by Amy Reece
It took her until nearly the weather segment to figure it out: Tatiana was the name of Finn’s ex-girlfriend. The one who had left him while he was in a coma in the hospital. Cara had said she was an anchor for a local news station, so this had to be her. How many Tatianas could there be? Melanie’s heart sank as she was confronted with how beautiful the woman was. That’s what he’s used to. That’s the kind of woman he can get. Why is he settling for someone like me? He is so far out of my league it’s ridiculous. The voices—the same ones that had been destroying her self-esteem for years—clamored in her head. She told herself she was being silly, that Finn had chosen her, Melanie, and they were happy. But maybe he misses her. Maybe he wishes it were different.
Stop! She left and he chose you! Stop doing this to yourself! She knew she was worrying needlessly, but it was hard to shake it off completely. She clicked off the TV and slugged back the last of her wine, determined not to think about it anymore tonight. She would see Finn tomorrow and he would put her mind at ease. And maybe she would see about testing the waters in regards to taking their relationship to the next level. She was enormously nervous about the thought of sleeping with him—she had extremely limited experience, after all. He obviously knew what he was doing and had a lot of experience, the thought of which made her slightly sick to her stomach. She’d only ever slept with one guy in her life and the experience had been less than stellar. Evan had pressured her into a sexual relationship before she was ready—she’d always planned to wait until she was in love to take such a big step. She’d allowed Evan to convince her they were in love and had a future together, but she realized what she had felt for him was nowhere close to what she already felt for Finn. Was she in love with him? She wasn’t sure, and didn’t trust herself to recognize what it even looked like.
She checked to make sure she’d locked up—the new locks Hugh had installed made her feel like she was living in Fort Knox—and went to bed. Her phone buzzed with a text as she tucked herself in.
Finn: Goodnight, sweetheart. See you tomorrow. Lock up, please.
Melanie smiled and texted back a smiley face emoji.
***
She woke early, determined to get through her design work before lunch so she could spend the afternoon with Finn. CJ left right after breakfast, as usual, and Melanie sat at the dining room table to work. She worked steadily for a couple hours before standing to stretch and take a short break. I love working from home, but I miss having a workstation with everything at hand. Maybe I should turn one of the bedrooms into a home office. She took a short trip down the hall and peered into the spare bedrooms. The most likely candidate was the corner room, which had a nice window with a view of the pretty backyard. I should probably move into the master bedroom, as well. It was time to begin sorting through Aunt Karen’s belongings. Most would go to charity; Melanie would only keep a few mementos. She’d never been overly interested in material possessions—a good thing, given her relatively low-paying career choices—and she had a lot of good memories of her aunt. She’d been dragging her feet about the sad chore, but it was time.
Another hour and a half was enough to finish the most pressing of her work. She changed into capris and a tank top before scooping up Fluff and locking the front door. She crossed her lawn and was nearly to the edge of her property when she stopped short. There was a strange car in Finn’s driveway. Maybe she should wait until whoever it was left—she didn’t want to interrupt, especially if it was someone from work. He was hoping to start back to work—half days and chained to a desk—the next week. While she was trying to decide, his front door opened and a woman exited. Even from this distance Melanie recognized her. Tatiana. That gleaming golden hair was burned into Mel’s brain, courtesy of the ten o’clock news the night before. Mel froze, unsure what to do. Why is she there? She dumped him! Mel watched, willing the woman to leave. She did, but not before looping her arms around Finn’s neck and kissing him. It didn’t look like a quick peck, either. And Finn didn’t push her away and wipe his mouth—far from it. He smiled at her. Smiled! Melanie’s heart squeezed painfully as her eyes filled. Another woman might have charged across his yard and demanded answers. But Melanie had years of crushed confidence behind her. She hugged Fluff to her chest and turned back to her own house.
***
Finn
Well, that was uncomfortable. Finn leaned against his front door after closing it behind Tatiana. She’d shown up out of the blue, insisting they talk. He’d been worried at first that she wanted to get back together, but it turned out she simply wanted to clear the air. And she wanted to return his house key. He was relieved and wondered why he felt so little anger toward her. He’d been absolutely livid for weeks after he awoke from the coma; in fact that anger had helped him focus on recovering. She had torn him apart and he’d feared seeing her again would rip open the wound. But he’d felt nothing except impatience to get rid of her. Mel was due soon and he certainly didn’t want them meeting quite yet—that would be awkward. Even when she’d pressed the quick kiss on him at the door he’d been completely unaffected. He’d simply smiled and bid her goodbye.
He chuckled ruefully and made his way to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the woman who did affect him, who was currently driving him to the brink of insanity with wanting her. He’d been taking it so slowly over the past few weeks, determined to make sure she was completely comfortable with him before suggesting they take the next step in their relationship. Now that he realized he loved her it was especially important; she was the most precious thing in the world and he’d never do anything to make her feel pressured or uncomfortable.
He finished tossing the salad, wondering where she was. She was late and he wondered if she’d forgotten. It wasn’t like her. She was one of the most punctual people he’d ever met, and she always called or texted if she was running late. His stomach clenched as he thought about the recent weird stuff happening to her. He grabbed his phone.
Finn: Hey, you ok? Lunch is ready.
She didn’t reply. His heart began hammering as he punched the speed dial button for her. No answer. Shit. He hobbled as quickly as he could to his bedroom and fumbled with the combination to his gun safe. He shoved his Glock 9mm in his back waistband and maneuvered out the door and down the street to her house. He took up a position to the side of her front door—clumsy and feeling off-balance on his crutches—and knocked.
“Mel? Are you home?”
It took several agonizing minutes before he heard the locks clicking and her door opened. A wedge of her face appeared, but she kept the screen door shut between them.
“Mel? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He tried to peer into the house to see if she was alone.
“I’m fine.”
“O-kay.” She didn’t sound fine. She sounded like she’d been crying. “Can I come in?”
“Um, not right now.”
“Mel.” He reached for the screen door handle and jiggled, but found it locked. “What’s going on? Is someone in there with you?”
“No. I’m fine. I just…I want you to leave.”
“What? Why?” He was at a complete loss. What the hell?
“Please, Finn. Go. I need to be alone.” She shut the door and he heard her lock it.
“Mel! Talk to me, dammit! Don’t do this!” Silence from the other side of the door. He pounded on the frame, but she didn’t respond. He waited several minutes, but the door remained firmly shut. He finally hobbled home, dejected but not wanting the entire neighborhood to hear them. As soon as he got home he tried calling and texting her repeatedly, but she must have turned her phone off. What in the world had happened? Everything had been fine yesterday. What could have happened between then and…oh, shit. Tatiana. Mel must have seen her. He tried to imagine what their encounter on the porch must have looked like to an outsider and realized she certainly might have construed it as a romantic interlude. Well, crap. This was just perfect. She wouldn’t answer her phone or her door so he coul
dn’t explain. He thought about sending a note with CJ, but the damn cat had disappeared, as usual, shortly before noon. “Fine! If she wants to be mad, that’s her choice. I didn’t do anything wrong!” His righteous indignation lasted all of five minutes. He soon realized if he’d seen her kiss another man, he’d probably flip his lid. He returned his Glock to the safe and threw himself down on his bed. What am I gonna do?
It took him nearly an hour to realize he didn’t have a prayer by himself. He called Cara. She promised to come over as soon as she got home from a professional development workshop. He tried to spend the time until she arrived working on the cold cases Chris had brought, but he couldn’t concentrate. She would get over it, wouldn’t she? She had to. He couldn’t fathom the alternative and found himself near panicked when he thought about it too long. He shut the manila folder disgustedly and scrubbed his hands over his face. Oh, God! Three hours without her and I’m a basket case! Pull your shit together, DeLuca!
By the time Cara showed up a few hours later, he had managed to calm himself somewhat, but he was near desperate to talk to Mel. She still wasn’t answering her phone.
“Okay, big brother, what is going on? What did you do?” Cara had let herself in, going straight to the fridge for a diet soda, which he kept stocked for her. She had obviously come directly from her workshop, judging by her work clothes and the computer bag she dropped on the couch.
“I didn’t do anything!”
Cara simply raised her eyebrows over the rim of her soda can.
He sighed. “Tatiana stopped by earlier. I think Mel saw her leave. And she probably saw her kiss me.”
“You kissed Tatiana?”
“No! She kissed me, I swear!” He ran his hands through his hair.
“Oh, and I’m sure you shoved her away indignantly, huh?”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think my girlfriend was watching!”
“I hate it when that happens.” She didn’t even try to hide her smirk.
“Shut up. I thought you came over to help me.” He slumped back on the couch. “Please, Cara. I’m going nuts. I need Mel. What did I ever see in Tatiana?”
“It probably had something to do with her giant tits.”
“Are you gonna help me or insult me?”
“I can’t do both? I’m a pretty good multi-tasker.” She had the good sense to take his dangerous look seriously. “Fine, calm down. Yes, I’m going to help you. Now, have you tried talking to her?”
“Seriously? Of course I’ve tried talking to her! She shut the door in my face and she’s not answering my calls or texts. I think she turned her phone off.”
“I think you’re right. I tried calling and it went straight to voice mail. I thought she might be ignoring only your calls.” Cara was silent for a few minutes as she sipped her drink. “Okay. I think this calls for a direct assault. Do you still have any of that wine I bought for you?”
“Yeah, why?”
She disappeared into the kitchen, returning with two bottles. “Because I have a feeling I’m going to need it to even get in the door.” She pocketed her keys and opened the front door. “Don’t wait up, but do turn the covers down in the guest room. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to drive home.”
***
Mel
She heard him leave, clump-clumping down the steps, and let herself slide down the door. Arms wrapped around her knees, she finally gave in to the tears that had been so near the surface since she’d watched him kiss his ex-girlfriend. Were they already back together? It was surely just a matter of time. She couldn’t begin to compare with the curvy blonde goddess who obviously wanted him back. Who could blame her? Finn was amazing, the best thing that had ever happened to Mel, but she wasn’t the kind of woman he’d want to be with when he had someone like Tatiana. All right, stop feeling sorry for yourself! You’ll be fine. You always have been. She wiped her eyes impatiently and stood, determined to stop sulking. You don’t need him. You don’t need anyone. Maybe not, but she wanted him and she didn’t think she could be entirely happy without him.
“Melanie?” The knock on the door startled her. “It’s me, Lena. Are you home?”
Crap. She’s the last person I want to deal with right now. She wondered if she could remain perfectly still long enough for her to leave. Finally deciding it was best to get it over with, she turned and unlocked the door. “Hey, Lena. What’s up?”
“Is everything okay? I saw Finn leaving and he looked upset.”
Intrusive much? “Oh, no. Everything’s fine.”
“Well, good. Do you mind if I come in for a minute? I have something I need to ask you.”
Ugh. Mel was not in the mood. “Sure.” Why could she only be rude in her mind? She unlocked the screen and opened it for her neighbor. “Come in.”
Lena followed her to the kitchen and sat at the table expectantly, so Mel continued in the neighborly vein and poured them each a glass of iced tea. “So, what did you need?”
“I’m going out of town next weekend and wondered if you’d mind picking up my mail and newspaper while I’m gone.” Lena ran a hot pink-tipped fingernail around the rim of her glass.
“Um, sure. No problem.”
“Wonderful! Oh, I’m so glad I found such a nice neighborhood. Everyone has been so great here. Thanks so much.” She paused to take a few more sips of her tea. “Are you sure you’re okay, Melanie? It kind of looks like you’ve been crying.”
“I’m fine. I was crying earlier; my eyes stay red for a while, that’s all. I did have a fight with Finn, but everything is fine.” It was nowhere near fine, but Mel didn’t want to talk about it with this woman she barely knew. She needed a friend in the worst way, but Lena wasn’t even on the list. The problem was her friend list was extremely short.
“Oh, you poor thing! Well, I’m glad you worked it all out. Can I ask one more favor? It’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Sure, no problem.” Mel would do pretty much anything to get rid of her.
“Well, I wonder if I can borrow a roll of toilet paper? I ran out this morning and won’t have a chance to run to the store until later. Isn’t that silly?”
Mel chuckled. “Not at all. When you gotta go…I’ll be right back.” She left Lena in the kitchen while she fetched the toilet paper. She brought two rolls and found her standing by the refrigerator. “Here you go. Did you need anything else?”
“Oh, no, thanks. You’re a doll.” She took the toilet paper from Melanie and carried her glass to the sink. “Thanks so much. See you later!” And she was gone.
Lena’s visit, while annoying, had served to distract her from her troubles with Finn, at least momentarily. She found herself not wanting to work or write, but with an excess of nervous energy, so she decided to clean her house. Top to bottom. Maybe she could exhaust herself enough so she would be able to sleep tonight. Fat chance, but it was worth a try.
Four hours later, she was hot and dusty, but her house gleamed. She’d even begun to tackle packing up Aunt Karen’s belongings. She’d make a call to a local charity later in the week to arrange for a pick up. It was nearing dinnertime and she had skipped lunch, but she couldn’t work up any interest in food. The best she could manage was a cool shower and a handful of crackers. She was trying to decide between hard liquor and wine—tough because the only liquor in the pantry was cream sherry—when she heard yet another knock on her door. This time she ignored it. She wasn’t ready to talk to Finn yet and she couldn’t stand the thought of another round with Lena.
“Mel? Open up! It’s Cara and my hands are full.”
Yes! It’s what she’d wished for earlier—a friend to talk to. Maybe it was a bit awkward because she was his sister, but Mel couldn’t afford to be picky. She yanked open the door and reached to pull Cara inside. “You are a sight for sore eyes! Oh, my God, Cara!” She felt the wretched tears building again.
“Trouble in paradise, sweetie?” Cara set both bottles on a side table and pulled Melanie into her arms.
Cara steered her over to the couch and let her cry for a few minutes. “Okay. Tell Auntie Cara all about it. What did my idiotic brother do?”
“He didn’t do anything! It’s me. But I saw her last night and then she was there this morning and they were kissing and—”
“Mel, sweetie. Shh. Calm down and take a few deep breaths. You aren’t making much sense.” Cara reached for a tissue and shoved it in Melanie’s hand. “Now wipe your eyes and let’s talk about this. You saw Tittyana kiss Finn, right?”
Laughter bubbled up at Cara’s interesting and accurate nomenclature for Mel’s nemesis. It quickly turned a bit hysterical and they both laughed uncontrollably. Finally, Cara grabbed a tissue to wipe her own eyes and walked into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a corkscrew and two wine glasses. She opened a bottle, poured them both a generous glass, and handed one to Mel. “You did see the kiss, right?”
“Yes.” Melanie took a large sip. “I saw her last night on the news. I never realized how gorgeous she was. Then when I saw her leaving his house earlier and that kiss—I assume she wants him back, right?”
