His Melody (24 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Saturday evening, Austin and Melody went back to the shop after eating dinner at Rose’s Diner because he’d left some papers there that he wanted to look over that weekend.

Austin had wanted to take her out to dinner, just the two of them, because she didn’t have many nights left in town, and they wouldn’t get time alone during all of them. The Holt family wanted to take her out to a farewell dinner Monday night because that was Vernon’s last night in town for a while; he had to leave for a run on Tuesday. On Tuesday night, Melody’s last night in town, everyone wanted to throw her wanted to throw her a small going-away party. Leigh Anne, Avery, and Nina were doing most of the planning for that. It was top-secret apparently. She couldn’t get many details out of them about it.

On Wednesday, she was supposed to be heading out of town. That would put her at home just in time to meet with Saeed and prepare for the showcase—or showdown as she’d been calling it in her head—on Saturday night.

She didn’t really know what she was preparing for anymore, though. Austin seemed pretty dead set against going back with her, and he was definitely against the idea of a music career, and so the showcase was most likely out of the question. Still, she had to try. Maybe there was some way she could persuade him to see things her way.

“Thanks for dinner,” Melody said as they walked into the office. “The food was really good.”

“I wish I could take the credit, but Rose’s is always good,” he said. He picked up the folder. “Well, I guess that’s it.”

She walked over to him and trailed her fingers up his bare arm, tickling his skin. He tossed the folder back on the desk and put his arm around her waist; his touch was hot through the thin fabric of her sleeveless blouse. She shivered even though the air conditioning had been turned off hours ago and the day’s heat lingered into dusk.

“I want to ask you something,” she said. “But I’m afraid of how you might react.”

In answer, he covered her lips with hers and pulled her closer, squeezing her waist. She moaned, responding enthusiastically to the kiss. He left one hand on her waist and ran the other through her hair. She pushed her knee between his thighs and he backed against the wall behind the desk, bringing her with him.

“This is what I want all the time,” she said between kisses.

“Then stay,” he murmured while moving his lips from her mouth to her neck and then to the border between her low-cut blouse and her skin. He made his way up to her neck again before pressing slow, sweet kisses against her collarbone.

His hands found their way under her blouse. He cupped her breasts through the lacy fabric of her bra while his tongue explored her throat. She threw her head back, wrapped a leg around his waist, and enjoyed the slow, sweet torture of his touch. Putting her hands on the back of his head, she directed his kisses lower until she felt his teeth close gently around her nipple through two layers of fabric. She moaned his name softly. His hand dipped into the waistband of her skirt. She pressed against him, and he pulled his hand free and jerked the skirt up to her waist.

He rubbed small circles against the front of her panties, pushing the fabric into skin that had been wet for him since dinner. She gasped, pushing closer, grinding herself into his fingers,
needing
to feel his touch.

“Don’t leave,” he said before biting at her ear lobe.

At that moment, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere but there. She pushed closer and closer. Soon, she felt waves of pleasure washing over her. When it was over, she slumped against his chest. He started to move, but she shook her head and slipped her hands down to his belt.

“We have to get back,” he said reluctantly, but made no further attempts to move toward the door.

“Do we?” She unfastened his belt and unzipped his pants.

“I guess we have a few minutes,” Austin said, his voice low and husky.

She pulled out his rock solid penis. She still hadn’t felt it inside of her. She wanted it so badly she was aching and wet with desire. She slid down his body, massaging his balls as she did so. He let out a low, guttural groan.

She slid her mouth over the hot shaft of skin, sucking on it rhythmically. He grabbed the back of her head with one hand and braced himself against the wall with the other.

“Where did you learn to do that?” he whispered before encouraging her to do more of it. Pushing the head of his penis against the back of her throat, she moaned, knowing the vibrations would drive him crazy. She grabbed his butt with one hand and used the other to cradle and stroke the fleshy, vulnerable skin under his penis until he surrendered to the strokes of her tongue and hand with a strangled cry and a shudder.

She stood and tucked him back in before zipping up his pants.

“Now, what did you want to talk about?” he asked, his eyes unfocused; he looked and sounded dazed.

Figuring it would be hard to catch him in a better mood, she said, “There’s a showcase in Atlanta next week.” She kissed him, but he didn’t kiss back.

“And you want me to go,” he said.

“I want us to talk about it,” she said.

He adjusted his pants and buckled his belt. Grabbing the folder off his desk once again, he said, “You ready to go?”

She followed him from the office. “If you would just let me tell you about it, you’d see that this could be such a huge opportunity for you.”

“For you, you mean,” Austin said. He didn’t say anything else until they were back in the truck. Then he turned to her with a mixture of hurt and anger in his eyes. “That’s the only reason you want me to come back with you, isn’t it? I’m a commodity to you.” He leaned in close enough to kiss, but he clearly didn’t have kissing on his mind. The sallow glow from a nearby streetlight cut across his chiseled jaw line. “You’re just like Bianca.”

“No, Austin. That’s not the only reason. Over these past few weeks, I’ve come to care about you so much.” She put a hand on the side of his face. He pulled away from her and started up the truck.

“If that were true, you’d understand why I don’t want to go to that showcase or have anything to do with your record company or anyone else’s.”

“I don’t have a record company,” she said, thinking of how nice it would be if she did—how different everything would be. She wouldn’t run her company anything like New Face was being run because New Face was being run right into the ground.

“Well, the one you represent, sold out to, however you want to put it,” he said.

“Okay, Austin, okay,” she snapped. “Fine.” She had no idea what she was going to tell Saeed. Worse than that, she had jeopardized what might be her last few days ever with Austin.

She looked across the seat at Austin. Everything she wanted was so close that she could reach out and touch it. Instead, she was going to have to watch it all slip through her fingers.

Chapter Thirty

Sunday, after church, Melody went with Leigh Anne to run errands in town. When they got out of Leigh Anne’s truck at the grocery store, Melody saw Blanche across the street, outside of the bank, weeping loudly and dramatically. A much younger man—the tall, dark, and handsome type—stood next to her gesturing in a way that indicated he was trying to reason with her about something.

Leigh Anne followed her gaze and said, “Well. I wonder what it is this time.”

“Do you know that man who’s with her?” Melody asked.

“That’s her grandson, Remy.” Leigh Anne put a hand on her hip and rocked back on her heels. “Every so often, he comes into town from Louisiana to check on her.”

“I’m going over there for a minute,” Melody said. “I’ll meet you inside.”

“You don’t want to get involved in all that.”

“I’ll just be a second.”

Leigh Anne gave her a wary look.

“I won’t be long,” Melody said. “Promise.”

“Okay,” Leigh Anne said with a labored sigh. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Leigh Anne put extra emphasis on the last couple of words.

“I’m right behind you.”

Leigh Anne threw her a look.

“Almost,” Melody said.

Leigh Anne headed for Zip’s, and Melody went across the street to Blanche and Remy.

“Blanche, what’s wrong?” Melody asked.

“Oh,
ma
chère
. It’s terrible. This old brute wants to take me away from here.” She smacked at the young man’s hand as he attempted to take her arm.

“I’m not an old brute,” the man said in a Cajun accent that was almost as thick as Blanche’s. “I’m Remy, her grandson,” Remy said, sticking out a hand for Melody to shake. He smiled, exposing dazzlingly white teeth.

Melody took his hand and returned the smile. “Melody.”

“It’s not that I mind the going, no not that at all. It’s where he’s taking me. Ask him where he taking me,
chère
,” Blanche said. She grabbed fretfully at the light blue scarf she wore over her gray hair. “Go on, ask him.”

“I’m taking her back to Louisiana,” Remy supplied without further prompting. He leaned close in a conspirator-like way and said, “
Grand-maman
is getting a little too old for all this nonsense, and I think she’s gettin’ a little senile, too.”

“He gonna put me in one of them old nursing homes,
chère
. A home! Don’t nobody last long in one of them things.” She sniffed indignantly before laying a cold look on her grandson. “To think.” She started muttering under her breath.

“You see…” Remy let his voice trail off and stared helplessly in his grandmother’s direction.

“You don’t care nothing at all about me, you don’t,” Blanche said. She stared up at
him
as his height required her to. She balled her small hands into fists at her sides.

“I’m taking you home with me because I do care,” Remy said in a tight voice; his strained patience was evident in his tone. “It’s not a nursing home,
grand-maman
. You know that. It’s an assisted living facility close to where Marie and I live.”

“Marie is his wife,” Blanche said. “
She’s
a nice person. She
don’t
go around terrorizing her elders.” She shook her head at Remy. “Should be ashamed of yourself is what you ought to be.

“
Grand-maman
, I can’t leave you here,” Remy said, running a hand over his face and letting it rest at his mouth. He looked as if he were at the end of his rope.

“Aw, get on out of here. Wait for me in the car, and I’ll be over in a minute.” She pointed to a burgundy sedan. “I gotta say goodbye to my friend here first.” She nodded at Melody.

Remy didn’t look so sure.

Blanche gave him a little tap on the arm. “Well go on. It
ain’t
like I can run. You catch me before I get out the parking lot good. You just grabbed all my little money out the bank. Where would I go if I could run?”

“
Grand-maman
—”

“I know, I know. Go on now. You leave me alone for a minute, and I’ll go with you after that and won’t even put up a fight.”

Throwing his hands up in resignation, Remy said, “Okay.” He turned to Melody. “It was nice meeting you, even if briefly and under these…” He glanced at his grandmother. “Circumstances.”

Melody smiled. “Nice to meet you, too, Remy.”

Remy walked to the car, and Blanche put a hand on Melody’s arm.

“The reason I say I don’t mind the going even if that old brute is taking me away.” Blanche squeezed Melody’s arm. “The reason I say that is my work here is done.”

“Oh?” Melody glanced over at Remy. He sat in the car, shaking his head and gesturing wildly while talking into his cell phone.

“You brought them brothers back together.” Blanche nodded. “I was here for you, and you were here for them,” she said. “You still are.”

Melody looked down at Blanche, and the older woman winked at her.

“You know it’s true.” Blanche nodded slowly. “There’s only one thing left to do. You know what that is, too.”

“I’m not sure I do,” Melody said.

“Don’t you give up on dat
boy.
He still needs you. In here.” Blanche put a small, papery hand over her heart. “You know that well as I do.”

Melody was going to miss this woman.
Odd but unforgettable.
“Okay, Blanche.”

“Oh, of course you’ll never forget old Blanche. Nobody ever do.”

Melody gave her head a little shake. Surely the old woman couldn’t read minds?

“Now I got to get out of here now before that old brute grandson of mine has a fit.”

“I’m glad I got a chance to meet you,” Melody said.

“Of course you did. That’s what I was doing here the whole
time,
I keep trying to tell you. Waiting on you to show up,” Blanche said. She hobbled forward a little.

“Let me help you to the car.” Melody offered her arm.

“Naw,
chère
, I’m gonna be just fine. I ain’t that bad off yet.” She took a few more steps forward before turning to face Melody once again and saying, “You two have a safe trip back now.”