“Okay.” When she holds out her hand, requesting the photograph, I hesitate. She always clams up when anyone talks about her family. “Where is it?”
Sensing my hesitation, Grayson snatches the picture out of my hand, flattens out the crinkles of my grip, then hands it to Melody.
Our eyes snap to hers in sync when she gasps in a sharp breath. “How long ago was this taken?” Tears well in her eyes when she runs her index finger over her father’s face. “It looks like it was only taken yesterday.”
When Grayson attempts to answer her, I cut him off by slicing my hand through the air. She’s not his informant right now. She’s a daughter in mourning, so we must tread lightly.
I tap on Melody’s shoulder to gain her attention before saying, “It was a couple of months before our Browns’ applications were returned.”
Melody is too smart to fall for my ruse. “So around the time of his death?” A tear rolls down her cheek when I nod. “He looks angry.” Her giggle surprises Grayson as much as it does me. “He always looked cranky.”
“He did,” I agree, putting my life on the line to add to the happy memories in her head. I give her a few seconds to drink in every detail of her father’s face before asking, “Do you know the man he is talking to?”
“Yes.” Her agreement isn’t a solid confirmation, and I find out why when she adds, “He used to come to our house before the…” She gives me a look like she doesn’t want to spill family secrets in front of Grayson. “I never saw him after that.” A concentration crinkle pops between her light brown brows when she signs, “I called him uncle even though he wasn’t my uncle. God… what was his name?” She peers at the ceiling for so long, just as I’m certain she’s never going to answer me, she signs, “Henry. His name was Henry.”
My eyes shoot to Grayson when he mutters, “Henry Gottle?” He signs Henry’s name as well as saying it. “Was that his name?”
While staring at him wondering how he knew the punchline of her joke long before she shared it, Melody responds, “Yeah. I think so.” Melody nods with more confidence the longer she works Henry’s name through her head.
“Thank you!” Grayson looks like he wants to plant a kiss on Melody’s cheek, but instead, snatches the photograph from her hand and hot-foots it out of the dressing room. It’s for the best as I’m five seconds from castrating him for his deceit, so who knows what I would have done if he put his lips on her.
“I will be back in a minute,” I tell Melody before chasing Grayson down.
I find him on the sidewalk, talking erratically into his cell phone. Mr. Gregg’s name is mentioned many times, and it sets my pulse skyrocketing.
Before I can consider the consequences of my actions, I slap Grayson’s phone out of his hand, smash it with my shoe, unclip his gun from its holster, and press the barrel to the groove between his brows.
I assume that will keep Grayson still long enough so I can interrogate him.
I vastly underestimated him.
After doing a maneuver I only perfected twice under Mr. Gregg’s watch, he regains control of his gun, then slams me into the concrete sidewalk. Without missing a beat, I swipe his feet out from beneath him, stun him with a jab to the kidney before scampering for his gun dumped on the sidewalk.
I’m within an inch of it when it’s kicked out of my grasp by a pair of shiny black boots, and I’m knocked out by one of the biggest fists I’ve ever seen.
21
MELODY
A fter slipping into the passenger seat of Carmen’s sedan, I peer back at Suzie and Racheal. We’ve kept in contact the past year, but this is the first time I’ve seen them in person since my parents’ funeral. They’re heading home for Joey’s summer-break party, so they offered me to ride with them since Brandon up and vanished four hours ago.
I texted him nonstop when he left me stag at the dress shop. He didn’t return my messages until an hour later. The lapse in time didn’t improve his excuse. It was as pathetic as I’m feeling. He said he had something important to do and that he’d meet me at his family’s ranch in a couple of hours.
I’m still fuming mad at him. Joey’s venue of choice for his party already had me opposed to going, and now I have to arrive on the arm of a friend instead of my boyfriend. I understand Joey wanted privacy for what he assures will be the party of the century, but I haven’t been home since the McGees moved to New York.
I also don’t think Joey should be living it up as he is. I’m glad he’s feeling better since his heart transplant, and that his life is relatively back to what it was before he got sick, but he was given a very precious gift not many people are privileged to get. Plus, I’m not going to mention the remarkable person who gave it to him, or the makeup I spent an hour prepping will slid down my face along with my tears.
Carmen drags her hand down my arm to gather my attention before saying, “If those tears are from Brandon, I’m about to whoop your ass.” I give her a look that warns I’m not up for her I-hate-Brandon rant right now. It does little to weaken the resting bitch-face she generally wears. “What, Melody? You can’t seriously be mad at me for looking out for you. He dumped you at a dress shop, then texts to say he’ll meet you a few hours later. Who does that? Certainly not a boyfriend-of-the-year contestant.”
“He said it was important.”
Suzie taps my shoulder. “Important enough not to be here for you today, Mel?” She’s usually the first to defend Brandon, so I’m stunned by obvious annoyance today. “It’s your first time back at Saugerties in almost a year. He should be here supporting you.”
“He does support me. He always has.”
Carmen dry retching in the corner of my eye shifts my focus back to her. “Don’t remind us of how long it’s been, or I’ll vomit.” She’s always believed my relationship with Brandon is gross because we were raised together, having no clue we’ve never seen each other as siblings. It’s always been a much deeper connection than that. “You don’t stumble onto your soulmate when you’re five. That’s just gross.”
“How can you judge any relationship?” I fire back, annoyed. “You have not even met a guy who can get you off yet, so you should not be judging anyone.”
