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As for Jo, well, she had a deeper insight to the man Melodie had her sights set on, so any advice she volunteered on her brother’s behalf might help Melodie better understand what kind of obstacles she was up against. Ultimately, she trusted Jo as a friend and confidante.
Melodie swiped her napkin across her mouth, pushed her half-eaten lunch aside and took Jo up on her offer to express what was bothering her. “Can we talk, girl to girl?” she asked, then rephrased her question. “Or rather, woman to woman?”
A grin quirked Jo’s mouth and interest glimmered in her eyes. “Sure. What’s on your mind?” She finished off her burger and washed it down with the last of her soda.
Melodie paused a moment, then jumped in. “I was hoping you could give me some advice on attracting a man’s attention.”
Jo’s light, good-natured laughter rang between them. “What in the world makes you think I’m qualified to dole out advice on men?”
Propping her elbows on the table, Melodie laced her fingers together and rested her chin on top. “You caught Dean’s attention, didn’t you?”
“There were extenuating circumstances,” Jo replied, brushing a wisp of blond hair off her cheek. “I certainly wasn’t looking for a man when I met him.”
Melodie felt a blush sweep across her skin at the insinuation that she was on the hunt for men. As in plural. “There’s only one man I want,” she clarified.
Leaning back in her chair, Jo regarded her thoughtfully as the waitress cleared their plates. The other woman mentioned dessert, momentarily distracting Jo with more important matters as she ordered herself a slice of chocolate cake. Melodie passed on the offer of sweets, opting instead for a refill on her iced tea.
Once the server was gone, Jo returned to her subtle analysis of Melodie from across the table. “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s Cole you’re after.”
Melodie opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to deny the truth. “Yes, it is,” she said, relieved to finally admit her feelings to someone. “Am I that obvious?”
The waitress delivered Jo’s cake and she dove right in to the dessert. “Let’s just say that you have a way of wearing your emotions on your sleeve and in your eyes.”
“Does Cole know?” she asked tentatively.
Jo shrugged. “I have no idea, though I have to say that Cole tends to shut out the things he doesn’t know how to deal with. You could be one of those things,” she added with a smile.
Melodie frowned. “That doesn’t sound very encouraging to me.”
“Knowing my brother all too well, he’s probably avoiding the attraction, and if you want his attention, you’re going to have to force him to acknowledge it.” Jo took another bite of the rich, creamy-looking chocolate cake, and took a long moment to savor the taste. “So what brought all this on, anyway?”
Melodie explained about the Russell case, along with Cole needing a woman to accompany him to the charity auction. “I made the suggestion that I go with him to the affair so I can read those erotic love letters for him. I know the case, and I’ve worked for him for two years doing extended background checks and researching case information. The next logical step would be for me to help him on this case, but he’s adamant that my talents are better suited in the office and not out in the field.”
Jo chuckled in amusement. “Oh, that’s a good one.”
She cringed as she remembered his unflattering comment, but wasn’t about to let it deter her from her purpose. “Also, he claims he doesn’t want to put me in a potentially dangerous situation, yet he’s willing to use another woman as a decoy that he doesn’t even know that well. If all that’s not bad enough, he’s using his close relationship with my father as an excuse to make sure he keeps me safe and out of harm’s way, as if it’s his duty to shelter and protect me. Between the two of them, I’ve had enough of being watched over and being told what to do.”
“Wow, can I ever relate to that,” Jo murmured in understanding. “Cole has always been the same way with me. He’s only eased off since I married Dean. Being protective of the people in his life has been ingrained in my brother since the day my parents divorced, and that trait only intensified after our father died and he had to raise me and Noah. Cole takes his responsibilities very seriously.”
“The very last thing I want is to be an obligation to Cole,” Melodie said, swirling her straw through her iced tea.
Jo ate another sliver of her chocolate cake, her eyes lighting up with an idea. “If you really want to be the woman on his arm at this charity auction, then why don’t you give him what he wants?”
Uncertain what Jo was getting at, she asked, “Which is?”
“A woman who fits his vision.” Jo licked remnants of frosting from her fork as she thought for a moment. “What, exactly, did Cole tell Noah he wanted again?”
“A sexy, sophisticated, intelligent woman.” The prerequisite was burned in her memory.
A disarming grin curved Jo’s mouth. “Then that’s exactly what you give him.”
“Take a look at the woman sitting in front of you, Jo,” she said, her tone dry. “I’m not exactly sophisticated, sex kitten material.”
“No, but you most definitely have the potential to be,” Jo countered confidently. “If this is what you really want, you’re going to have to be willing to play the part to the nines. You’ll need to learn to walk the walk and talk the talk and shed a few inhibitions along the way. Think you can handle that?”
A spark of excitement flared within her. This was exactly what she needed—a friendly shove to break out of the straitlaced, conservative lifestyle she’d led for too long. “I’m certainly willing to try.”
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Jo’s eyes glowed with mischief. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. What do you say you and I plan a girls’ day out and do the works, from head to toe? Haircuts, manicure, pedicure, and a few new outfits?”
