I get to her place around 1 p.m., which gives us plenty of time to chill and rehearse. She lets me in and immediately, Indigo tackles me, licking my face like it’s the best part of her day. I fucking love this dog. Her bright blue eyes, those raccoon-like black marks around them, that make her look like a bandit. A cute, hyper, bandit.
Mel glances at me and smirks. “I see you didn’t bring your guitar.”
“Lucky me,” I say. “You own two.”
She laughs, and I add, “Honestly, it’s been a long day already, and I literally forgot. Also…I’m broke. And I’m moving in with Carter.”
Her face softens into a sympathetic frown. “I’m sorry, but also I’m not sorry. That’s awesome.”
“It’s awesome and shitty,” I admit. “But it’s better than the alternative, which is moving back to Philly.”
I kick off my shoes and say, “Before we do anything, first, I want food. Second, do you have any Cheddar Goldfish?”
Mel grins. “Obviously, I have Goldfish. Let me get them.”
“You’re a queen,” I say as she hands me the bag. “Really, the biggest perk of coming to this massive apartment is raiding your snacks.”
She plops down beside me and says, “So, about the text I sent you, it has something to do with this place.”
I glance at her, curious, but stay quiet.
“I know this is random, but I bet you wonder how I can afford all this,” she says. “Like, where the hell am I getting the money to pay for this place?”
I smile. “It crossed my mind.”
Mel looks down, then back up with a quiet kind of strength. “I haven’t told you this before, but…both of my parents died two years ago. Back to back. Cancer. It was fast, and it hit hard. But they left me a shit ton of money. I assume from their retirement accounts and money they have saved over the years.”
My heart sinks. “Mel…I’m so sorry. I don’t even know how this never came up.”
“I guess we just hang out and sing and don’t really talk about family,” she says gently. “But yeah, that’s how I afford all this.”
I nod, still absorbing. “That makes sense. But, why are you telling me this now?”
She pauses. “Because there is a reason. I’ve been thinking, like really thinking, about how I have all this money, and how I have you. And I feel like we could actually open something. Do something with this money. A karaoke bar, maybe. An open-mic cafe, even. I know how much you’ve dreamed of that.”
I blink, caught off guard. “Mel, you don’t have to pity me just because I’m broke.”
“I’m not pitying you,” she says firmly. “I genuinely think this is a great idea. And I know you’re not gonna love this part, but I think we should ask Carter for help too. He has money.”
I hesitate. “I can do that. I was against it before because I thought Carter would be the only one investing. But if you’re in it too, I think it could actually work.”
Still, I can’t help but feel weird. These people believe in me, are offering money, and yet, they don’t really know my business side. Do I even have a business side to me? They just know I can sing, that I’m driven and have some ideas. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe I just need to run with it.
I look at Mel. “How about after next weekend's performance, you, me, and Carter grab a drink and talk about it?”
“Sounds good,” she says. “You ready to start?”
I flash a smirk. “Um, duh. But before I forget, though, how’s Carter doing? I saw that article.”
That catches me off guard. “Wait! You saw it?”
“I don’t really follow sports drama, but yeah. It popped up.”
Shit. If Mel saw it, other people definitely did too. Maybe people don’t care. Or maybe they just don’t know how to bring it up. I don’t really know which is worse.
“He’s okay,” I tell her. “No one’s really said anything. At least, not yet.”
She nods and doesn’t push for more information. Just quietly hands me a guitar. We both tune the guitars, sit down, and start to play.
