CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - MELODY
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MELODY
“Care to dance with
Melody looked at Christopher’s outstretched hand. Prom had been going on for about thirty minutes now. The gymnasium was full and loud. “Are chaperones allowed to dance? Shouldn’t we be watching?”
“We are watching. There’s no rule against watching while dancing.” He wiggled his fingers in a come-hither gesture. “Come on. Dance with me.”
As if on cue, a slow song started up through the speakers. It was a familiar tune that Melody couldn’t quite put her finger on. She turned to look for Liz to make sure she was okay. Liz was standing near the refreshment table talking to Rose and her date.
Finally, Melody slipped her hand into Christopher’s. His skin was warm and inviting against hers. They stepped onto the dance floor and Melody leaned in to his warm body as he drew her closer. She had the urge to lay her head on his chest, close her eyes, and disappear into the moment. They weren’t like that though, even if some part of her wished they were. Maybe in some other reality where she and Liz and Bri, and Alyssa, had actually made it to their own prom. If Melody hadn’t left Trove Isle when she was eighteen. If Alyssa had lived and her crush on Christopher had moved on to some other guy.
Christopher dipped his head to her ear so she could hear him, his breath tickling her exposed neckline. “What are you thinking about?”
She tipped her face back and looked at him. They were dangerously close. “What might have been, I guess.”
“You know what they say.”
She wrinkled her brow. “They say a lot of things. Which thing are you referring to?”
“Don’t look back. You’re not going in that direction.”
Melody smiled. “I haven’t heard that one before.” She paused. “Thanks for taking me here tonight. This is great.”
“You say that now. Last year, the kids spiked the punch and several prom-goers passed out. A couple barfed. Being a chaperone is not for the weak.”
Melody laughed. “I think I’m up to the challenge.”
His voice dipped low. “I know you are.”
They swayed for a few more seconds. Then Melody tuned-in to the song. She recognized it now. It was a classic.
“Did you request this song?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“Mm-hm. You and I were never an item. Only in my imagination. But,” he shrugged, “this song used to play all the time when we were in high school. And every time I heard it, I thought of you.”
“You did?” Melody swallowed. Her throat was dry. Her heart pattered. She listened to the words, trying to place the singer. “It’s by Chicago?”
“One of my all-time favorite bands. There are perks to being a chaperone. I requested a few songs that these kids have probably never heard of. Maybe it’ll turn into one of these couples’ songs.” He grinned before starting to sing quietly along.
Tears burned behind Melody’s eyes. She blinked them away, feeling too much in this moment. She wanted to disappear. Run away. Stay exactly where she was and never leave. She wanted all these things at once. “Christopher,” she said, the word coming out as a plea.
“It’s just a song, Mel. And it was just a crush that I had. Those first crushes are brutal though. You feel everything one hundred percent.”
“That’s how Alyssa felt about you back then.”
There was something sad in Christopher’s eyes. “When one crushes that hard, it’s rarely ever reciprocated. Two people crushing on each other at the same time is like lightning striking. When it happens though, I think it’s probably pretty special.”
Melody was having a hard time pulling in a deep breath. “We’re probably too old for that kind of crush now.”
He lifted his finger and brushed a lock of her hair off her cheek. “Speak for yourself. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over my first crush.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could she say? She wasn’t staying in Trove. She couldn’t. Wasn’t it enough that she had come home for a visit?
Her cell phone rang out from the tiny purse she kept along her shoulder. “Oh. I thought I turned that thing off.” She hadn’t turned it off though because she’d wanted to make sure Liz could call her if she was having difficulties. Melody dug through her purse and pulled her phone out, seeing Candy North’s name on her screen—the woman who wanted to buy the thrift store. Melody owed her an answer by tomorrow. “I have to take this.” Melody looked back up at Christopher. Then she stepped back and gave him an apologetic look. Truly, the call could probably be returned later in the evening, but her instinct to run overpowered her when she was presented with the excuse to slip away.
Christopher didn’t seem to mind. “I should probably sample that punch and make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. Spiking the beverage seems to be a rite of passage at these types of things.”
Melody broke into a small laugh, relieved at how easygoing he was. “Were we ever so rebellious?” she asked.
“Not me.” He feigned an innocent look that made a fluttering sensation in her chest. “Save me another dance later?”
“Of course.”
Melody turned and hurried toward a door, hoping she’d find privacy on the other side. The phone had stopped ringing. She tapped the screen to re-dial.
“This is Candy,” a woman’s voice answered.
“It’s Melody Palmer, returning your call.”
“Yes. Melody, hi. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
Melody wasn’t sure if the timing was good or bad. Part of her wished she were still swaying in Christopher’s arms. “You didn’t.”
“I’m calling to see if you have an answer for me. I gave you a timeline and I meant it.”
Melody closed her eyes. She could still hear the music from just beyond the door. The slow song had stopped and a faster tempo was thumping through the speakers in the next room. “Have you reconsidered keeping the store as my great-aunt’s thrift store?”
Candy cleared her throat. “I don’t sell used things. I sell new and unique women’s clothing. I want to run a boutique, not a secondhand mess.”
Melody flinched as tension gathered in her chest. Did the woman have to be so rude? “Can I have a little more time to consider?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time to waste,” the woman said bluntly. “I can find another place.”
Melody pressed a hand to her chest. The thrift store was Jo’s dream, but Jo wasn’t here anymore. And neither was Melody’s mom. Or Alyssa. She’d lost so much in this town, and tonight just seemed to bring all the emotions to the surface. She’d enjoyed dancing with Christopher, but the desire to run away hadn’t been this strong since the first day she’d arrived a couple weeks ago. She felt conflicted and lost. “Okay,” Melody said quietly.
“Okay?”
“I’ll sell the store to you at the price you mentioned. No conditions. If you don’t want to run it as Hidden Treasures, that’s your choice.” Melody just wanted to swipe things off her plate. She wanted to cut the cord keeping her here any longer than she needed to be.
“Wonderful!” Candy said enthusiastically into the receiver. “My real estate agent will be in touch.”
“Okay.” Melody disconnected the call and stood there, feeling hollowed out and running over with emotions all at once.
“I thought you said you wanted to keep Jo’s store in place,” a woman’s voice said.
Melody turned toward Liz, surprised to see her standing there. “Liz. Are you okay?” Her friend’s pink lips were vibrant against her pale complexion.
“You said you were keeping it as Hidden Treasures. That’s what Jo would have wanted. I thought you wanted the same thing.”
“Liz.” Melody stepped toward her friend.
Liz took a step back and held up her palm. “Some part of me still believed you would end up staying in Trove. That you would realize what you left behind and decide you couldn’t leave us again. Some part of me thought you meant it, all of this.” Liz gestured toward the charm bracelet on her wrist. “You were never planning to stay though, were you? For all I know, you’re not planning to come back either. It’s all a lie.” Liz’s voice shook. “And I am such a fool because I believed it. Everything you said.” She shook her head and Melody saw the glisten of tears on her cheek.
“It’s not a lie. Liz, I’m just selling the store. I was always planning to sell the store. I never promised anything different.”
“You did though. You said it would remain Hidden Treasures.”
“You don’t understand. This woman offered above the asking price,” Melody said, as if that really mattered. Money was nice, but they both knew that wasn’t why Melody had taken the offer so quickly. “The kind of money that’s not easy to turn down.”
Liz frowned. Then she looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist and slid it off.
Melody watched her. “What are you doing?”
Liz sniffled and took an audible breath. Anger sparked in her eyes when she looked up again. Her jawline tightened and she pulled her arm back and forcefully threw the bracelet at Melody’s feet. “So take the money and leave, Mel. And take the bracelet with you when you go. I don’t need it anymore. Or you.” She turned on her heel and charged toward the door.
Melody hurried after her. “Liz? Wait. You’re overreacting. Liz?”
The door slammed behind Liz, leaving Melody alone in the room. She didn’t want to go out into the gymnasium just yet. She needed a moment to catch her breath. Tonight was turning out to be an emotional roller-coaster ride. Liz was just being emotional as well. That’s what that was. Tonight was triggering for her too. People lashed out when they were triggered. They shut down. They pushed people away. They accepted real estate offers. And apparently, they also threw charm bracelets.
Melody whirled to go and retrieve the discarded piece of jewelry. She didn’t see it immediately so she walked deeper into the room, looking around the furniture that was stored there. This appeared to be an area for unused desks and podiums.
The bracelet wasn’t there. She couldn’t see it. Tears clouded her vision and then it was impossible to see anything at all. All she wanted to do was leave, but that would be running away, wouldn’t it? And Melody Palmer didn’t run anymore. Did she?
To: Liz Dawson
From: Bri Johnson
Subject: A night to remember
Liz,
I’m on my cot tonight, thinking of you and Melody, and imagining you two having the times of your lives. I don’t need to be there. Just knowing that you both have this chance to redo history in some way, and fix some small piece of it, is enough. I can’t wait to hear every detail. I want to see pictures because I know you’re taking them. It will be a night to remember!
B