honestly, it’s none of their business.” Melanie shrugged. “I need this evening out, and we know the truth of things, so I’m just going to ignore them and do what friends do.”
Tyler wondered if she used the what friends do phrase to remind him or herself what this evening was all about. “I like the way you think.”
“It’s a little more difficult with those two, especially when they gang up on me.”
“They didn’t ask where you were going?” Tyler guided his car into the traffic on the highway.
“That’s rule #1 in our household. No asking for the details of each other’s social life.”
“And you all stick to the rule?”
Melanie laughed. “Well, not as much as we should. Fortunately, both of them are out tonight so I didn’t have to sneak past them like a teenager trying to get out of her house.”
Tyler was glad to see Melanie so relaxed. After the tension he’d seen in her the day before, he hadn’t been sure how she’d be. He had prayed that she’d be at peace in spite of the stresses the week had held for her. It was good to see that his prayers had been answered.
“So where are we going for dinner?” Melanie asked as he took an exit off the highway.
Tyler had thought long and hard about a suitable spot for their dinner. He didn’t want it to have an overtly romantic ambiance, but he still wanted it to be a good place for them to visit. In the end, he’d settled for a chain restaurant that was a few steps up from fast food. When he told her the name, she didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much of a line when they arrived, and the hostess quickly seated them in a booth in a back corner. The booths had higher backs on them which gave them some privacy from the other restaurant patrons. A recap of the sports of the day was playing on the televisions over the bar in the Center of the room.
It didn’t take them long to place their order with the waitress. After she’d picked up the menus and left the table, Tyler leaned back in the booth.
“So have you spent your Saturday playing catch-up like I have?” he asked.
Melanie groaned. “Yeah. Up late last night and then all day today. I was actually able to do some work while I was away, but not enough to be caught up when I got back.”
“Me, too. By day two of my sick leave, I was going a bit stir-crazy so I logged in from home to do some work, but still had lots to follow up on when I got back to the office. Is it any wonder none of us ever take long vacations?”
“That’s so true, though as a counselor I would have to say that those vacations are necessary to recharge batteries.” A corner of her mouth lifted. “But I’m as guilty as the next person of not taking my vacation time.”
They continued to talk about work-related things until the appetizers arrived. Out of habit, Tyler held out his hand. She obviously understood what he was doing because she laid her hand in his and bent her head. Tyler took a moment to say a prayer of thanks for the food before they dug in. Their conversation turned to Simon as Tyler filled her in with a little more detail about the time they’d spent together.
Once their meals arrived, Tyler changed up the conversation, asking a question he hoped she’d feel comfortable answering.
“How’s your friend doing?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MELANIE GLANCED UP from the piece of chicken she’d been cutting. “Jenni?”
“Yeah. Is she getting the help she needs?”
“No. I talked to her mom earlier today and she said that Jenni’s still refusing medication and won’t talk to anyone.” Melanie’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure if she’s going to be able to get back from this mind set of hopelessness. I mean, she has to want to, but I sense she just thinks life will never be any better than what it’s been so why hang around to live it.”
“Do you mind me asking what exactly happened to her?”
Melanie stuck a piece of chicken in her mouth and chewed, obviously taking time to figure out her response to that. After swallowing, she lifted her glass and took a sip of water. “She was abducted when she was fifteen years old.”
“I’m guessing from the severity of her trauma that it wasn’t a parental abduction.”
“Not even close.” Melanie paused again. “She was taken as part of a trafficking ring.”
Suddenly, Tyler wasn’t sure he wanted to hear more. He knew enough about what something like that would entail without needing to hear about the details from Melanie.
But what kind of attitude was that? Stuff like that flourished because people ignored it. If it didn’t happen to someone they knew or loved, it was easier to turn a blind eye. Click away from the links to stories about it. Pretend it only happened in third world countries, not countries like the US.
If Melanie wanted to talk about it, he would listen. And after a pause, it was apparent she wanted to.
“It was a very specialized ring, apparently. They had been sent by some super wealthy men from the Middle East, who had very specific requests in the girls they wanted.” Melanie twirled her fork throug
h the pasta on her plate but didn’t lift any of it to her mouth.
“Hey.” Tyler reached across and covered her hand with his. “You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want. I’m willing to listen, but I don’t want you to feel compelled to talk about it.”
She stared at him for several moments before she shook her head. “I want to share…her story with you. So you understand. But it’s not a pretty story, and you’ve heard the ending already.”
Tyler nodded then pulled his hand back and waited.
“There were two types of girls they wanted. Blonde or redheads with long hair and light eyes. Jenni had…has beautiful red hair and exquisite green eyes. They also wanted young girls, in the fourteen to sixteen-year range and…inexperienced. Virgins.”
“How would they know if they were virgins before they took them?”
“Jenni and her family were churchgoers. A young man joined their youth group and took an immediate liking to Jenni. He was the quintessential gentleman, she said. Even her family liked him. And he told her that he would never pressure her for sex because he believed in saving himself for marriage. When she told him she felt the same way, that she was a virgin, he knew he had what he needed. What better place to find potential victims than a church that had an active ‘waiting for marriage’ program for their youth. These guys did their research.”
“So he just abducted her?”
Melanie shook her head. “It was all so elaborate even though it unfolded over a relatively short period of time. After a few weeks, the guy had her set up a weekend at a friend’s. After a romantic dinner between just the two of them, he drugged her, gave her something to make her feel sick, like the flu. Jenni said he told her he’d take her home, but suggested she phone her friend to cancel their planned weekend. Once she’d done that, he took her to a waiting car. It was two days before anyone realized she was gone. Her parents thought she was at her friend’s. Her friend thought she had gone home sick. It wasn’t until her parents looked for her after church on Sunday that they realized what had happened. By then, she was a long way from Seattle.”
A Matter of Trust: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 3) Page 15