24. Melanie
melanie
The candlelight casts flickering shadows over Harrison’s face as he picks up his water, his throat moving as he drinks.
He hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, and the scruffy look suits him, his cobalt blue eyes twinkling as he tells me about the prank war he is currently engaged in with Jacob.
It appears to be a pretty normal battle in the Greer household, but the intensity of it seems to have ramped up since Harrison has been off work.
“He snuck into the bathroom while I was napping on the couch and stole my shaving cream.”
My lips twitch with amusement as I cut into my steak, swiping it through the peppered mushroom sauce. “Well, I can already tell you what you did wrong.”
“You’d think I would know better after years of living with the kid, but my mom will tell you I’m a slow learner.
” The words might be grumbled, but there’s no hiding the upkick to his mouth.
“Anyway, Jacob comes over and fills my palm with foam. He then uses a feather to tickle my face.” Harrison’s brows lift, eyes widening.
“So picture this. Me, jerking upright, shaving cream everywhere—up my nose, Melanie—and Jacob cackling like a hyena. I was tasting the crap hours later, and I swear to God, sometimes, I can still smell it.”
I stifle my laughter just enough to ask, “Do you happen to only smell it when you’re shaving, per chance?”
He narrows his eyes playfully. “Oh, someone thinks she’s funny.”
“I’m hilarious,” I counter, grinning when he rolls his eyes. “What did you do to get Jacob back?”
His smile is smug. “I took the batteries out of every remote in the house. You think the kid could figure out how to turn the television on?” He chortles. “It worked well, too…Until my mom came around and Jacob tattled on me. He fights dirty.”
“That doesn’t surprise me in the least,” I murmur, eating another piece of steak. “Do you ever regret moving to a small town?” He tilts his head at the change in subject as I continue. “I know your family is here, but…”
Understanding flashes through his eyes. “It’s a lot, huh?
” He glances around The Blue Grill, almost every table full.
When we arrived together about forty minutes ago, more than one person had curiously tracked our path to the table, and the knowledge that the gossips will already be bandying our names around is enough to make my skin itch.
He pops a honey-glazed carrot into his mouth, his expression thoughtful as he looks back at me. “Sometimes, I regret moving back,” he says honestly. “There are times when it feels like everyone’s got eyes on me, just waiting for me to fail.”
Startled, my brow knits together. “I’m sure that’s not true.” I falter when I catch the look in his eyes.
“There’s a…” Harrison’s mouth flattens. “A stigma, I guess, for single fathers. People assume I’ll fuck it all up, like I’m not engineered to be able to handle parenting without a wife.”
“I haven’t heard anything…”
“You wouldn’t,” Harrison’s quick to say, adding, “But I feel it, you know? When I first moved back, Helena Chamberlain told me I made a good choice coming home.” He smiles grimly when he sees my confusion.
“And then she told me I would never have been able to raise Jacob on my own without a mother’s touch, and that she was glad I was finally able to see the light.
” His jaw is clenched so tightly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked a tooth.
“I’ve been raising that boy since the moment he took his first breath.
Jacob is my entire world, but there’s Mrs. Chamberlain—someone who’s known me since I was younger than my son—convinced I’m going to ruin him if I don’t rely on my mother. ”
I pause, staring across the table at him, my cutlery clenched tightly in my hands. “She said that to you?” Agitation edges into my voice. I haven’t had any run-ins with Mrs. Chamberlain myself, but I know that Rosie has. Even just hearing about those leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
When he dips his chin, I shake my head, leaning a little closer. “I’m sorry, Harrison,” I say earnestly. “That’s…It’s just shitty. I have to admit, I’ve never really considered what it must be like for a single father, but I’ve never thought you were anything but a good dad.”
“Thanks,” he murmurs. “I appreciate that.” He finishes the last bite on his plate, pushing it to the side with a wry smile. “I didn’t mean to make this so heavy. I guess it’s been playing on my mind a lot lately.”
“It’s fine.” My smile is tight, irritation at a stranger still bubbling under my skin, and no outlet for it. I drag air into my lungs, focusing on my food. “We’re friends, right?”
Harrison doesn’t answer for a beat. I look over at him, our eyes locking. His mouth is curved, one eyebrow raised in question, but all he says is, “Yeah, Mel. We’re friends.”
There’s meaning underlying his words, and relief cascades through my chest. Some of the tension that’s been building ever since I agreed to this date seeps away, my shoulders lowering a fraction.
I shouldn’t have agreed to go out with him when Cale’s been invading my sleep…and every waking thought. I can’t escape him, but just when it feels like I might be softening, I remember the devastation in Oakley’s eyes that night.
How can he forgive Cale when I’m still trapped in my anger?
And yet, every time that damn envelope reappears, I smile. And whenever the back door slams behind Oakley as he runs to scale over the fence, I find myself at the kitchen window, trying to get glimpses of them, disappointment filling me when I can’t.
Dinner with Bettie and Harry had been wonderful, both of them welcoming us into their home, making it seem like we had always belonged.
And yet the entire night, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that something was missing—someone.
It feels like I’m at constant war with myself, desperately wanting to forgive him, but unable to trust him again.
I’m not sure how to get to a place where I’m not punishing him for Davis’s crimes.
Unaware of my thoughts, Harrison sips his beer, switching the subject back. “Living in a place like Sterling Creek means that whenever Roxanne comes visiting, the whole town has their popcorn ready for whatever unfolds.”
“Jacob’s mom?” I clarify, burying everything else down to unpack later. I finish my dinner, stacking my cutlery neatly, and patting my mouth clean with the cloth napkin.
Harrison nods, humming. “My family isn’t Roxanne’s fans, for obvious reasons,” he says dryly.
I understand, because Jacob is a damn cool kid.
I can’t imagine anyone not wanting him. “So her visits aren’t always the easiest. Neither she nor my mom have a problem butting heads in public, although I’ve drawn the line at doing it around Jacob.
” He sighs wearily. “The kid is happily oblivious to the tension, and I want to keep it that way. One day, he’ll have to make up his own mind about Roxanne.
Until then…” He lifts a shoulder before running his hand over his closely cropped hair.
“I’m not going to be the reason Jacob’s mother isn’t a part of his life, you know?
I don’t want him to grow up and look back, thinking I took something from him. ” His expression is pensive.
“I can relate to that.” I sit back, tracing a circle over the white tablecloth with my finger. “If you had told me two years ago that I’d be divorced today, and no longer able to recognize the man I’d been married to for ten years…Well, I would’ve called you crazy.”
Our server appears at our table, taking the plates and asking if we’d like to see the dessert menu.
After we agree and he leaves, Harrison tells me, “It’s not your fault. People are good at hiding their true selves, and anyone who says that people don’t change…”
I make a noncommittal noise. “Davis loves Oakley…or he did.” I swallow thickly, emotion crawling into my throat as I give air to a truth that I hate to even think about. “I don’t even know anymore. It feels like he wants Oakley with him just to punish me, and I don’t even know what for.”
Surprised at my own candor, it takes me a long moment to drag my gaze back up to Harrison’s.
“Our dinner got deep, huh?” His lips lift in a small smile as a startled laugh escapes me. “It’s nice to get to know each other beyond the surface level, but we went straight for peeling off the scabs and showing our dark, rotting wounds.”
I grimace, even as my eyes crease with amusement. “That’s some visual.”
He grins crookedly. “Sorry.”
The server brings our dessert menus over, and Harrison looks down, perusing it, when I blurt, “Why did you ask me out?” My cheeks immediately flame hot. “Sorry. That was rude. There’s no…” I flap an awkward hand across the table, gesturing between us.
“Chemistry?” he supplies dryly. We both laugh as I nod, my reservations fading away. “Two reasons. First”—he lifts a finger—“I like you, Melanie. You’re a good person and a good mom. You’re easy to talk to, and while I’ve got friends, I’m never opposed to more.”
“Please, flatter me some more,” I cut in, lashes fluttering obnoxiously.
He scowls at me before continuing. “Did I hope there might be something between us?” His eyes go a little distant, his brows drawing together.
“I did think it’d be nice. Sterling Creek is a small town, and trying to date with everyone watching…
” Harrison shakes his head, cheeks puffing as he blows out a breath.
“It’s a lot. I think you’re learning that more than anyone. ”
My breath hitches. I’m pretty sure he’s talking about Cale, even though that’s one subject I’ve avoided.
Harrison seems unaware of my inner turmoil. “Some days, it would just be nice to have someone to share everything with. To talk to someone about Jacob, to share the highs…and the lows. Even just watching TV together after a long day, you know?”