A Match Made by Cupid (Harlequin Special Edition) (9 page)

“And what if a customer mentioned he bought a copy of
Charlotte’s Web
for his niece for her birthday or for Christmas? Or that his sister collects antique dolls? See where I’m going with this?” Excitement sparkled in Tara’s hazel eyes. “I believe I’ve proven my point. You
could
have a secret admirer. And that idea is so much more fun than dealing with your lame-o, doesn’t-deserve-to-know-you father.”

“I don’t know about more fun, but it would certainly be less emotional. And I suppose you’re right. I’ll…I guess I’ll call Mom later and see if she remembers talking about any of this with any of her clients.” And try to find a way to bring her father into the conversation. Regardless of how much sense Tara made, Melanie couldn’t rule out her dad.

“Did you ever tell Loretta about the gifts?” Tara asked.

“I haven’t mentioned them, but only because I don’t want to worry her.”

“I doubt she’ll be worried. Ecstatic is more likely.” Tara’s wide mouth split into a megawatt smile. “She wants grandbabies, you know.”

“She should’ve had a couple more kids, then.” Melanie flipped through the pile of coupons until she found the one she was looking for. Glancing over at her friend, she asked, “Are you a vegetarian this week?”

Tara’s ash-blond hair tumbled forward as she nodded. “Going strong for a month now! But we can do halfsies if you insist on contaminating your body with meat.”

Melanie laughed. “And that comes from the girl who ate nothing but cheeseburgers all through college.”

“I’ve found I get almost the same satisfaction from a well-made veggie burger. And those days were a long time ago.” And then, as if to drive in the point she made earlier, Tara said, “People change.”

“Well, you haven’t become a vegan when I wasn’t looking, have you? Because I was thinking mushroom and cheese pizza, and I can put together a salad to go with.” When Tara agreed, Melanie placed the order.

Later, after dinner was consumed and Tara had headed home, Melanie stared at the phone. She should call her mother now and get it over with, but they hadn’t spoken since their argument on Wednesday morning. There would definitely be a rehash of that conversation, and Melanie didn’t want to get into another fight.

She recognized that her inability to find any happiness for her mother’s news was unfair, and that Loretta deserved—if nothing else—a sincere congratulation from her daughter. But she wouldn’t lie. Yes, she’d be thrilled to see her mom happy, and if that meant marriage, then so be it—as long as it was with a guy who would stick. And really, who was she to say that Wade Burlington wasn’t going to stick? He might. Melanie had doubts, but she’d never met the guy, so yeah, she was being unfair.

She punched in the number and stifled a groan when Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” sounded off in her ear. “Nice song, Mom,” Melanie said when Loretta answered. “Is that what you’re going to walk down the aisle to?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Loretta took in a quick breath. “I love you, my darling girl, but if you’ve called to try to talk me out of this, then…don’t. I’m happy, and I intend to stay that way.”

“Actually, Mom, I called to apologize.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Melanie. You just have to believe that I know what’s best for me, and support my decisions. That’s all I’m asking from you.”

“That’s fair.” Emotion curled in the back of Melanie’s throat. “I really am happy that you’re happy. I love you, and I worry, and I’m sorry about that. But of course I support you. Always, Mom.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so relieved to hear that. I…I don’t know what I’d do if you couldn’t…wouldn’t…be at my wedding. I need you there. I was hoping that maybe…” Loretta’s voice trailed off, as if she wasn’t sure if she should continue.

“You were hoping what?”

“You need to meet Wade, that’s all. And I know you’ll adore him once you do. He’s a good man, Melanie. A really good man.”

Right. A good man who ran in the other direction out of fear and then came crawling back with a diamond ring and a marriage proposal. That didn’t sound so good to Melanie. It sounded like the desperate actions of a wishy-washy man. But what she said was “Name the date, place and time, and I’ll be there.”

“I didn’t think it would be that easy,” Loretta admitted, her tone hushed. “I was sure you’d give me a dozen excuses why you couldn’t. Thank you for not turning this into a battle.”

“He’s going to be your husband, which means he’s going to be a part of my family. Why did you think I wouldn’t agree to a meeting?”

“Don’t play that game, Melanie Ann. Why, you’ve refused to meet any of the men I’ve had relationships with ever since you moved out of the house.”

“You weren’t marrying any of them. This is different.” Melanie paced while they talked, listening to her mother but also thinking ahead to the rest of the conversation she wanted to have. “Look, Mom, I’m sorry for the other day, and I’m sorry for…for making you think I’m not interested in this. I am. I only want the best for you, and if the best is Wade, then I’m glad you found each other.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, honey, this is marvelous news! Think of all the fun we’ll have planning the ceremony! You can help me find my wedding dress…I’m thinking semiformal. Maybe a shorter hemline to show off my legs. And we’ll have to find a dress for you.” Loretta sighed in pure contentment. “Now I can really be excited.”

Melanie closed her eyes and swallowed the words that were crowding her mouth. Words that would propel them into another argument and would solve less than nothing at this point. “Let’s just focus on the get-together first. This, um, isn’t real for me yet, because I don’t have a, um, mental image of Wade. So yeah, meeting him is a great idea.”

“That makes sense. How can you advise me on the perfect wedding dress when you haven’t even seen what the groom looks like?” Whew. Mom was so relieved to hear what she wanted to hear, she hadn’t clued in on Melanie’s hesitation. Thank goodness. “Wade and I are spending the day together tomorrow, since the salon is closed on Sundays. I’ll find out what his schedule looks like, and we’ll set something up as soon as possible.”

“Good. That’s good. I’m…looking forward to it.” Sending a silent prayer upward that she handled this next bit well, Melanie said, “One other thing, Mom. Tara and I hung out today, and we got on the subject of Dad. It made me realize how little I remember about him.”

Loretta was quiet for a few seconds. “You were only seven when David left. I’m surprised you remember anything at all.”

“Some things. I remember how he’d read to me every night. I remember that he loved your lasagna. And, um, I remember he always seemed to have a different job.” Mentally crossing her fingers, Melanie said, “But I can’t recall what types of jobs he actually had. Do you remember any of the places he worked?”

“Well, goodness, Melanie, what an odd question. Why would you care about something like that?” Loretta gasped. “Is this about Wade? Sweetheart, no one can replace your father. If you’re thinking that Wade is going to try to—”

“Mom, no. Jeez, that so isn’t what I’m getting at. I…don’t even consider David Prentiss as my father anymore. He’s just a man I barely remember. And I’m certainly not worried about Wade—or anyone—trying to replace Dad. I’m twenty-seven years old. I’ve outgrown the need for a father.”

“You may not need a father, but I’m sure you wish you had one. If I could change one aspect of your life, it would be this.”

“I’m fine. Really,” Melanie said quickly. “I’m just curious about what types of jobs Dad held. That’s all.”

Again, Loretta went silent, obviously lost in the past. When she spoke, it was with a quiet resolve. “I’ve waited a long time for you to ask me questions about this, but I expected you to be curious about why he left, about what happened. You’ve never asked.”

“He left, never came around again and that’s all I need to know on that.” Okay, perhaps not the complete truth, but this was a conversation they shouldn’t have over the freaking telephone.

“Well then, honey, I guess I’m a little confused. Why do you care about your father’s employment history?”

Thinking on her feet—literally—Melanie said, “Well, you know that Tara is a teacher. So is her father. And Tara and her dad have a lot of other things in common. Like…um—” Crap. Truthfully, other than their careers, Tara and her dad were polar opposites. “Fishing. They both love to fish!” Lie. Tara would rather have her teeth pulled out one by one than spend the day with worms dangling off the end of a fishing pole. “So, you know, I started to wonder if I had anything in common with Dad. Like, maybe writing?”

“David wasn’t a writer. You get that from my mother, God rest her soul. I wish you had a chance to know her, Melanie. Talk about someone you have a lot in common with! Why—”

“So, what type of work did Dad do, then?” Melanie interjected, knowing how easily her mother could get off target. Besides, she’d heard all the stories about her maternal grandmother before, and yes, she’d like to hear them again. Just not now.

“Oh, anything and everything. Let’s see… He spent some time as a car salesman, and then he worked at an insurance agency, selling life insurance. He tried his hand at security for a while.” Loretta laughed, but Melanie didn’t think from humor. More like exasperation. “He was a repo man for a few months. That job was hell. Oh, I know. The one profession he’d always fall back on was bartending. Used to say that someday, he was going to own a bar.”

“Wow,” Melanie said as her mind absorbed that information. “He really did do a little of everything.”

“Yes. David had—still has, I’m guessing—a short attention span. I used to call it the ‘shiny new job syndrome,’ because he never lasted more than six months, no matter the job. The next one always looked better to him.”

“But he wanted to own a bar?” To Melanie, that seemed an odd aspiration. “What was the reasoning?”

“Your dad loved being around people. He was good around them, too. Had a way about him that made folks comfortable. He could get anyone to laugh.” Loretta’s tone dipped as her memories got the better of her. “It never mattered how angry I was at that man, he could always make me laugh. We laughed a lot for a long time, Melanie. Until we stopped.”

Her mother’s voice was broken, hesitant and very near tears. Melanie decided to drop the subject. She’d learned a little. Maybe she’d be able to learn more later. “Thanks for sharing.”

“You’re welcome. All you ever have to do is ask. I… Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

While Melanie knew her mother’s question was specific to David Prentiss, the conversation with Tara popped into her head. But now wasn’t the time to ask about antique dolls or childhood books. “Well, yeah,” Melanie teased. “You never told me what everyone at the salon said when they saw your engagement ring.”

“Oh! They all love the ring. Of course, there was some jealousy, but that’s to be expected. Why, Sandra has been waiting for years for her beau to pop the question. If I’ve told her once, I’ve told her a thousand times…”

Melanie grinned, sprawled out on her sofa and listened to her mother chatter.

After thirty minutes or so, Loretta said, “You’re awfully quiet, honey. Are you okay?”

“Fine. Tired, I think.”

“Well, go tuck yourself in and have sweet dreams. I’ll see you on Tuesday for dinner, right?”

Melanie responded in the affirmative, gave her mother her love and ended the call. Once upstairs, she pulled the printout of her father’s information off the printer and scanned it again, looking to see if she’d missed anything earlier. She hadn’t.

But as she stared at the tiny slice of David Prentiss’s life, hurt she’d believed to be long gone blossomed as if it were new. How dare he walk out on them, only to create a new family? Before, as much as she tried not to think about her father, she’d assumed that family life simply hadn’t agreed with him, so he took off.

That meant he was a coward, yes, but also had nothing to do with her seven-year-old self, or her mother. That was
his
fault.
His
weakness. Not theirs.

So this…this made her question everything she’d convinced herself to be true. This told a different story than the one she’d recited to herself every single night for those first agonizing months after he disappeared. God, she’d loved her father. Adored him, really. She wondered, briefly, what type of woman she would be if he hadn’t left. What would her life be like now?

Would she have a husband, kids? Would she still be a journalist? What parts of her were the way they were because of his departure? And what parts were just her, no matter the upbringing, no matter his failure at being a father?

It ticked her off that she didn’t know, would never know.

She lifted her hand to her cheek, surprised to feel the wetness of tears she hadn’t realized were falling. Over him? Really? Tossing the paper aside, Melanie readied herself for bed and tried to plan her next move. Because yes, she was going to locate him, whether he was behind the gifts or not. He might not deserve her tears, but she deserved some answers.

And she damn well intended to get them.

Chapter Six

J
ace swung his 1969 Camaro Super Sport, the car that his older brother Grady had rebuilt for him and painted orange, into the turn lane. With the car idling, Jace tossed a look toward Melanie but kept his thoughts to himself. She’d been strangely quiet all morning. While they were still at the office, he’d assumed she was caught up in writing next week’s advice column, even though the column wasn’t due until Friday.

But she’d barely said three words since they’d taken off for the county courthouse. When the light changed to green, Jace revved the engine and turned the corner. Thinking back, he realized she hadn’t said much ever since their meeting last week. No sarcastic rejoinders. No narrowing of her pretty brown eyes. No calling him out in the few instances he’d slipped into flirting with her. And, even more telling, not even one mention of his Snuggies.

Instead, she’d treated him with a daunting, straight-faced silence that, frankly, was beginning to drive him crazy. It also worried him. Melanie wasn’t the silent-routine type of woman, and she never missed an opportunity to put him in his place. So, yeah, something was obviously bothering the lady.

He just wished he knew what.

Approaching the courthouse, he found an empty space alongside the curb, less than a block away. He slid the car in. “This should be fun,” he said in a purposefully cheerful voice. “You brought the release forms, correct?”

“Yes.” Melanie unbuckled her seat belt and leaned forward to grab her bag. “Is Jenny meeting us here? She was assigned to this, right?”

Melanie was referring to one of the staff photographers. “Initially, yes. But Kurt decided we can get the photos we need easily enough. I’ve taken my own shots before, and we can always arrange for follow-ups if we need more.”

“Right. If we manage to find even one couple worth following up with.”

“If we don’t, that doesn’t mean anything so early in.” Jace reached behind him to retrieve his canvas messenger bag. “But you know that.”

She gave a barely perceptible nod before stepping out of the car. Great. More silence.

Jace swallowed a sigh, joined Melanie on the sidewalk and belatedly remembered to feed some coins into the parking meter. She pulled her jacket tightly around her and stuffed her hands into her pockets. It was a cold, gray and windy day. Typical of January weather in Portland, though there was some talk of a possible ice storm later in the week.

“How are we going to do this?” Melanie asked as she took off toward the four-story, concrete building that had served as the county courthouse since 1914. “Does anyone know we’ll be here?”

“Public venue. We don’t have to get permission if we stick to the public areas. But,” he said, falling in step next to her, “the weddings are by appointment only. I was worried we’d pick a day that no one would be here, so I called ahead.”

“And?”

“Three judges are sitting this afternoon, and all of them have a packed schedule. Should be plenty of couples in and out.”

“That doesn’t mean any of them will want to talk with us,” she pointed out, stubborn as always. Which actually helped set Jace’s mind at ease. Maybe she was fine, after all.

“They’ll be more than happy to spend a few minutes with us.”

“And you know this how?” Melanie asked as they reached the front door. The wind blew a strand of hair into her eyes, and it was all he could do not to reach over and brush it away. “Do you have a Magic 8 Ball in your pocket?”

He grinned. “Nope, but I have a handful of gift certificates to area restaurants and clubs to pass out as a thank-you. I even have one from L’Auberge,” he said, naming a Portland French restaurant known for its food and elegant atmosphere.

Melanie stepped into the courthouse and waited for him to follow. When he did, she turned to him with narrowed eyes. “How’d we get those? I know the paper didn’t spring for them. Did you buy them?”

“Ah…no.” Well, the L’Auberge one had been a gift from a female admirer, but Melanie didn’t need to know that. “You forget who you’re talking to here, Mello Yello.”

“Just spill it. Where’d they come from?”

“I get freebies in the mail every week,” he said with a shrug. “Managers and owners send them in the hopes I’ll take a date there or mention them in the ‘Man About Town’ column. Sometimes, I return them with my apologies. Other times, I use them but make sure they know there isn’t a guarantee of publicity.”

“Uh-huh,” she said with an arched brow. “And this time?”

“I called, told each of them about the feature, promised I’d give them a thanks on the website and asked if we could use them as giveaways for the couples we interview. No one objected.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” she said. “Thanks for…thinking ahead.”

“I want this to be successful.” He nodded toward the elevators. “Ready to get started?”

“Why not?” She sighed as if the entire idea was about as appealing as a mouthful of vinegar. “The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll be done.”

Jace fought the urge to ask what the heck was bothering her. This wasn’t the time or the place. Somehow, though, before the day ended, he was determined to discover what was going on inside that head of hers.

They set up in the long hallway outside of the appropriate judges’ quarters. At the moment, there were three couples sitting on the benches that were placed against the walls. Jace and Melanie claimed a vacant bench as theirs, where they stacked the release forms, gift certificates, a couple of notepads and the digital voice recorders they’d brought with them. Jace pulled his camera out of the bag and slung it around his neck.

Speaking quietly, Melanie said, “So, um, I don’t have a lot of experience in this. I haven’t done any one-on-one interviews since college.” She paused and fiddled with the buttons on her fuzzy yellow sweater. The inane thought that she looked like a sunflower popped up in his brain. A beautiful, bright, sunny flower. “Any advice, Mr. Hotshot?”

“Wh-what?” He cleared his throat and tried to find his bearings. “Oh. Advice. Um… Well, let’s see. We don’t want to approach any of the couples waiting out here. Right now, all that’s in their minds is their wedding. Once their ceremonies are over with, though, they’ll be excited and relaxed. So we’ll have to be ready for them when they come out of the judge’s chambers.” He gestured toward the closed doors. “There are probably ceremonies going on right now.”

“I guessed that much. But… Oh, never mind.” Melanie attached a few release forms to a clipboard and picked up a voice recorder. “I’ll figure it out,” she said in a strained voice.

She was nervous, he realized with a start. Well, duh. She’d pretty much said that straight-out. If he hadn’t been staring at her and obsessing over freaking sunflowers, he might’ve caught on. He shook his head, disgusted with himself. God, he could be an idiot. “Look, this will be a breeze. We ask a few basic questions and go from there.”

The door three down from where they stood opened, and a couple that Jace pegged to be in their late thirties emerged. He glanced at Melanie and grinned, aiming to put her at ease. “Here we go. How about if I take these two and you get the next?”

Melanie’s complexion paled a shade, but she moved her head up and down in a loose nod. Thrusting the clipboard and voice recorder into his hands, she said, “Sure. That sounds good. I’ll, um, tag along and watch.”

“It’ll be a breeze,” he repeated, looking her directly in the eyes. “You ready?”

“Ready.”

Jace plastered on a smile and ambled toward the couple. “Congratulations!” he said as way of greeting. “My name is Jace Foster, and this lovely lady is Melanie Prentiss. We’re reporters for the
Portland Gazette
. Can you spare a few minutes to chat with us?”

The man, a tall brunet with a receding hairline, frowned. “What is this about? There isn’t a protest or something going on, is there?”

“No, nothing like that,” Jace assured him. He gave them a quick rundown on the Valentine’s Day feature. “As a thank-you, we’d love to send you somewhere special to celebrate. On us, of course.”

The bride, a pretty woman with round cheeks and short, auburn hair, sidestepped her new husband and gave Jace a beaming smile. “I know who you are! You dated a past coworker of mine once. It was several years ago, but we heard all about it at the office.” She grimaced in recollection. “
All
about it. I didn’t think Francesca would ever shut up, to be honest.”

He shot a quick look in Melanie’s direction before saying, “Ah…is that right?” He remembered the blonde, vivacious Francesca. They’d spent a long weekend together at a friend’s place on the coast. By day three, she’d put down his friend, his friend’s wife and even their dog. He’d never called her again. “Well, this has nothing to do with that.”

“Still, it’s interesting to hear about,” Melanie said from her spot beside him. “What flavor did you label Francesca as?” He glanced at her again, this time with a frown, and she shrugged. “What? I can’t be curious?”

“That was a long time ago, Mel,” he said lightly. “I really don’t recall.”

“I believe you wrote that she was a chocolate who morphed into a rocky road.” The bride chuckled. “That sort of ticked her off, but it made perfect sense to me.”

The groom coughed to get their attention. “We really don’t have time for all of this,” he said with a glance at his watch. “I fit this in between meetings, so…”

Jace kept his expression neutral but cringed inside. Not a good start if the groom was in a hurry to get back to work on his wedding day. One look at Melanie told him she was having the same thoughts. Hell, this was a win for her love-doesn’t-exist side if he ever saw one. Deciding not to push when there were likely other couples who would fit the tone of the article better, he returned his attention to the couple. “Of course. Thank you for—”

“Really, Geoffrey?” the bride interrupted, her voice quietly firm. She turned on her heel and placed her palm on his cheek. “I know today’s meetings are important for our business, but this is our wedding day. Think how wonderful it will be to have that article to show our children someday.”

Skimming her hand with his, Geoffrey said, “I know…it’s just a big day.” He let out a breath. “But as usual, you’re one-hundred percent correct. Okay, Veronica. Fifteen minutes.”

Without turning around, Veronica asked, “Will fifteen minutes give you what you need?”

“Fifteen minutes is more than enough,” Jace promised.

He chanced a look at Melanie, expecting her to appear surprised that this couple might be turning out to be a love match when all prior signs had seemed to point in the opposite direction. But she had a smug expression on
her
face. Had she truly not noticed?

After several photos were taken and the release signed, Jace powered on the recorder, placed it between them on the bench, and said, “So, tell us. When and how did you two meet?”

“Oh, we were next-door neighbors. We knew each other for years before I finally asked Geoffrey on a date.” Veronica tipped her head to the side, giving her husband a teasing glance. “I was tired of waiting for him to ask.”

Geoffrey’s cheeks reddened. “I thought you were out of my league.” Focusing on Jace, he said, “I had no idea she was even interested.”

“Only because you were blind,” Veronica said with a faint smile. “I had to jump through hoops to get your attention.”

“Tell us,” Jace prodded. This was what he loved about interviews. You never knew where the most general of questions could lead you.

Now, Veronica blushed. “I started by baking him cookies, brownies, anything sweet, because Geoffrey has a sweet tooth.”

“I just thought she was being nice,” Geoffrey said. “Neighborly, you know?”

“And then I started doing my yard work in…well, somewhat revealing clothes.” Veronica gave a slight shudder. “All that did was rouse the interest of some of the married men in the neighborhood. Geoffrey didn’t even notice.”

“I noticed,” the groom said. “Believe me, I noticed. But why would I think you were dressing that way for me?”

“Because the only time I did yard work was when you were home. And I tended to wait until you were out in your yard doing something.” Veronica shook her head in amusement. It was obvious that the bride and groom had gone over this before but still enjoyed sharing their story. “Like I said, he was blind.”

Melanie leaned forward, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “Why did you keep trying if he didn’t seem interested?”

“Because I knew he was the man for me,” Veronica said with conviction. “The first time I met him, it was as if everything inside of me came to life.”

Those words knocked the air clean out of Jace’s lungs. Yes. That was how he had felt the first time he met Melanie. Looking at Geoffrey, he asked, “What about you? Did you feel that way when you met Veronica?”

“It was like nothing I’d felt before,” Geoffrey acknowledged.

“Then items started mysteriously breaking in my house. Almost every week.” Veronica nudged her husband with her elbow. “Of course, I needed Geoffrey’s help in fixing everything.”

“I still can’t believe you did that.” Geoffrey shook his head, but Jace saw the mix of pride and pleasure in his gaze. “First it was her clogged garbage disposal, then it was the broken faucet, then her garage door opener fizzled. One thing after another for…three, four months?”