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“You wanna talk about it now?” I knew what she meant. She’d been trying to pull it out of me for weeks, and it drove her crazy that I wouldn’t talk to her about Melody and what happened back in June.
“No,” I growled and plucked the discarded tote from the floor. Drawing in a deep breath, I let it out as I headed toward the arbor. I didn’t see Melody anywhere, so I set to work weaving the garland through the rails as I tried to calm my racing pulse.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and the air shifted around me. Melody stepped into my field of vision, and my breath caught. She began decorating the other side of the arbor, and we worked in silence for a moment.
“Where did you go?” I kept my voice low, not wanting to be overheard.
“I needed some air.” She needed space. From me. She was just too nice to say it.
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I stayed quiet until we finished up. Stepping back, I looked at the arbor, pleased with how it had turned out.
“That looks great.” Mrs. Smith announced, clapping her hands together. “You two make a great team.” I offered her a friendly smile, and as she walked away, I turned my gaze on Melody. She glanced down at the floor and tucked her hair behind her ear as color stained her cheeks.
Everyone was packing up to leave including Brynlee. “Ready to go?” she asked, her eyes bouncing between Melody and me.
“You guys go ahead. I still need to take my tools out to my truck and lock up after everyone leaves.”
“You sure? We don’t care to wait.” Melody didn’t protest, but she didn’t agree either.
“Thanks, but I’ll be alright.” I waved them off, and as they walked to the exit, I couldn’t look away from Melody. I waited for her to turn around like she had after our first meeting, but she never did. Shit. Did I mess everything up? Did I come on too strong? I needed to back off and give her some space.
I carried my tools to the truck, needing two trips to get everything loaded up. Shutting off all the lights, I locked up and headed home, trying not to think about what came next for me and Ms. Barrett.
Chapter 14
Melody
My fingers danced across my lips at the memory of Gavin’s kiss. I’d been ready to let him take me right then and there. The consequences of those actions hadn’t crossed my mind until Brynlee caught us in the act. I was mortified that I’d let it get that far. We were at the school for crying out loud. Anybody, including Gavin’s coworker or another parent, could have walked in there and seen us. He could’ve gotten in trouble. I would never be able to live with myself if he lost his job because of me.
But damn, that kiss had been hot. He was hard and thick pressed against my belly. I’d wanted him inside of me. I’d wanted to drop to my knees and take him into my mouth and make him come unraveled. Thank goodness I didn't act on those impulses, or Brynlee would’ve gotten one hell of a show.
I rolled my windows down and let the night air cool my overheated skin as I made the short drive from the school back home. Pulling into the driveway, I looked up at my grandparents’ bed and breakfast. I hated that Elijah and I were taking up one of the guest rooms, but it made more sense for us to stay there. The money I saved on rent stayed tucked away in my bank account for when I was ready to get my own place. Plus, it was easier to help my grandparents if I lived on site. And Elijah loved it here. So why did it feel like something was missing?
A couple of the guests were sitting in the parlor having a drink with my grandpa. They were regulars my grandparents had gotten to know quite well over the years, and they always stayed here when visiting family in town. I stopped behind his chair and leaned down to place a kiss to the top of his head.
“How did it go?” he asked, turning to face me.
“It went well. Everything is all set up for tomorrow.”
“Great! We’ll have Janet come over to keep an eye on things here so we can come. You guys should check out the fall festival at the school tomorrow,” he announced to his friends. “Our girl here helped put it together.” I smiled fondly at his support and excitement for something I was a part of.
“Thanks, Grampy.” I gave his shoulder a squeeze and headed toward my grandparents’ private quarters. Elijah was curled up next to my grandmother as she read to him from a thick tome of collected fairy tales.
“Mommy!” he exclaimed and jumped from his seat. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his cheek to my torso.
“Hey, buddy.” I stroked the soft, light hair atop his head. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“How’s everything coming along?” my grandma asked.
I swallowed hard, forcing down memories of Gavin’s hands in my hair and his tongue in my mouth. “Good. We got everything done tonight.” It was a relief not to need to go back until tomorrow afternoon. Brynlee and I took the last shift working the admissions table and would be there late to help clean up.
When I relayed this to my grandmother, she nodded and said, “Don’t worry about Eli; we’ll bring him home with us.”
“Thanks, Grammy.”
“Of course. We love having him here. We haven’t had any little ones in the house since you and your cousins were kids. It’s a nice change.”
