11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter eleven
M elody’s day started off right with Fox. The man knew how to keep his promises. She appreciated that he thought one more time with her was more important than any business call he had scheduled. Maybe it wouldn’t always be like that, but with things between them so new…it made her feel special.
That’s what she’d been looking for all this time.
And she wanted to show him that he meant everything to her, too. So she’d stopped at the donut shop on her way out to Tanya’s place. A peace offering of sorts. No matter how Tanya felt about her, Melody intended to make things easier for Fox by not giving in to temptation and spewing all the hateful things she wanted to say.
At least, she’d try. For him.
And a chocolate glazed donut or two never hurt.
She pulled into the drive, grabbed the box of donuts and her coffee mug, and headed up to the porch.
Tanya opened the door with a frown and anger in her eyes. She looked about to blow her top. “What are you doing here?”
“Fox had an important meeting. I volunteered to fix your plumbing problem.”
Tanya’s dismissive gaze raked over her. “You?”
“I’m actually quite handy.” She held up the box. “And I brought donuts.”
Tanya’s gaze narrowed with suspicion, but she held the door wide for Melody to walk in. “Is he coming at all?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t tell me his schedule for today. He’s with Dean and Max. Seemed like the call they had was important.” She looked around the living room, noting the dust on the tables and shelves, the dirty dishes on the coffee table, and the basket of laundry sitting on the floor of the bedroom down the hall. “So, where is the leak?”
“Kitchen sink. A pipe broke. And the faucet leaks.”
Melody headed to the kitchen, noting how slow Tanya was to follow. At first she thought maybe it was because Tanya was mad about her being here. But the second Tanya got close to the little table by the window, she nearly fell into the seat.
“You okay?”
“The treatment wears me out. I wake up tired. Every little thing feels like a chore some days.” Tanya rubbed at her forehead with her index finger and thumb.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do they think the treatment is working?” Melody wasn’t clear on what type of cancer Tanya battled, but by the pallor of her face and dark circles under her eyes, it was taking a toll on her.
“At this point, the treatment is just prolonging my life. Though it’s not much of one, if you ask me. I’m stuck in this house just like I’ve always been.”
“Maybe you can visit Fox in Boston.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think Fox wants to keep me as far away from his new life as he can.”
Can you blame him? She kept that to herself.
Tanya’s irritated tone said she knew all too well Fox remained leery of Tanya’s intentions.
Melody noticed the toolbox on the counter, then squatted in front of the open cabinet under the sink. Several bottles of household cleaner and dish soap had been taken out of the cabinet and placed on the floor. The pipes were fairly simple. One came out of the garbage disposal and went into the wall. Two pipes went to the hot and cold water up to the sink knobs. The sink trap was loose, the pipe cracked. Water and sludge coated the bottom of the cabinet.
She looked around the kitchen and spotted the roll of paper towels. She grabbed a half dozen and laid them over the mess. She eyed the toolbox with the hammer right on top and frowned.
“How’d this happen?”
“Sink got clogged. I tried to undo the pipe and made things worse.” At least she owned up to that part.
Melody had a suspicion the hammer had something to do with the cracked pipe. “Any chance you’ve got some spare pipe and pipe glue around here?” It was a simple fix with the right parts. She didn’t want to have to go all the way to town to get them and come back.
“Check the storage room in the barn. Lots of odds and ends in there.”
Melody stood as Tanya started working on a chocolate glazed donut.
She spotted the half pot of coffee on the counter and a mug next to it. She poured a cup and held it up to Tanya. “Cream or sugar?”
Tanya’s eyes went wide, then she shook her head. “Why are you being nice?”
“Because I care about Fox. And apparently he cares about you enough to upend his life and come here to help you.”
Tanya sneered. “Like you’re not telling him to steer clear of me every chance you get.”
“I did tell him that’s what you deserve. But the man has a good heart despite all the shit that’s been done to him. He could be bitter and angry and take that out on others. Instead, he’s kind. Maybe because he’s known so much hurt. He knows what that feels like and doesn’t want to inflict that on others.”
“I wasn’t a bad mother.”
“No one believes that. Not even you. You hurt him. And you need to own that.”
“Like you own what you did.”
“Saving him from you is the best thing I ever did, even if it meant I lost him for a while.”
Tanya’s gaze narrowed. “You were with him this morning when I called.”
“You think I was fiercely protective of him when I was eight? That is nothing compared to how I feel about keeping him safe and happy now.”
“You love him.”
“I always have. I always will.”
Tanya nodded. “Good.”
Surprise burst in her chest. “What?” She never expected that response.
“Does it stun you to think I want my son to be happy?”
“As far as I can tell, you only care about yourself.”
Tanya shook her head, lips tight with condescension. “You don’t know me. You think you do, but that’s from a child’s perspective. You don’t know how trapped I felt. There was no escaping his father. Sometimes you have to play the hand you’re dealt.”
“That’s bullshit. When your husband went to jail, you could have divorced him. You would have been free. Instead, you welcomed the viper back into your home the second he was released. Why?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she snapped. “Some things aren’t always what they seem.”
Melody didn’t know what to make of that. She wouldn’t have made the choices Tanya had made. But she also hadn’t been in Tanya’s shoes, so who knew what choices she’d have made to keep a roof over her head and food on the table. Tanya had chosen to work for a local house-cleaning service and as cashier at the tire store on the weekends.
Huh. Josh worked there for his father. That’s probably how she found Brian and whatever drugs she was using to dull the pain now.
Since Tanya had been expecting Fox to show up, she’d probably stashed her stash.
None of that mattered.
“Some people never change.” Melody held Tanya’s gaze. “I hope you have. For Fox’s sake.”
“He’s a little too big to let me get away with knocking him around.”
Melody fumed. “There are a lot of ways to hurt someone.” She headed for the back door. “Enjoy the donuts.” She walked to the barn, thinking about how her father had found Fox out there nearly frozen and dead the day she’d begged him to check on Fox.
No, she’d never forgive Tanya for what she’d done. She’d never forget.
And if Tanya tried to use and abuse Fox now, she’d protect Fox at all costs, even if that meant pushing him to go back to Boston to keep him away from Tanya.