Chapter Twelve
Once Honey arrived back at her place, she found her best friend sitting in her car in front of her building. “Hey Mel. What’s up?”
“I came to apologize for last night. I’m sorry I left you to get home alone. I’ve never done that before. It’s against bestie’s rules.”
“Hey, no biggie. I got a taxi.” No way she’d admit to what actually happened during that unforgettable episode. Teasing, trying to bring a smile to her friend’s normally happy face, she added, “I knew you were goo-goo over Jess. By the way, he seems nice.” When Honey saw Melanie’s expression after she used Jess’s name, she sensed something wrong. “Spill.”
Melanie instantly broke into tears. “He’s wonderful.”
Honey opened the door, urging Mel to get out of her vehicle. Then she gathered her friend close and led her into her apartment. Once she had her sitting on the couch, she fetched a bottle of water and then sat down close so she could put an arm around Mel’s shaking shoulders. “Okay. Did he hurt you? Something’s terribly wrong. Tell me.”
Mel took a sip of water and gulped back the next threatening onslaught of emotion. Squeezing the bottle between her hands, she muttered, “He’s shy.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, he took off from my place last night.”
“And…?”
“The guy ran away. Don’t you see? I came on too strong and scared him off.” Now she slammed the bottle on the coffee table and covered her face.
Honey patted her back, keeping her voice non-critical. “And that’s a problem because…? I don’t understand.”
“Because. He’ll never give me another chance. I almost attacked the fucker. I was so horny, and he’s perfect, and I was sloshed, and I forced myself on him… and oh shit, Honey. I messed up bigtime.”
“Okay, slow down. Did he say anything?”
“No. He just pushed me away – gently – but firmly, you know? I could tell he was trying to explain but couldn’t seem to find the right words. He waved me back when I tried to apologize. Then he bolted.”
Mel winced from her words. “Goddammit, I’m such an idiot.”
“Stop that. You are not. You just have strong… ahh, emotions.”
“Strong emotions? You mean a big mouth and a go-getter attitude that gets me into so much trouble that you’d think I’d learn.”
“Hush, now. Stop dissing my best friend. I’ve never known anyone with a bigger heart, so just back off.”
Melanie leaned her head on Honey’s shoulder, her tear-filled eyes gazing up with her truth shining clearly. “My God, Honey, he’s such a sweetie. He held the door for me and helped me on with my sweater, all those things men did from another age. I thought we were getting along so well.”
“If I remember correctly, the last thing you said was that you wanted to stay and have a meal with him. How did that go?”
Melanie sniffed back more tears. “Fine. We talked… a lot.” She stopped before adding, “Okay, I talked, and he listened. But he did share some stuff about his job and how much he enjoyed working at Nudies. Said he’d been around for a long time. Now with Luke and the band playing there, it had become one of the hottest spots in town. He liked working behind Nudie’s downstairs’ bar the best.”
“Did you get his number and give him yours?”
“I did. But he’s ghosted me so far. I tried contacting him after he left. To say I was sorry, you know? I felt bad for putting him on the spot like that.”
“I gotta ask. He’s not gay, is he?”
“Hell if I know. I didn’t think so when we were dancing. It got pretty hot there for a few of the waltzes. I thought he was as much into me as I was into him. Seriously, that gorgeous black man had moves… oohwee. How could I have been mistaken? I mean… I’ve been around the block enough times to know when a guy is interested… or I thought I did.”
“Guess he wasn’t as drunk as you were.”
“Hey, I’d pretty much sobered up by the time we got home, and he never had a drink all night. Called himself a recovering addict which I totally respected. Said he’d been sober for almost twenty years, thanks to a good friend.”
“Not surprising. This is Nashville.”
“According to Jess, he was pretty messed up back in those days, both him and his brother Julian. He knew Luke then too and said they ran with the same crowd for a while. After Luke took off, something happened, and he changed his life. Turned himself around and started working behind the bar instead of drunk and in front of it.”
Honey’s mind was whirling from everything Melanie had shared. But one thing stood out that she had to ask. “If he’s a recovering addict, why is he working in a place where they sell booze and is surrounded by partiers all high and having a good time. Doesn’t that bother him?”
“You know, I asked him the same thing. He said that at first, the smells from the drinks got to him, but eventually coffee replaced those urges. Much worse was quitting drugs and then weed and cigarettes. Now, it’s those awful smells that annoy him more than the alcohol.”
“I’ve heard that from another friend who gave up smoking. He’s the convert from hell. Used to smoke four packs a day and now hates the stink so much, he’s known to pick fights with anyone near him with a cigarette. You say Jess has been drug-free for twenty years. Gotta hand it to him. He cleaned up pretty darn nice. I guess I’m surprised he wasn’t in with one of the bands.”
“See… he was. Back then. Turns out, he plays guitar and even sang. Won’t touch any instruments now though. Wouldn’t say why, and I didn’t dig.”
A strange suspicion struck Honey. “You say he knew Luke back then too?”
“Yeah, guess they used to hang together before Luke took off.”
“Why’d he take off?”
“Jess never said. But then, I never asked.”
Son of a bitch. Shivers streaked across Honey’s back, and her body suddenly weighed a ton.