Page 20 of Playing For Keeps
Hunter growls. “How do we know he’s not working undercover for her?”
She takes a quick glance around the room before her gaze lands on Hunter again. “This started when you asked Jami for help and thought Aiden would assist you in your efforts. He wouldn’t have been working with you if you didn’t reach out to him first.”
Who would’ve thought Melanie would be the grounded one out of all of us? But her charm is working for us now.
Hunter takes a few deep, cleansing breaths. “Get on with it, Aiden. And if you leave anything out, you can consider yourself?—”
“Stop it. Dori would hate this.” Melanie’s horrified gaze hits all of us. “When are you going to get it right and work together for Dori’s sake? All you’re doing is making it worse.”
The room falls silent. Melanie lets us stew in that for a moment and then strides over to Aiden.
“Nothing can hurt you if you have us in your corner.” She takes his face in her palms. “I know Dori has always had difficulty trusting her feelings, which spilled over to the people in her life. I can only assume you have some of those same emotions.”
Aiden softens with Mel’s touch. She has a calming effect on him, and I couldn’t be more grateful than I am right now. Even if it is some kind of romantic gesture on her part, it’s working. With her help, maybe we’ll sort this out once and for all.
Aiden takes Melanie’s hands off his face but keeps them in his grasp. He speaks to her and only her.
“If I tell you and Dori finds out, she’ll hate me forever.”
Mel smiles with a gentle gaze. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re edging that line anyway. Help her out of this mess, and you’ll have a lot more room to ask for forgiveness.”
Melanie seems to place some kind of magical spell on Aiden. I’m half shocked and half in awe. Either way, Hunter and I remain quiet for the rest of their interaction.
Melanie prods Aiden along. “Nothing you’ve done is unforgivable.”
“But it is. Mel, I’ve been fucking up for years.” Aiden’s eyes redden and become glossy.
Is he going to cry?
Melanie scoffs. “No, that’s impossible. The Fishers don’t fuck up. They only learn their lesson. You might be slow learners, but you get it right in the end.”
He studies her hard, with a handful of fleeting emotions swirling through his eyes. “I don’t know where to start.”
“How about we go from the beginning?” Her gentle gaze sparkles compassion into his.
He nods and glances at the floor. “My dad’s company… Well, my uncle is a silent partner. Did you know that?”
“Nope. Dori doesn’t talk much about your dad’s business.”
“Yeah, I’ve tried to keep her sheltered from all this stuff.” His head rises. “They’re not good people, Mel.”
“I’ve heard that about your dad before. But never mind that. Tell me what that has to do with what’s going on.”
“They used to be best friends, but that all changed when my dad started dating my mom.”
“Dori told me that recently.”
“My dad loved my mom at first.” Aiden shakes his head. “In his own fucked-up way, I think he still does.”
Mel’s eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yeah. But she got in the way of their business. I think he blames her for how his life turned out.”
“How so?”
“My dad wanted to go on the straight and narrow for her.”
Mel places an encouraging palm on his arm. “In what way?”
