by Calista Kyle
“I noticed Mel was nowhere in sight. I wonder what happened to her?” Roman said, pinning me with a glare.
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to look unperturbed. “Mel’s a grown woman. I’m sure she could take care of herself,” I said.
***
“What are you doing with Mel?” Roman asked as he stalked into my office and took a seat on my couch a couple weeks later.
I remained seated behind my desk. “It’s nice to see you too,” I said sarcastically. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Cut the bull, Ryan. I know something’s going on between you two, and I want to know what your intentions are.”
I couldn’t help laughing. The last person I ever expected to utter those words to me was Roman Conrad, and yet here he was in my office saying that very same sanctimonious nonsense. He at least had the grace to look a chagrinned, but continued to stare at me waiting for an answer.
“You’re asking me what my intentions are?” I said incredulously. “Am I dreaming? Have I entered an alternate universe?”
“Quit playing around and just answer the damn question,” he demanded.
“What business is it of yours what my intentions are? You’re not her father and frankly it’s none of your business,” I said losing some of the calmness from my voice.
“It is my business if you’re just playing around. Mel has been a very good friend to Lily and I and I won’t allow you to hurt her in any way.”
“What is it with people thinking I’m going to hurt her?” I said a little peevishly. “First Natasha, and now you.”
“Maybe because we know you best,” he replied
“Have I ever been cruel or treated anyone callously? I’ve always behaved like a gentleman even when the situation didn’t warrant it, so don’t try to come here and insinuate that I’m some heartless lothario leaving a trail of broken hearts,” I said losing a bit of my patience.
Roman leaned back in his chair and sighed, a little bit of the edge taken out of him. “Mel’s vulnerable now. She just got out of a relationship and Lily’s worried. She hasn’t been acting like herself lately and the last thing she needs is to go jumping into another relationship that doesn’t have a chance of lasting. So, if you’re not serious about her and you’re just looking for some no strings attached amusement, then I suggest you back off now and find your entertainment elsewhere,” he said.
“I see.”
I was surprised at how genuinely protective Roman was of Mel. I knew he was a loyal friend, but he’d never acted this way before with anyone else that I could recall. I knew he just had Mel’s best interests at heart and I couldn’t be angry or upset with him for that, even though he was butting himself into my personal life. I finally decided to let down my guard and confess what I’d been feeling for some time now. If anyone knew what I was going through, it would be Roman. I looked up at him to find him watching me with a curious expression. Finally, I blew out a loud breath and ran an agitated hand through my hair.
“If you must know, I really like her,” I finally confessed. “She’s someone I wouldn’t mind getting to know better.”
Roman didn’t seem wholly satisfied with my answer, but his interest was piqued. He sat up in his seat and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.
“What do you mean ‘know better’?” he asked. “Like I said, if you’re just looking for a good time—”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, Roman, what do you take me for? I really can’t believe I’m even having this conversation with you, but if you need me to spell it out for you, fine. I like her a lot, not for a quick fuck or empty sex. I could see myself falling for her, so to answer your question, my intentions are honorable,” I snapped.
I didn’t know it until I said it out loud, but the words and sentiments felt right. It had always been floating in my mind, but I’d always shut down before the thoughts could take shape. Now that Roman had basically forced my hand, I could finally admit to myself what I had been trying to deny. Granted, it was still early and there were still many things about her I didn’t know, but what I did know was enough to make me want to find out more.
Roman beamed at me, his earlier combative demeanor long gone. “So good of you to finally admit it,” he said.
He stood up and walked to the sideboard near the back corner of my office and poured out two glasses of scotch. “If you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass,” he said as he handed me one of the glasses.
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” I drawled. “Mel’s a tough one to get to know,” I ventured after taking a sip of my drink.
“How so?”
“She seems…I don’t know…almost like she’s holding herself back. There’ll be times when I think things are great and then her mood suddenly changes,” I said snapping my fingers to emphasize my point.
I figured, now that I’d let the cat out of the bag, I might as well confess it all and try to see if Roman had any insight.
“Lily told me she’s become a little more circumspect after the whole thing with Chad, her ex,” Roman explained.
“Speaking of Lily, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell her of my—er—feelings for Mel. I don’t want my business out there being known, especially since Mel doesn’t even know herself,” I said.
“You know I don’t keep secrets from Lily,” Roman said.
I blew out a frustrated breath and rolled my eyes heavenward. “Since it’s not your secret to tell, I’m sure you could forget to mention it to her,” I said.
“All right, if it means that much to you, I won’t mention it. Although if you ask me, you’re going about this the wrong way. Lily could be a big asset to you.”
“How so?”
I wasn’t particularly close with Lily. We’d never spent much time together and when I did see her it was usually in the company of other people. She seemed nice enough, but even so, I’d only ever looked at her as Roman’s fiancé. The fact that she’d be able to help me with Mel never even crossed my mind.
“She could put in a good word for you with Mel,” he suggested.
I must have made a face because Roman’s helpful mood vanished and he resorted to his usual arrogant demeanor, which I knew was something he usually did whenever he was feeling defensive.
“You don’t exactly have the best reputation,” he said.
“Neither do you and yet somehow you’ve managed quite well. I’d rather Lily not even mention me to Mel. It all seems so…juvenile,” I said. “I’d rather speak for myself.”
“Suit yourself then. I think Mel’s supposed to go to look at dresses today with Lily and then head to lunch at Claude’s.”
“You seem to know an awful lot about their schedule. Have you been keeping tabs on them?” I joked, but I was actually thankful Roman had dropped that little piece of information. I’d been trying to think of ways to see Mel again and running into her at the restaurant was the perfect opportunity.
“Hardly. Like I said, Lily and I don’t keep anything from each other.”
I shook my head in wonder, not for the first time, about the changes I’d noticed in Roman. If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I wouldn’t have noticed. From all outer appearances, he looked and acted the same as I’d always known him—cool, restrained, and always with an air of someone slightly bored, like he’d rather be elsewhere. But now that he was with Lily, there were times I thought I was talking to a complete stranger. Like the times he’d get a goofy smile on his face for no apparent reason.
I sat at my desk for several long moments after Roman left to contemplate everything we’d spoken about. Love certainly had a way of changing people. I thought back to the one time I thought I’d actually been in love and began to wonder if I wasn’t mistaken then. Maybe it wasn’t love at all, but just a young man’s infatuation?
Certainly, I never got that goofy grin on my face thinking of Kylie and I never had the desire to bare my soul to her or share all my secrets. Now that I thought about it, I
had to admit that I wasn’t particularly heartbroken after we broke up. Angry and humiliated, yes, but never heartbroken. At the time, I thought it all went together, but now I could see there was a difference.
The realization didn’t come as a shock to me. It had been so gradual, I hadn’t even noticed. I couldn’t say one way or another if I was upset or relieved. There were so many years I had used the betrayal to fuel my success and drive. It stunned me that in the few short weeks that I had known Mel, I’d already felt for her more than I ever did for Kylie.
***
“Your sister’s here to see you.”
I don’t know how long I sat there lost in my thoughts. I pulled my gaze away from the swinging pendulum on my desk and lifted it up towards Natasha. She stood in front of me looking half annoyed and half worried. “I’ve been buzzing your phone for the past ten minutes. I told her you were in a meeting, but I don’t think she’ll wait outside any longer. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I answered. “I was just thinking.”
“So, should I send her away?” she asked, still eyeing me cautiously.
“No, send her in,” I said.
I wasn’t exactly looking forward to meeting with Helen. Lately, it seemed she only came to see me when she wanted something, but today the distraction would be welcome. Natasha walked out of my office in quick precise strides, and she looked back at me one last time before stepping out the door. Helen came walking in moments later, a look of displeasure on her face.
“What is it now, Helen?” I asked cutting to the chase.
Her face registered her surprise at my greeting. Maybe she thought I’d play along with her little charade today, but my patience was already on a thin line. She ignored my question as she slowly pulled out the chair in front of my desk that Roman had just vacated moments ago, and sat down on it primly. Once she had folded her hands over her lap, she looked up at me with wide innocent eyes that were all for show. I stifled an inner groan, wondering if I should have had Natasha send her away. This would be a long meeting.
“I heard you were in Vegas this weekend,” she began. I remained silent, waiting to see where she was taking this. “Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?”
“Why would I ask you to go?” I asked. “It was Roman’s bachelor party; you’d have been completely out of place there.”
“But I heard that woman and her friends and even Roman’s cousin Emma Benedict went along too!”
“Who told you that? Have you been spying on me?”
“Of course not! Now how come they got to go and I didn’t?”
“Because it was for that woman’s bachelorette party. Her name, by the way is Lily, and I’m sure even you know why you weren’t invited,” I snapped.
“That would be typical of her. I’m sure you footed the bill for everything and she didn’t even have the decency to invite your own sister.”
Helen had always been a little selfish and egotistical, thinking only of herself, but now she was being petty and mean and I couldn’t stand for it. “That’s enough Helen. How many times do I have to tell you Roman is never going to be with you. He wasn’t five years ago and he definitely isn’t interested now that he’s engaged.”
“Oh, I’m over Roman,” she said dismissively. “But he wasn’t the only one in Vegas last weekend. I know his cousins were there too.”
Her words froze me in my seat and I pinned Helen with a glare. “You need to get it through your head that’s never going to happen. They only tolerate you because you’re my sister, and then only barely. Stop obsessing about landing a rich husband or whatever it is you’re thinking about and move on with your life,” I said.
I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but once the words started to flow, it was hard to stop. It’d been building up for some time now and I wanted to leave Helen in no doubt about my disgust at her behavior.
I felt a little guilty afterward when I saw her polished façade crack a little and she looked devastated, but she got herself together so quickly, I thought I had imagined it.
“All right, Ryan. No need to get your panties in a twist. I promise I won’t even mention them to you anymore. There, are you happy?”
I wasn’t completely satisfied, but it would have to do. “So, tell me what’s been going on with you, little sis,” I said changing the subject.
At the mention of that, her face lit up, transforming it completely. I was a little taken aback by the sudden change, but glad to move on from talking about Roman.
“About that,” she began. “You know Emilia Holliday, right?”
I stared at her blankly trying to recall when I’d ever met someone by that name before. “Why don’t you remind me who she is?” I finally said.
“You honestly don’t know Emilia Holliday?” she asked staring me with her mouth agape. “The famous actress? She’s in those Crystal Clementine films.”
“Okay.” I still had no clue who she was talking about.
“Anyways, she’s filming a new movie in the Hamptons in a few weeks and I thought it’d be great if we could throw a little house party at the new place you bought there. It’d be a good way for me to network as well,” she added as an afterthought.
“All right,” I said.
“Really? Oh thank you, Ryan. I knew I could count on you,” she gushed, completely forgetting my earlier criticism. “I’m sure you’ll just love Emilia once you meet her. She’s just your type too—.”
“Don’t go getting ideas, Helen. I’m in no mood to be set up on a blind date,” I warned.
“It’s not a blind date, but I did tell her you’d escort me to the Vivienne Cabot launch party later this month. You will bring me won’t you?” she said, pleading with her eyes.
Maybe it was because I still felt bad for the harsh things I said to her, but I found myself agreeing to go along with her plans—first the house party and then the launch party. After all, it wasn’t too much to ask, I told myself. She was my sister and I did have a responsibility to look after her.
Chapter 14: Mel
I held my tongue as I tried on yet another dark and somber silk taffeta gown. It was the third drab colored dress that I’d tried so far and we’d only been in the shop for less than an hour. I had to keep reminding myself that it was Lily’s wedding and if she wanted boring, lifeless bridesmaid’s dresses, then I’d support her. It was getting harder and harder to hold my tongue the more dresses I tried on, though.
It had always been a common point of contention with us. Where I preferred color and experimenting with different looks, Lily stuck to her more conservative style. It was either black, gray or beige with her. If she was feeling especially frisky, she might add a pop of royal blue or violet to her outfits, but for the most part, she was a monochromatic type of gal. She’d gotten a lot better with her wardrobe recently, and I even found myself envying some of her outfits, but today was not one of those days.
“Oh that’s nice,” she said as I stepped out of the dressing room and showed off the mud colored dress that did nothing to flatter my figure. It looked downright matronly with its conservative scoop neckline and capped sleeves embellished with pearls. Even Stella’s elegant and stately carriage wouldn’t be able to make this dress look good.
I felt a heavy responsibility to help Lily get the dress right since neither Candace nor Stella was here to help. Candace was assisting for a shoot down in Mexico and Stella had flown back to London, so it was up to me to make sure we didn’t look like total duds at the wedding.
The shop attendant busied herself with fluffing the sleeves and straightening the train at the back. The dress had a train!
“What do you think?” Lily asked me.
I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. In the dressing room, I thought the dress looked ugly, but in the bright glare of the overhead lights, standing on the pedestal, it was even worse than I thought.
“Eh. It’s not my favorite,” I said tempering my words.
“Really?” Lily
sounded surprised.
I looked at her sadly. This poor thing had no fashion sense and it was my duty as her maid of honor to steer her in the right direction, I realized. She might think she wanted boring and bland colors that didn’t stick out, but I knew better. After all, what good was it to work at a fashion magazine and not use that knowledge for good?
“Why don’t we look at some different colors?” I suggested. “Since it’s a summer wedding, I think some brighter, more vibrant colors would work better than these muted browns and grays and blacks.”
Without waiting for her reply, I stepped off the pedestal and walked towards a rack of deep purple and lilac colored frothy dresses and began looking them over. I had to wade through several before I found a style and color that would complement all of Lily’s bridesmaids, since we all had different coloring, from my red hair to Stella’s blond and Candace’s raven locks. Finally, I spotted a dusty violet chiffon gown. It was a strapless floor length dress that had a sweetheart neckline and a ruched bodice.
“This is the one,” I said pulling it out triumphantly.
Lily eyed it appraisingly, pinching the soft flowy fabric between her fingers and then holding it up to my neck as she tilted her head and looked. “My wedding planner would probably have a fit, but you’re right,” she said. “This dress is much better than the ones she had suggested.”
“That’s my girl,” I said. “This is a wedding after all, not a funeral. Besides, it’s your wedding so she’ll just have to deal with it.”
“Ha ha funny. You know, you’re really good at this,” she added after a short pause.
“What?”
“This,” she said waving her hand in the air in front of us. “You’ve got a knack for knowing what looks good.”
“Well, it is sort of my job,” I laughed.
She shot me a withering glare. “Don’t be fresh. You remember that red dress you wanted me to wear to that gala? And I thought you were out of your mind at the time?”
“Yeah, as I remember it, you changed your opinion once Roman got a glimpse of you,” I teased.
