by Dana Mason
“Except you’ve been missing for days, and you’re wearing his clothes.”
“Fine. I’ll take them off.” Melissa turned toward her bedroom, yanking off the belt and dropping Brian’s pants before stepping out of them . . . then remembered she didn’t have any panties on.
“Wonderful,” he said. “Just great—and how attractive.”
“Oh, shut up!” she said, spinning toward him. “Don’t turn your nose up at me. I was helping a friend in need and his children. There is nothing you can say that will make me feel bad about that.”
“Don’t act like a child,” he said.
God, what a snob. She shook her head. “Chase, I don’t have the energy for this right now. Please just stop. Please!” She stepped into her bedroom, yanked a nightgown from the drawer, and stripped off Brian’s t-shirt. “If you want to fight then go home. If you want to be with me then stop. Okay?”
“I’m sorry you lost your friend, but it’s not your job to take care of her husband.”
“This isn’t only about her husband. There are two great kids who have lost their mother.” She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’ve known Brian my entire life, longer than Julie. He needs me to help him, and I will. I will help Erin and Cody.”
“Why is it you’ve known him all this time, but you’ve never talked about him?”
Melissa would not get pulled into this. She would not let him pull her into a fight against her will. “And I’m not going to talk about him now either.” She stood up and walked toward him. “Staying or going?”
“Am I being dismissed?”
“No, I would like for you to stay. I love you, and I’ve missed you. I would love nothing more than to crawl into that bed with you and stay there forever. I’ve had a couple of incredibly hard days, and I only want to be with you.”
“I would like to stay, but I want to finish this conversation later.”
“Fine. Just fine. Whatever you want.” She breathed in relief and dropped her head on his chest, defeated and exhausted.
He draped his arms around her. “I am sorry. I’m not trying to make things harder, but I don’t like seeing you in his clothes.”
“No, I’m sorry. I saw the missed calls. I should have told you where I was. I wouldn’t like that either, but I need you to trust me. Please, Chase.” She pushed up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I missed you, and I need you.” She tucked her head into his neck, wanting to get lost in him and forget everything else.
Chapter Seventeen
“I can’t, Anna.” Erin slammed her locker closed. “Stop asking me.”
“Erin, we can’t win without you. Coach wants you on the team. He’ll let you back.”
“I can’t play. I have too much going on at home. I have to take care of my brother after school.”
“Don’t give me that. Your dad hired a housekeeper. Come on, Erin, conditioning starts after Christmas break. You can rejoin without missing any practices or games. It’ll be like you never left.”
“Except I did leave.” Erin rolled her eyes and turned her back on Anna.
“Hello, ladies.”
Erin looked up at Coach Jeffries and froze.
“How are you, Erin?”
When a smile spread across his face, she held her breath. Just being this close to him made her break out into a sweat. He knew it, too. He reveled in her discomfort; she could see it in his glassy, black eyes. She looked away from his sickening gaze, trying to take a breath.
“I’m trying to talk her into rejoining the water polo team,” Anna said, nudging Erin’s shoulder.
“We could use you.” Coach Jeffries tilted his head in mock concern as he stepped to block her path. His perfectly-styled hair didn’t move with the motion of his body. It looked as if it were molded in place, similar to a cartoon character or the Ken doll she’d played with as a little girl.
“I can’t.” Erin tried to sidestep him again, but he wouldn’t allow her space, forcing her to bump against him. She jumped back when their bodies touched. “I’m late for fifth period.”
“I’ll excuse you from class. I’d like to talk to you,” he said as Anna rushed away for the late bell.
“I can’t talk to you.” She looked around to see if anyone was watching them.
“Why not, Erin? I thought we were friends.”
“You know why,” she whispered.
“Meet me after school.” He stepped backward as she tried to walk around him. “I would hate to have to show those pictures to your dad.”
Erin jerked her head up to look at him, this time meeting his eyes. The look of pleasure she found on his face made her skin crawl. She felt the tickle up her neck and knew he meant what he said. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My dad already wants to kill you. ”
“He may hate me, but how would he feel about you letting someone take naked pictures of you.” He ran his index finger down her bare arm. “Meet me in the locker room after school. There’s no practice today, so it’ll be empty.”
Erin brushed at his hand and rubbed the tingle away.
“You’re late, too?” Erin heard from behind her. She whipped her head around to see Matt approaching them. “I’ll walk with you,” he said, glaring at Coach.
Coach Jeffries frowned at Matt. “I’ll see you later, Miss Hammel.”
He smiled his arrogant smile at her again before walking away, leaving her and Matt alone in the hall.
Matt rested a hand on her shoulder and leaned in to stare into her eyes. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Erin gently slipped from under his hand and nodded. “Yeah, fine.” She swallowed hard and mumbled, “I need to pee.” Then she turned and rushed into the bathroom. After several deep breaths, she pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Melissa.
‘pik me up from skol today—please please please’
When Erin finished the text, she closed her phone and crept out of the bathroom.
Matt was waiting for her. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked as the door closed behind her.
Erin tried to smile. He was always looking out for her. He’d be a great big brother if she didn’t have such a huge crush on him. Damn if that mattered now anyway. She was damaged goods thanks to Coach. That and Matt would never ask her out because of her dad. He was too freaking respectful. “Fine, just really late for class now. You didn’t have to wait for me.”
He leaned in close as if he didn’t want anyone to hear. “Coach Jeffries is a creeper. You should stay away from him.”
Erin stared at him for a full minute, not sure how to respond, then she finally said, “I have too much going on at home. Don’t have time for water polo or swimming this year.” It was obviously a practiced answer, but she didn’t have any idea what else to say.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” His penetrating eyes stared at her for another long moment until he finally gestured ahead. “Come on. Let’s get to class before Mr. Brandt starts handing out detentions.”
“Ali, you’re getting married in six weeks, and you haven’t picked out your flowers,” Melissa said, flipping through the catalog provided by the florists.
“I want everything to be right. I can’t close my eyes and point.”
“You’re going to end up with cheap plastic flowers if you don’t make a decision.”
“I have an idea of what I want. Stop harassing me. Did you pick yours?”
“A week ago,” Melissa scoffed. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the text. “Erin wants me to pick her up from school.”
“How is she?” Ali asked. “I don’t get to see them enough, between work and planning the wedding.”
“She seems better. I try to see her at least once a week, but I haven’t been able to convince her to talk to Brian yet.”
“He still doesn’t know.”
“Nope, but I think I’ll try again today.”
“I haven’t seen Brian either. Is he doing okay? J
ohnny said he’s back to work.”
“He’s been back to work for a couple weeks. Why are you asking me how he’s doing? Why don’t you ask Johnny?”
“Johnny said he seems fine at work, but I’m curious how he’s doing at home with the kids.”
“I don’t know. I see him in passing, but I haven’t spent any time with him.”
“Has Erin mentioned anything? Is he managing everything around the house?” Ali asked.
Melissa chuckled. “He’s cooking dinner every night with help from Theresa, his new housekeeper. She works for him a couple hours every afternoon during the week. He’s trying to juggle work and being home for the kids.”
“So . . . you see Erin, and you spend time with Cody. How do you manage all that without talking to Brian?”
Melissa shrugged. “I just do. He doesn’t want to talk to me, and I don’t want to talk to him. I can’t stand listening to him take pot shots at Chase.”
“Why does he dislike Chase?”
“Why does Brian dislike anyone? Hell if I know.” Melissa slid into a chair. “Maybe all this wedding planning makes him miss Julie more.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think that’s it,” Ali said. “I like Chase, but Brian is usually spot-on with people.”
“He has no good reason for judging Chase. He’s never even had a real conversation with him.”
“Maybe he’s jealous,” Ali said.
Melissa stood and put down the catalog she was flipping through. “I need to go get Erin. I’ll call you later.”
Ali dropped her hands onto the table and shook her head, frowning at Melissa. “Fine, run away.”
“Whatever . . .” Melissa said, slipping out the door.
Chapter Eighteen
Melissa climbed into her car and drove to the high school, reliving the last conversation she had with Brian. Things had been awkward between them ever since, but what was she supposed to feel after everything he’d told her. She didn’t know what to think now that she knew the truth about his marriage to Julie. It had changed a perception she’d lived with for the last seventeen years, and now she wasn’t sure how to behave around him.
It’s not like she didn’t want to help him. That wasn’t the reason for avoiding him. She worried about him every day. So much so, it had driven her to distraction. When she spent time with Erin, she fought to keep from rattling out a thousand questions about him and what he was up to since Erin didn’t volunteer much. She always seemed like she needed a break from her dad and brother. Living in a house with a bunch of boys must be hard for a young girl.
Not having a mom around to help with the little things had to be as difficult as not having her there for the big things. She couldn’t imagine Brian helping Erin pick out the perfect dress . . . or hell, buy tampons. Melissa chuckled at the thought of Brian in the grocery store, trying to find the perfect sanitary product for his fifteen-year-old. Okay, maybe she should check on him.
With a grin, she reached for her phone. Once she dialed the number, her smile faded. She hit the call button and waited.
“Hammel,” he said after the first ring.
“Hi,” Melissa said quietly.
“Hey, Parker, what’s up with you?”
“I’m picking up your daughter from school today, and I thought I’d call to check on you. I haven’t talk to you in a while and . . .”
“Worried about me?”
Melissa rolled her eyes. “Apparently you’re back to normal.”
Brian chuckled. “I’m doing fine. Do you have plans for the rest of the day?”
“Nothing after picking up Erin.”
“My shift is ending. You wanna hang out with us tonight?”
“Do you mean, ‘I gave my housekeeper the night off. Do you want to come cook us dinner?’” Melissa corrected.
“That is not what I meant at all. I actually meant, it’s the day before my daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and I’d like to take my kids out to dinner and spend the evening with them, and it would make us all happy if you joined us.”
“Oh, okay.” Melissa felt heat in her cheeks. “You didn’t make any plans for her tomorrow?”
“Nope. She isn’t interested. As it is, dinner tonight is a surprise.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “I couldn’t get her to agree to any plans. She didn’t want a party or anything.”
“Not having her mom here must make celebrating her sixteenth birthday hard.”
“Yeah, I’m sure, but I can’t fix that.” The line went quiet for a moment, until he said, “I can, however, help her create new memories, and I’m trying.”
“That’s a good idea,” she mumbled. “And I’d love to join you for dinner. Maybe I can help cheer her up.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m parking at the high school.”
“I’m around the corner. I’ll meet you at the Werewolf.”
Melissa snickered. That had always been their meeting place back when they were in school. They would meet at the bronze statue of the school’s mascot, a saber-toothed tiger, which Melissa and Brian had always thought looked more like a werewolf. Her heart did a little flutter, remembering them together back then . . .
“There’s going to be hell to pay if we get caught,” Melissa said.
Brian laid out the blanket on the knoll leading down to the creek. It was pitch black out, and the flashlight he’d brought didn’t help much. “What else can they do to us? It’s not like they let us spend time together. If they weren’t such hard-noses, we wouldn’t need to sneak out.”
She knelt down on the small blanket and rested on her side, waiting for Brian to lie down with her. When he did, their bodies melded together, chest to chest and nose to nose. “I miss you.”
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “Me, too.” He rubbed his hands up her back, down over her butt, cupping her and drawing her closer. “I can’t wait until the dance.”
“We don’t have to wait, Brian.” She pressed herself against him, fisting her hand in his curls. “Waiting is killing me.”
“I know, but we made a deal, and I can’t wait to see you in that dress.”
He grew hard against her, and she felt a rush of blood coil around her center. “Then stop. I only have so much control here.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, but I promise to make it worth the wait. I have something for you.”
Melissa pulled back to look into his eyes as he lifted up on his knees. She barely saw him in the glow of the dim flashlight.
He reached into his pocket slowly and tugged out a little velvet pouch with a drawstring. His smile widened as he loosened the strings, tipping the bag up, letting two thin gold bands drop into his hand.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Brian said, coming up behind her.
She startled at the sound of his voice, lost in the memory.
The expression on her face must have answered his question. He seemed to grow a little uncomfortable. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he muttered, “Hi.”
“Hi.” She turned to peer over the heads of the students to find Erin.
“How have you been?”
“Fine. How have you been?” she asked, avoiding his eyes.
“Great, now that I’m back to work.”
“Good, I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“I feel like I owe you an apology, but I’m not sure why.” He pulled his hands out and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“You don’t owe me an apology for anything.”
“I don’t want this weirdness between us,” he said.
“There isn’t any weirdness.”
“Then why can’t you look at me?”
Melissa looked up quickly. “What?”
“You don’t even want to look at me.”
She turned back toward the entrance. Only a few students still lingered around. “Where is she?” Melissa glanced down at her watch. “I’m going to walk to her locke
r and see what’s keeping her.”
“Melissa,” he said when she turned her back on him.
“What?”
“You’re incapable of having a real conversation with me, aren’t you?”
“What? Ugh! No!”
“It’s true. Every time you get uncomfortable, you walk away.”
“No, I don’t!”
Brian looked at her incredulously. “Yeah—you do!”
They faced each other, their posture resembling a fighting stance until Brian finally shrugged it off. “Forget it. I’m not fighting with you tonight.”
“Fine,” Melissa said, and they both turned and walked into the school together, Brian holding the glass door open for her.
The large, tiled foyer was almost completely empty, save for one boy standing outside the gym door, staring at it with his arms crossed over his chest.
Brian nodded to the kid. “Wilson? What are you doing?” He dropped his stance and glanced over. “Hey, Mr. Hammel. I was waiting for Erin. She’s in the gym.”
“Melissa, this is Matty Wilson.”
“Yeah, hi, Matt.” She smiled at him. “And I remember his dad from school, even though he was a few years ahead of us,” she stammered, surprised at what a small town Santa Rosa suddenly seemed.
“Really? You’ve met Matty?” Brian asked.
Melissa’s heart did a little flip when she remembered meeting him for the first time. It had been such an awful time for her family. “Matt was at the volunteer center everyday with his mom and dad while Micah was missing.”
“How is Micah?” Matt said.
“He’s doing well now that he’s home. Thank you for asking,” she said, trying to maintain her smile.
“Matt’s good friends with Eri—” Before Brian had a chance to finish his sentence, Erin came rushing out of the side door to the gym.
She had tears streaming down her face, and once she ran into them, her eyes grew wide, and her head swiveled over her shoulder to look behind her. Melissa looked over, too, just as Jeffries stopped and took a step back. He reached for the door that had closed behind him.