Bachelor Mother (3 page)

“Well? What happened? What did he say?”

Melanie could picture her friend and business partner on the other end of the line. Alicia would have her legs propped carelessly on her breakfast room table. Her dark, straight hair was cut to her shoulders and her brown eyes were endlessly inquisitive. At first, Alicia’s blunt, personal questions had set her teeth on edge. Then, when they knew each other better and Melanie had figured out her friend wasn’t offended if she chose not to answer, Melanie had relaxed.

“Not everyone has the guts to ask the questions I do,” Alicia had once told her. “And most of the time I get answers.”

But sometimes, particularly on a day like today, her friend’s habit of intense scrutiny could be wearing.

“He didn’t say anything. I didn’t ask him.” Melanie crossed her fingers, hating to lie. But she just wasn’t up to discussing this with Alicia.

“Melanie! You had almost all night to ask him. Are you sure you want to go through with it?”

“No, I’m not.” That part was truthful at least.

Alicia considered this for just a second. She was like a small terrier worrying a bone. After a short silence, she asked, “Do you want to go out with me tonight, hit a few bars?”

“No. I’m going to get some work done.”

“Ah! You can’t use that excuse with me! We have more than enough sweaters in stock.” Alicia had been the one to talk her into going into business for herself. Together they ran a small boutique on Pier Avenue that specialized in hand-knit sweaters.

Melanie clenched the phone tightly, dismayed to find her hand starting to sweat. “Ali, I really think I just need some time alone to think things through.”

Her friend’s voice was suddenly gentle. “You know you don’t have that much more time.” When Melanie didn’t answer, Alicia said, “Well, I guess one more night won’t hurt. I’ll be back tonight around midnight if you want to give me a call.” Alicia hesitated a moment, then said, “You know, last night I ran into a woman Bubba used to go out with.”

“Oh?” Melanie forced her tone to remain calm. She wanted nothing more than to rip apart her freshly made bed and climb beneath the covers. But a person could only ignore the world for so long.

“Yeah. I asked her what he was like in bed.”

“Alicia!”

Her friend was utterly unperturbed. “She got this disgustingly dreamy look on her face and said he was the best, the most
passionate
  lover she’d ever had. She said he really knew how to please a woman and that when he – ”

“Ali, I don’t want to hear any more. I’ve decided – ” She thought quickly. “I’ve decided I don’t want to spoil the special friendship I have with Bubba so I think I’m going to do it your way.”

“Love with the proper stranger? I
love
  it!”

“Yeah, that’s it. So I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll talk about places I can go to meet men.”

“I still think you should join an online dating service.”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

After Melanie disconnected the call, she covered her face with her hands. Whatever had possessed her to ask Bubba to play surrogate father? Now more than ever she was convinced she’d done the wrong thing.

Not one to sink into despair if there was something she could do about it, she picked up the phone and dialed Bubba’s number.

* * *

It sounded as if someone were tap dancing on his head.

Bubba groaned as his cell buzzed again. He wondered why he hadn’t thought to turn it off before he fell asleep. Who could be calling him at this ungodly hour?

“Hullo?” he mumbled into the receiver.

“Bubba? It’s me.”

“Mel!” He sat up in bed, blinking against the light. “Are you okay?” He was about to ask her what was wrong when she rushed ahead.

“Bubba, I – I’m sorry I asked you last night. I was – I was really depressed when I came over, and I guess I was just crazy. It’s a stupid idea. I don’t want to wreck our friendship and I’d like you to come over for dinner tonight.
Just
  for dinner.”

He was wide awake now even if his brain seemed slightly fuzzy. “But I thought you said you had to get pregnant.” She wasn’t making sense.

“I know I said that but I shouldn’t have asked you. I’ll solve my problem some other way. Do you want to come over tonight?”

“And have you sleep with some stranger? I can’t let that happen!”

He could hear her sigh over the phone. “Bubba, we’re not having the same conversation. I
promise
you I won’t go to some sleazy bar and pick up a psycho. But I really think I was way out of line to ask you.”

“I don’t. What are friends for?”

“Bubba!”

He rubbed his forehead wearily. “Mel, I know you’re scared about this whole thing. You have enough to worry about without having to look for a decent guy. I don’t want you having sex with some creep just so you can have a baby!”

“But I can’t have sex with you!”

“Look, we’ve got to be reasonable about this. If you do it with some stranger, how do you know how your kid is going to turn out?” Bubba thought furiously. He remembered an article he’d read online last week. “Besides, what if your baby gets sick and you have to know something about his genetic history? I’ll always be around to answer your questions. And if I don’t know, I can call my mother.”

He knew he was beginning to get through to her when she didn’t answer him right away. Knowing he had to convince her before she changed her mind, he spoke carefully, softly.

“Mel, if it’s any consolation to you, I’m just as scared as you are. I’m worried about whether I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want to hurt you. But as far as I can see, you only have a couple of options. The best one is to let me help you.”

“You really think so?” She sounded as if she were close to tears.

“I know so.” He forced his voice to sound more sure than he felt. “Now forget about fixing me dinner. I’m taking you out. Don’t worry, I’m going to take care of everything.”

“Bubba, I really love you.”

“I love you, too, Mel. And I know how much this means to you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Then she hung up.

He lay in bed, satisfied with the way he’d convinced her until he remembered that right before he’d fallen asleep early that morning he’d been determined to tell her he couldn’t go through with it.

Turning his head slightly, he stared into a pair of golden feline eyes. Henry, an enormous white cat that he’d rescued from inside a dumpster almost a year ago, licked his nose and then bit it gently.

Bubba tapped the cat’s nose lightly to make him let go. “Why the hell didn’t you wake me up this morning, huh? Then I would've had a clear brain by the time Mel called.”

As he started to get out of bed, Henry butted his head against his chest and meowed pitifully.

“I know. Breakfast.” He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. “Make that lunch.”

As Bubba stood up, Henry hit the floor with a loud thwack and followed him down the stairs and into the kitchen.

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Melanie tensed.

Seven o’clock. Bubba was certainly punctual. She studied herself quickly in the hallway mirror. The peach and white cotton sundress set off her tan. It had an elasticized, strapless top and a wide sash nipped in the waist.

Her hair was loose and it waved slightly as it fell below her shoulders. She’d made up her face carefully to hide the ravages of a practically sleepless night. The sandals she had on were comfortable.

Here goes
.

She opened the door, a nervous smile on her face. Bubba was standing on her front steps, dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue button-down shirt. He had a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand.

“Oh, Bubba, how pretty! Just let me get a vase.” She turned away quickly, touched by his thoughtfulness. He followed her into the kitchen and helped her get a vase out of one of her kitchen cupboards.

“They’re from Gabe across the street,” he informed her, referring to one of their elderly neighbors. “She told me Henry was digging in her flower bed. When I came over to get him and said I was coming to dinner tonight, she insisted I take some of her roses.”

Melanie laughed, surprised at how the tension seemed to be leaving her body. She could just picture Gabe chasing Henry with her broom. Bubba’s cat was a well-known mischief maker in the neighborhood.

“I’ll be sure to thank her for her thoughtfulness.” She placed the vase on her coffee table, then turned around and looked up at him. “Look, Bubba, I have to tell you something before I lose my nerve.”

He was studying her carefully.

Melanie moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, suddenly nervous. “Let’s just have dinner tonight, okay?”

“Mel, I don’t want you to have to – ”

She laid a hand on his chest. “I
promise
  you I won’t go after any strangers in bars without letting you know first. Deal?”

She could see him visibly relaxing. “Deal.”

“I hope you like my version of sweet and sour chicken.”

“I thought we were going out.”

“Uh-uh. You deserve a good, home-cooked meal after what I put you through last night.”

Bubba sighed. “Anything you cook will be fine with me.”

He looked out of place in her kitchen. Bubba just didn’t seem to mix in with the light blue curtains and the embroidered sampler hanging on one of the walls. He was so big, so athletic. He looked like the kind of man who needed room to move around. Her little kitchen didn’t have that much space.

“There’s a bottle of wine in the refrigerator,” she said. “We can eat in about fifteen minutes.”

Bubba’s head was already in her refrigerator. “Mel, you’ve got enough in here to feed an army!”

She laughed. “It’s just that I hate to go to the market more than once a year.” Sometimes she was secretly ashamed of her strong streak of domesticity. While most of her friends confessed they hated to stay home in the evenings and cook, Melanie loved puttering around her little house.

It belonged to her brother Donnie. He’d been delighted to rent it to her as a tax shelter. She enjoyed having people over for small dinner parties. Melanie liked to nurture those she loved.

Bubba reached inside for the wine and shut the refrigerator door carefully. As he searched one of her kitchen drawers for a corkscrew, he said, “Well, at least you eat properly. You’ll have to be on a special diet when you’re – ” He stopped as if he were suddenly embarrassed and concentrated on opening the wine.

They drank in silence, then Melanie quickly dished up the sweet and sour chicken and vegetables over rice. They ate at her kitchen table. Bubba didn’t quite meet her eyes.

We’ve never been this uncomfortable before
, she thought miserably.
If only you hadn’t opened your big mouth last night.

After she cleared away the dishes, Melanie got out the chocolate mousse she’d spent the afternoon making. Bubba’s favorite. A peace offering.

“This is really great, Mel.”

She smiled, relaxing at last. He seemed more like the Bubba she was used to.

Sitting back in her chair and studying Bubba as he looked out her kitchen window, Melanie could understand why so many women had gone out with him, given their hearts to him and still remained friends afterwards. There was something special about Bubba – he was emotionally so open, so thoughtful of other people.

His looks certainly didn’t hinder him. She liked the way his dark blond hair was bleached lighter by the sun. He looked like exactly who he was, a man who loved the outdoors, especially the ocean. Bubba was a handsome man, his dark blue-gray eyes were alive with feeling.

As if sensing that she was staring at him, he looked at her.

“What are you thinking about?”

It would never have occurred to her to hide her thoughts from Bubba.

“I was wondering why you never got married,” she admitted. “Have you ever been in love?”

“No.” He sat back in his chair, regarding her with a serious expression. She noticed the slight tightening around his mouth. “It wasn’t exactly a secret that my parents were one of the great mismatches of all time. I can’t remember either of them ever being in the same room without fighting.” He picked up his dessert spoon, studied it, then set it back down. “I always wondered why your parents were so kind, letting me hang out at your house. I practically lived there my last two years of high school.”

“You were fun to have around,” she said, teasing him, hating to see his hurt. Bubba had rarely talked about his parents but she and her sisters and brothers had known. No one had been surprised when they divorced after Bubba left for college.

“I loved being with all of you.” He smiled, and it seemed to Melanie he was making a conscious effort to change the subject away from the depressing topic. “Anyway, I have a bet going with your brother Donnie.”

“With Donnie?” She laughed. “This has to be good.”

His eyes were alive with laughter as he said, “We have a bet. The first guy to bite the dust pays up – five hundred dollars.”

Melanie’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“When did you decide this?”

“Senior year. Right after Donnie broke up with Liz.”

“Ah, yes, I remember.” She grinned. “That was certainly one of the great love affairs of all time.”

“He really fell hard. Did he tell you he saw her at his high school reunion?”

“No.” She leaned forward and refilled his wineglass. “What happened?”

“She had six kids and was really happy. She married this guy she met working at a bank.”

“Did they have a good time?”

“Yeah. It was strange. Donnie said it was like they were special friends, like all the hurt had never been there. I guess time makes a difference. But she was really glad to see him and he was, too. Her husband sounds like an okay guy.”

“Bubba, are we going to stay friends? Do you still like me after… I mean, last night?”

He covered her hand with his. “I’m
always 
going to like you, Pell-mell. You have my word.”

Her throat tightened and stung at the use of her nickname. Her father had christened her Miss Pell-mell because even as a child she’d lived her life at a breakneck pace. It touched her that he remembered.