by Ava Walsh
“Thank you, Sarah,” she gave a small nod before opening the little notebook.
“Okay, I will give these people a call back in a few minutes once I have the details sorted out for the Anderson party.” She held out her hand for the appointment book. Sarah quickly gave it to her. Melissa looked it over and nodded as she scanned the page.
“Everything here looks perfect, Sarah. You can give these people a call and confirm these dates.” She handed the book back to Sarah and dismissed her.
“Thank you,” Sarah gave a polite bow and headed for the door. Just as she was about to leave, Melissa called her back.
“Sarah. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You know what you are doing and you have my appointment book right in front of you. You can book the appointments without having to check with me. That is your job.” Melissa kept her face stern. If Sarah was going to be an event planner she needed to be sure of herself. She needed to be confident that she was doing things right. Sarah smiled sweetly and nodded before closing the door behind her as she headed back out to the lobby.
Melissa picked up the phone in her office and dialed the Anderson’s number.
“Hello, may I speak with Bonnie Anderson please?” She spun around in her chair and looked out the window. It wasn’t long before Bonnie’s familiar voice greeted her on the other end.
“Hello, Bonnie, this is Melissa Cleary calling. Yes, everything is great, I just wanted to confirm our afternoon meeting to discuss the plans for tonight.” Melissa rose from her chair and looked down at the bustling city below.
“Okay, no, that is fine, I can meet with him instead. I just want to run through the menu again and make sure that it is what you want and make sure there is nothing more you would like to add.”
She turned toward her office door where Sarah had just knocked and peeked her head in quietly.
“So your nephew will be there at 1:30 instead of 2?” Sarah mouthed that Taesha was waiting to see her in the lobby. Melissa nodded and motioned for her to send Taesha in.
“No, that is perfectly fine with me. I have the rest of the day booked off to prepare for the party anyway.” She gave a small wave to Taesha as she made her way into the room and sat in the chair in front of her desk.
“You too, I will see you tonight.” She set the phone down on the dock and turned her attention to her friend.
“Everything is ready for tonight?” Taesha casually pulled out her phone. Melissa nodded and sat down in her chair.
“How are you feeling about your date with Clayton on Friday?” Taesha raised her eyebrows and leaned forward.
“I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest. It’s only Wednesday.”
Taesha’s snickers were proof that she didn’t sound as nonchalant about it as she would have liked.
“You don’t have to put up your walls around me, Mel. You know that, right?” Taesha leaned back in her chair and offered a sympathetic grin.
“Yes, I do. It’s good practice,” Melissa smiled and leaned her elbows on her desk.
“If I can convince you that it doesn’t mean anything then I can definitely convince him.”
“If you say so,” Taesha grinned from ear to ear.
“So the Anderson party is tonight right?”
“Yeah. You have the address?” Melissa started rifling through some papers on her desk.
“Yes, I do. Saved it into my phone. The guys and I are going around 4:30 to get set up. Have you had the confirmation meeting yet?” Taesha searched through her phone to bring up the address so she could show Melissa and make sure it was the right one.
“Not yet. I have a meeting with the nephew at 1:30. I’m sure everything is fine. There shouldn’t be any major changes to the food or bar menu.” Melissa sat down and let out a long exhausted sigh.
“I’ll be there at 5 to help you guys set up and get the ball rolling.” Melissa rubbed her temples.
“You need a vacation or an assistant. You’re spreading yourself pretty thin these days.” Taesha stood up from the chair and slid her purse over her shoulder.
“I have an assistant. She just isn’t ready yet.” Melissa forced a smile. She really was exhausted.
“You mean the intern?” Melissa nodded and reached for the Tylenol bottle in her top drawer.
“How is she doing?” Taesha shifted casually to her other leg.
“She is doing fine. She could be doing better but she is constantly second guessing herself. All she needs is some confidence. I can’t be there to reassure her every step of the way.” Melissa looked up at the clock. It was already one o’clock.
“I should probably get ready to go. I have to be downtown to meet Mrs. Anderson’s nephew in half an hour.”
Taesha smiled and walked around the desk, pulling Melissa into a big hug.
“I’ll see you later then. Make sure you go grab yourself a coffee on the way. You’re starting to develop bags under your eyes,” Taesha laughed as Melissa tossed a stress ball at her.
Melissa grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and slung it over her arm. She grabbed her purse and her cell phone and headed off to the meeting.
***
Melissa pulled up to the restaurant and looked at her watch. She was fifteen minutes early.
Might as well go get a table. She grabbed her things and went inside. The restaurant wasn’t as busy as she thought it was going to be so she picked a table by the window. The view from this side of the restaurant was very beautiful. She was a sucker for beautiful scenery. She was so busy staring out the window that she hadn’t realized that her company had arrived.
“The view is much prettier at sunset.” A man’s voice startled her gaze away from the window. When she looked up her heart came to an abrupt halt. She rose and shook his hand, purely out of professional habit.
“Clayton?” His name caught in her throat.
“What are you doing here?” She managed to get the words out, though her throat felt like it was cutting off her air supply.
“Same thing you are,” he smiled playfully. Melissa’s entire body felt like it was on fire. She knew if she was going to have any chance of successfully meeting with Mrs. Anderson’s nephew, she was going to have to get rid of him.
“Well, I would love to chat some more but I’m actually meeting a client,” she had tried to sound casual but her body was shaking. Even though she felt like hiding under the table just to get away from him, she stood tall, chin up and shoulders back.
“Actually, I am your client.” He moved beside her and pulled out her chair for her to sit. He let out a soft chuckle when he saw the look of surprise on Melissa’s face as she took her seat at the table.
“Bonnie Anderson is your Aunt?” She pulled out the menus from her briefcase and splayed them neatly in front of her on the table.
“I’ve never seen you at any of their events and I plan a majority of them. I even planned their family reunion a few years back. You weren’t there either.” She watched as her inquisition of disbelief erased his roguish smile.
“I just recently reunited with them. It’s a long story and it’s one that I don’t care to share with you.”
Melissa was slightly taken aback by the tone in his voice. His words vibrated with anger but she could see sadness threatening to crack his carefully placed mask. He let out a sharp breath and just like that his composure had returned.
“May I take a look at the menus?”
“Yes, of course.” Melissa gave her head a shake and passed the menus across the table. He quickly scanned over the menus. She watched him as his eyes darted back and forth over the paper. She couldn’t understand how he could just flip his emotions on and off like that.
Typical guy.
“They look perfect. My Aunt will be very happy with this.” He handed the menus back to Melissa. His expression was cold.
“Okay, good then. I’m sure the staff will appreciate that.” Melissa tucked the menus back into her briefcase. She was just
about to ask if they should order lunch since they were already there when he rose from his chair and held out his hand.
“Thank you for meeting with me. I have things to do so I’ll be taking off.” Melissa slowly rose from her chair and shook his hand. The heat from his touch pulsated through her entire body. She swallowed nervously and withdrew her hand from his. Without waiting for her to say goodbye, he was gone.
Well. That went well. Melissa sat down in the chair. Should make for an interesting date Friday. Hopefully, I won’t run into him tonight. I’ll just have to keep myself busy. Melissa let out a long sigh and pulled out the dinner menu.
Chapter Four
Clayton stood on his Aunt’s veranda, looking out at all the familiar faces at the party. He shouldn’t have reacted that way to Melissa’s question about why she hadn’t seen him around the Anderson family functions before. It just slipped out. Like he had told her, it was a long story. A story that he had never told anyone. No one outside this family knew what had happened that night and he was perfectly content keeping it that way. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why they had welcomed him back with open arms. After what his father had done.
Clayton shook his head and looked around once more. He couldn’t help but think that Melissa was trying to avoid him. He had been here for nearly two hours and he still hadn’t seen her. It was only after one of his cousins nudged him that he realized the others in the small group were addressing him. He scanned the crowd once more and something caught his eye. It was her. Without answering his cousin’s question, he dismissed himself and started walking in her direction.
He was halfway through the crowd when he stopped.
What could I possibly say to smooth this over? She is probably offended at how I snapped at her.
He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. He wasn’t really sure why he felt the need to explain himself to her anyway. He never explained himself to anyone. He was more the take it or leave it kind of guy. He very rarely apologized for his actions and, if he did, it was rare that he meant it.
He successfully talked himself out of going to talk to Melissa. Instead, he headed straight for the bar.
“What can I get you?” The woman behind the bar shot him a stiff smile. He remembered her from the other night. She was standing with Melissa.
“You’re Melissa’s friend, right?” He placed a hand on the bar.
“I’ll take a glass of red wine.” He could see by her body language that she was indeed Melissa’s friend and that Melissa had probably told her all about their less than civil encounter earlier that day.
“Why yes, I am. Best friend actually,” her smile was loaded with hatred.
“Here’s your wine, sir.” She handed off the wine glass and turned her back to him. It was very obvious that she wasn’t too fond of his behavior either. He needed to fix this. Otherwise, he wasn’t going to be going on a date with the little Irish beauty. He turned his back to the bar and leaned against it, scanning the crowd once more. She was standing next to his Aunt. He downed his wine to the very last drop and set the empty glass down on the bar before making his way in their direction.
He painted on his most charming smile as he grew closer to Melissa and his Aunt. He could see Melissa’s entire body stiffen as he stood next to her. He looked down at her. She wouldn’t even look at him. His Aunt was busy talking to her husband. Now was his chance.
“Can I talk to you?” He continued to stare at the profile of her face. A small tendril of copper hair swayed in the gentle breeze. He felt his heart kick up a few beats.
“Is that not what you are doing now?” Her voice was cold and hostile, and yet it still made him ache for her in the worst way.
“I need to talk to you in private,” he bent low and whispered in her ear. Usually, that trick makes the women melt like butter but she seemed to be totally immune to his charm. He had never had a woman so unaffected by him. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and led her toward the house. To his surprise, she followed.
Once they were inside the house, he took her upstairs to the guest bathroom. It wasn’t until he had locked the two of them inside that he had realized his mistake. He turned to talk to her and she was glaring at him. There was a fire in her eyes that made him wilt under her stare. For once in his life, he was nervous around a woman.
What is it about this girl that gets me so wound up? He straightened his spine and took a few cautious steps toward her. She stood there, like a marble statue.
“I feel like I should apologize for the way I acted at the restaurant today.” He tried his best to hold her gaze, but he found his eyes roaming over her body and finally resting on her soft pink lips. The heat burning deep in his stomach was almost crippling.
“Is that right?” Melissa placed her hands firmly on her hips and stared at him in utter defiance. She stood there in silence, waiting expectantly. “I’m waiting.”
He could detect a hint of an Irish accent in her low growl, making his heart somersault in his chest. His breath caught in his throat when he opened his mouth to speak. He closed his eyes and turned away from her. It was the only way he was going to be able to speak to her. She rendered him speechless just by being in the same room as him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It’s just a touchy subject for me. I haven’t told anyone about it. I wasn’t just being an ass.” Once he had the words out, he was able to look at her. She had one eyebrow raised as if she didn’t believe a single word he had said.
“Thank you for apologizing. I just don’t see why you would think I would care.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to one side. All he could do was stare. Normally a response like that would have angered him, but hearing it from her somehow made his heart sink.
“Even so, I am sorry.” He gradually closed the gap between them, placing his hand under her chin and lifting her gaze upward. He searched her eyes, looking for any sign that she was hurting too. He found nothing. He gently traced her bottom lip with his thumb, then backed away.
“I’ll see you Friday.” He lowered his lips to hers, but she turned at the last moment so his lips lightly grazed her cheek.
He pulled away from her and her face was hard as a stone. If she felt anything at all for him, she was damn good at hiding it. He briefly wondered if he was wasting his time, but as he walked away, leaving her in the bathroom, he knew that she would be totally worth it.
***
The party had ended a few hours ago and Clayton had finally arrived at his home overlooking the dense forest. He stood on his bedroom balcony, leaning against the rail, taking deep cleansing breaths. He was at a total loss. He wasn’t used to the cyclone of feelings plaguing his mind. Every thought he had since meeting Melissa Cleary had somehow always led back to her. He wasn’t sure if it was merely the hunt that kept him chasing her or if it was something different. Something deeper. He couldn’t remember a single time he had actually planned a date with a woman but, with Melissa, he was actually looking forward to it.
Clayton sprawled out on his bed and turned out his bedside lamp. He closed his eyes and found her face staring back at him. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the reason that she wasn’t affected by him was because, around her, he wasn’t his usual commanding self. Every time he was around her his brain would scramble and his resolve would shatter. He had never had that happen to him before, it was very unsettling. Soon his eyes closed and his mind finally let him have some peace.
Chapter Five
Melissa stood in the middle of her kitchen and stared anxiously at the clock on the wall above the table. It was twenty to seven, which meant that Clayton had five minutes to pick her up before she took off in her own vehicle and met him at The Golf for their date. A small nagging voice in the back of her mind was telling her that he probably wasn’t even going to show.
“I can’t believe you are still going on this date,” Taesha popped her head around the corner and
leaned against the counter beside Melissa.
“After the way he treated you.”
“He apologized,” Melissa said curtly. She was fully aware that she sounded bitchy.
“Do you think I was too cold?” Melissa turned to Taesha with a worried look on her face.
“What do you mean?” Taesha tilted her head to the side. Melissa sighed and looked back up at the clock.
“He just turns my insides into mush whenever I’m around him. So being that I know the effect he has on me, I may have been a little too harsh and overcompensated slightly. Maybe he thinks that I didn’t want to go on this date after all.” She looked down at the floor.
“What do I do if he doesn’t show up? Do I still go to the restaurant?” She started looking through her purse for her keys. He had two minutes.
“I would,” Taesha shrugged and opened the fridge, pulling out a jug of apple juice.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Mel. I mean,after all, I’m the reason you are even going on this date. You didn’t want to go out with him, so it shouldn’t be much of a loss.”
She knew Taesha was right but she was invested in this date. She had let him get into her head and the worst part was she liked it. There was something about him that made her want to get to know him. She wanted to spend time with him. She looked up at the clock one last time and let out an annoyed sigh as she headed for the door.
“Thanks for helping me get ready, Taesha. I’ll catch you later.” Melissa's stomach felt like it was dragging on the floor. If Taesha hadn’t spent two hours doing her makeup, she probably would have broken into tears. Just as her hand met the doorknob, there was a knock at the door. Melissa’s hand flew to her chest. She cursed under her breath as she yanked open the door.
Melissa’s butterflies were picking her stomach up off the floor. She hated the effect he had on her. She hated it, but she loved it.
“You’re late.” She gave Taesha a wave and walked past him, closing the door behind them.
“I’m surprised you waited.” He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward his car.
