Chapter 15
Melody
Melody hummed to herself as she moved through the halls of The Winchester. She smiled as she brushed her hand over the outline of her cellphone in her pants pocket.
Ben had been texting her more often than she would have thought a professional athlete would have time for since he’d flown out to San Jose earlier in the week.
Sometimes, it was just a smiley face emoji or a single sentence commentary, but it let her know he was thinking about her.
It was enough to put a spring in her step and an extra-bright smile on her face.
Her workdays were full helping to rehab her patients, but she still had to consciously fight the impulse to glance at her phone every chance she got. For the first time in her life, she felt like a giddy schoolgirl in the throes of her first big crush.
“Hey, Sam,” Melody greeted as she approached the front desk. “Have you seen Captain Thom? He was supposed to meet me for physical therapy ten minutes ago.”
Samantha furrowed her brow. “No, I’m sorry to say I haven’t.” She looked down at the papers in her hand before continuing. “I have to run this file over to Dr. Mehta, but I could try to help you locate him afterward?”
Melody gave an appreciative smile. “That would be great. Thanks, Sam.”
Sam returned her smile and sauntered off down the hallway toward their resident GP’s office.
Melody was just about to dip behind the reception desk to see if she could find anything that might point to Captain Thom’s whereabouts when she spotted an unknown man leaning against the wall beside the doorframe leading into the atrium.
Curiosity aroused, she made her way over.
“Hi,” Melody greeted when she was within a couple yards of the stranger. “Can I offer you a hand with something?”
The man looked up from his phone. Friendly blue eyes met hers.
“Hi,” he said warmly as he tucked his cellphone into his back pocket. “I’m just waiting for my grandpa. He should be down any minute.”
Melody returned his amiable smile. “That’s nice,” she said and meant it. She loved seeing friends and family visit the residents. It meant so much to them, which in turn meant a lot to her.
“I’m Melody,” she offered by way of polite introduction. “I’m part of the medical team.”
Surprised recognition lit his eyes. “Nolan Rogers,” he said, offering a polite hand in greeting.
She accepted his outstretched hand as she quickly catalogued his features.
Objectively, the man was gorgeous. He reminded her of what the love child of Brad Pitt, Zac Efron, and James Marsden might look like.
He had Zac Efron’s prominent eyebrows, signature scruff, and thick, stylized hair; Brad Pitt’s full lips, pleasantly angular jawline, and well-developed masseter muscles; and James Marsden’s winsome smile and boy-next-door vibe.
She felt an echo of recognition. There was definitely something familiar about him, but she would bet money they hadn’t met before. He seemed like the type of man a woman would remember.
Melody was just opening her mouth to speak when a chipper voice reverberated through the room. “Nolie, my boy,” Captain Thom greeted in the carrying tone she imagined he’d used throughout his naval career.
Nolan’s smile grew as he pushed off the wall and greeted Captain Thom with an affectionate hug. “Hi, Grandpa. It’s good to see you.”
Captain Thom turned to her when he pulled back from the embrace, a self-satisfied smile lifting his lips.
“Melody, my dear,” Captain Thom said with a proud smile, “I see that you’ve met my grandson, Nolan.” His face swam with poorly disguised mischief. “He’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”
“You don’t say,” Nolan commented before shooting his grandpa a look of patient affection.
“This morning’s SOS message wouldn’t have anything to do with this chance meeting, now would it?
” The inflection Nolan placed on the word “chance” suggested he didn’t think their meeting was any more coincidental than Melody did.
“What?” Captain Thom lifted his hands in mock defense. “I was just trying to tell you to be careful what you texted me because your mom was standing over my shoulder. Someone over shoulder. SOS.”
“Right . . .” Nolan responded, dragging out the word. “Because it’s so common for me to text you with details I wouldn’t want Mom knowing.”
“You never know,” Captain Thom contended.
“Uh huh,” Nolan humored, an affectionate smile still pulling at his lips. “And it didn’t occur to you that I might have misinterpreted your SOS when I said I’d be right over?”
Captain Thom shrugged before slipping his hands into his pockets and rocking back and forth a few times.
“If there’s nothing serious that needs seeing to, Captain Thom,” Melody interjected into the conversation, “you were supposed to be in my office for PT fifteen minutes ago.”
Captain Thom regarded her with wide, innocent eyes that were fooling no one. “Oh?” Captain Thom said, scratching the side of his neck. “Was that today?”
“It was,” she confirmed patiently.
“Huh,” Captain Thom voiced. “I’m sorry. I must have gotten my dates mixed up.”
Good thing Captain Thom hadn’t been in special ops. He was a terrible liar.
“Convenient that you booked an extra-long session today and still have your usual time left in the appointment,” Melody added, suspicion coloring her tone.
“Convenient indeed,” Captain Thom agreed, his tone jovial.
When Melody glanced over at Nolan, she could see his shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. It didn’t look like he was falling for his grandfather’s innocent act, either.
When Captain Thom had booked a longer treatment for today, she’d presumed he’d developed a new issue that required assessment. Based on the current state of things, it seemed like the wily old fellow had simply wanted the extra time to further his matchmaking agenda.
Captain Thom turned back to face his grandson. “Sorry for dragging you all the way out here, Nolan, but it looks like I double-booked myself. And I really shouldn’t miss PT.”
Captain Thom leaned down and gently massaged his right knee.
“I thought you said it was your left knee that had been bothering you?” Nolan challenged, though with more humor than heat.
Captain Thom’s eyes popped open before he schooled his features. “Oh, you know how it is,” he tried to explain as he waved his hand dismissively. “The pain moves.”
Nolan smiled indulgently. “I see.”
“I better get going,” Captain Thom said.
He pivoted to face her. “I’ll go get ready.”
His head swiveled between Nolan and Melody. “Since you’re both here, why don’t you two take the opportunity to set up that date you both promised me you’d go on. I should be all ready by the time you’re through.”
With that, Captain Thom practically skipped off in the direction of Melody’s office. On knees that showed no sign of injury. Someone was clearly a little too pleased with himself.
Melody glanced over at Nolan to find a look of mirth lighting up his handsome face. It lent a boyish appeal to his otherwise masculine features.
Nolan shook his head as he watched his grandfather dance away. “Is it me, or does it seem as though we’ve both been played?”
Melody couldn’t help but smile. “It rather does,” she confirmed.
“Well,” Nolan said, rocking back on his heels. “I don’t know how well you know my grandpa, but he’s one stubborn old man. He’ll pester us both until we succumb to his will.”
Melody tittered. Based on her months of knowing Captain Thom, she would say Nolan was putting that mildly.
Nolan gave her a look she might call searching before continuing. “So, what do you say? Can I interest you in dinner?”
Melody hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Could she really go out with him when her romantic interest was already engaged elsewhere?
Despite her reluctant promise to Captain Thom that she would go out with his hitherto-unknown grandson, she wasn’t sure how she felt about dating multiple men at once.
Not that she and Ben had actually managed an official date yet.
Melody wondered if Nolan could sense her hesitation because he was quick to follow up his initial offer with another option. “Alternatively, a bunch of friends and I are planning a games night at a local board game café tomorrow night. Would you like to join us?”
“It should be fun,” he cajoled. “Just a little wholesome, no pressure entertainment that would have you home as early as you need or want. They don’t technically serve dinner, but a combination of their snacks is just as good as.”
Despite Shawna and Annie’s reassurances that it was kosher to go on a series of simultaneous casual first, second, and maybe even third dates with numerous men, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that approach just didn’t sit comfortably with her.
She was a one-man-at-a-time type of girl.
But a night out with a bunch of people, when she and Ben hadn’t even pinned down plans for their first date?
That sounded like something she could comfortably do.
“So, what do you say?” Nolan asked after a beat of silence. “Is it a plan?”
“Board games do sound like fun,” Melody acquiesced with a gentle smile.
“Great,” Nolan returned.
There was something in his expression that made Melody wonder whether he might have been hoping she would opt for the solo dinner option, but she couldn’t be sure. She was hardly an expert when it came to reading men, let alone ones she’d just met.
Within a matter of minutes, they had exchanged numbers and gone over the basics of their upcoming date, for lack of a better term for it.
“I’d better run,” Melody said once they’d hammered out the core details. “For all that I think your grandpa is eager to have us fall in line with his plans, he really could use the treatment.”
“I get it,” Nolan said with a teasing smile. “Grandpa is a hard man to resist.”
Melody couldn’t help but smile at his lighthearted humor. “He certainly is,” she agreed.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Melody,” Nolan complimented. “I won’t lie. I’d thought my grandpa might have been exaggerating your appeal, but I’m beginning to wonder if his praise actually did you justice.”
Melody could feel her cheeks warming. It was no Ben-level blush, but Nolan had definitely managed to make her feel something in her girly marshmallow center. “Thank you,” she accepted shyly. “It was a pleasure meeting you, too.”
As Melody walked away, she couldn’t help but wonder how she’d gone from a virtual dating drought to having upcoming dates with not one, but two, very eligible men.
A part of her was hesitant to get back out there after feeling like Jeremy had played her for a fool, but she was feeling surprisingly optimistic about both of her upcoming dates.
Life was funny sometimes. She just hoped the next joke wouldn’t be on her.