Chapter 12 #2
“It was but that was the whole point of it. Tate used his allowance to buy me this horrible mixture just to make me smile and it continued, all of it, my mother leaving me home alone, forgetting my birthday until she vanished. I had Tate, and his dad was the only adult male who’d ever offered me encouragement, the ones my mother brought around were interested in her body.
” Mel sighed as she stopped and headed towards the living room.
She picked up a photo album and flipped through it passing it over to him.
“That was a week after Tate turned fourteen and three days after he’d cracked his hockey stick by hitting a junior in high school against his shoulder to stop him from doing something to me. ”
“You were fourteen?” Devon asked studying the picture.
“Yeah, didn’t look it, did I?” She flipped a few more pages and coming to the picture from the pizza parlor on her fifteenth birthday.
“That was the day my mother took off for good. I was fighting off guys interested in the packaging already and I knew if it got out that she’d left I’d be sent to foster care.
I wouldn’t survive intact if that happened and I refused to lose the one person who’d always been there for me,” she added glancing through the pictures from the two and a half years when she’d been fooling everyone.
“Meeting Jordan changed everything, for the first time I had someone else that I could trust, and then his family accepted me without blinking. I don’t need to have something that’s solely mine, though I do in a way.
I share the architecture with Jordan, and I share pool with Tate, but I love them both, just as I love both of my best friends. ”
“You play pool?” he asked with a hint of a grin. “Any good?”
“Why, you play?” she countered curious if he’d forgotten her mention of it in class earlier in the year.
“I might, too bad that storm’s still littering the ground with hail or we could head out to the bar and play a round or two.”
“Who needs a bar when you have a cave,” she stated leading him towards the ‘man cave’.
“Now I get it.” Devon laughed looking around the space. “No wonder Tate hung out here so much.”
“I’ll admit I wasn’t sure who he loved more, me or this room,” she stated grabbing the sticks from the wall as he finished setting up the balls.
“Ladies first?” he offered.
“Nah, guests first,” she told him in order to judge how well he could play. He wasn’t bad she discovered as he sank three-fourths of his balls before he missed the shot glancing it off the edge of the hole.
“Not bad,” she told him as she leaned over to reach a long shot. She let the stick slide between her fingers and grinned when it sank, “But I’m better.”
“Want to bet?” he asked as she made another easy shot.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“If I win…you have to write our entire paper,” he suggested.
“And if I win you write it? I think I’ll stick to my half on that one,” she joked as a devious smile crossed her lips.
“What?”
“If I win, you have to wear a dress while putting up a wall in the building on campus under the watchful eye of my Tate.”
“You’re on because there’s no way I’m going to lose,” he told her and she had a feeling he’d been holding back but then again, she was the reigning champion of the tournament still.
“Want to start over or go to seventy-two?” Mel asked as she lined up the next shot.
“Seventy-two,” he agreed and she quickly finished the game thanks to his easy lineups.
“Sure you don’t want to call it off?” she stated as she went to break.
“Not a chance, you’re going down Melinda.”
“Mel, everyone who knows me calls me Mel,” she told him letting the balls slide around the table sinking three before she purposely missed.
“Ah, thanks for the shots Mel,” he stated sinking four before he realized his next shots weren’t going to be easy.
She’d set up her shots to force his hand, and she conceded that he was better than he’d let on as he sank two of the middle level shots then the harder one before missing entirely on the impossible one.
She grinned before stepping up to the table.
“Such a shame you won’t get another shot,” she told him before finishing off the game and then the next five much to his surprise.
“Shark,” he said as she racked the balls again. “You just don’t want to play me.”
“You want to play?” she asked with a grin before she set up the board for a series of impossible shots for him. “Alright then, play.”
“You’re good,” he said walking around the table contemplating his chances of each shot before shaking his head. “Way too good, you just set up an impossible board.”
“Improbable not impossible,” she countered. “Want to see?”
“You think you can make these shots?” he said gesturing to the table.
“How about this, if I miss one of them you win and I write the entire paper.”
“So our new bet is if you miss one you write the paper and if you make all of them I wear a dress and hammer in some nails?” he asked surveying the board again. “Okay you’re on.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re wearing a pretty pink dress,” she said before she leaned over the table and sank the first two shots simultaneously.
“You still have seven to go,” he stated watching as she lined up the next shot.
“Six…five…four…” he said counting them down as each shot got a little harder than the next, but she managed to sink them with ease.
“Three…two…” she told him sensing his agitation as she let the stick slide again and the last of the colored balls sank into the pocket.
“One,” he said checking the layout of the eight ball compared to the cue ball. “All it takes is one.”
“One perfectly aligned shot with control and focus,” she told him letting the ball zip around the board until the eight ball fell into the side pocket. She glanced up at his incredulous face and she grinned.
“Anything but pink,” he pleaded.
“Hmm, I think I have an old purple rag that will work,” she offered setting her stick onto the table before heading over to the wall to open the cabinet.
“Where the hell did you learn to play like that?” he asked following her over.
“From him,” she said letting him see the pictures of her and Arthur as she grew up and at the tournament.
“Isn’t that…”
“Arthur Tatum, yeah and that’s my Tate—his son. I’ve been the winner of the Atlantic City Champions Tournament since I was seventeen.”
“Well hell, a hustler gets hustled by a champ.”
“I’ve been hustling since I was fifteen; it’s how I kept a roof over my head. Don’t worry you’re not the first one I’ve taken down,” she stated heading to the kitchen for some water.
A glance out the window confirmed the storm was still raging. She opened the door to the fridge, and everything went dark. She glanced back out the window and saw the entire block was dark and in the distance the lights blinked off street by street.
“Looks like it’s going to be a long night,” Devon said and she nodded. “Feel like getting that paper out of the way?”
“Why not,” she agreed heading into the living room, grabbing her things and setting up the lanterns they used last year when she and Jordan went camping to put some light back into the room.
It was almost seven in the morning when they finished their first draft of it, and she was laughing at a joke he’d made when the front door opened.
“Mel!” Jordan yelled before spotting her on the floor next to Devon. She saw a quick flash of something cross his face before he bolted across the room and picked her up crushing her against his frame as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Jordan, what on earth?”
“Tate called me in the middle of the night saying that you hadn’t answered the phone at the office or here.
He finally got a location on your cell once the system came back on.
I was at the airport, but they wouldn’t let us leave because of the storm.
God baby, I found the Jeep and your phone, but you weren’t there,” he said cupping the back of her head to assure himself she was really there in one piece.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I’d left my phone.”
“I found it on the floorboard halfway under the seat, my name was on the dial page.”
“I’m so sorry you were worried, but I’m fine, really, I’m fine.
The car died. It was running normally, then it just stopped, and nothing on it would work.
I tried to get a signal on my phone, but it wouldn’t and then it started raining.
Devon was headed this way and recognized the Jeep,” she told him as he hugged her tightly again.
“I should head out,” Devon stated grabbing his bag and stuffing his book in it.
“I’ll have to move my truck,” Jordan told him letting himself hold her tightly yet again. She rested her head against his chest enjoying the way it felt and sighed as he stepped back surveying the scene spread out across the living room floor.
“Devon offered me a ride home so I wouldn’t be stuck in the Jeep.
That storm was crazy, and the hail smashed the windshield of his car.
We hung out hoping it’d pass over but then the power went out,” she explained slipping into her tennis shoes knowing Jordan wouldn’t want her out of his sight for long the way he was acting.
“Figured we’d get a head start on that paper since there was nothing else to do. ”
Mel followed them out and took a deep breath at the damage that the storm had caused, tree limbs were scattered everywhere and Devon’s car looked like it gone ten rounds with an angry gorilla. “Wow.”
“The Jeep’s worse,” Jordan admitted and she knew why he’d been so frantic. “Devon, I don’t know how to thank you enough for rescuing Mel. If you hadn’t went by and something had happened to her…”
“Forget it,” he said shaking the outstretched hand. “Mel, thanks for the game, never thought I’d see the day when I was taken down by a girl and just name the time.”
“Later,” she said at Jordan’s inquisitive glance.
“Devon, take your car to the shop for an estimate to repair the damages. Whatever it is I’ll take care of it,” he told the other man as he headed towards his truck.
“That’s not necessary.”
“It is,” he argued. “It’s the least I could do. Mel’s the best thing to ever happen to me and when I said the Jeep’s worse off, I meant it. There was a tree limb through the windshield and when I found her phone but not her…”
“Really, it’s not necessary. I probably would have gotten the same damage if I’d been at home.”
“Please just let me. I drove here after looking around the area where the Jeep was for thirty minutes praying that she would be okay. Believe me I’d gladly buy you a whole new car if it meant that she was safe.”
“You really love her, don’t you?” Devon asked.
“It’s impossible not to love Mel, everyone she lets in falls for her, but it seems you’ve found that out, haven’t you?” Jordan said eyeing him closely.
“There’s nothing going on with me and Mel.”
“Not on her part but I’ve seen you around and I know what men think of her. So I’ll warn you, mess with my wife and you’ll find out just how far I’ll go to keep her. Now accept my offer so you don’t upset her and then back off graciously.”
“Why not? A free car repair in exchange for spending the night with Mel, I can deal with that,” Devon said sending him a grin Jordan wanted to wipe off his face.
“Don’t push me Devon. You wouldn’t be the first man who’s went after her, but she never sees them as anything other than friends. You’ll be the one with a broken heart and no girl not me,” Jordan tacked on before he moved the truck out of the drive and let him leave.
Mel watched and wondered what exactly was going on with him.
Jordan had been acting strange since he’d walked in and she didn’t know why.
She didn’t think he really thought they’d done anything, but it seemed as though he was warning Devon about something.
She waited for him to get back to her side and then reached up and kissed him, showing him how much she’d missed him since he’d been away.
“Keep that up and we’ll give the neighbors something to talk about other than the storm,” he teased pulling her back into the house. “I should call Tate and let him know you’re okay.”
“Jordan about Devon being here…”
“It’s fine Mel. I was a little curious I must admit but knowing that you’re safe, that’s all that matters,” he said giving her a kiss before he went to call Tate.
Mel went into the bedroom to change and sighed with relief when the power came back on finally.
At least she’d be able to take a hot shower and wash her hair thanks to the electric point tankless water heaters Jordan had installed after they’d quickly discovered how easy it was to run out of hot water.
She was letting the warm water soothe away the tiredness that staying up all night had brought on when she felt a small rush of cool air. She smiled before taking a step back encountering the large body behind her. “Mmm, Tate all squared away?”
“Yup and I have some guys going to pick up your Jeep,” he said running his hands down her body. “God Mel,” he added turning her around so he could see her beautiful face. “When I found the Jeep, I saw everything we’ve worked for slip away and I couldn’t stand it. The thought of losing you baby…”
“You’re never going to lose me Jordan. I promise no matter what happens we’ll make the best team ever,” she said wishing she could just tell him those three words she’d been holding in for six years.
“You’re kind of stuck with me around the office because where else am I going to find such an accommodating and attentive boss who doesn’t stare at my breasts, well at least when they’re covered,” she teased as his gaze lingered on her body a bit too long.
“Good, now come here,” he said bring her fully up against him and covering her mouth with his.
She’d talked about the office, but he wasn’t.
He wanted to know she was safe and felt the same way he did.
He knew she still wanted him that was obvious, but she had never hinted that she loved him as much as he loved her, or even at all.
Seeing her smiling at Devon, innocently as it was, had gutted him.
He was worried that she’d discover how much she’d missed out on by marrying him and rushing through college, and he didn’t want that to happen.
He wanted her to stay by him for the rest of their lives.
Convincing her of that was his biggest goal and the perfect way to start was right where they were.