Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Charles

The lobster was amazing, and I was happy to see that Melody seemed to think so as well. I was really enjoying this meal, more than I’d enjoyed anything in the last few years. Even though there was so much still lurking beneath the surface between us, that was okay. All I had was time.

Melody let out a light laugh and gestured to me with her fork. “You always were messy with lobster.”

I looked down and realized I had lobster meat all over the front of my shirt. “I guess I’m enjoying it,” I said with a self-conscious laugh, grabbing my napkin to clean myself off.

Her eyes glistened, and it made my heart melt. She took her own napkin, dabbed it in her water, and wiped at the stains too.

“It’s fine,” I said, putting my hand on hers to stop her.

“No, we need to get this shirt soaking in some good laundry pre-clean.”

I couldn’t help but wonder how different things would have been with her. I’d wanted a dozen kids, and she probably would have too. For a second, my mind blitzed through the life we could have had. What would Christmas be like if we had kids?

“Charles, what’s wrong?”

I blinked and tried to erase whatever look was on my face. “Nothing.”

“No, it was something.”

I shrugged and forced a smile. “I’m good. It’s nice to have you try to clean my shirt, but you should give up.”

She pulled her hand back, her green eyes twinkling. “Your grandparents would also tease you about what a messy eater you were.”

I didn’t care that I was the butt of her joke; I was just happy to see her smiling. “True. I guess I’m still living up to that reputation.”

She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and sighed, leaning back. “What else do you want to tell me about the past?”

I considered how to approach this. As a Navy SEAL, I had negotiated with terrorists; now, I negotiated with some of the top business minds in the world. Experience told me I couldn’t move in too quickly. “What do you want to tell me?”

She hesitated, then blew out a breath. “About the Christmas you didn’t come. I kept calling and calling you. Your grandfather answered. Did he ever tell you that?”

“What? No.” I sorted back through my memories and remembered that he’d made me go to a negotiation between two companies in Aspen, Colorado. He’d told me he was training me. “He kept my phone. I never saw that you’d called.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Of course you didn’t know. Back then, I convinced myself that you had changed. That your grandfather was grooming you for his business and that you knew what he’d said.”

Adrenaline spiked inside me. “I didn’t know. What did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She said the words softly, and I wondered what my face looked like to betray my emotions like that. “The past is the past.”

“Tell me what he said to you.”

She looked uncertain.

“Tell me, please.”

“I told him that my mother was back in the hospital. Remember how she had a remission with cancer? It relapsed that Christmas.”

The news blindsided me, filling me with pain and sadness that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I took her hand, blinking rapidly. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

She squeezed my hand, and it looked like she might cry. “I can see that now.”

“Is that why you didn’t talk to me when I came back? Or when I tried to talk to you in Wilmington at your apartment?”

Melody nodded.

“I can’t believe this. What did the old man say?”

She tilted her head to the side and wiped at a tear with her free hand. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to realize that you really didn’t know. Your grandfather told me that you were going to be a busy man as you grew up. That you were going to serve in the military and become a SEAL. He told me that you wouldn’t have time for ‘inconsequential things.’”

“What?” I couldn’t believe it, but it made sense. That was why she had refused to see me. Why she’d married someone else.

“I truly felt ‘inconsequential,’” she said, her voice hitching as more tears slipped down her cheeks.

“My grandfather was a brutal man. He loved me—adored me—but he was brutal in dealing with anything he thought would come between me and the things he claimed were important.”

She sniffed.

Unable to stop myself, I stood from the booth and moved to her side, sitting next to her and enveloping her in a hug. She remained stiff for a heartbeat, then melted against me. Having her in my arms felt … right. It was the way it should have always been.

I forced back my own emotions. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Melody. That’s why you wouldn’t even come to the door when I went to your apartment in Wilmington after the new year.”

She sniffed and pulled back, reaching for her napkin and dabbing at her tears. “Yep.”

I moved back to the other side of the table, giving her some space.

She leveled a stare at me. “I never realized you didn’t know what your grandfather said, but I knew we couldn’t be together. For so many years, my mother told me that you were too rich for us. That you were too good for me.”

I felt like crap. “I’m sorry.”

She put a hand up to stop me. “If I’ve learned anything after all these years, it’s that life is messy. And we never quite know the truth.”

“Nevertheless, I’m sorry.” I shook my head, drumming my fingers on the table. “This also helps me understand why you turned me away so coldly at your wedding. You didn’t want to put up with my grandfather and seem inconsequential. Plus, your mother reinforced the idea that you couldn’t see a life with me.”

Melody’s phone buzzed. She glanced down at it, then slid out of the booth. “I have to go,” she told me. “It’s the police.”

I blinked. “What?”

But she was already moving away from the table, her phone held to her ear. “I’m on my way.”

I opened my wallet and dropped some bills on the table—more than enough to cover the meal and a generous tip—then rushed after her. I barely beat her to the car and opened the door for her, then went around and started the engine. In moments, we were speeding toward her shop.

“What is going on?” I finally asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. This is the second break-in I’ve had.”

“What do you mean, this is the second break-in?”

“When I saw you on the beach the other night and you chased me down during the movie, the police called and said that one of the neighbors had seen someone go into my mother’s house. Then they heard something like a gunshot.”

I was suddenly on high alert. “A gunshot?”

She nodded. “When I got there, a lamp was turned over but nothing seemed out of place. Oh, please go to my mother’s place.”

My mind spun. “Where is your mother’s place?”

She told me the address. I knew exactly where it was—not far from her doll shop. I drove faster.

“I honestly don’t know why anyone would break in there.”

“Do you have cameras up?”

“No.”

“Okay, we need to get cameras up. If you let me, I will call someone and get on that.”

“No. No way. I’m not going to have cameras up before New Year’s. I won’t have my son think he’s being watched or in danger.”

“You’re staying at your mother’s house during New Year’s?” My curiosity was piqued, especially hearing that her son would be there.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Will was supposed to be here for Christmas, but two days ago he told me he’s going skiing with some friends for Christmas. He still plans to come here for New Year’s.”

I tried to process everything about this situation, but I was coming up short. “You’ll be staying at the house, not in the apartment, right?”

She gripped the door handle and sucked in another long breath. “For New Year’s, but no sooner.”

I could tell she was about to cry. She had the same telltale chin wobble she’d had since we were eight. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Her voice broke, and she wiped at a tear coming down her cheek. “I hate this. I hate being divorced. I hate my stupid ex-husband. I hate that my son didn’t want to be with me for Christmas. And I hate that he wants to stay at my mom’s old house. I need to get it ready and it’s a huge mess because I haven’t wanted to go through everything, but I have to now, because Will only wants to stay there.”

I put my hand over hers. “I’ll help you.”

She blinked, and more tears fell. “That’s kind of you, but I don’t know what’s going on with you. I don’t know how to fix this place up. I have no idea why someone would break in. I just …”

I’d gone through counseling with my first wife, and I knew it was important to validate people’s feelings. “Listen, I can imagine being frustrated.”

“I am.”

“Right, it makes sense. You have gone through a lot, and you have a lot coming at you.”

She sighed. “Why would anyone be breaking in?”

“What valuables do you keep there?”

“None. My mother had no valuables that I know of. Plus, what would’ve caused the gunshot sound? My mom didn’t have a gun, and it didn’t seem like anything had been damaged.”

“I don’t know,” I said, pulling up to the house and putting the car in park. “Here we are. Let’s discuss it with the police.”

“Wait,” she said, placing a hand over mine. “Just so you know, Bill Meyer is there.”

“Who?”

“Do you remember Bill Meyer? He was part of our beach group. Anyway, he is a cop here. We have been in a grief group together. He asked me out and I said no. He flagrantly hits on me.”

That caught me off guard. “Okay.”

She shook her head and then opened the door. “I don’t even know why I told you that. It’s just weird.”

There were two policemen out front, and as we walked upstairs, I instantly recognized Bill Meyer. Let’s just say age had not been good to him. He was balding, and instead of the linebacker who was full of muscle in high school, I saw a man whose muscle had been clearly replaced by fat.

He looked between me and Melody. “Hey,” he said to Melody. Then he paused. “What is he doing with you?”

I found it funny that he didn’t even acknowledge me at first. “Bill Meyer,” I said, putting my hand out. “How are you?”

Bill looked bothered by the gesture, but he reached out and we shook hands. He stared at Melody as if she were already his wife. Then he met my gaze. There were no friendly vibes coming from him, which was unusual. Most people liked me in this town or at least tried to impress me. “Charles. I don’t know if she wants you to be briefed on what happened.”

Melody moved past him and walked into the house. “Can you update us, Bill?”

I half smirked at the way she was all business and didn’t even acknowledge his dislike for me.

Bill followed her inside while I trailed along with the other policeman. “We got a call thirty minutes ago. We arrived here, searched the area, and I called you. You know that.”