22. Alex
Chapter twenty-two
Alex
I can’t resist kissing Mel. She looks so worried about everything that I want to take her mind off it. I grasp the back of her neck and kiss her until her body relaxes a little. That’s better. I pull away, planting a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose, and she gives me a small smile.
“That was cheeky,” she tells me.
“You fucking love it.”
A big sigh. “Yeah, dammit, I do. What are you doing to me, Alex?”
“Not what I want to be doing to you right now, but maybe later?” I raise my eyebrows in question and she slaps a hand against my chest with a tut.
“You need to go. I promise I’ll figure it all out and let you know when I do.”
“Okay, but don’t overthink it. He knows now. I think your friend is right… don’t let it stop you from having a good time, Mel. And ideally, I want you to be having those good times with me.” And I don’t just mean sexually. I’m not sure if she’s ready to hear it, but I want to make a go of it. I want us to be a couple.
She plants a kiss on my cheek, her original target last time, and then walks me over to the back door, opening it.
“Take care with that eye. Let me know if you need more ice later.”
“Will do. Thanks, Mel.”
When I’m back at my place, I gather up my gear for the pottery followed by a shift at the pub as I won’t have time to come back in between. Before I leave, I shoot a quick text to Abby:
Me:
Hey, do you think Tom will be okay with me working behind the bar with a black eye?
I don’t expect a quick reply, so it’s a shock when it starts ringing within a moment of the text being delivered. I press the answer button and bring the phone up to my ear.
“What the hell happened?” Abby shrieks. I pull the phone away, wincing at the loudness.
“I’m okay, just not sure if it’s the look Tom’s going for with his staff?”
“Alex. Spill the beans. Right this second.”
“Okay, okay, a family member of a woman I’m seeing took offence to us being together.”
“What? Mel’s ex-husband hit you?”
“What? No, Zack, her son. How do you know it’s Mel?”
“Oh, honey, I knew weeks ago. Why did he hit you?”
“Because he thought I was taking advantage of her and I broke the bro code. I’m not supposed to sleep with exes or family members of friends.”
“For fuck’s sake, you guys are pathetic.” Her tone is disdainful.
“I thought I could do some work out the back or help in the kitchen if need be tonight?” I suggest.
“Yeah, you might have to. I’ll talk to Tom and see what he thinks. It might depend on how bad it looks.”
“Fair enough. I just, uh, could really use the money.” I decide to be honest with her in the hope she’ll be able to convince the boss.
“Okay, if he’s not keen on you at the bar, I’ll come up with some heinous cleaning jobs for you to do behind the scenes. The cellar has needed a clear out for ages,” she tells me teasingly.
“Hey, if it means I get paid, I’ll do it.”
“Noted. Alright, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“See ya, Abby.”
The pub is fairly quiet, thank goodness, because Tom took one look at my swollen, black eye and shook his head in disgust.
“Can I tidy the cellar or do some work behind the scenes instead of at the bar?” I ask him.
“Yeah, Abs made a list. Prepare yourself. It’s all the stuff no-one else wants to do. What happened to you, anyway?”
“Did Abby not say?”
He shakes his head, watching me closely.
“I’ve been seeing a woman and her son found out. He’s a friend of mine and wasn’t exactly happy about it. He thought I’d taken advantage of her.”
Tom gives a sage nod and I sense much less judgement from him about this violent turn of events than I did from Abby on the phone earlier. “Okay, well, no fighting at work. And have a go at the list Abby’s done for you. If we get desperately busy, I might pull you up, but I’d rather the punters didn’t think we have a fighter on staff.” He grimaces.
“Thank you. And I’ll, uh, try to not let it happen again.”
He claps me on the shoulder. “Go find Abby and her list of torture. If your eye starts throbbing, come and find me. I might have some salve that will help in the first aid kit.”
“Thanks.”
I get the list from Abby. I’m amused to see it’s an actual written list, with little tick boxes she’s drawn next to every item.
I’m in the process of moving barrels in the cellar when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Hello?” calls a female voice. I duck out from behind the pillar, which is obscuring me.
“Hi, this is staff only down here,” I reply to the woman I recognise but can’t quite place.
“Oh, I know. Abby sent me down. I’m Cassidy.”
“Hi, how can I help you?”
“Ahh, perhaps I should explain the connection. I’m a friend of Mel’s and I’m also banging your boss.”
I choke at that last comment. Perhaps it’s all the dust I’ve been moving around. “Tom?”
“Yeah.” She gets a dreamy smile on her face, as if she’s imagining banging him right then and there. Jeezus . “Anyway, Abby said I could come down and say hi.” She steps all the way down the stairs and I take a couple of steps closer. Cassidy gasps as she gets a glimpse of my eye. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks. Tom didn’t want me scaring the customers, so Abby’s got me on spring cleaning duty.”
“Ah, that explains why they’re keeping such a pretty face tucked away in the cellar.” She chuckles. “I’ve been in your corner through all of this, Alex. I hope I’ve not inadvertently been suggesting my best friend gets together with a violent man.”
“This is a one-off, I can promise you.” I gesture to my eye.
“Did the other guy come off worse, at least?”
“I didn’t touch him. It was Zack.”
“Oh shit. This is after he found out about you both?” She winces.
“Yeah, he wasn’t too pleased.”
“This isn’t good. She’s already too wary of this whole thing.” Cassidy seems to be thinking hard, looking up to a corner of the ceiling. “We’re going to have to make a plan.”
“Who is?” I ask, confused.
“You and me, Alex. And maybe Abby too. You like her, right?”
“Abby?” I shake my head with confusion.
“No, silly. Mel.”
“Oh, yeah, I like her.”
“You wanna keep shagging her seven ways to Sunday, right? And I’m pretty sure, by now, you must have realised what a catch she is and want to do more than just shag her?”
“Um, this seems like a really personal conversation and I don’t know you.” I run a hand down my face, trying to work out what the fuck is happening.
“Oh, come on, Alex, I can assure you, she’s got Mel’s best interests at heart.” Abby appears on the stairs.
“How long have you been there?” I ask, trying to work out how I didn’t hear her.
“Not long. I came to see if Cassidy was having much luck convincing you to make a go of it with Mel.”
“Ladies, look, I appreciate you’re concerned for your friend, but I don’t think I should be discussing this with you. It’s not fair on Mel.”
“Oh my god, he’s fucking adorable,” Cassidy wails.
“I know, right? And perfect for Mel. She needs a guy that can worship her and knows how to treat her right.”
I raise a hand to my head and rub at the pain that’s started radiating from there. Yes, I want more with Mel, but I don’t want to betray her confidence.
“Mel’s scared, Alex. And we know she needs to be shown a good time. If you’re interested in continuing to give her that good time, and side note, I’ve heard it’s a very good time indeed,” Cassidy waggles her brows with a smirk before continuing, “then please let us help.”
“What do you mean?” I ask with a sigh, realising that the way these two women are looking at me means I have no choice but to at least listen to their plan.