I reached the lobby without being stopped and even managed to give Myrtle the side eye. Clearly, I’d have to come in the back if I wanted to sneak back into the building. I was almost to the door when I looked up to see Melanie walking through the front doors.
She was dressed in jeans and a baggy jacket with her hair put in a messy bun on top of her head. It was the least put-together I’d ever seen her. She didn’t notice me right away but I watched as she pulled her jeans up, showing me that she’d not been eating and was clearly losing weight. She tucked a piece of loose hair that had come out of her bun behind her ear as she looked around.
Then her eyes met mine and her steps stopped as mine had.
We stood there in the middle of the lobby, like we were the only two people left in the world. I wasn’t paying attention to Max coming down and standing close to his sister or the fact that Greg had come in with lunch in his hand with Chase by his side as they both stared at Melanie and me.
I adjusted my messenger bag on my shoulder and almost took a step toward her but I watched as her mouth opened and then shut. I stayed where I was, waiting to see what she was going to say but it was nothing, only more silence as we stood there staring at each other. I wanted to egg her on, let her know it was okay to say something but her lips thinned together. She stood tall, like she had a few nights ago at my place and unlike then when she told me what she was feeling, this time she said nothing as she walked away.
She brushed past Max and headed straight for the elevators. I didn’t move until she was on it and out of my sight. That didn’t stop the tears that had formed in my eyes when she turned her back to me.
I turned and looked from Max, to Greg, to Chase, having them all watching what I was going to do next. They probably wanted me to run after her to try to make this right but I wasn’t going to. Melanie clearly had something to say to me but couldn’t. I wasn’t going to wait around or try to pry it from her. I had priorities I needed to take care of that I had put off for too many days because of what she decided to do.
For the mean time, I was going to go back to my mom’s and work on as many graphics that I could pump out. I wasn’t going to answer to anyone at work but at least get them what they needed through email. The only thing I could promise myself, was that I was going to keep my phone on loud.
Just in case.
Twenty
“Town was extra busy today.”
“It was. The store saw more customers today than it has all month.”
“That’s insane, especially with the holidays coming up so fast.”
I zoned out as my mom and sister went on about their day and my sister’s store. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about their conversation but my head was somewhere else. Greg elbowed me in the side and I looked up to see everyone staring at me.
“What?” I said with my mouth half full of mac and cheese.
“Your father asked what you were currently working on at work.”
“Oh. I just finished a young adult series and am starting a series of standalones for a new adult romance series,” I answered quickly and filled my mouth with a spoon full of beans. Family dinner was a little bit too talkative for my liking tonight but considering it had been a week since Melanie had called us off, my family assumed all was back to normal.
It wasn’t.
I hadn’t gone back to the office or even my condo in five day and had been camped out in my room here. Mom dropped off a plate outside my door and I only left the room to go to the bathroom and shower.
The clock in the living room chimed, reminding me how early it was in the day. Mom and dad had an event tonight but wanted to make sure we still did family dinner. Lilly and Greg managed to get out a little earlier than normal to be to the house by five for dinner. It meant that I could have my peace in less than an hour and wouldn’t have to answer to anyone until next Wednesday.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket, letting out a low buzzer sound throughout the room. My gaze snapped to mom whose eyes zoned in on me. Family dinner always meant no phone but when I pulled the phone out of my pocket, my heart stopped. I’d only had it on loud, waiting to see if Melanie might reach out to me.
Here she was.
Her name scrolled across my screen and I let the phone call end without picking it up. I kept it in my hand and when I saw the voicemail message come up immediately, I pushed away from the table and stood to leave.
“I need to take this.”
“Like hell you do, son.”
“It’s Melanie,” I explained. My voice was strained because I needed my mom to understand why it was so important for her to break her cardinal rule at family dinner. This might be what I had been waiting for all week. Her eyes widened with everyone else’s and all she got out was a head nod before I left the room and dialed Melanie back.
“Jack.” The phone rang once before Melanie’s panicked voice was filling my ear.
“Melanie,” I answered her back.
“I need you.”
I stood straighter, ready to listen to whatever it was that Melanie needed from me. This was it. This was why I had kept my phone on loud for. This was why I had secretly been checking it every few hours even though it would alert me if she called or texted. Melanie needed me and I was ready to hear what it was.
