by Hadley Quinn
And now he was back to driving three hours from Fresno just to see her.
She really did need to talk to him about the baby, though. Putting it off any longer wasn’t going to resolve anything and she wasn’t going to feel comfortable with her decisions until she at least spoke to Jordan.
She sat down on the couch and found his number on her phone. It really would have been the easier choice to put it off again, but she needed to get this over with.
“Thank God,” Jordan exhaled when he answered her call. “Melanie, I really want to see you. To talk to you. Please. I know I’ve fucked up over and over but—”
“Yes, I’ll meet with you.”
He paused. “Really? Well fuck, I just got back to Fresno. If you would’ve just—”
“That’s fine. I’ll meet you there. I’d like to see family and friends anyways, so I’ll be staying at my Uncle Tim’s house for a couple of days.”
“Okay…so when do you want to meet?”
“Tonight. But I’m not meeting you alone, Jordan. I’ll have someone with me.”
“If you think you’re bringing that motherfucker here to my house, think again,” he growled in a low voice.
“I’m not exactly sure which ‘motherfucker’ you’re talking about,” she replied, holding back a smile. He could be talking about Teague or Jay—or Camryn, for that matter—but Melanie was pretty sure he meant Jay. “And besides, I’m not meeting you at your house. You’ll meet me at my uncle’s gym, got it? Seven o’clock.”
He paused again but she could hear him take in a breath of air and release it. “Fine, seven o’clock. See you there.”
Melanie hung up and released her own breath of air, hoping she’d feel more relaxed. But the worry that was pulsating through her wouldn’t let up. Uncertainty was the emotion she felt the most of these days, but she could hardly complain about it. It was her own stupidity, her own mistakes that had gotten her to this point. And she felt guilty and heartbroken that she’d put Camryn through so much crap over the years. One of these days she would make it up to her big sister.
Melanie’s goal was to stand on her own two feet, and although she knew how much she had accomplished so far, it still seemed so unreachable. She was twenty years old and had a part time job, but she was also pregnant and still living with her sister without any true direction. She loved life and had the energy to make something of it, but so far she had no idea where to start.
She exhaled a deep breath of air, and since steady breathing hadn’t helped, Melanie decided to jot a few notes down in her songbook to calm herself before she left for Fresno.
Chapter Five
“Tell me you didn’t just put that in your mouth.” Jay had watched Kyle drop a donut on the garage floor, pick it up, and take a huge bite out of it.
“I just swept this floor,” Kyle answered with his mouth full.
“That’s still disgusting.”
“Not as disgusting as you eating a jalapeño-fucking-habañero-whatever-the-fuck-it-was-called garlic pickle on a dare.”
Jay slowly smiled. “That was for money.”
“It’s still gross. Even if—”
Kyle stopped short when he stared into the office. Jay turned around to see the familiar brunette step up to the counter, but then she spotted him through the window and smiled with a wave.
“That’s Sophia, right?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah,” Jay answered as he wiped his hands on a rag.
“You two back together?”
“Nah, we just… I don’t know what she wants, to be honest,” he shrugged.
“Well based on that low-cut top I’d say she wants you to bone her,” Kyle chuckled.
Jay didn’t respond and just pushed through the doors to the waiting area of Beck’s auto shop. They had no receptionist since customers usually talked to Beck directly to schedule a project.
“Hey,” Jay greeted as he walked to the counter.
Sophia Nixon had a beautiful smile—it was one of the things about her that Jay really liked—and she used it often. Today was no exception, but he got the distinct feeling that something was up.
“Hi,” she answered him. “I thought I’d take you to lunch since I bailed on you five nights ago.”
Jay weighed his response, thinking it unusual that she would show up at his place of employment and expect him to be free. He glanced out the front windows and spotted the limo waiting in the parking lot.
“I’m working, Phee. I’m just about to paint a car.”
She bit her lower lip and eyed the clock above Jay’s head. “Even just a quick stop somewhere? We can eat in the limo on the way back. Thirty minutes tops.”
“I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“It’s thirty minutes, Jay,” she said, almost prayerfully with her hands clasped together. He couldn’t figure out why she was so adamant to spend time with him all of a sudden. First the date on Sunday that she canceled, and now this.
“If I could, I would,” he told her, just as Beck entered the waiting room from his office.
“Hey, what’s up,” Beck said, looking over the two of them as he tossed a folder on the file cabinet.
“Jay needs to eat lunch,” Sophia answered. “If you guys could just give him a short break, I’ll bring him back really soon. Twenty minutes,” she added this time.
“His friend already fed him,” Beck shrugged with a smile, “but okay.” He returned to the garage without realizing he’d just made things worse. Jay faced Sophia again and her curiosity was obvious.
“What friend?” she asked with a smile. “What friend of yours would be considerate enough to feed you lunch?”
She was clearly on the mark if she was thinking of his other guy friends, but that wasn’t the case this time.
“Her name is Melanie,” Jay answered.
Sophia’s eyebrows shot sky high. “I don’t recall you having a friend named Melanie,” she stated casually.
“She’s Teague’s sister-in-law and my former housemate. She dropped off a sandwich for me on her way to work.”
Sophia leaned against the counter slightly as she seemed to deliberate a reply. “You know, if you’re seeing someone you could just tell me,” she finally said.
Normally Jay would be an ass and laugh it off, but he wasn’t feeling that light-hearted about her insinuation. “If I were seeing someone, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now,” he replied evenly.
Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes softened and she seemed pleased. If she’d been any other girl but Sophia, Jay would have dismissed her right from the bat. But he shared a history with this woman and owed her a decent amount of respect.
“Look, Phee,” he said. “I’m busy all this weekend, but maybe we can meet up for dinner on Sunday night. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” she answered right away. She unexpectedly leaned over the counter, slid her hand behind his neck and pulled him forward, planting a kiss right on his lips. When Jay didn’t resist, she lingered against his mouth for a moment before pulling away. “Bye, Jay. I’ll be looking forward to your call.”
He watched her leave, enjoying the amount of effort she put in to give him a good view of how her short skirt could move when she walked. Smiling with amusement, he returned to the garage.
***
When Jay entered Teague’s house later that night, he was greeted instantly.
“Rawk! Hey fuck-fuck-fucker!”
With a smile at the expected salutation, Jay answered, “Hey cocksucker. How’s it goin’?”
The bird replied with his usual head bobbing as he paced up and down on his perch, and then Jay noticed Melanie standing at the kitchen entryway with her arms folded across her chest.
“Now he’s gonna be saying cocksucker?” she scoffed.
“Well I hope so, but he’s probably not that smart,” Jay grinned. “But that would make my damn year if he did.” He glanced around the house and asked, “Where is everyone?”
“Chase had to go to the emergency room earlier today, so Teague and Camryn went to visit him after Max took him home,” she answered over her shoulder as she returned to the kitchen.
Jay followed her and sat at the counter. “What happened to him?”
“He got stung by a bee, and apparently he had a really bad reaction to it. He’s okay, though. The worst part was dealing with media, even with the special treatment for privacy.”
Jay watched her mix a salad in a large bowl as he mulled over the awkward relationship that Teague had with his half-brother, Max. After finding out that Max was Chase’s biological father and not Teague, Teague’s life literally crumbled apart. The situation with Max was still a strange one, but Teague and Camryn were always there for Chase no matter what.
“Tell me how your meeting with Jordan went,” Jay finally asked Melanie. He hadn’t spoken to her much this week except for a text informing him she was back in town on Monday and that everything was okay. When she brought him a sandwich earlier, Melanie was going to fill him in but she was already running late.
“It went as expected,” she answered. “Like I said, I took Brandon with me and we met in my uncle’s office at the gym. Tim was there too, so all we did was talk about stuff.”
Jay considered that silently. He approved. Brandon was one of Camryn’s best friends—her deceased fiancé’s brother. He was a nice guy and he’d been there for Camryn and Melanie over the years. However, he was happier to hear that Tim was there too. The guy was a legit boxer and Jay could picture Jordan Meyers feeling a little uncomfortable in his presence.
“And?” Jay asked. “What kind of shit is that dickhead gonna give you?”
Melanie frowned at him but answered anyway. “He agreed to paying child support, but that was after I told him I wouldn’t move in with him.”
“He wants you to move in with him? Fuck no, you’re not moving in with him. You tell him I’m moving in too and see what he says.”
Melanie smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure that would be a lot of fun.”
“Yes it would be,” he nodded decisively as he reached for a garlic stick from the breadbasket.
“I’ll feed you now if you want,” Melanie told him. “I have no idea when they’ll be back. Cam said she’d text me when they knew a time.”
“What’s for dinner?” Jay asked, eyeing the dish that was covered in foil on the stove.
“It’s baked spaghetti. You’ll love it. Think lasagna but with spaghetti noodles.”
“I’m sold,” he said, standing up to grab a plate.
When he pulled the foil off, it really did look good. He grabbed a serving spoon and scooped a large section of it onto his plate. He was headed back to the counter to sit down when Melanie cleared her throat loudly. She was gesturing to the bowl of salad with a nod of her head.
“I’m not a damn rabbit,” he sighed, but he picked up the tongs and plopped a small amount onto his plate.
“I put extra meat in the baked spaghetti, just for you,” Melanie said. “So yes, you can eat some vegetables with your dinner. What are you, five?”
“And-a-half,” he smiled before taking a big bite of spaghetti. After he swallowed he asked, “Is there dessert?”
“Maybe,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Depends on how much of your salad you eat.”
She placed a bottle of vinaigrette in front of him and he paused mid-bite. “Can I at least use ranch?”
“Don’t have any.”
He didn’t even mind after taking several bites of the baked spaghetti. It was by far one of the best meals he’d had in a long time. “Cam can make this for me every time you guys invite me for dinner,” he said. “This is amazing.”
When she didn’t respond, he looked up from inhaling his food. Melanie’s face was expressionless but she said, “For your information, I made this. By myself.”
“Really? You’re getting good at this, pretty girl. If I had the money, I’d hire you to be my personal chef.”
“Right,” she lightly laughed. “I’d get all kinds of jokes thrown my way, and if something didn’t go right in your life, you’d blame my cooking.”
He was amused but shook his head. “Nah. I give credit where credit’s due. This is awesome, Mel. Thank you.”
She dished up a small amount of spaghetti and a large portion of salad and sat next to him. “I don’t mind making food for you, Jay. It’s easier to make a full dish of something than just a single portion. If you come over more often, you could eat with us more often.”
“I don’t need to turn into a mooch,” he said, getting up for two glasses of water.
“Why do you think Teague asked you to come over?” she said before taking a bite of salad. “He misses you.”
“He’s worried about me,” Jay corrected.
“What’s the difference?”
Jay sighed and set a glass of water in front of her before he took a drink of his own. When he returned to the stool next to her he said, “Because I’ve never really been good on my own. Without Teague, I do a lot of stupid shit.”
Melanie laughed, but Jay knew she wasn’t making fun of him. It was the laugh of familiarity; a laugh that said, “I know exactly what you mean.” When she leaned over to put her arm around him she said, “You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, Jay. And you’re ambitious. You have goals and I know you’re going to achieve them.”
He smiled when she laid her head against his shoulder. His fondness for Melanie had grown immensely since the day he met her. He loved that Camryn was married to his cousin; she was perfect for him and Jay was thrilled his best friend was so happy. Melanie shared a lot of Camryn’s attributes—she was beautiful, witty, thoughtful, and sweet when she wanted to be—but the one difference between the two sisters was that Melanie wasn’t as reserved. She felt how she felt and she didn’t care who saw it. She was usually pretty happy, laughed a lot, and was quick to enjoy life even if it sucked at the moment. She was actually inspiring to be around, even when she challenged him on his worst days with her feistiness.
Jay reached over and patted her knee appreciatively. “And you’re sweeter than you let on.”
She laughed and returned to her stool. “Yeah, well, life is about give and take. If I was nice to you all the time, your head would inflate beyond measure.”
“Listen to you, thinking you know all about what my head is like,” he cocked a suggestive eyebrow.
She feigned a gasp at his blatant innuendo. “I don’t even want to know about your sex-capades,” she bit back a smile. “Besides, I hear enough from all the women you leave befuddled and bemused.”
That sent a raw feeling to his chest and he almost dropped his fork. “What are you talking about?” he asked carefully.
“Oh relax,” she smiled, her green eyes shimmering with enjoyment. “I’m just messin’ with you. Besides, I need to butter you up because I have a favor to ask you.”
He took another bite and relaxed a little. “Sure, what’s up?”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Well, my mom is getting rid of some things and apparently she has an old car she wants to give me. She said her husband bought it before he died; he was going to have it fixed up or something, but never got around to it. I really don’t want an old junker, but I thought maybe you would. You know, to fix it or something. Sell it, I don’t care. But she just wants it out of the garage.”
“What kind of car is it?” Jay asked, thoroughly interested.
“It’s a ’69 Fastback.”
That time Jay did drop his fork. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Is that a good thing?” she asked with a chuckle. “I mean I know those kinds of cars can be worth something when they look really good, but I have no idea what shape it’s in. She said it needed a lot of work.”
“Where is it? Up at her place in Oregon?”
“Yeah. So you’re interested?”
“Hell yes I’m interested.”
&
nbsp; “Good, then you can have it if you find a way to haul it out of her garage.”
“That’s not a problem,” he shook his head. “But I’m not just taking a car like that from someone. I’ll pay something for it. I mean I don’t really have any funds available right now—I mean I have a lot saved but don’t want to touch it—”
“Jay, she’s just giving it to me. She made me feel like she’d be indebted to me just by getting it out of her house. I’m handing it over to you because that’s your kind of thing.”
“Well, then let me see what I can do for it first. If it’s a car I can re-sell—which I’m sure I can, unless it’s just a pile of scrap—then we’ll split the profit.”
“You’re going to be doing all the work on it, so you keep whatever you make from it. I certainly didn’t do anything to earn it, and I’m definitely not going to be working on it. Out of all the things my mom could have given me over the years—you know, time and love and normal stuff like that—she gives me a damn junk car because she wants it out of her house? No thanks. But since she said she was just going to give it away to someone, I told her I’d take it for you to have. She was overjoyed.”
Jay was overjoyed, as well. He was putting in extra hours at Beck’s, and now with two cars to restore, he just might be getting ahead in life in the near future.
“Melanie, I love that you’re so giving like that. But I also want you to consider your own situation right now. You’re getting some of the profit, no questions asked. Put it away for the baby or…take some college classes or something.”
“College,” she scoffed, playfully sticking her tongue out.
Jay chuckled. “Yeah, I hear ya on that one. Not my thing, either.”
“That’s not what I heard,” she smiled at him.
“What is it that you heard?”
“Jay, I know how smart you are. You graduated with a 3.4 GPA, despite all the trouble you got into all the time.”
He shook his head with a smile. “Teague dropped out of high school after his junior year, and even though he got his GED and paved his own way, he threatened to kill me if I dropped out too. But other than that, I just wanted to get the fuck away from my dad. I was hoping to get a football scholarship, but then that went down the shitter in a matter of seconds.”
