“I can too. We can make it happen. I’m sorry about the budget. The truth is, if it were anyone else, they would have the same amount of funds to work with, but you’re the only one that could make it happen and make it amazing.”
She handed me a flaming burnt thing of goop that was still smoking and gave me a friendly grin. “Really?”
“Really.” What did she do to this poor treat? I pulled off the burnt skin and tossed it, leaving a perfectly gooey center and got the crackers for the stores to put them together.
“Well, that was kind of you to say.” She grabbed her wine and sat next to me, biting into her sticky treat. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Surprise,” I said with lazy jazz hands. I took a swig of the dry red wine, wincing a little from the taste. I knew I should have splurged a little more on the complimentary treats, but money was too tight.
Melinda finished off her marshmallow with some wine, too, sipping the liquid before it spilled over the rim.
“What brought you here?” I said, my curiosity getting the better of me, or maybe it was the exhaustion.
She sat in the corner of the couch, tucking her legs under herself when she turned to me. Her sweater fell off her shoulder a little bit, exposing the ridge of her collarbone. I couldn’t help but look. I never wanted to feel a woman’s skin so much in my entire life. It looks so soft, so tempting. And what the hell was my attraction to her neck all about?
“I wanted a new start,” she said, shrugging the bare shoulder, and the lowlight of the fire shimmered across it, hypnotizing me.
“A new start because of the ex?”
She let out a sigh so large it rippled the wine in her glass. “One of many reasons.” Melinda wrapped her lips around the glass, the pump flesh getting wet from the wine. “Tell you what, you tell me one thing, I’ll tell you one thing.”
“Okay, I’ll bite, but it can’t be anything superficial like our favorite color, or whatever.”
“Hmm, alright. Let me think,” she tapped her finger on her chin, dubiously looking off into the distance. “When I applied for the job, I had no idea the Chris Bates on the site was you. I mean, I figured it was a coincidence, you know? I applied to a few other jobs, but I wanted this one the most. It felt different from the rest of the other towns."
“Different how?” I questioned, wondering if it would be weird if I tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear so I could see her face more. She was too beautiful not to appreciate it.
“I don’t know,” she said, bringing her thumb to her lip. "It just felt right. It felt like home—like something was pulling me here, away from the chaos of the city."
“What happened there? You loved New York. Or well, that was my impression way back when.”
“Sometimes love isn’t enough,” she downed half her drink after that statement. “The ex that got arrested for fake art dealing? He wasn’t my boyfriend. He was fun, someone to take to events and weekend getaways, I didn’t love him, and I hated I let the world think we were an item when I knew we weren’t. On top of all that, my dad was getting to be too much.”
“How so?” I started to wonder if Ms. Perfect and I had more in common than I’d previously thought.
“Well, when I say too much, I mean his childish ways. He parties. He drinks—a lot—and I didn’t want to deal with it anymore, so I left. I got tired of being alone even when surrounded by people, but at least I had Lindsey. She’s my best friend. I miss her.”
I debated if I wanted to tell her something that held as much merit, but I’d regret not staying true to my word. “I understand the dad thing.” Oh man, was I going to go into this? I had never told anyone that before, but it helped that Melinda knew how important it was to keep things quiet. She wouldn't tell a soul.
“Yeah? I’m listening. Do tell,” she said, but I heard the doubt.
“My dad drank himself to death after my mom left. His liver failed. I’d already left for college, but my brother and sister were with him.”
“I never knew, Chris. God, I’m so sorry. How is Charlie?” she placed her hand on top of mine, and it took my breath away for a moment.
“Charlie has had better days,” I said. “I just got him from New York. He—ah—he overdosed. So now he is here, in a rehab facility, again, for the sixth time? But this time, I’m here for him. It’s why I’ve been so on edge with everything. I’ve had a lot going on, and with the launch, it’s been—”
“—Never-ending,” she finished my sentence.
“It’s only now I’ve felt like I can relax,” I said, watching the fire dance. I never thought we were the same on a fundamental level. She took me by surprise. All the angst I felt disappeared. We switched the conversation to something light−hearted, like her hate for Bess.
“I just don’t understand how you put up with her. She’s a menace and she is going to cause trouble, Chris. Someone so evil shouldn’t be allowed near the resort. Plus, it’s obvious she wants you.”
I lifted my brows in surprise when I heard the jealously. “I had no idea Melinda Bailey could ever get jealous, especially over me.”
She rolled her eyes in disagreement. “I’m not jealous. I’m pointing out the obvious. She isn’t a good person and I’m worried for your safety. Bess is clearly a psycho.”
“Still sounds like jealousy to me,” I said, nudging her shoulder which made her growl in frustration. I brought my hands up to make hand puppets of Bess and Melinda, lowering my voice for Bess.
