Page 37 of A Family Affair: The Ring
Another laugh, this one harsh, annoyed.“Not buying it.What’s really going on and this is your last chance to tell me the truth because Iwillfind out and when I do, you’ll be on my list.”A deep sigh, a soft “You do not want to be on my list, you should know that.”
The guy loved to toss out words meant to intimidate, but people didn’t cross Cash Casherdon because there was just enough of a wild streak left from the old days that the man might make good on a threat.“I came by yesterday to talk about her offer.”
“And?”
“And I wanted to tell her I thought about it, and I agree.”
“Stop with the nonsense that says nothing.Start talking and start talking now.What offer and what the hell is going on?”
“She said she can’t move on unless we have closure, and she thinks I can give that to her.”It was Will’s turn to scowl, let out a deep breath.“She said there’s too muchunfinished businessbetween us.Eight years is a long time to be stuck, but she thinks if we can get the closure, we’ll be able to move on.”
Cash studied Will as if trying to extract the meaning inside the words.“Move on with or without you?”
This was the point where Will should protect himself, and lie, but he couldn’t.“Hell if I know.”That was the truth.He didn’t know...but there was a tiny piece of him that wondered...maybe, a tinier piece that hoped...
“Okay then.”Cash opened the box from Barbara’s Boutique & Bakery, snagged a chocolate éclair.“I hear these are your favorites.Mine, too, and since Lily packed the box, I get first dibs.”He bit into it, winked, and headed out the door leaving Will alone with too many questions.
He thought about what Cash said for the rest of the day.The guy was way off base with his accusations and inferences, and what was with the tough-guy threats?Will had stepped in and helped Melanie like any normal person would do.If Cash or Tess had been available there would have been no need for him to take Melanie to the emergency room, fix her food, get her settled, or put her to bed.The Casherdons would have tag-teamed the care and if they needed help, they would have reached out to friends.No doubt Christine Desantro would have been on the list, maybe Gina Reed and Ava Carlisle.
But the Casherdons hadn’t been around and that left Will.Was he happy about it?Did he want to see Melanie in pain, and worse, want to admit that helikedbeing around her?Maybe a bit too much?Absolutely not.This whole situation uncovered emotions he did not want to think about...He’d been ready to discuss the past so they could achieve closure, but damn if she didn’t go and get hurt.How was he going to keep his head straight when he had to look at her in pain?Imagine her stuck in that basement alone and scared, worried no one would show up for hours?
He’d checked on her three times since arriving at work, and after the last call Melanie told him Tess had offered to fill in and be “on call” if she needed help.
“She brought me lunch a little while ago.Thanks for everything, Will.”
“Sure.No Problem.”Maybe she really didn’t need or want his help.Maybe all she wanted were answers so she could be done with him.He fiddled with his pen, kept his voice even, erased the emotion that threatened to sneak through.“So, I guess you’re all set?You don’t need me to stop by or…?No grocery runs?No snacks?No visits?”
Long pause and then a soft “I didn’t say that.Harry’s sending dinner and you know it will be enough for five people.Do you want to join me?”
Now there was a question with a whole lot of other questions tucked inside.He should sayNo, absolutely not.Why would I do that?I’ll only come if we’re going to talk about closure and whatever else is necessary.I’m not coming to see you for any other reason…But when he opened his mouth, the truth slipped out.“Sure, that would be great.”
Will would like to say he’d maintained emotional distance when he saw her that evening, kept his feelings buried deep, but that would be so far from the truth, anyone could see it, especially Melanie.It had been so long since he’d been with someone who intrigued, challenged,andentertained him.Melanie did all of this and more.There was no denying the attraction, physical and otherwise, even in her oversized T-shirt, pink sweatpants, and fluffy slippers.No makeup, hair pulled in a ponytail, beautiful, vulnerable.Perfect.
They sat at the kitchen table sharing a bottle of wine, mushroom ravioli, braciole, and a salad.Melanie had forgone the pain pills, said she’d rather enjoy a glass of cabernet.Wine had always made her chatty, and maybe the fact that she had eight years’ worth of information stored up to share with him, made her extra chatty.No way was he going to turn away from whatever she wanted to share.Will wanted to hear it all.“So, tell me about working in the ER.Do you really love it?”For a guy who grew lightheaded at the sight of oozing blood, stitches, or a nasty cut, it was hard to picturelovingthose situations.
Melanie’s hazel eyes sparkled, her full lips pulled into a wide smile.“It was very exciting and it kept me engaged, so yes, I did love it.I felt like I was really helping people and the constant motion kept me from spending too much time focusing on issues I didn’t want to think about.”Her brows pinched together, the smile shifted to a frown.“I only took a vacation when I was guilted into it and even then, it had to be a nonstop trip with no down time.”She rubbed her forehead, stared at the half-empty plate of mushroom ravioli.“And then I just kind of burned out.The therapist said I was running from things and until I dealt with my issues, it would only get worse.Of course, I refused to acknowledge that because I was superwoman, and nothing was going to stop me.”Her gaze shifted to his, eyes bright with tears.“And I was not going to get derailed by a past I didn’t want to address.”
Yeah, he knew all about that.“I might not have been in a 9-1-1 situation, but I do know about burnout and moving so fast that you never stop to take a breath and ask how your life’s become so screwed up.”
A nod, a quiet “Sounds about right.”
Will grabbed his glass and polished off the rest of his wine.They were getting too personal too fast, and he needed to slow it down.He should have known that where Melanie was involved, he’d never been able to keep it casualorslow.But he wasn’t a kid anymore and they’d both waited eight years for answers.Will tossed out the first thought that skittered through his brain.“How about a question-and-answer session?Just say the first thing that lands in your brain.”
“Why don’t you eat chocolate chip cookies?”
Boy, she must have been waiting with that question since the day he turned down those cookies.“Well, here goes, but I’m not saying it made sense.Chocolate chip cookies?Not happening.I could down three triple chocolate brownies, no problem, but I did not want a reminder of sharing chocolate chip cookies with you.”His voice dipped, turned hoarse.“After finals…in bed…” He dragged a hand through his hair, blew out a loud sigh.“You are damn impossible to erase.”
“I took the opposite approach.Stuffed myself with dark chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate chip cookies until I was numb.I dated guys with dark hair and blue eyes who were intelligent and quick-witted.”She shook her head, said in a soft voice, “And for what?It never worked.It doesn’t work if you’re imagining the person you’re with is the one you want to forget.Is that the definition of insanity?”
“I think it’s the definition of desperate for survival and unwilling to admit that maybe thereisno substitute.Maybe we were always going to be a part of one another’s life and we just had to deal with it, get past it, and move on.”Isn’t that what he’d told himself for too many years?Deal with it, get over it, move on?
“And were you able to do that?”
He slid his gaze to hers.“No.It’s been a massive fail.Of course, do you think I’d ever admit it to myself, let alone anyone else?No way.I was going to erase you as though you’d never happened even though I knew it wouldn’t work and was foolish to try.”
“I know.We all deal with our pain in different ways.”
“Pain?Sure, but I carried a lot of anger inside for too many years.Anger fuels a lot of things, and it can make you numb.If you’re numb you don’t feel the gnawing disappointment that tells you things didn’t work out the way you believed they would and trustinganyoneis foolish.”
