by Dee J. Adams
God, she was sexy when she worked out. She kept her body in tip-top condition. She’d told him that before the first accident she’d been on the heavy side, but he couldn’t believe it. Her body was all toned muscle now.
Mel headed back to his place but stopped when he heard something. Lifting his head, he turned toward Ashley’s place and strained to hear. There it was again. The oddest sound. Almost like a whine, but not really. Drawn toward Ashley’s back yard, Mel walked quietly as he listened harder. Maybe it was Roamer…
He saw her over the gate. Ashley sat on the ground next to a chaise lounge. She had her head buried in Roamer’s neck as he sat quietly in front of her.
She didn’t see him. He could just as easily turn around and keep that distance he’d been thinking about. Except his feet stayed rooted to the spot. When an especially heartfelt sob wrenched from her gut, he couldn’t stand it anymore.
Without giving himself a chance to change his mind, Mel knocked on the wooden gate as he opened it up and walked through. “Anyone home?” he called. He could play stupid for a minute.
Ashley quickly wiped her tears and hauled herself up from the ground as her dog bounded toward him, tail wagging. “Hi. What a nice surprise. I didn’t know when you’d be home.” She quickly lowered the shades that had been resting on her head.
“Just got in a few minutes ago. Hey, Buddy.” He petted the dog’s sleek fur. “Did you miss me?” he asked Ashley.
“Desperately.” She moved forward as if she meant to peck him on the cheek, but ended up with a perfect air kiss. Her cheek grazed his. “Oh my God! You shaved!” she said, giving him a big hug. A really big hug. Mel held on, liking the way they fit together and feeling oddly special that she’d missed him. She pulled back and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Ooh, stubble. Sexy.”
Mel took her hand. He hadn’t thought about his lack of facial hair or how it would faze her. “Yeah, I shaved for work. It’ll grow back in another few days. How’s Smelly been treating you?” he asked with a quick subject change. “Or did you find someone to replace her?”
Ashley sputtered a laugh—as he’d hoped—and pulled back. “I think she got the hint because Roamer sneezed whenever she was around. She still smells, but not as strong.”
“Glory hallelujah,” he said. But he couldn’t stand that something was bothering her. Something that had her crying on her dog’s shoulder outside in the cold December air. He lifted her glasses enough to see her red-rimmed eyes. “You feel like telling me what’s wrong?”
Stepping back, Ashley waved him away. “Just a case of aggravation. Sometimes the shit piles up—literally this time—and I get frustrated.” She pointed to a brown boot next to the chaise. “I stepped in it, big time, and just got upset.” She sat down, picked up a scrub brush next to a bucket of water and began cleaning her boot. “Stupid Paula said she scooped and I’m sure she did, but as soon as she left, I came out and BAM…right into a fresh pile. On the walkway, no less.”
“Well, shit.” Mel sat next to her. “No pun intended.” He took the brush and the boot. “Here, let me do that. Can you even see it?”
“Kind of. Not really.” Her voice cracked and a tear trickled down her face before she swiped it away.
“No need to get upset. I’ve got this. It’ll just take a minute to clean up. You got most of it already.” Unless the dirty boot wasn’t really what was bothering her. Maybe he’d missed something in the two days he’d been gone. She’d had a doctor’s appointment. “Hey, what’d the doc say the other day? Any news on your eyes?”
She looked up to the sky and the tears came in earnest. He took that as a yes and it didn’t seem like good news. “I shouldn’t talk about it, because if Paula comes back and hears me moaning, she’s going to give me one of her stupid pep talks and I don’t want to hear it.”
“What if we go for a walk?” Shit, had he really said that? He wanted to go for a walk about as much as he wanted his old life back. It had nothing to do with Ashley and everything to do with possibly being seen. But he wanted to be around Paula less and if she was coming back then he wanted to be gone.
“You mean on the beach?”
“Sure. On the beach.” There wouldn’t be too many people out on a chilly day and the chances of being spotted were slim and none. He had a scarf and knit cap on so he felt pretty safe. “You, me and Roamer. We’ll leave Paula a note and tell her you’re fine and you’ll be back in a little while. Where is she anyway?”
“She ran to the grocery store to pick up some milk and eggs.”
“Good.” Mel finished with Ashley’s boot and dropped it next to its mate by the back door. Ashley had already changed into different shoes. “Here, this is clean. Let’s hit the sand.”
Mel followed her into the kitchen where he scribbled out a note. “So things must be working out with Paula if she’s still here,” he said.
She tipped her head from side to side in a “so-so” gesture. “She’s really nice and she means well, but she’s two tacos short of a combination.”
Mel smiled. It was hard not to. “How so?” He led the way out of the house with Roamer tagging along behind.
“The other day I asked her to record the number for the Department of Rehabilitation and she juxtaposed two numbers and got it wrong. It took me most of the day to figure out what had happened because the phone kept ringing and there was no voice mail. By then, I’d lost a day.
They took the stairs to the ocean and started walking south. “Long story short, I finally called information, got the right number and called, but I’ve been playing phone tag with the woman I need to speak to.” Mel helped Ashley over the hill of rocks that separated their alcove from the rest of the beach. Roamer seemed thrilled to investigate new territory. Once clear of the rocks, Mel tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and they walked.
“So as soon as you talk to this woman, you can start interviewing for someone permanent?” She nodded but didn’t seem happy about the situation. “Okay. How about you tell me what’s really bothering you?” he finally said. In the few weeks he’d known her, he hadn’t seen this serious side to her. She’d always been full of jokes and smiles.
After a deep breath, she told him about the diagnosis of Wet Macular Degeneration due to head trauma and the new medication, which was administered by a needle in the eye.
Yeow. “That doesn’t sound like any fun, but,” he said before she commented, “look at everything you’ve already been through. All the physical therapy and the aches and pain that went with your accident. I mean, they have to give you some kind of sedative or Novocain. You’re not going to feel it the way you’re thinking.” She shrugged in response so he continued. “What about it scares you specifically?”
“Are you kidding? Everything,” she said with another shrug. “The pain. The fact that I do it and it might be for nothing.”
“You can handle the discomfort of a shot. Look at you, you’re the toughest blind chick I know.”
“I’m the only blind chick you know,” she muttered as she shook her head and smacked his arm in that way she did.
“You have to try it because the alternative is living the way you are now for the rest of your life. Although I know you could do that, you wouldn’t be happy if you never tried the best way to get your sight back.”
“How come you have all the answers?” she asked quietly.
He squeezed her hand. “I don’t. I’m just considering the options.” They walked a few more steps. “In the long run, you’ve worked too hard already to accept the current situation without doing whatever you can to remedy it.”
“Wow, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you actually know me,” she teased. She tugged on his arm. “Thank you. I appreciate the straight talk and the confidence.”
“It wasn’t what Paula would’ve told you?”
“Paula is big on cheerleading, but it comes after she makes those horrified sounds from thinking about getting a needle in the eye. Then she’s
big on making sure I know there are worse things than being declared legally blind. Which,” she said, lifting a finger in the air, “is completely different than being legally blonde.”
Mel laughed. Even when she felt down, she was funny.
“I feel bad laying this all on you,” she said. “For some reason, I just feel comfortable with you.” She exhaled hard. “I can’t really be honest with my mom or sis or Ellie, because they all worry too much. I feel like I always have to be this rock where they’re concerned. Lizzie had a good ear, but she’s gone and Paula, well I don’t even know Paula and she’s not permanent.” She squeezed his arm. “I feel like I can talk to you because you don’t love me or have the same overprotective feelings as my family. I feel like you’ll be honest with me because you’re my friend. I really like that we’re friends.” She shook her head and made a sound in her throat. “Oh. My. God. I am such a dork for spilling all that. Time for a subject change.” She perked up. “I know! I completely forgot to ask…” She tugged on his arm again. “Did you get laid?”
He knew what she was trying to do. Her loneliness reached out and knocked him in the gut. She was desperate for someone to talk to, to listen to her and yet at the same time, it seemed as if wanting those things made her selfish. She waited for his answer with her brows lifted.
“No,” he said, giving her a soft elbow in the ribs. “I didn’t get laid. Are you going to ask me that after every gig?”
“Probably.” She smiled brightly. “So tell me about it. Was it fun?”
“It was work,” Mel said with a shrug. He explained how Seger hadn’t wanted to take the job, but the man had agreed to fly in the whole band and cover all the expenses. Mel had worn a blond wig, shaved off his beard and went back to the size-too-large clothes to hide his muscle.
“When’s the next gig?” she asked.
“We’ve got a benefit tomorrow night in Santa Barbara. It’s close so I can crash here tonight.” Mel explained how Seger played at least a half-dozen benefit dates a year to raise money for different charities. Inevitably many of those dates fell during the holidays when people seemed to be the most generous of spirit…and wallet.
After fifteen minutes, they headed back toward their part of the beach. Cold wind blew in from the water, but Mel didn’t mind the chill. He liked the tranquility of walking with Ashley and the way his head cleared of all the garbage.
Carefully, they climbed the stairs and Ashley turned before opening the gate at the top. Roamer sat and waited, his tongue lolling out to the side as he panted. Standing on a step above him, she met Mel face to face. It still struck him as weird that her beautiful blue eyes couldn’t see. “Thanks for talking me down,” she said.
Her earnest expression made him smile. “That’s what a good neighbor does.”
She cupped his face with cool palms. “Do you mind if I just do this?” she asked, feeling his face with gentle fingertips. “There’s such a difference without all the hair.”
Mel closed his eyes as her fingers traveled his cheeks and his eyebrows. Her thumbs grazed his jaw. Her touch left him holding his breath. It felt like an erotic face massage. Uh-oh. Erotic and massage should not have come to mind, because apparently his dick liked those two words a whole lot.
“I like your face,” Ashley said quietly. Her warm breath floated across his lips. He waited for her kiss, but it never came. She just kept touching his face, so lightly, until Mel opened his eyes. She was so concentrated on feeling him that she didn’t seem to notice how close they really were. “You have really strong features,” she said. But it seemed more of an internal thought than something she meant for him to hear.
“Ash?” Mel wanted to kiss her. She was standing too close for him not to kiss her.
She smiled. “Elle calls me that too.” She bent her head and took her soft lips further away from his. “Thank you for becoming such a good friend in such a short time.” She kept one hand on his cheek, raised her head and brought her lips to his. Goddamn, she was just as soft and warm as he remembered. Her lips stroked against his in the fucking sweetest touch he could ever imagine. A little nibble and a little suction later and his dick was fully on board with the whole idea. Mel had put his hands in his pockets and as he withdrew them to bring her closer, she pulled away. “I should probably get inside. I’m sure Paula is worried about me. She seems to have taken this temporary job very seriously.”
“Or we could stay out here and keep kissing,” Mel said.
“I told you, you don’t want me. I’m damaged goods.” She said it without any pity in her voice, just as if it was a fact she’d come to grips with and he should too. Mel had never wanted so badly to prove someone wrong. She turned and opened the gate before he got a sound out.
He had no intention of leaving this conversation on those words.
Chapter Fifteen
Paula walked into the kitchen with a grocery bag in her arm. “Ashley,” she called, setting her load on the center island. No response. “Ashley,” she called again. Then she spotted the note on the far counter. As she read the messy handwriting, her buzz faded. Ashley was with Mel and clearly he’d written the note. Anger and frustration rose in her stomach and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She had to keep her cool to make her plan work. The phone rang and she stared at it. Ashley had never told her not to answer the phone. Who knew what she might learn if she took a message? Paula picked the receiver off its cradle in midring. “Hello.”
“Hello, this is Joan Armsworth from the Department of Rehabilitation. Is this Ashley Bristol?”
Grabbing hold of the opportunity, Paula didn’t hesitate to take it. “Yes. This is Ashley. Thank you for calling me back. However, I won’t be needing your services. I found someone to help me out. But thank you so much for returning my call.”
“Of course. Don’t hesitate to call us in the future if you need any assistance.”
“I won’t.” Paula’s heart rate picked up a few notches. “Thanks again. Bye.” She hung up the phone, elation and accomplishment buzzing through her veins as she paced the kitchen. She had Ashley in the palm of her hand.
She heard a giggle, looked up and saw Mel and Ashley lingering at the backyard gate. She couldn’t hear what they said, but as Ashley came through the gate, Mel smacked her ass. Ashley shrieked and laughed and Paula’s mood changed instantly.
Hot anger exploded in her chest. Ashley Bristol would not take Mel away from her! Ashley didn’t know what she had in front of her so she clearly didn’t deserve him. Mel hadn’t even been in his house a full month. How the hell had they gotten so friendly with each other anyway? The questions and possibilities swirled in Paula’s head and frustration brewed fresh.
Again, Paula paced the tile floor and looked around. She swung a low step stool close to the kitchen door, took the eggs out of the grocery bag and grabbed the roll of paper towels. Ashley’s footsteps drew closer and Paula opened the carton, dropped an egg and got on all fours as she began cleaning it up.
The sand room door opened and Paula’s heart ticked along quicker. Footsteps came closer. Almost there… She heard the yelp and tumble and spun around. Ashley was on the floor, swearing up a storm.
Success!
Paula jumped to her feet and ran to Ashley. “Oh, my God! Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” She knelt next to her. The noise brought Roamer in through the dog door and he sniffed the scene.
“Dammit, I’m fine,” Ashley said, sitting up and testing her arm. She looked pissed as hell and Paula held back a grin. “What the hell was the stool doing in front of the door?”
“Oh, God, that was totally my fault. I am so sorry.” Paula helped Ashley to her feet, righted the stool and stuck it back under the counter. “I was putting the eggs away and dropped one so I moved the stool to make sure I cleaned up the whole mess. I didn’t want you to slip or anything. God, Ashley, I am so sorry. It’s totally my fault.”
Ashley sighed and her shoulders stooped forward a little. “It
’s okay. It’s okay. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You just have to be careful of stuff like that in the future, okay?”
“Of course! God, I’m so sorry. I was so focused on cleaning up the spot and look what I did. I’m such a dope.”
Ashley shook her head. “You’re not a dope. You meant well. Quit being so hard on yourself. I’m fine. I’m just going to take a couple aspirin and ward off the soreness. I kind of tweaked my arm.”
“Do you need help?” Paula asked.
“No. I got it. Thanks.” Ashley began limping out of the room with Roamer following.
Paula waited until she reached the door. “Oh, I wanted to tell you that I called the Department of Rehabilitation and found out that Joan Armsworth took a leave of absence. They told me her replacement will call you back as soon as she can, that she’s swamped with Joan’s files.”
Ashley looked as if someone had run over her dog and Paula had to fight back another grin. “You called today?” she asked.
“Just now, when I got in. I got tired of them not calling you back. I think it’s bullshit to leave you hanging like that.” She shook her head and her frustration sizzled in her words.
“Thanks.” Ashley flashed a small grin but Paula knew her heart wasn’t in it. “And thanks for picking up the groceries. You can take off when you want.”
No reason to push. She’d just bought herself more time. “Okay,” she said, setting the milk in the fridge. “Maybe you should take a warm bath and soak before you get too sore. I’ll just leave when I’m done in here.”
“I might do that.” Ashley shuffled through the house and Paula felt a zing of triumph whistle through her system.
Paula turned back to the kitchen and folded the grocery bag. She needed to do damage control where Mel was concerned. A fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies sat on a cake plate on the counter. Maybe she’d take the offensive. Lizzie had told her how Mel had devoured the cookies that she and Ashley had brought him the first day.
