“Yep, I’ll be there. Does Ma know what finish she wants already?”
“Nope, and I told her you’d go with her to find some.”
“Why can’t you go?”
“You’re her favorite, asshole. Plus, I’ve already got enough of her busting my balls over not being settled down by now with a wife and kids and shit. I don’t need it in public. So, you’re going. Deal with it.”
Devin sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Fine, I’ll pick her up and take her to the hardware store after practice on Thursday. Meet me at the house at 6:30.”
“Cool. Anyway, I’m going over there now. Last chance to come with me.”
“Coward.”
“Blow me. Later, Dev.” Pryce gave his brother another pop on the back and strolled toward the doors.
Devin heaved another sigh and bit at the inside of his cheek as drills wound down. Mariah was okay, he thought, and she was damn fine. He just wasn’t interested in her. That was it, plain and simple. His lack of interest had nothing to do with that woman he met before Mariah showed up. It had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Nothing to do with the fact that he sat quietly as some pudgy bastard led her away. Nothing to do with the fact that he cursed himself a hundred times for not asking her to stay after he realized she wasn’t his date.
He blew his whistle again. Maybe they should run some laps after all.
* * *
Melody dropped onto the soft, floral-patterned couch in her mother’s living room, curled her legs under herself, and plucked a half-sandwich from the tray on the coffee table. Across the room, Carynne sat cross-legged in the matching lounge chair, polishing off a brownie. It felt distinctly like high school. Until just then, she hadn’t realized how glad she was to be home.
Bethany, looking much like her daughter but for an extra twenty-four years, emerged from the kitchen with an oversized mug of tea in her hand. After planting a quick kiss on her daughter’s forehead, she took a seat on the unoccupied side of the sofa. “How’s the new store coming along, Mel?”
“Good.” Melody mumbled around the sandwich. “I’m almost done bringing the building up to code, and the contractors are pretty much on schedule. I should be open in time for the Spring Festival.”
“We’re going to have so much fun, Ms. Beth,” Carynne said. “We’re already planning cross promotions between the store and the coffee shop, both for the festival and for general business.”
Bethany smiled before gently blowing her tea to cool it. “I’m proud of both of you. You girls must be excited about working so close to each other.”
“Yeah, we are,” said Melody, pensively chewing at another mouthful of sandwich. “But there’s still so much to be done before I can open. I have to do the hiring, order the computers for point-of-sale, complete inventory orders after I get and install the computers. It’s an exhausting process.”
Bethany reached over to pat her only child on the knee. “You’ll be fine, sweetie. You live for this kind of stuff. And I’m always here to help if you need me.”
“Oh no, Mama. No seeing the store until grand opening. I want you to get the full effect.” Mel swept the air in a gesture and smiled under mischievous eyes that reminded Bethany of her ex-husband. “And no driving by to spy on me, either.”
Bethany chuckled. “You have my word. Besides, your Aunt Gwen is keeping me plenty busy with those church fundraisers for the festival.”
“Oh!” Carynne exclaimed, her head popping up from its phone-staring position. “Speaking of your Aunt Gwen, how’d that blind date with the banker go?”
“What banker?” Bethany queried, her brow raised. “Mel, you went on a date?”
“I wouldn’t call it a date, Mom.” Melody exhaled as she spoke. “Aunt Gwen set me up with some guy.”
Bethany sucked her teeth and gave a gentle grimace. “My sister. I feel bad for her sometimes. No daughter of her own to pester, so she bothers you.” She took a small sip and leaned back on the couch. “So, who is he and how did it go?”
“It was okay, and he seemed nice enough, but honestly mom, he’s not really my type. The weirdest thing happened just before I met him, though.”
Melody disclosed the details about the encounter with the first man she met. When she finished, her mother and her best friend were silent. Carynne’s brow was raised, a quirk of a smile on her face. Bethany’s face was unreadable.
“So…” Carynne began, “The first guy you met wasn’t your date?”
“Right.”
“But you liked him?”
“I mean, as much as you can like a person in 20 minutes. But I think so, yeah.”
“And he was cute?”
“Beyond cute.”
“But you didn’t find out what his name was?”
“No.”
“And then the banker, James, shows up for your actual date, and you just abandon your first date?”
“He wasn’t my date, Carynne.” Melody stressed. “Wish he was, though. It’d have been more fun.” She paused. “Is that horrible to say? James was nice.”
“No,” Bethany said. “Just honest.”
Carynne chewed on her bottom lip. “Why didn’t you slip him, not James, the other one, your number or something? I’d say we could investigate, but you don’t even have a name.”
Mel exhaled a faint laugh, placed her chin in the palm of her hand. “It wasn’t that serious, C.” Was it? “It was just one of those weird coincidences I guess.”
“Maybe you could go back sometime soon, Mel. See if he’s there.” Bethany stated. “It’s not often you meet someone you find interesting. You haven’t even talked about someone like this since high school. Remember how you used to fawn over that skinny boy on the football team? Number ten?” Across the room, Carynne snorted.
Melody chuckled. “Mama, please, no blasts from the past.”
“Seriously though,” Carynne said. “Let’s go back to Walker’s on Friday, kick back, relax, get some drinks, and see if we see him. I want to know what he looks like anyway.”
“Nah,” Mel responded. “It really isn’t that big a deal. I’m kind of focused on the store right now anyway, so I’m not really interested in dating anyone.”
“How long are you going to let work be an excuse, baby girl?” Bethany tilted her head and furrowed her brow in concern. “You don’t have to guard yourself that way. And not that I’m saying this has anything to do with it, but I don’t want you letting what your father did affect you.”
“I’m not, Ma. I just…” Mel paused, searching for words. “I don’t know. I don’t like feeling that way about somebody. Especially somebody I just met. If he wasn’t my date, then that must mean something. Like a sign. And I don’t need to go borrowing trouble, do I? Don’t you always say that? Don’t borrow trouble?”
“Because it’ll find you when it’s time.” Carynne finished, leaning back in her chair, causing it to rock softly. “But when you looked over at him, he was still looking at you?”
“He wasn’t staring, but our eyes met, yeah.”
“Hmm.” Carynne waited a beat. “Well, he likes you, and I think we should find him. What do you think, Ms. Beth?”
Melody’s mother quietly considered her daughter. “I think I want my girl to be happy.” Reaching out to gently lift Melody’s chin, Beth continued. “I know you’re busy baby, but life is short. I want you to be open to all of its possibilities. And you know it would make me happy to see you with somebody, but I support you no matter what. Okay?”
Melody leaned against her mother’s shoulder. “Okay, Ma.”
Bethany ended the topic with another quick pat to Melody’s knee. “Alright, then. Carynne, how’s your coffee shop doing?”
Chapter 3
Devin kneeled on the back deck and drained the rest of
his beer before hammering another plank down. Pryce, still in his uniform, straddled two supporting beams to measure the next placement before moving to the grass to cut wood for the diagonal pattern. The sun was finally setting, making the spring heat less intense.
“Toss me another beer, Pryce.”
“Get it yourself. You see me working. And get me one, too.”
Devin got up from his place on the deck and moved to the cooler that Elise, their mother, had set outside for them. Opening it, he retrieved a bottle and popped it open with his keys before moving back to the deck.
“Where’s mine?”
Devin shrugged, then grinned. “Get it yourself.”
Pryce rolled his eyes before scooting back to open the cooler. After taking a gulp, he leaned back on his free hand and sighed. “Break time. All this cutting is killing me.”
“I’m for it.” Devin sunk to the deck’s steps and leaned against a nearby post. “I still want to finish this today though. We’re probably looking at another three hours. That cedar finish Ma picked out is supposed to be quick-drying.”
“Yeah, alright.” Pryce got up to inspect the can of lacquer. “This’ll look good. If we have enough, we should do the beams too.”
“That’s what Ma said.”
“Did she take long picking it out?”
“No, I hinted that I was going to be busy later, so she made it pretty quick.”
“Busy doing what? You going on another date tonight?”
Devin snorted. “No, nothing like that. Just work stuff.”
“Figured it’d be work. Still a damn dork.” Pryce took another sip. “What’s up with Mariah anyway? You gonna see her again?”
Devin swished his beer around in the bottle, tipped it to look inside. “Don’t think so. And why are you so damn interested in me and Mariah anyway?”
“I’m in a slump. I need stories to keep me entertained.”
“What kind of slump?” Their sister, Toni, emerged from around the side of the house carrying her son, Kyle. “Hey, Dev.” She bent to kiss her brother. “Mom said you two were back here. Are there loose nails around? I want to put Kyle down.”
“Nope. Drop the monster.”
Almost as soon as Toni placed the toddler on the ground, he waddled over to Devin with his arms wide. “Def! Def!” He fell into his uncle’s hands and reached to squish his face. “
“Hey, buddy.” He gave Kyle a quick toss into the air before pulling him into his lap. Kyle writhed a bit, then made himself busy by repeatedly slapping his uncle’s shoulder.
“What kind of slump are you in, Pryce?” Toni bent to hug her brother before moving to the deck to sit next to Devin. When she did, Kyle crawled over and hugged her waist.
“A woman-slump,” Devin answered. “He has no sex life right now, apparently, so he’s harassing me about mine.”
“Oh no,” Toni aimed a mock sad face at Pryce, drawling in an effort to feign concern. “Did all the women in this town finally find out you’re disgusting?”
Pryce narrowed his eyes. “Shut up, Toni. You’re lucky you’re the baby.”
“I tell myself that every day.” She paused to dig a snack for Kyle out of his Marvel Universe Black Panther backpack, then turned to Devin. “You have a love life? I want to hear about it.”
“I don’t. Pryce set me up with this girl and we went on a date. But I’m not really into her. She’s more Pryce’s type if you ask me.”
“All body, not much else?”
“Seems that way.”
“Hmm.” Toni picked up Devin’s beer and took a sip. “Well maybe I could set you up with one of the women at my job. If you’re looking for somebody, that is.”
“That’s okay.” He paused, deciding whether or not to confide in his little sister. “I’m actually thinking about this other girl I met on that date.”
“You met another girl on your date?” Pryce asked, his brow raised. “How the hell do you manage that?”
“Well, I didn’t know what Mariah looked like, and I was at the bar and this other woman came up to me and asked if I was her blind date, and I assumed it was Mariah, and we talked for a while before I found out it wasn’t. She was just there for a blind date with a different guy.”
“What was her name?” Toni’s eyes were lit up.
“Melody. That’s what the bartender called her. But other than her name, and the fact that she’s opening that new boutique downtown, I know nothing about her.”
Toni nodded. “Well that’s enough to track her down, if you’re really interested.”
“Track who down? Interested in who?” Elise appeared at the back door, a small cup of juice in her hand. She carefully stepped out and placed it in front of Kyle before setting her hands on her hips. “You met a woman, Devin?”
“Not really, Ma.”
Elise looked to her daughter, who sent her mother a sly grin. “Yes, he did, Mama.”
Elise lightly slapped her son across the back of his head, causing Toni to laugh and Pryce to roll his eyes. “That’s great, honey.” She said. “Are you going to see her again?”
“That’s just it, Mom,” Toni said. “He didn’t actually go on a date with her. He met her by accident. They were supposed to be on blind dates with other people, but they saw each other and assumed they had met the right people.”
“I definitely shouldn’t have told you anything.” Devin swigged the last of his beer and set it back on the step.
Toni grinned. “As if you could keep something from me.”
“So she was on a blind date, too? That means she’s single.” Elise swatted Devin on the shoulder. “You should go find her. That’d be so sweet.”
Devin sighed and pressed a thumb to his temple. Women. “God. How about this,” he said to no one in particular. “If I see her again, I’ll talk to her. Okay?”
“That’s all I can ask for, son. I just want to see you with somebody.” Elise slid an eye toward Pryce. “Lord knows I’ll never get your brother married off.” She plucked Kyle from his spot on the deck before walking toward the back door. “This deck looks good. Get back to work and finish it, boys.”
* * *
It was two o’clock, and Melody was growing sick of all the noise. She’d been in her boutique all morning; overseeing construction, making design decisions and prepping for opening. The work was coming along nicely, but the throbbing in her head wouldn’t let her enjoy the progress.
She descended from the one-room second story that would become her office-slash-inventory room and stopped at the landing to look around. The walls were painted, and the pale blue that she’d chosen looked even better in the natural light from the large front windows than it did on the swatch. It complemented the crisp, white coffered ceiling and accessory shelves perfectly, along with the counter that would hold the register. The molding’s touches of brushed gold would really make the chandelier, once it arrived, the centerpiece and focus of the room. The stone flooring her mother had suggested looked so much better than the wood in her Houston store. She made a mental note to install the same tile there once the remodel came around.
She was going over new estimates with the electrician when Carynne came through the door, two cups of her shop’s coffee in hand, catching the eyes of contractors as she walked. If she wasn’t so used to it, Melody might be jealous of the effortless beauty Carynne always seemed to emanate. She had an impossibly pretty round face and playful, expressive eyes. Her dark, shoulder-length hair had been pulled into a ponytail - for work, Melody guessed – and her knee-length navy dress set off her bright, freckle-dotted skin well.
“Morning!” She chirped as breezed over and handed Melody a cup.
“Bless you.” Melody sipped it. “Jesus, this is good. What is it?”
“A new special I’m thinking of trying out at the shop. Vanilla and cinnamon latte
with a little caramel drizzle.” Carynne watched her take another sip. “Like it?”
“Mmhhm,” Melody mumbled around the opening of the cup. “It’s fantastic. Feel free to bring over any other ideas of yours.”
“You got it.” Looping arms with her friend, Carynne did a slow spin to take all of the recent work in. “This place is gonna be beautiful, Mel.”
“Hope so. I’m dumping all my cash into it. The contractors are estimating that the job will take at least a week longer than originally planned, and of course they’ll need to be paid for that. I’ve got hiring to do, inspections to pass, and I’ve still got orders to place and I’ll need to organize all the inventory before I can even think about opening up.”
“It’ll all be worth it.” Carynne nudged her friend sympathetically. “You’re still on track to be open by the town festival, right?”
“Yep, and I’ve even special ordered some accessories to sell at a booth out there.”
“Good thinking. We probably won’t get to enjoy the actual fest, but we’ll rake in some out-of-town cash for sure.” Carynne moved to the counter and placed her cup on it before hoisting herself onto the granite surface. “Is the Houston store doing okay?”
“Oh yeah, they’re fine without me. Thank God. That manager I hired is amazing. She emailed me a gross margin report last night that I didn’t even ask for.”
“Fancy.” Carynne clicked tongue against her teeth. “Maybe she can show me a thing or two.” She let the sounds of the nearby construction fill the room before continuing. “So… have you thought any more about that guy you met at Walker’s?”
“How did I know that question was coming?”
“You know me.” Carynne gave a shrug. “So?”
“Yeah,” Melody feigned nonchalance by dusting the counter with her hand. “I’ve thought about him.”
“Have you thought about going back to Walker’s to find him?”
“No, not really.” She sighed and turned to face her friend. “Look, I’m sure he was far more interested in his actual date than he was in me. And like I said, it wasn’t that serious. I met an attractive man, which means I am capable of feeling attracted to someone, so yay me. I don’t want to make a thing out of it.”
Mostly Love Page 2