Chapter 22
Mel
The next morning, I already had Dylan withdrawals, and he’d only been gone for two hours. It was ridiculous—I didn’t see him every night, even when he was in the city—but knowing he was away made me feel this hollowness in my chest.
"Mel, these came for you," Shauna said at noon. I had back-to-back training sessions all morning and only now made it to the reception desk. There was a huge bouquet of red roses on it.
"They also have a card," she said with a dreamy smile. “Thought you might want to know."
I smelled the roses, picking up the card. It was from Dylan.
"I will miss you, Mel. Have a great day."
Oh, Dylan. I was in a great mood all morning, smiling at my clients and being more patient than usual. I was on cloud nine, and every time I passed reception, I smiled even bigger, looking at my beautiful flowers.
After work, I met Charlotte for a cocktail.
Ever since she opened the dog shelter, we met there, catching up while doing chores, but she insisted on going out for an actual cocktail today, and I was all for it. I loved girl time.
We met near the gym at a small bar that had just opened. They were known for their tapas more than their cocktails, but their margaritas were terrific.
Charlotte was wearing a beautiful white dress with a generous cleavage and huge hoop earrings. Her hair was styled in curls. She grinned when I arrived, eying my flowers.
“Are these from Dylan?” she asked as I sat down.
“Yes. He sent them today to the gym.”
“My God, this man is something else. I didn’t even think men in this century knew how to send flowers anymore.”
“You and me both.” We ordered a selection of tapas and margaritas and received our drinks in no time.
I kept eyeing the roses while sipping my beverage.
At lunch I’d sent Dylan a message thanking him, but he hadn’t replied.
He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he wouldn’t have free time at all. And he’d still sent me flowers.
“So you and Dylan are getting pretty serious, right?” Charlotte asked.
I grinned, sipping some more of my margarita. Oops, I was going a bit fast.
“Well, we talked about not seeing other people,” I informed her. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when he went to D.C.”
“He sent you flowers, so I think it’s safe to say he’s really into you.”
I clasped my fingers tighter around the stem of the glass, pouting. “And I’m really into him. I’m afraid of how much, honestly.”
“Why?”
“We made it pretty clear in the beginning that it’s a casual thing.”
Her eyes widened. I hadn’t shared this with her.
“You don’t do casual.”
“I know, but I like him a lot, and one thing led to another….”
Charlotte grinned, clinking her glass to mine. “You wouldn’t be the first ones to move from casual to serious.”
I grinned too but immediately toned it down because my right temple started to throb. Damn, why was I getting tipsy so fast? I only ate breakfast and a protein bar today, so that explained it.
When the waiter brought our tapas, I immediately devoured patatas bravas , chorizo, and olives stuffed with almonds.
We spoke a bit about the shelter while eating.
“It’s going better than I was hoping for,” Charlotte said. “I’m thinking about offering training courses too.”
“Do you have time?”
She was also working part-time as a dance teacher for young kids. She had enough on her plate.
“I’ll figure it out.”
Charlotte was such a kick-ass woman, and I was proud of her. We ordered a second round of margaritas, and by the time we downed them, I was drunk, and so was she.
She put both hands on the table, eying me intently. “Okay, now that you’re inebriated, it’s time to fess up. How exactly do you feel about Dylan?”
I sighed, tugging at my bottom lip with my teeth. “I’m falling for him, but I’m trying not to. I know it’s going to end eventually.”
“Hmm… or maybe not. Have you told him how you feel?”
I shook my head, which made me dizzy. I massaged my temples, but it wasn’t helping.
“This margarita is kicking my ass,” I said.
“Mine too.”
“Should we call it a night?”
“Ha! A convenient excuse not to talk about Mr. Hottie, huh?”
I laughed. “I love talking about him. I can do it all day long. But my head weighs a ton.”
“Mine too. Let’s go.”
We paid quickly and parted ways in front of the restaurant. I dozed off in my Uber, but I still had a headache when I arrived home. There was a bit of the sunset left, so I went to the balcony with a glass of water, phone, and earbuds.
Just as I was about to start my audiobook, Dylan called.
I answered with a grin. “Hey.”
“Am I interrupting your audiobook already?”
“No, I didn’t start it yet. How did you know?”
“It’s almost sunset.”
“Thanks so much for the flowers. They’re gorgeous.”
“I forgot to reply to your message today. It was crazy busy.”
“I figured it might be.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Why?”
“You sound a bit different.”
I licked my lips, deciding to fess up. “I went with drinks for Charlotte.”
He burst out laughing. “You mean you went for drinks with Charlotte, right?”
“That’s what I said. I think. Anyway, I didn’t eat much before dinner, so I got pretty drunk. Charlotte got a kick out of it, kept asking how I feel about you.”
I relaxed on my lounger, smiling at the flowers.
“What did you tell her?”
Oh shit. My pulse sped up. “Oops. I didn’t mean to say that to you.”
“But now you did.”
I shifted in my seat, licking my lips. “Maybe we can talk about this when you’re back?” My voice sounded small, but I felt oddly vulnerable.
“You bet we will. I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” I said, meaning it with all my heart. “It’s a bit lonely, watching the sunset without you.”
“Your audiobook isn’t a good enough replacement?” he teased.
“Not even close.”
“Good to know. I keep thinking about all the things we could be doing right now.”
“Like what?” Even though it was a warm summer day, a shiver of anticipation ran through me.
“Having dinner, giving you a massage, or visiting your dad. You’ve been on my mind all day.”
The shiver turned into a shot of warmth, coiling through me. “You know how to get through my defenses,” I whispered. Damn. I spoke too much again.
“Good. That’s what I want.”
He did? Why? I sat up straighter, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart was beating fast. I gathered the courage to ask him more about it, but I heard someone call his name in the background.
“I have to go. I’m having dinner with the client. I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes.”
“Have fun.”
“Thanks. You too.”
I lay back down on the lounger with a grin the size of Texas while I plugged in my earbuds and pressed Play in the audiobook app.
I was the luckiest woman on the planet.
The next morning, though, I was feeling everything but lucky.
I barely got to the gym when I received a phone call from Dad.
Elliot had gone to his house to take back the TV and a freaking coffee table he’d bought.
Dad hadn’t wanted to let him in, so Elliot broke down the door. I couldn’t believe it.
Dad was in quite a state when I arrived at his house.
He wasn’t just scared. He’d also hurt himself, trying to prevent Elliot from coming into the house.
He had a few wood fragments in his right hand from the broken door, and he’d hurt his left elbow when he accidentally wheeled his chair against a corner of the bookshelf.
Buddy had been sleeping in the backyard when Elliot came and missed the whole thing.
Not that him being awake would have made a difference. He was a huge teddy bear.
“Dad, everything is going to be fine,” I said. My voice was shaky, even though I was trying to be strong for him. He was already scared and worried.
“He kept saying he was the one who bought them, so he had a right to take them back.”
My blood was boiling. I had indeed been too permissive with Elliot. I always figured if I didn’t pay him any mind, he’d eventually go away. I was wrong.
“Dad, I don’t think your injuries are serious, but we’ll go to Dr. Denver anyway, okay?”
Dr. Denver was his GP, and her practice was only a few streets away.
“We’ll leave the door like this?” he asked.
I glanced behind my shoulder at the broken door. “I’m going to tie it so it’s not hanging loose, and I’ll also notify the police. Hopefully no one will notice it’s open while we’re at the doctor’s. I want to get you to Dr Denver first, then deal with the police.”
“Okay.”
Dad was such a strong man, and now he was shaking.
Before propping the door, I wheeled his chair out of the house, feeling completely overwhelmed. I didn’t want to leave the house unlocked, but I wasn’t sure how to handle this any better.
Putting my earbuds in, I dialed 911. I kept my hands firmly on Dad’s wheelchair.
“Hello. What is your emergency?” a friendly woman answered.
“I would like to report a break-in,” I said. A cold shudder ran through me. She asked for details, and I realized I didn’t have too many since I hadn’t witnessed it. I told her I was getting Dad checked out right now, so we weren’t home.
“We’ll have someone police the area to make sure the perp isn’t doing more damage. We can also send an officer by your house once you’re back,” she offered.
“Thank you. That’s the best, I think. I’ll call again once we’re out of the doctor’s office.”
After ending the call, I focused 100 percent on Dad, trying to distract and reassure him. The GP’s waiting room was empty when we arrived, so Dr. Denver took Dad in right away.
“I’ll take the splinters out quickly,” she said, first applying a numbing gel.
Dr. Denver was around Dad’s age and divorced.
I always thought they’d hit it off, especially after Dad’s stroke, when she came by the house a couple times a week to check on him.
It hadn’t happened, though, but they had a beautiful friendship, and I was more grateful than ever for that today. She was putting Dad at ease.