He supposed he’d have to speak to Bradley’s mother about that.
With a sigh, Devin got up and trudged into the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Finishing it in one gulp, he loosened his tie. Lisa Cooke had really come on strong that night, just like Mariah. Come to think of it, the only woman that hadn’t actively pursued him was Melody. She’d always been, since the moment she first met him, so even-tempered, so unaffected. Hell, it was laborious to get her to flirt. But for whatever reason, she refused to date him. Didn’t she? It was like there was a wall between the two of them, and every time he got close enough to discover more about her, she pushed him away. Devin was positive they were having a good time at Walker’s… at least until Lisa showed up. Then, all of a sudden, she wasn’t interested. Had she left the bar any faster, there’d have been a trail of fire behind her.
He sighed again. A smart man would let this go, he thought. Plenty of fish in the sea, and fishing wasn’t even that hard to do. But Melody was different, and there was something about meeting her that made him feel like he wouldn’t be satisfied biding his time with anybody else. Until he’d kissed her in that store of hers, women had always felt temporary. Melody felt… well, permanent. He ran a hand over his face. Fuck it. He placed his glass into the sink and grabbed his keys. It was still early, and with any luck, Melody would just be closing up her shop for the night. He’d already had one win today. Might as well go for another.
Melody finished with her last customer just before nine. Leaving Crystal at the counter, she moved to the double doors to lock them. As was now customary at closing time, Crystal reached under the counter to the stereo controls and cranked the volume all the way up. The women sang, danced and chatted while they counted cash, re-stocked, swept the floors, and reorganized displays. Discovering that she was out assorted tank tops for the display near the center of the store, she bounded up the stairs to her office. Still dancing, she cut open large box in the corner of the room and began digging through the array of colors. After a minute, she heard a knock on the door jamb. She looked up.
Crystal stood there, blinking as innocently as she could under her stylish black hat, Devin standing just over her shoulder. “He knocked, said it was important.”
Devin moved past her into the room, hands shoved into his pockets in his lazy, trademarked fashion. Melody straightened, and they looked at each other.
“Oh! I can get those.” Crystal rushed over to Melody to take the clothing from her hands before stepping out of the room and closing the door.
After a beat, Melody cleared her throat. “What are you –” Though she should have seen it coming, she didn’t.
Devin grabbed Melody by the loop of her jeans, pulled her to him and crushed his lips against her mouth. Almost instantly, his brain shut off, the feel of her against him, the way she smelled and tasted the only remaining thing on his mind. When he felt her breathing go ragged, he wrapped his arms around her body and squeezed. It was animal and sensual and magnetic and he’d never craved a woman so badly in his life. He backed her into a wall, lifting and bracing her against it, deepening the kiss, enjoying her breathlessness.
His mouth was warm and hard and hungry, and Melody didn’t object when he lifted her shirt and ran his hand up her side. She clung to him, feeling as though her bones had melted away and she’d slide to the floor if not for his grip on her. She found herself smiling against his mouth, and she reached up to lightly trace the angle of his jaw before folding her arms around his neck. He pushed against her, pulling back to rain kisses along her neck.
When he stopped, Melody was dizzy and light-headed, colors dancing around her as he placed her back on the floor. He peered into her eyes and ran his thumb along her bottom lip.
“I really like you, Melody.”
“Yeah?” She breathed, the word almost inaudible.
“Yeah.”
“Well...thank you.”
Devin smiled, a quick tug at the corner of his mouth, and reached for her hand. “I don’t want to just be friends with you. I want you. For myself.”
Melody’s breath caught. “Oh.”
“Will you consider that? Dating me?”
Melody searched his eyes, took in the details of him. Of Devin. His calm, solemn expression, the fullness of his lips, his stark black eyelashes, the lines of his face. For a fleeting moment, she thought about how honest he looked, how honest he always looked. “Can I ask you a question?”
His gaze wandered over her face. “Anything.”
“What did you mean by ‘the chase?’”
Pausing, he backed away slightly, his hand still holding hers. “What do you mean?”
“At the bar. At Walkers, you said you enjoyed the chase. That’s why you were into me. What did you mean?”
Devin searched her eyes. Deep, inescapable pools of brown. Seeing caution in them, he spoke carefully. “I just meant that that you really intrigued me, I suppose. And on top of that, I had to pursue you, not the other way around. It’s a little different than what I’m used to. That’s all.”
Melody pressed her lips together. “So… what? After you get me, then what?”
Devin dipped his head a bit, his brow furrowing as he reached to lightly touch her chin. “I can’t predict the future, Melody, so I don’t completely know. But my guess is that I keep you.”
She paused as if considering it, then gave him a small smile. “We’ll see.” She yanked him close and covered his mouth with her own.
* * *
The next day, Melody met with Carynne, Leana, and one of Carynne’s baristas, Dominique, to make plans for the Spring Festival. They sat at the large table in Carynne’s shop, food and jewelry samples sprawled amongst papers and laptops.
“So anyway,” Carynne explained, “I think it’d be best for us to man each booth one at a time, in shifts. That way, we can both work and enjoy the festival.”
“Sounds good.” Leana mumbled around a bite of chocolate chip cookie.
“Okay.” Said Dominique simultaneously.
“But,” Melody said, looking between them, “We’d all handle the first hour or two as a team.” I want to get set up, hang signs, and organize merch before the event gets started. When we’re comfortable with pace, we can switch in and out.”
“Agreed.” Carynne turned the page of her notebook and clicked her pen. “We’ll take shifts of two hours at a time. The opening ceremony is at ten, so starting setup at 8:30 should give us enough time. Our booth will be next to yours, so if there are any emergencies or too much traffic, we can cover for you two and vice versa.”
“Good. Dominique, are you still okay on decorating?”
“Yep,” she nodded quickly, her shiny black curls bouncing around her teenaged face. “Brown and pink balloons for Carynne’s, blue and white for BB’s. I’ve got matching tablecloths to go over the tables, and I’m making paper decorations to hang from the top of the tents.”
“Sounds great.” Melody crossed a line off of her checklist. “And Leana, will you be okay getting the jewelry we’ll be selling from the shop by yourself? I’m going to be here helping Carynne with the extra baking and packing up food for her booth.”
“Yep, I can handle it.”
“Okay,” Carynne said, writing her final notes. “I think we’re good. Mel, before you head back to your store, can I chat with you?”
“Yeah, one sec.” She sent Leana ahead, packed up her laptop and dropped it into her tote bag. Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she followed Carynne to the large kitchen in the back of the café, stopping when she saw Carynne remove dough from the industrial fridge to knead it.
“Making bread?”
“Cinnamon rolls.” When Melody raised an inquiring eyebrow, Carynne laughed. “I’ll have Dominique drop some by when they’re finished.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know. So,” Carynne said, flipping the dough over before kneading again. “You look all glowy.” She leveled knowing smirk at Melody, her eyebrow raised. “Care to tell me why?”
Melody stifled a grin. “Devin.”
“I figured. What’d he do? Kiss the stuffing out of you again?”
“Yes, actually.” She let a smile take over her face. “He came by my shop last night. Kissed me. Asked me to date him.”
“Date-date?” Carynne asked, flipping the dough and giving it a smack.
“Yeah, date-date.”
“Wow. So, I guess you’re free to think about him now? No more wild San Antonio nights?” Carynne asked, tongue literally in-cheek.
“Ha-ha.” Melody rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t like I could help it anyway, if we’re being honest. But yes. I think we’re going to start dating.”
Carynne stopped kneading and stared at her oldest friend. “That’s amazing Mel. That’s big.”
“I know.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Well,” Carynne flipped the dough again and returned to kneading. “Tell him I’ll kick his ass if he hurts you.”
“No need. I’ll kick his ass myself.”
“Damn straight.” She smiled. “Now get out of my kitchen.”
Chapter 11
“I have a date.” Melody told her reflection two days later. She briefly mulled over her first, albeit accidental, and second, albeit disastrous, date with Devin. She hadn’t been interested at all in meeting anyone, not just because man-wrangling wasn’t her thing, but also because, if she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t picture letting a man get close to her that way. And then, there he was, like a high school crush, and something about him had slammed into her like a truck. It wasn’t as though she felt any differently about wanting a relationship, she didn’t, but he was magnetic. And apparently, she thought as she plucked her toothbrush from its holder on the bathroom counter, he wasn’t giving up on her.
As it was a daytime date, she’d kept her outfit simple with tight, dark denim shorts and a navy and white striped top. She slipped on some new sandals (discounted price, courtesy of her store) and thanked her stars that her pedicure from five days ago still looked fresh. She bunched her hair into a ponytail, finger-taming her curls before spritzing them with holding spray. Going into her now unpacked jewelry box, she chose a long, dainty gold necklace to match her hoop earrings. She dusted powder on her face and chose a deep red shade for her lips. Finally, she applied two coats of mascara to her naturally long lashes and stepped back to admire herself.
She blew out a breath. “Okay.”
Devin picked her up right on time, pulling into her driveway in his silver pickup truck. She stepped out of her front door to meet him just as he came around to the passenger side of his truck.
“Hey,” he said, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her lips.
She could get used to this, she mused. “Hey yourself.”
He held the door for her and waited for her to climb in before moving to his side and hopping in.
“You look beautiful,” Devin said as he started the truck, glancing over to run his eyes down her body.
“Thank you.” Determined not to feel nervous, or shy or flustered or anything other than happy, she grinned at him. “So, where are we going?”
“I figured we’d go to the lake for a picnic. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Sounds great.”
They rode in surprisingly easy silence for a few minutes.
“You know, you don’t seem like the sort of guy that would plan a picnic for a woman.”
“Oh, yeah? He glanced over at her, a curious smile on his face. “How’s that?”
“Well, based on what I know about you, you seem really, um…” she searched her brain for the right word. “…proficient.”
“Proficient?” He laughed.
“Well,” she chucked, “you just seem like you never had to try that hard is all.”
“You seem to be teaching me pretty quick, then.” He looked over at her, his eyes holding before he looked back at the road.
She reached over to lift the sleeve of his t-shirt, enjoying the feel of his arm as she did. “A tree tattoo?”
He glanced at his arm. “Yeah. If you look closely, there’s a date on every branch. Birth dates of members of my family.”
“Nice.” Wow. Big family, she thought. “So anyway, you don’t seem like the type.”
“I can be romantic when I want to be.” He glanced at her briefly, his dimpled smile showing before he looked back at the road. “Plus, I gotta make some effort with you. You run away if I don’t.”
Melody smiled, rolling her eyes at him. “Maybe I’m worth it.”
He reached for her hand, held it. “You are.”
They drove to Canyon Lake, about thirty minutes east of town. Most of the lakefront was now either commercially or privately owned, but there were still a few nooks left to their original, natural glory. Driving past the marina, Devin parked in a clearing littered with other vehicles and cut the engine. He reached into the back seat and produced a Carynne’s Coffee Shop bag.
“What?” Devin asked when he saw Melody smirking at him.
He laughed. “Oh, trust me. You do not want me to try to cook anything.”
They walked to the shore and stopped near the edge where the water splashed gently against the rocks. Sitting, Devin grabbed Melody’s hand and pulled her down with him. She sat, her arm just barely brushing his. The contact gave her chills, even in the afternoon sun.
Opening the bag, he produced two turkey sandwiches, half a dozen cookies and two bottled waters. Smiling, Melody accepted her sandwich wordlessly and peeled the wrapper open. Taking a bite, she tipped her head back to let the sun warm her face.
“So,” she said after swallowing, “did we drive way out here to hide out from Miss Cooke?” She accentuated the ‘s’ the way Lisa did at the bar.
Devin laughed. “No, but I do appreciate that we won’t be bothered out here. That way your chances of you running from me are lower.”
“I didn’t run. I just… tend to back away when I’m in uncomfortable situations.”
“Well, your backing away looks exactly like running, for the record.” Devin quipped before dropping his smirk. “But I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”
“It’s not your fault. Comes with your job I guess, right?” She smiled at him. “Speaking of which, congrats on making it to the playoffs.”
“Thanks,” he took a bite of his sandwich. “The boys did well.”
“How long have you been coaching at Spring Branch anyway?”
“Three years.” He took a sip of water before continuing, “We all ended up here because I got the job.”
“We?” She asked. She immediately wondered if he was harboring a wife and child somewhere that he’d neglected to mention until this moment. Maybe she’d come stomping up to them and slap Melody for dating her husband.
“My family. Brother, sister, nephew, parents.”
“You guys must be close.”
“Yeah, we are. They annoy the hell out of me, but we’d do anything for each other.”
Melody gazed out over the vast lake as she listened to the story of how Devin’s entire family landed in Spring Branch, quietly considering what a big family must be like. It had been her and her mother, just the two of them, almost her entire life. She couldn’t imagine a life where she was tied by blood to so many people. To love half a dozen people so much you’d do anything for them, uproot your life whole to be near them, seemed incredible.
“Are you okay?” Devin’s hand, soft on her back, snapped her away from her thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Your family sounds great.”
“They are.
You were born here, right?”
Time to talk about herself, Melody mused. Fantastic. “Yep.” She stared at her lap, searching for something else to say. Nothing came. She had no nephew to discuss. No siblings. She didn’t even have a father.
A comfortable but sullen silence hung between them. “Can I ask you a question?” Devin asked, quieter than his usual level of speech.
Uh oh. “Sure.”
He angled his body to face hers. “What happened that night at Walker’s?”
Melody felt her chest tighten. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we were having a great time, or at least I thought we were, and all of a sudden you’re pissed off and you’re leaving.”
Melody lifted a hand to her hair and then dropped it. “I may have misunderstood, or overreacted, to something you said that night.”
His brow furrowed. “What did I say?”
* * *
When Melody was six years old, her parents let her join the Little Angels basketball league, a co-ed youth basketball group sponsored by the local YMCA. She had watched so much ball on television with her father that she was infatuated with the idea of being the one with the big orange ball. She imagined it perfectly: she would run and dribble and jump and shoot, and her father would cheer for her the way he cheered for the men in the black uniforms on TV.
The night she’d asked, they had just finished dinner at the small circular table in the kitchen. Her father was overjoyed. “My little princess is going to be a superstar!” Morris exclaimed, scooping her up and tossing her in the air the way he always knew would make her giggle. “Of course you can play, Melody. Can’t she, honey?”
Bethany sighed, stirring a cup of tea, a small smile on her face. “Two peas in a pod, the both of you.”
The following day, Morris picked Melody up from school – a rare occurrence, as it was usually her mother – and drove directly to the YMCA. She held his hand as he stood at the desk and paid the hefty league fee, and she smiled up at him when he told the woman there how proud he was. On the way out of the YMCA, he picked her up and put her on his shoulders, and the world seemed so bright and shiny. She was a basketball player, just like her daddy and her daddy’s favorite people.
Mostly Love Page 7