His Melody (6 page)

Lost in his green eyes, she said a stupid thing, “Okay.

“Good.” He smiled and leaned back on his elbows.

Watching his muscle flex as he shifted positions made her go blank for a moment, forgetting the song she wanted to sing. There wasn’t an inch of flab on him anywhere. Not even half of one. She’d never laid hands on a body that perfect in her life.

And you won’t now
, she told herself.
Behave yourself.

“I hope you’re not backing out on me,” he said. He was so close, his bicep near her knee. Thunder boomed through the sky, and she jumped. He grinned and put a hand on her knee. “Don’t worry. I won’t let it get you.”

“Ha ha,” she said dryly even though her heart was skittering around in her chest; his hand on her skin felt so good.
Too good.

“You gonna sing for me or what?”

“Okay.” She took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly, watching their shadows dance with the candlelight on the wall on the other side of the bed. “I think this one fits right now. It’s called, ‘Rain on my Window Pane’.”

She sang her song for him, and she was afraid to look at him until she finished. Still, she could feel his stare. When she looked down at the end of her song, she was frozen to his gaze. She’d never been looked at in such a tender way. There was something almost adoring in his eyes. Neither of them said a word. The only sound was that of soft rain hitting the roof and the windows.

“That was beautiful. Sad, but beautiful,” he murmured. “What were you talking about earlier? You have a great voice.”

She looked down at her hands, grateful for the fact that it was probably too dark for him to see her blush because she could certainly feel her cheeks roasting. “Thanks.” That was all she could think of to say.

“I didn’t expect country, but it suits you. It really fits.”

She nodded. Most people didn’t. That reminded her of something she hadn’t expected earlier. She’d been trying to think of a way to bring it up, and now was the best opportunity she’d had so far.

“That guy, Vernon, is he your dad?” She took in Austin’s blond hair and green eyes and the border between pale and golden skin on his arms that came from his farmer’s tan.

“Step-dad,” he said.

She leaned in and murmured, like it was a secret or something, “He’s black.”

He leaned up and murmured back, “I know.”

“Isn’t that a problem? In a town like this?”
A small Southern town?
Even in Atlanta, she’d sometimes seen interracial couples get strange looks.

He shook his head. “Nah. People mostly mind their business in Sweet Neck. We all know too much about each other to start throwing stones at each other’s glass houses. Well, most everybody. There are a few—aren’t there always a few—like Miz Hardy who lives on the farm next door. Mom calls her Miz Busybody.” He grinned. “Let’s just say this much. It is never a good thing to attract the attention, scorn, and hateful eye of a busybody.” He added, “But generally, things are copasetic. Most everyone in town loves Vernon and Mom anyhow.”

She nodded. “What happened to your dad?”

“Dead. Stroke.” He said the words with no emotion in his tone at all.

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said, watching the candle on his desk as he spoke. “Back to you.” He trained his gaze on her again. “You’re into country music then?”

“Yeah. I listen to everything. The label I work for is mainly R&B.
A few hip-hop artists.
We’re getting into some neo-soul and jazz now, which I love. But I have a special place in my heart for country. My grandpa babysat me a lot when I was a kid, and it’s all he listens to,” Melody said. She thought about all the time she’d spent with her grandparents before they moved to California, and the time she’d spent with them while she was in college out there. After her dad died, they couldn’t bear to stay in Georgia any longer. He’d been close them, and he was an only child. They’d moved back to California thinking the change of scenery would help them deal with their grief and because both of them were born there.

“She has Nashville in her heart, but she lives in Atlanta.” Austin hummed a little.

“Ha. So you write country, too?”

They laughed. He scooted closer to her on the bed. His arm brushed against her leg, and his skin was hot.
Almost feverish.
Part of her wished he’d pull her down to
lay
on the bed next to him. Another part was glad he didn’t.

Still leaning back on his elbows, he looked up at her. “I’m sorry you got stuck here and all, but I’m enjoying this. Talking, laughing, singing with you,” he said. The way he dropped the
“g’s
” off the ends of his words and drew them out with his drawl was delicious to her ears.

“Me, too.” For a moment, she almost leaned in for a kiss. Putting more distance between them, she turned the conversation in a safer direction. “Tell me more about this Mustang you rebuilt.”

He did. Then he gave her a crash course about the auto mechanic business and told her about his life in Sweet Neck. After that, she told him about Atlanta until they’d talked most of the night away.

Chapter Six

Melody woke up groggy after just a few hours’ sleep. She and Austin had been up until four in the morning talking. Still, no matter how late she stayed up, she could never sleep much past nine. Thankfully, the power was back on that morning. She plugged her charger and phone in before stumbling to the shower. The power being on meant there was running—and more importantly hot—water. After her shower, she trudged back to her room to get dressed.

She went into the kitchen and gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Leigh Anne. She looked around the sunlit, airy kitchen as she took a sip. The light fixtures were ornate and probably as old as the house itself though
well-polished
and cared for. The up-to-date stainless steel appliances seemed out of place.

“You want any breakfast?” Leigh Anne asked. She wore a faded pair of jeans and an old flannel shirt over a white tank top.

Melody shook her head no. “Just the coffee is perfect, thanks.”

“If you change your mind, there’s some leftover bacon and eggs in the oven.” She nodded at the stove across from the highly polished, oak kitchen table. “Or I can whip you up something real quick. We have cereal, too, if you’d rather have that.”

“I don’t want to you to go through all that trouble.”

“Oh, pshaw. No trouble at all.” Leigh Anne waved off her concern.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” She was too tired to be hungry. Besides, at home, her breakfast rarely consisted of more than grabbing a travel mug full of coffee on her way out of the door in the morning. “Where is everybody?” she asked.

Leigh Anne said, “Vernon went over to check on Regan and see if she needed any help after last night’s storm. The kids are down at the shop. It’s what, ten now? They’ll be back in a couple hours or so. The shop’s open ‘til noon on Saturdays.” Leigh Anne sipped her coffee. “Austin said he’ll drive you to the bus station that’s a couple towns away from here when he gets home. Y’all can make arrangements about your car, too, when he gets here.”

Melody nodded. “Yeah.
About the car.
And you letting me stay here. I’m going to pay you all as soon as I get home and get everything straightened out. I swear. I’ll even sign something if you want me to.”

Leigh Anne laughed and put one hand over her heart, the other on Melody’s shoulder. “Oh goodness, Melody. I won’t take your money. I’m glad to have your company, and I won’t hear of it. And I insist on paying for your bus ticket. After all you’ve been through, it’s the least I can do. I’m sure you and Austin can work something out for the car. He’s a good boy, but you let me know if he needs a good bopping over the head about this.”

Melody was used to paying her own way. “No, really I—”

“Shush now. It’s settled,” Leigh Anne said, shaking her head and giving Melody a motherly smile.

Melody sipped her coffee. “Well thank you. Very much.”

“You’re welcome, hon.” Leigh Anne said, walking over to the island in the center of the kitchen, which was laden with produce, freezer bags, and packages of meat that seemed to have come from the refrigerator and freezer.

“What are you up to?” Melody asked.

“Just going through this food, seeing what can be saved and what got ruined on account of the storm.” Tossing one of the freezer bags aside, she said, “After that, I’m headed out back to do a little gardening.”

“Let me help you with that,” Melody said.

“Well, come on over here, then.” Leigh Anne waved her over to the table.

Melody set down her coffee cup, grabbed a couple of empty plastic shopping bags, and walked over to the island to help Leigh Anne.

#

Once they were done cleaning out the fridge and deep freezer, Melody asked if she could use Leigh Anne’s computer.

“Sure,” Leigh Anne led her to a room set up as an office just off the living room. She informed Melody it used to be a drawing room back when the house was first built. “You use the phone and give our number as a contact if you need to. I know you’re going to say something about it, so let me say it now. I don’t care about the long distance. You getting in touch with your folks
is
what’s important right now.”

“Thanks, Mrs…” Melody suddenly realized she didn’t know what to call the woman. Her last name might not have been the same as Austin’s considering they were a blended family.

“Leigh Anne. Please.”

“I appreciate it so much,” Melody said. Her cell phone should have been nearly charged by then, but it was sweet of Leigh Anne to offer.

“Of course. I’ll be out back in my garden if you need me,” Leigh Anne said.

“Okay.”

Melody sat down at the desk and turned on the computer. She would send Mom and Jen emails and then run upstairs later after she finished checking her email to get her phone. By that time, it would definitely be done charging. She’d use it to call Mom and Jen first. She didn’t even want to think about the other phone call she had to make.

She signed into her email account and skimmed her messages. She sent emails to her mom and Jen, telling them she’d call them soon and hopefully before they got her emails. She then explained about her phone being dead and everything else that’d happened yesterday. Then she canceled all of her credit cards and check cards and had new ones sent out. She took care of the rest of her online errands before going upstairs to get her phone.

She had two difficult phone calls to make. One to the R&B’ group’s manager to tell him there was a chance she wouldn’t make it to the club to hear the group sing.
And the other to Saeed.

Chapter Seven

She found the manager’s phone number in one of their email exchanges and made that call first. He took it pretty well, and he seemed more optimistic than she was about the situation. He still believed she might actually make it to Miami in time to see the group perform.

“Believe me,” she said to the manager, who was also the father of two of the group members. “I really want to be there. Seeing the group perform is my number one priority right now.”

“I know,” he said smoothly into the phone. “I’m not worried. You’ve been on top of things so far.”

She winced. Yeah. He hadn’t seen her yesterday. “Okay. Good. Hope to see you all Tuesday night,” she said.

“You will,” he said.

When the call was finished, Melody held the phone to her temple and closed her eyes. This group was her big chance. They were really good, and they were definitely going to go places, whether New Face signed them or not.

Their manager had expressed an interest in stepping down and letting someone else run the group because he had two businesses to run that he’d started and that he loved running. He’d only gotten involved with managing the group to look out for his sons and their friends. He didn’t have a real passion for music, and he’d told Melody that several times. He kept hinting that as soon as he found someone professional and capable to replace him, he planned on stepping down as manager. And he’d made it clear that he thought Melody would make a perfect replacement for him.

This group was her ticket out of New Face in more ways than one. Even if Saeed wouldn’t let her offer them a contract, they could be her first clients. No, they would be.
As long as she found a way to get to Miami by Monday night.
She didn’t care if she had to get off the plane and get a cab straight to the club. No matter what it took, she was going to make this work.

After talking with the group’s manager, she had to make the most dreaded phone call.

Taking a deep breath, she speed dialed the main line for the record company. She followed the prompts and entered Saeed’s extension at the appropriate time. Her stomach churned while she listened to his voicemail greeting. She then left him a message asking him to call her back as soon as possible. She flagged the voicemail message as urgent and hung up the phone. She cradled her head in her
hands,
trying to will away the beginnings of the dull ache she felt creeping into the base of her skull.