by Hadley Quinn
As she scanned through it she asked, “So you know how to do all this stuff? Or do you use a book, too?”
“I know quite a bit without using a reference, especially when it comes to all the standard stuff and any of the finish work. But yeah, I’ll open up a manual if I need to.”
“And how often is that?” she asked with a smile.
“Are you trying to get me to admit how awesome and knowledgeable I am?”
“Yes,” she laughed.
“Fine,” he shrugged. “I rarely need help ‘cause I know what I’m doing. I’ve been working on cars since I was fifteen. But there’s still a lot I need to learn or get better at.”
“And what about owning your own shop? That’s still a goal of yours?”
He tried to measure the meaning behind her inquiry but decided against it. “Yeah, that’s still in the plans. But I’m guessing it’s about five years down the road.”
“You never know, Jay. I think you’ve got it in you to make it happen sooner. You are seriously determined to achieve anything you put your mind to. Life is definitely going to work out in your favor. I believe in you.”
Jay turned to the Boss for the next few minutes and continued to look it over some more. Thank God he had a car in the room to use as a buffer because her faith in him was beyond his comprehension. Three years ago he might have been on the right track, but temptation got in the way of his dreams and he’d fucked up big time. For a while he was barely getting by month-to-month. Now he was doing better and had money in savings for his future business. He still had a ways to go, but he was at least on the right track.
“How ‘bout you go up and talk to your mom for a bit and I’ll call Grady to get him over here,” Jay finally said. “It’ll be at least a couple hours before we pull this thing onto the car trailer and load up everything else.”
“I really don’t want to talk to her, Jay. Honestly. I’ll find some boxes and box all the parts up that can fit. Is that okay? Just tell me how you want it stored and I’ll do it.”
He wasn’t going to argue. That would be a huge help and they could leave sooner. He gave her a quick rundown for packing parts, but he really didn’t care if they were organized. He’d sort them out back in his own garage later.
While Melanie got started with that, Jay tried to get a hold of Grady. He ended up leaving him two voicemails and two texts, and still didn’t hear back from him. He helped Melanie pack boxes while he waited for a return call, which finally came when Melanie reluctantly headed upstairs to ask for more boxes.
But Grady’s phone call did not make Jay happy.
Chapter Eight
When Jay made it back upstairs, he could hear an argument ensuing between Melanie and her mom. They were in the kitchen and couldn’t see him, but he wasn’t sure if he should make his presence known or just go back down to the garage.
“I really don’t understand what the rush is,” he heard Serena say. “It’s almost ten o’clock. Just stay the night and leave in the morning.”
“I’m only along for the ride. I came knowing that it would be a quick turn around. And besides, I’m totally okay with that.”
“I’m your mother, damn it. I haven’t seen you in four years.”
Melanie’s chuckle was obviously a bitter one. “Well now whose fault is that? All this time I’m only good enough for a two-minute phone call now and then? I admire everything that Camryn has done for you, despite the fact that you haven’t done a single thing to thank her. But nothing has changed and it never will. And I’m still the daughter you never wanted, and I’m still the disappointment that you’ll always avoid claiming.”
“That is not true!” Serena snapped. “I was a young mother and did the best I could! You need to stop holding that against me!”
“That’s interesting,” Melanie said. “I specifically remember eating cereal for dinner five times a week when Dad wasn’t home. When Camryn was old enough to cook, she took care of me not you! And while Dad was busy working two jobs, all you did was watch soap operas or read romance novels all day if you were actually even home!”
“Do not bring your dad into this conversation, Melanie Elizabeth! You have a very clouded memory of your father.”
“Clouded? How come he’s the only one I remember that hugged me or told me he loved me? How come I remember going for ice cream and other ‘just because’ surprises when he was around and I remember nothing with you?”
There was a long pause before Serena answered, “Can we stop talking about this? Your father is dead, rest his soul. I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
“Fine, and I don’t want to talk period.”
When Melanie rounded the corner, she saw Jay leaning against the wall just as Serena said, “At least Camryn has forgiven me, why can’t you?”
Melanie closed her eyes as she let out a breath of air, but when she opened them, they automatically locked with Jay’s. Her eyes were like molten emeralds any time she was pissed, and if Jay were to actually be honest with himself, sometimes it turned him on.
But this time he could tell it was a moment to bridle that part of him.
“That was before you didn’t even show up for her wedding,” Melanie sighed over her shoulder. She made it to the basement door and to Jay whispered, “Can we go, please?”
“Grady can’t make it tonight,” he answered. “He’s having a fucking party and too drunk to go anywhere.”
Melanie sighed and bit her lip. “But he can help in the morning, though?”
“Yeah, he’ll be here in the morning. I can go crash at his place until then and—”
“You are not leaving me here,” she cut in quickly, clutching his forearm tightly with her hand. “Please, Jay. I can’t be here with her, and I don’t care how childish that sounds. And this house is just too big and…spooky.”
The corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile. “Spooky?”
“You already know I don’t like the dark,” she countered.
“Yes, you sleep with a Snoopy nightlight.”
“So?” she chuckled good-naturedly. “What’s cooler? A seashell? Lighthouse?”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he laughed.
“Well even so, I hate big empty houses like this. Let me come with you.”
“Grady’s got a bunch of people at his house. I don’t want you around his drunk friends, so you’re staying here.”
“Then you can drop me off at a motel because I am not staying here,” she stated.
She headed down the stairs before he was able to argue that she was being a pain in the ass.
“Melanie, slow the fuck down,” Jay called. She’d already booked it down the stairs, and when he made it to the garage again, she was packing another box of parts. She was visibly rattled about the prospect of him leaving her behind. With a sigh, he took the box from her and set it against the wall with the others and said, “Come on, hon, we’ll go.”
She didn’t bother to question him and followed him out a back door. After walking to Teague’s truck in silence, Jay backed the trailer into the driveway to leave it behind, and ten minutes later they walked right into Grady’s house that was bustling with various guests.
“Oh fuck, you really are here!” a loud voice exclaimed.
Grady walked across the room, his slight limp apparent. He had almost gone pro in football, but a serious car accident had left him with a hip replacement and pins in his leg. Jay had worked with the guy in his family’s auto shop when he’d lived in Oregon with Teague for almost a year, and he’d quickly become friends with him. Grady was good people, but he could get a bit rambunctious when he was drunk.
Jay noticed Melanie cringe when Grady slapped him on the back forcefully.
“So who is this gorgeous creature?” Grady smiled at her. His dark eyes looked her up and down eagerly, but Jay knew he would never be that bold and blatant if he weren’t drunk.
“This is Melanie,” Jay introduced. “Mel, meet G
rady. And if he or any of his dickhead friends make you feel uncomfortable, I will beat the shit out of him without a thought.”
This was the truth, even though Jay gave his friend a playful smirk.
Grady held up his hands and shook his head. “You know I wouldn’t do it on purpose,” he chuckled. Looking at Melanie he said, “I apologize in advance. I do get a little stupid when I’ve been drinking. That’s why I only do it in my own house, just like this douchebag,” he nudged Jay.
Jay cleared his throat uncomfortably, especially because Melanie gave him a funny look. Lately he hadn’t been so smart about it and he knew that she was already aware of that. “Uh, you still got that futon in your workout room?” he asked Grady. “I’m gonna let Melanie crash there.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, sure,” Grady nodded. “You know where the blankets are, right? Pillows and shit are in the, you know, the door thingy…”
“Yeah, okay,” Jay smiled, shaking his head. “Why don’t you go sit down for a bit, pal. I’ll talk to you later.”
Grady offered an awkward bow at the waist to Melanie and said, “Make yourself at home, gorgeous. Mi casa is…uh…” His face scrunched up as he concentrated on his next words.
“Yeah, okay,” Jay chuckled, pushing him upright and toward the couch. “Go chill for a bit.” Once Grady was situated, Jay looked at Melanie and said, “Sorry about that.”
“You’re apologizing for that?” she smiled. “He has to be the sweetest drunk guy I’ve ever been around. You must be forgetting my stupid past, Jay. I’ve seen it all. Trust me.”
“Well it doesn’t mean you need to again,” he replied dryly.
He motioned for her to follow him down a hallway. They came across a couple in the way, practically mauling each other with their hands and mouths. The guy was grabbing for a door handle at the same time, trying to slip inside a room.
“Fuck no, asshole,” Jay warned him, shoving him three feet the opposite direction. “Go do that shit in your own house.”
The guy was about to retort something back, but changed his mind when he got a better look at Jay staring him down. He made the smart choice by turning away to leave the scene, but the girl glanced behind to glare at Melanie for some reason, and then gave her a snotty smile as Jay opened the same door to enter the room.
Melanie smiled right back at the chick and blatantly flipped her off.
Amused, Jay playfully pushed her into the weight room and switched the light on. “No starting fights, my pretty girl.”
“Oh, but you can?” she countered back.
“I wasn’t starting a fight,” he stated plainly. “You think that guy was going to argue with me?”
“No,” she smiled. “You intimidate people and you know it.”
“I use my assets to my advantage. So what?”
“Which assets would those be? Your arrogance or your fearless nature?”
“You make those sound like bad things,” he grinned at her.
Melanie gave him a weak smile in return and took a look around the small room that contained a weight bench and a rack of free weights. The space doubled as a guest room since it also had a futon and an end table with a lamp.
Jay glanced around the room for a second and then opened a closet near him. He grabbed a couple of blankets and a few pillows and tossed them on the couch, but just kind of stood there because he didn’t know what else to say.
Didn’t matter because the door flung open and banged against the wall. Some guy without a shirt on stood there, blinking as he looked them both over with a confused expression. His gaze settled on Melanie again and then he smiled as he tried to lean suavely against the doorframe but missed.
“Get the fuck out!” Jay yelled at him, coming across the room to shove him out.
“Wait!” the guy said, stumbling into the hall. “I’m just looking for the bathroom!”
“It’s behind you, dipshit.” Jay slammed the door shut and shook his head.
“Does that door have a lock on it?” Melanie asked.
Jay glanced down at it and sighed. “No, it doesn’t.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I’ll just mace the first idiot that walks through the door, male or female.” She reached into her purse that was slung over her shoulder and pulled out a small can of it. “See?”
“You know how to use it?”
“You want me to test it on you?” Melanie raised an eyebrow.
Jay smiled, but the fatigue from the long drive was starting to set in and he rubbed both hands over his face.
Melanie pulled the futon away from the wall and released the latch to turn it into a bed. As she spread one of the blankets over it she said, “Here, come lay down. You need to sleep. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
He laughed and said, “You’re not sleeping on the fucking floor. Goodnight, pretty girl,” he called over his shoulder as he turned for the door. “Bring your mace if you have to use the bathroom. Or just yell for me, I’ll be around the corner out on the couch.”
“Jay,” she sighed as she sat on the bed.
He faced her again, and instead of the smartass retort he was expecting from her, she looked worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I swear no one will bother you. I’ll sit outside the door if you want.”
She shook her head with a laugh while placing two of the pillows side-by-side, and then dropped the third one on top. “Come lay by me. I need proper back support.”
“That thing will barely fit me let alone both of us.”
“Don’t make me beg, Jay,” she playfully moaned. “I’m going to use the bathroom quick if that dumbass is out, and then we can sleep together,” she added with a chuckle.
He barely cracked a smile as she left the room, but as she crossed the hall for the bathroom he said, “You sure as hell will beg.”
Her laughter was heard until the bathroom door closed behind her.
But hell, she wanted him to sleep in here with her? He wouldn’t be able to handle being stuck on a tiny bed with her the entire night. She’d fallen asleep near him and even on him while watching TV before, but it always made him feel uncomfortable. He’d last about fifteen minutes before he had to slip away from her. Small spaces and confinement with a female… He never fared well.
When Melanie returned to the room he was still standing in the same exact place she left him. She stopped in front of him, seeming to question his unease, but eventually passed him for the futon.
“I know you don’t like ‘cuddled’ Jay, so I won’t touch you, I promise. You can stick a pillow between us if you’re going to be a baby about it.”
He smiled at the fact that she’d turned her back to him, just to hide her own smile. “You’d put the pillow there just so you weren’t tempted to grope me,” he bantered back. “Don’t make it sound like I’m the one with issues.”
Her laugh was dainty as she lay on the bed and patted the space beside her. “Fine, I’ll admit to that. But I’m tired and I guarantee I’ll be out within five minutes. Come on, Jay. Don’t keep me awake.”
“You’re gonna be kept awake anyways, honey,” he answered as he flipped off the light. Enough light from a streetlamp came through the window so he could find a spot next to her and he added, “I’m not a peaceful sleeper.”
“I’ll be fine,” she murmured, adjusting the pillows to her liking.
Jay was on his back with his hands behind his head. Melanie was turned away from him but there was literally only six inches of space between them. The third pillow that was supposed to have a particular purpose was now hugged to the chest of his beautiful bed buddy and there was nothing separating the two of them.
After almost a minute of awkward silence he said, “I’m sorry things aren’t right with your mom, Melanie. I know what it’s like.”
He thought she was already asleep since she didn’t answer at first. But finally she moved slightly and sighed. “My mom told me that I was a mistake,” she responded quietly. “Not once, not twice, but a handful
of times that I can specifically remember growing up. Who would ever tell a child that? She said it to Camryn too, but apparently I’m the only one that can’t seem to let it go.”
Jay let the words settle for a minute before he could reply. He’d never really fit into the McCallan family sometimes, but even though he’d blamed his dad for that, it was usually his own actions that made him feel disconnected. His grandpa had reached out to him countless times but he’d been too stubborn to realize it at the time.
“How old were you the first time she said it?” he asked, not even knowing why it would matter or if she even knew.
After a brief pause she answered, “It was the first day of kindergarten. I couldn’t tie my shoes, I didn’t have my hair brushed, and my clothes didn’t match. All she did was point out all of those things and yell at me for not being ready like Camryn was, and then I cried. So while my sister helped me get ready, all my mom did was bitch the entire time that we were mistakes and if we hadn’t been born, she’d being off doing this and that. I don’t understand what the issue was in the first place. Camryn was the one that ended up picking up the slack. I never felt that my mom loved me as much as my sister did. And I look back at all the shit that I put Cam through, all because I didn’t even know who I was or where I belonged, and I feel so…bad. She didn’t have to step up like that.”
“Yes she did, because she loves you,” Jay answered quietly. “And she doesn’t regret it, Mel. I know that for a fact because I’ve heard her say it so many times.”
“Really?” Melanie’s voice was barely a whisper.
Jay turned onto his side so he was facing her back. “Yeah, hon. Really.”
Several seconds of silence passed between them before Melanie sighed again. “My sister is amazing. She’s the strongest, most forgiving person I know.”
Jay couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “You two are so much alike, don’t you realize that?”
“Me and Cam? No, she’s smart and independent. I’ve never really thought over my choices sometimes because I was just willing to find the next thing that made me happy. I felt like I deserved to do whatever I wanted because I had such a lonely childhood growing up. I just wanted to be accepted by whoever would accept me, even if had to make things up. I know better now, but Camryn has always put other people first. She’s inspiring and I wish I were more like her.”
