Say Goodbye to Melody

by Velvet Vaughn

  “I appreciate the rest. It helped because I do feel better. But something happened—” Her eyes landed on a container sitting on the edge of Grant’s deck, soaking up the sun’s rays. “You brought Fred?” Her words were whispered, and she had a hard time swallowing past the lump in her throat. He’d brought her beloved Ficus. She hadn’t noticed Fred in the SUV last night.

  He scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. But I thought it might be traumatized by the move, so I sat it out here to soak up some Vitamin D.”

  There was a plastic cup sitting beside Fred’s container. He’d watered him, too. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. “Thank you.”

  He looked uncomfortable and some day she would think back on this and realize it was the point she fell head over sneakers in love with him. He knew Fred was important to her and he’d taken care of him.

  “Melody?”

  “Hum? What?”

  “You said something happened?”

  She shook her head. “Oh yes, right. Someone broke into my store and stole all of my inventory.”

  “What?”

  “Raine and I filled boxes with bottles yesterday to place on the displays in the front of the store. On top of the jars I’d already filled, we had at least a hundred. But when she went back to get them this morning, they were all gone.” Hum, when she said it out loud, it really was alarming. Shouldn’t she be more upset about this? Must be residual effects from the hospital drugs in her system.

  He cursed and grabbed a towel to mop his face. “Let me jump in the shower. Five minutes tops. Taylor brought a box of bagels and fruit, along with orange juice. She said you don’t drink coffee. They’re on the kitchen counter.” Then he was gone.

  Now that he mentioned food, she realized she was famished. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate. It had to be the pastries she picked up yesterday for Raine and Deanna. She’d worked through lunch and was too nervous to eat before her meeting with Grant. Then all hell broke loose.

  She found the box along with a note from Taylor hoping she felt better this morning. She opened the lid and picked out a cinnamon raisin bagel and a banana, opting to eat the fruit first.

  “Ready?”

  She spun around, not prepared for Grant to return so soon. He was wearing a hunter green company polo today with another pair of cargo pants a shade lighter than yesterday, and he looked incredible. A chunk of banana almost lodged in her throat.

  Grant dug into the carton and also selected a cinnamon raisin bagel. “Do you want a glass of juice to go? Soda? Water?”

  “Do you have Diet Coke?”

  “My weakness,” he grinned, reaching into the stainless-steel fridge to pluck out two red and white-labeled bottles, handing her one.

  “I passed this building all the time when I was tutoring the twins, but I’ve never been inside.” Grant closed the door behind them and guided her down the hall with a hand at the small of her back. She almost forgot what she was saying. “It’s better than any hotel I’ve ever stayed in.”

  “Yeah, it is nice. I always stayed with Luke when I was home on leave but now that he’s married with children, I didn’t want to interfere. You know that open plot of land between Luke and Ben’s house?”

  She nodded. It was beautiful with a perfect view of the water.

  “It’s mine. I’ve never had time to think about building a house, but now that I’m back for good, I’m having plans drawn up.”

  Some woman would be very lucky to share that home with Grant. She could see him throwing a football with a dark-haired boy who was the spitting image of his father, or carrying a little girl on his shoulders as he galloped around the yard. He’d make an incredible father. A panging of longing hit her deep in the gut, stealing her breath.

  He held the door for her and she stepped outside. Mason Rossi jogged over to them and smiled. “Good morning, Ms. Franklin. How are you feeling?”

  “It’s Melody. And I’m much better. Thank you.”

  “Mason is going to meet us at your offices,” Grant told her.

  By the time they climbed into the SUV and were headed out, she’d gathered her wits. The image of Grant with kids had been so strong, it’d weakened her knees. The little girl she pictured on his shoulders had her blond hair and blue eyes.

  She cringed when they approached the area where Pearl lost her life. She’d been asleep last night on the way to Grant’s apartment, so she hadn’t had to face it. “Are those my skid marks?”

  “Yeah.” He slowed as they approached. She looked over the side but except for tracks in the grass and a sizable gouge in one of the trees, there was no sign Pearl had ever been down there.

  “Do you know what happened to my car?”

  “It was towed to a garage in town.”

  Another task on her to-do list. She’d have to call her insurance company and find a replacement vehicle as soon as possible. She didn’t like being stranded without transportation and she hated to impose on Grant any more than she was right now. A thought struck—she’d left all her clothes at his place. Fred! He’d have to bring her back to pick them up before she went home tonight. No way was she spending another night alone with him. Her hormones wouldn’t survive.

  “Oh, I just thought of something. I need to swing by my house. I have a few dozen bottles stored in the garage that we can use until we replenish the missing stock.”

  Using voice commands, he told his SUV to call Mason, which it promptly obeyed. Amazing. And he didn’t have to use his hands at all. He explained to his coworker that they were making a stop and he told them he’d meet them at her store.

  He pulled into her driveway and shifted to park. She started to get out, but he put a hand on her arm. “I go in first.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine—”

  “Keys?”

  She rolled her eyes but dropped them in his hand. “The bottles are in the garage. We don’t even need to go in the house.”

  “Then I’ll check out the garage.” Before she could blink, he was gone.

  She watched with appreciation as he walked up the driveway, his head never stopping as he scanned his surroundings. He disappeared inside the side entry to her garage and then the main door slowly lifted. He ducked under it to help her out. “All clear.”

  She took the hand he offered, glanced around her messy garage and winced. Grant probably thought she was a slob. She really wasn’t one. It was just that her mind was working on so many other things that sometimes her clothes didn’t make it in the basket or mail got stacked up into a leaning tower of envelopes.

  She owned a few sporting items that she never had time to use, including a sparkly blue mountain bike and a cherry red kayak. She had yard accessories of a rake and shovel, but she’d never used them, either. She paid a teenager down the street to take care of the grass. He used his dad’s John Deere riding mower and loved driving it, so it saved her from purchasing one herself.

  “The boxes are in this cabinet.” She peeled open the sturdy gray doors and froze.

  “Melody?”

  Grant was behind her in an instant.

  “It’s empty. They’re all gone.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Someone had broken in and filched all of Melody’s remaining inventory. It couldn’t have been last night when the perp left the note. Grant had woken instantly and checked out the house. They didn’t have time to cart boxes of bottles out of the garage. It had to be either before and Melody didn’t notice them missing, or after they left. He should’ve had someone stay and keep an eye on her house. Lesson learned.

  “When is the last time you’re certain the bottles were here? Melody?”

  Grant glanced over at her and realized she was on the verge of hyperventilating. He grabbed her shoulders in a firm grip.

  “Melody, breathe.”

  She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Someone is trying to destroy me, Grant? Why? I haven’t harmed anyone. I’m a good person. I can’t even kill
insects—”

  Grant did the only thing he knew to keep her from falling into the abyss of hysteria. He kissed her. Big mistake. She tasted sweeter than anything he’d ever feasted on in his life. When his lips made contact, she gasped. He tugged her closer and wound a hand behind her head, anchoring her in place. She moaned and he eased back, afraid he’d scared her. Instead, her hands gripped his head and pulled him back for another toe-curling mating of lips. He’d planned on keeping it chaste. Just a kiss to anchor her. But he was rapidly losing himself in her sweetness.

  He finally broke contact before he lost control and dragged her down to the oil-stained concrete, complete with the wide-open door for all her neighbors to witness.

  She was staring at him with wide eyes, her fingers touching her lips. He groaned, wanting to replace them with his mouth.

  “What was that for?”

  He meant to tell her it was to calm her down, to center her so she didn’t freak out. Instead, what he said was, “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment you crashed into me in Luke’s upstairs hallway.”

  Her eyes widened to saucers. “You have?”

  He nodded. It was the truth, even if he hadn’t meant to share it. She just stared at him like he was some kind of science experiment or something. The heat of embarrassment crept in, so he changed the subject. “When was the last time you remember seeing the bottles?”

  She shook her head. “Oh. Right.” She turned back to the cabinet, once again focused on the problem. His diversion had worked perfectly. Unfortunately, it backfired on him since his body was now primed and ready to go.

  “I know they were in here yesterday morning because I took one set out.” She turned to him. “Do you think that was what the break in was about last night?”

  “It could be. More than likely, the perp came back after we left.” There was no lock on the cabinet, so no need to pick it. “How well do you know your neighbors?”

  “First name basis with most of them. Why? You don’t suspect them, do you?”

  “No, but do you know if any have security cameras?”

  “I don’t.”

  He sent a quick text to Ethan and Noah asking if they could come over and talk to the police, whom he’d be calling next, and also canvas the neighborhood and try to get a look at any potential security footage.

  “We need to check out your house to see if they took anything else.”

  “Oh gosh, I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Let me clear it first. Stay here.” He didn’t wait for a response before stepping through the entry to her kitchen. A quick scan of the interior showed no obvious signs of an intruder, but he noted the unlocked sliding glass door, the stick she used as a back-up propped against the wall. He’d bet the perp entered through the front and carted the boxes out the back. Less noticeable to any neighbors who might be looking out their window in the early hours of the morning.

  The door to the laundry was closed. He remembered it being open. A quick glance told him that nothing had been touched. Same disaster area. He moved to her lab and his steps faltered. Some kind of liquid had pooled on the floor outside. He cracked the door open and cursed.

  Chapter Twelve

  Grant pushed the door open and stepped inside the room—into total destruction. It looked like a bomb had detonated. Beakers and test tubes and ring stands and digital balances and hell, he didn’t even know what most of the equipment was called, but it was all destroyed almost beyond repair. Filing cabinet drawers hung open, papers strewn everywhere. The perp had even ripped posters of Jade and Layla and the others promoting her product from the walls.

  After clearing the rest of the house, he headed back to the garage, dreading what came next.

  “Did they take—Grant, what is it?”

  “It’s your lab, honey.”

  “What?” She rushed past him and burst inside the house, stopping when she came to the room. A small sob caught in her throat.

  He couldn’t stand to see her in distress. He’d give anything to take her pain away. He gathered her into his arms. She looked so lost. Her eyes shimmered with tears and he prayed she held them in check. He wasn’t very good with crying women. Either of his brothers could handle them better than him. He was a battle-hardened warrior. He didn’t do codling. Both of her hands clutched his shirt and she pressed close, burying her face against his chest. She was shaking but making no sounds. He stroked her hair, the silky strands flowing over his fingers. He gave her time to gather her strength and then he leaned back to peer into her eyes.

  “Better?”

  She nodded and stepped back. His body mourned the loss.

  “It looks like they were searching for something. Do you keep the recipe in here?” He didn’t know squat about face cream, but hers’ obviously worked. It might make someone eager to get their hands on her formula.

  She shook her head, her eyes surveying the damage. “I mix it by memory. I only have it written down in one place and I keep that in a floor safe in my bedroom upstairs.”

  “Did you check to see if it’s still there?”

  “I took it with me when we left last night.”

  “Smart. If you want, I’ll put it in one of our safes to keep it protected.”

  “Yes, I would appreciate that.”

  Melody gasped and spun around when her doorbell rang. He placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “I texted the Addison’s and they called the police. It’s probably one of them. But let me go first, just in case.” Not that a thief would ring a doorbell, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

  It was Noah and Ethan. He showed them the destruction and the cabinet in the garage where Melody had stored the product. Then he loaded her in the SUV to head to her shop. The brothers would deal with the police. Melody needed to get to her store as soon as possible.

  #

  Melody didn’t remember anything about the drive to her store. Someone had broken into her house. Again. This time, they destroyed her lab. Bob the Beaker, Tony the Test Tube, all gone. She was self-aware to realize she had a rather pathetic habit of naming inanimate objects, but she spent so much time in her lab, they’d become her confidants. She chatted with them and they never talked back. It was her way of not feeling so alone. And even though she’d named them, Bob was actually the twenty-third or twenty-fourth. She’d lost count. Same with Tony. So yes, the items were all replaceable, but it was the invasion of her privacy that burned the most. Someone had come into her private sanctuary and destroyed it. Thank goodness she hadn’t written the formula down. She was absentminded sometimes, especially when she was working, but she’d been making Harmony so long, it was ingrained into her DNA.

  As horrifying as the break-in had been, that wasn’t why she couldn’t concentrate. Grant had kissed her. It had been totally unexpected but oh my, she could think of nothing else but the feel of his lips, soft yet firm. It’d been over practically before it started, but it was enough to make her want to taste him again. Longer. Deeper. All night long.

  “The parking lot is behind the building?”

  Her eyes snapped open, surprised to realize they were already at the shop. She guided him to the lot and he backed into the space. She noticed he did the same thing last night in her garage. Then it hit her—he wanted to be prepared in case they had to make a quick get-away. Smart. They used the small walkway between her shop and the kitchen gadget store to enter through the front door.

  Two women were conversing with Deanna when they arrived. There were only seven bags of product left on the shelves, so they must have had a few people in already. Deanna waved, but continued to make a sale.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” Raine said, hugging her. “I wasn’t sure what to do.” She glanced around. “I thought you were stopping for bottles from your house?”

  “Change of plans,” Melody said, not wanting to get into the destruction of her home. It was all she could do to keep the tears at bay. “We’ll get to work on making more here.”

>   Mason walked up to them with a grim look on his face and eyeing Grant, nodded towards the front of the building. “Let’s grab something to eat from the bakery down the block.”

  She shot a surprised look at Grant, whose face had transformed into a mask of fury. Something was wrong, but she missed whatever had passed between the two men. She hurried to catch up. This was her business and if something was going on, she needed to know about it.

  Raine watched them go with a look of confusion. “I’ll be right back,” she tossed over her shoulder. Deanna looked up from the album of before and after pictures she was showing two middle-aged women. Melody smiled reassuringly at her and grabbed the door before it closed in her face. Mason waited until they were inside the bakery before he spoke. The smells were so decadent, she almost missed what he said.

  “Three listening devices. Two in Melody’s office and one in the lab.”

  “What?” Someone had bugged her office? Why?

  “Any video?” Grant asked.

  Mason shook his head. “Just the three audio, and they’re pretty basic.”

  “How long have they been there?” Melody asked.

  “No way to tell. I left them up for now.”

  “We were hired to upgrade her security, so it would make sense that we find the devices when we install the equipment.” Grant turned to her. “That could be how someone knew about the extra boxes stored at your house.”

  “It could. I told Kendall about them when she asked if I had enough supplies for the grand opening. I was talking on my cell in my office at the time.”

  Mason raised a brow, so Grant explained, “Someone broke back into Melody’s house and stole all of her remaining supply and destroyed her lab.”

  Mason cursed softly under his breath.

  “I need to get back and start making more, but I should take a box of cookies back so Deanna and Raine don’t wonder what we’re doing. I don’t want them to know about the bugs.”

  “I was going to suggest that you not tell them,” Grant agreed, as they waited their turn in line.