Page 36 of Legends Luke

“You should tell your face you’re not sexting because it’s giving you away. You should try using BaeLine. There’s more privacy, so you can be as dirty as you want to be.”

“What would you know about it?” Melody demanded, shocked by Erin’s suggestion.

Erin rolled her eyes. “I use it because my mom snoops on my phone. She doesn’t have access to my BaeLine app, and the messages disappear once they’re read.”

Pocketing the phone once again, she cradled her mug in her hand and shot Erin a measured look. “Aren’t you worried I’ll tell your mother about the app?”

“Aren’t you worried I’ll tell Mom you’re taking personal texts on company time?”

Melody narrowed her eyes. “I’m guessing she would be more concerned about her daughter being suspended from school than of her employee answering a text during her break.”

Yep. She’d sunk to a new level — giving into a high school mean girl’s goading. Melody knew better than to let Erin push her buttons, but putting the girl in her place had been hard to resist.

Erin’s blue eyes flashed with a burst of fury. “I never said I was suspended.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Erin rolled her heavily lined eyes again, her long fingernails clicking against the table. She stubbornly stayed silent, but Melody wasn’t expecting an answer. She turned her coffee mug in her hands as she studied the teenager. With a sigh, she mentally chastised herself. Erin was troubled and didn’t need her disdain. Melody knew from her experience with Lyric that kindness had greater results with a rebellious teen than anger.

“You know if you’re bored sitting in here, you can always help me with some research. It might sound dull, but it can be interesting.”

“I’m not doing your grunt work. If you think you can earn brownie points with my mom by being nice to me, you’re wrong. She hates me, so don’t even waste your time.”

“Being nice is never a waste of time.”

Melody could feel Erin’s eyes boring into her back as she stepped out of the breakroom. She had no idea if it was pain or sadness or some other emotion Erin was feeling, but she didn’t need a psychology degree to know something was driving Erin to act out. It wasn’t any of Melody’s business, and she shouldn’t get involved. Then she saw Sandra hurrying down the hallway in her direction, looking frustrated and worried, and Melody was ready to forget her good sense.

“She’s in the breakroom,” Melody said once she was in front of Sandra.

“Erin? Dammit, she’s supposed to be waiting in my office. I answer one phone call, and she slips away without a word.”

“I offered to let her hang out with me, but she doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Melody made a face, hoping to soften her words with humor.

Sandra exhaled and gave a half-smile. “I guarantee she likes you more than me. I’m sorry if she offended you.”

Melody shrugged. “I know what it’s like to be going through something and feel like you can’t share it with anyone, especially those closest to you. My sister and I went through a tough time after our parents died. I don’t have to know what’s going on to see Erin is lashing out because she doesn’t know how to deal with whatever is happening in her life. I’m here if you need anything.”

Sandra studied her for a moment, and Melody realized her boss probably had few people in her life whom she could trust. As a criminal attorney, Sandra had to maintain a persona of strength and independence to help her reach a position of success while staying several steps ahead of her competitors. Melody felt the melancholy behind Sandra’s sigh.

“You’ll probably hear about this sooner or later. Erin was suspended for stealing from another student at school. It’s the second time she’s been caught stealing. The first was last weekend when she was caught shoplifting at a boutique. I’m a regular customer there, and I was able to talk the store manager out of pressing charges since I paid for what she stole. Her principal wasn’t so accommodating, which was to be expected.”

“I’m sorry. Whatcan I do to help?”

Sandra stared over Melody’s shoulder in the direction of the breakroom. “I wish there was something, but at this point, I’m not sure what would help.”

Melody nodded. “I understand. You know where to find me if you need me. I’ll go back to work on the case and leave you to do what you need to.”

“Thank you, Melody. You may regret offering to help if I take you up on it, but I appreciate it.”

Melody watched her boss cover the remaining distance to the breakroom before turning to head to her own desk. It took her a few minutes of working on the case before she was able to move from thinking of Sandra and Erin Bleekley to her impending date with Luke. A smile curved her lips a second before her eyes widened, remembering she promised to prepare dinner, and she had nothing in her fridge.

Chapter Sixteen

Melody pulled the sheet pan from the oven, careful to keep her face averted from the steam billowing out. As the doorbell rang, she glanced at the video app on her phone. She’d timed everything just right. Dinner was ready, and Luke was here. She took a moment to press the off button for her oven and to smooth her hair and dress.

She couldn’t remember the last time she fussed over her appearance the way she had preparing for this date. She had left the office for a quick trip to the grocery store and didn’t bother to change out of her suit before she started preparing the roasted chicken and vegetables. Once she slid the sheet pan into the oven, she had showered and spent extra time styling her hair and applying the right amount of makeup. Her goal was to make a favorable impression without appearing like she triedtoohard to do so.

Trying on and discarding a few outfits, she had finally settled on a sleek dress with spaghetti straps and a scooped neckline exposing a hint of cleavage. The buzzer on the oven had sounded before she could start the debate about shoes. Since dinner was ready and Luke waited for her, she would have to be satisfied with her bare feet.Fortunately, she’d painted her toenails a delicate pink the other night while she and Lyric were on the phone.

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