Chapter 23
S leeping in was one of God’s greatest gifts, and as an adult, Melanie rarely got to do that. Except on Sundays.
And this one was no exception. It was after nine when her body woke naturally from catching up on a week's worth of late nights and early mornings. Reaching her arm out, she felt for Logan but came up empty. Sitting up she stretched her arms above her head and looked around. He wasn’t in the room or in the attached bathroom. Figuring he was probably having coffee she padded sleepily down the hall, stopping when she saw him in his office.
“Hey.” She leaned against the door. His face was furrowed and his normally smiling lips were flat. “Is everything okay?”
In a tone that was flat and void of emotion he asked. “Did you never think I could do it?”
Confused, she stepped in the office. “Do what? What are you talking about?”
“I mean, I sensed that there was something up when we first talked about me opening a gallery. But then we talked more and I thought you were on board.”
Her eyes widened in confusion. “I’m gonna need you to back up and start at the beginning.”
“You contacted six people, Mel. Six damn people to try and get my work in other galleries.” His use of her shortened name stopped her cold. He rarely called her Mel, at least not since they had become a couple.
“That was before.”
“Before what? Before we talked and I told you that I wanted to open a gallery, before I professed my love to you, before we slept together. Tell me. Before what?”
“Before everything,” she said. “I was trying to help. I wanted you to have choices.”
“But I’d made my choice. And I told you that and yet you still went behind my back and contacted these people.”
She walked closer to him, needed to touch him. Kneeling on the floor in front of his chair she said. “I know you said that, but I was so afraid that you would change your mind and then hate me later.”
“But I told you I wouldn’t,” he shouted.
“You can’t know that,” she stood as tears welled in her eyes. “You can’t know that in five years, you won’t resent me for being the reason you aren’t in galleries all around the world.”
The anger on his face told her that maybe she’d taken this too far. He looked like he wanted to murder someone.
“And were you ever going to tell me about the offers you’ve received to teach in New York?”
She gasped. “How did you find out?”
“It seems one of my friends who you contacted recognized your name. From what he says, you are very sought after.”
“I don’t want to go to New York, though.” Why was he even bringing this up? “I love it here.”
“So I’m just supposed to believe you and yet you can’t do that for me?”
She had no argument. She was a complete hypocrite and had no legs to stand on.
“You know what, I can’t do this right now.” He stood. “I am meeting my mom in an hour and then we have dinner at her house.”
“We can’t just stop in the middle of a fight. That’s not how it works.”
He walked to the door but didn’t turn around. “It is today. Dinner is at five.”
She watched him walk away, having no real clue what the fuck had just happened. She had no idea that he would be so upset with her for contacting some people in the industry and she was so mad at herself for never telling him about her offers to teach.
No, she thought. That was a lie. Somewhere deep down she knew he'd be mad for both or else why would she have ever kept them from him. Not sure what to do but knowing she couldn’t stand there and do nothing, she went in search of Logan. When she heard the shower running, she made her way to the bathroom attached to his bedroom.
“Logan, can we just talk?” she said over the noise of the water.
“I told you, I don’t want to talk right now.”
“So I’m what, just supposed to come to dinner at your parent’s house with all our friends there and pretend that we aren’t fighting?” The water shutoff and he slid the door open. Dripping wet, he reached for a towel as she stood and watched.
“I’d rather everyone not know that we are fighting, so do you think we can just try and act normal.”
“Seriously? You can just do that. Turn it off and on?”
“Mel, please” His voice was sad, almost hauntingly so that she had no choice but to agree to his terms.
“I’ll be there at five.” She left him standing in the bathroom and went out to the kitchen. She had no clue what he expected her to do, but she wanted coffee and she wanted it now. Not only that but if she showed up at her own house before she got herself together, Carly would know that something was up. And then she remembered that since Logan had picked her up last night, she didn’t have a car there.
When he came down the hallway ready to leave, she said, “I don’t have my car here and I need to go home at some point.”
He looked up. “You can take the Jeep. I’ll take the Vette.”
She nodded and watched him walk out the front door. It was then that she finally lost it. Sliding down to the floor, tears began to cover her face. She didn't even try to wipe them away, instead, she just drew her knees to her chest and rested her head on her arms.
This was all so stupid. Just one big, gigantic mistake. She believed him that he wanted to be there, and now even if she didn't, she was too selfish to give him up.
She loved him.
And going back to a life where she wasn't allowed to do that was a nightmare.
What could she do though? She needed to make him listen to her. Make him understand why she'd done what she’d done and that she’d never had any intention of going back to New York herself.
She needed him to know that she believed in him and that his dreams were her dreams.
Gathering her strength, she picked herself up off the floor, both physically and literally and began to think.
If she wanted Logan forever she was going to have to prove it to him.
––––––––
P utting on a happy face, she walked into Logan’s parent’s house. Everyone else was already there and she found them all gathered out on the back deck. She spotted Logan over on the swing, sitting next to his dad.
He turned his head when he heard Carly greet her, but other than a small nod, barely acknowledged her.
“Did you come home today?” Carly asked.
“Yeah, I didn't have any clothes with me.” When she'd gotten home after her break down, the house had been empty.
“I took Max and went by to see my dad. Ended up staying all day.”
Melanie had been glad when she’d walked into her house and found that Carly was gone. She’d needed time to process things before she had contact with people and tried to pretend that everything was peachy.
“Is your dad coming to dinner tonight?”
“Nah, he said he wanted to stay home and relax. I left Max with him since he likes to play with Denver.” Denver was her dad’s dog and Max who was almost always calm, was anything but when it came to playing with Denver.
“Don’t look now,” Leah said as she joined their little group, “but Tony just walked in.”
Carly, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After their night at the bar, Leah and Melanie had drilled Carly to get the details of what had happened with her and Tony. Apparently, Carly had strung him along most the night, even letting him take her home. But when they got there, she basically pushed him away. Melanie knew that she’d done it to torture him but she had a feeling that dancing with him the way she had all night, had been more torture for her.
“Are you going to be able to handle this?” It did not escape her mind that she was asking if Carly could handle being in the same room with Tony when she was the one that was feeling apprehensive about being there.
Carly gave a quick nod. “I’m good. This is not going to be a problem.” Melanie wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince them or herself.
“I’m gonna go grab a drink before we sit down to dinner,” Melanie said. She did need a drink but her desire to get one that second was because she saw Logan walk into the house and this was her chance to talk to him.
When she entered the kitchen his back was to her and they were alone. “Are you even going to say hello to me?”
She saw him tense but he didn’t turn to look at her. “Do you think I don’t want to say hi or hell, take you in my arms and kiss you? Just because I’m mad doesn’t mean I don’t want those things.” He finally turned to face her.
“Then why couldn’t we have talked this morning? Why make me come here, to your parent’s and feel like you hate me?”
His eyes searched hers like he was looking for something. “I wanna talk, I do. And we will. But I can’t do it here.”
“When?”
“Tonight. After dinner.”
She nodded. “You're gonna have to do a better acting job of pretending that you don’t hate me then if you expect everyone not to notice.”
He stepped toward her and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her. But he stopped right as he passed her. “I don’t hate you, Melanie, I just wish you understood me.”
She inhaled his scent as he passed, his words like a sword driving into her heart. It was at that moment that she knew what she needed to do. She needed something big, a grand gesture so that he would know that she believed in him and his gallery.
The problem was, she had no idea what that grand gesture was. And she only had hours to come up with it.
This called for reinforcements
Back out on the deck, she rounded up Leah and Carly and dragged them into the bathroom with her.
“What is the deal with us and this bathroom?” Carly asked.
“Hey,” Leah quipped, “The last time we were here was for a real reason.”
Months ago, when Leah had first gotten to town and she and Brandon were just starting their relationship, the three of them ended up in the same bathroom. Leah had been unsure of her love for Brandon and needed her friends.
Melanie needed her friends but not because she was unsure of her feelings.
“I need your help.” Their faces told her that they were in no matter what it was. That’s what friends did.
“Logan found out this morning that I had been contacting people about getting him in galleries and that I’ve been offered dance jobs in New York. He’s angry and thinks that I don’t trust him really wanting to be here especially because I’m basically asking him to do the same with me.”
“But you gave up on that, right?” Leah asked. “The whole contacting his friends thing?”
“I did but not right away.” She sighed. “And before you both reprimand me, I know I was an idiot and more importantly, I know now that Logan wants to be here.”
“What do you need from us?” Carly asked.
“I need a plan. An incredible plan that will never make him question my belief in him.”
“That’s a tall order,” Leah said.
She knew she was asking a lot of her friends. But she needed this and more importantly, Logan needed this. So they put their heads together and started thinking. And very quickly, it hit her just what she could do. Now she just had to get through dinner and then she could once and for all prove to Logan that she believed in his job, his vision for his gallery and in them.