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She paused with her hand on the lock to sniff, hoping she might get a sense of who was on the other side. Yet all she could smell was the strong vanilla candle she had been burning the night before.
With a sigh, she unlocked the door and pulled. Her heart sank the moment she found blonde-haired, blue-eyed Tara standing on the doorstep.
"Well shit, don't look too pleased to see your best friend." Tara scowled at her and crossed her arms over her chest. "I knew something was wrong when you didn't turn up at the feast last night. What's going on?"
Damn it!Melody cursed. She knew she had forgotten something. The disappointment turned to frustration as she realized she had missed the monthly feast at the Silverdale manor. It was the one place that she could be sure to see all of the children she had once cared for in her old pack, their Silverdale adopted parents bringing them together to share good times with their new pack. And Melody hadn't missed a single one since arriving in town thanks to that fact.
That was, until last night.
"I'm sorry. I've had a lot going on," she admitted, battling with her need to go it alone and her desire to finally have someone to talk to about all the problems she faced.
"Mel, if something is going on, you know you can tell me."
Melody hated it when Tara looked at her like that, with her arms crossed and her head cocked to one side, eyebrow raised and scowl planted firmly on her face. It almost reminded her of a mother's scolding face, and it made Melody feel so small. Yet, she thought that today it might be exactly what she needed.
With a deep sigh, she said, "I need a strong coffee. Do you want one?"
She stepped out of the way and gestured Tara inside.
No sooner had she poured two mugs of coffee and set them down on the breakfast bar than Tara said, "Okay, spill, what is going on? You never miss the feast."
Bile rose in Melody's throat. Could she really admit the truth after all this time?
Unable to look Tara in the eye, she gazed instead into the mocha-brown liquid in her mug, holding it between both hands.
"I…I haven't exactly had the best time since coming to Silverdale," she admitted, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Tara stiffen.
"But I thought—" Tara began, but Melody cut her off with a shake of her head.
"I've lost my job a handful of times, and just when I thought I'd found one to last, the stinking husband had to go and get it in his head to try it on," Melody said, her throat constricting. "You…you remember the night I told you about, the night I met that guy at the Silver Moon?"
She glanced up at Tara to see the woman's face spread in a brilliant smile. "You mean the night you had the best sex of your life?"
The memories her words brought forth were both exciting and infuriating. Her skin tingled, still remembering how he had touched her.
"Yes, that night," she sighed, disgruntled. Tara's lips pursed at Melody's tone.
"I thought you had a great night?"
"I did, it’s just…I guess I kind of wished it had been more than one night, and then when I finally plucked up the courage to call him, a woman answered."
Tara gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hand. Melody rolled her eyes. Tara always had a flare for the dramatic.
"Turns out he wasn't as single as he made out," Melody grumbled, feeling sick at the reminder of that dreadful call. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the kitchen window, just able to see Jake's house, then quickly decided she didn't have the heart to tell her friend he had moved in next door. She could just imagine Tara getting up off her stool and heading right over there to demand to know what the hell he had been playing at.
"Oh, Melody, I'm so sorry," Tara said. She leaned forward and gripped hold of Melody's hand. Pulling it away from her mug, she squeezed comfortingly.
Melody gently eased her hand away. She didn't do well with comforting. After so long fending for herself, it didn't feel natural.
"That's not the worst of it," she shrugged, looking at her coffee again. "For the last three weeks I've been working as a cleaner, but yesterday I was fired because I always leave the place smelling like a wet dog!"
Her stomach clenched to say such a thing, but she guessed it was the only thing she could use to get Tara off the subject of Jake quickly. In all honesty, she wanted to stop thinking about him herself. She had worse things to think about, like her financial troubles and her lack of a job.
"Excuse me?" Tara exclaimed, visibly taken aback.
Melody shrugged and scoffed grimly. "That's what I get for trying to clean for a vampire."
She turned an embarrassed expression on Tara to find the woman looked absolutely horrified.
