Page 41 of A Family Affair: The Ring
Harry muttered something under his breath, pointed a finger at Phyllis.“I wonder what your husband would say if he knew you weren’t wearing those fancy support shoes he bought you?”Harry glanced at the scuffed tennis shoes on Phyllis’s feet.“I heard he drove to Renova to get them and then he made an appointment with the podiatrist that you cancelled.”
Oh, Phyllis did not like that.She huffed and scowled and shot him a look that saidI won’t forget this.Apparently, Harry wasn’t the only person in this place who knew how to control a situation.Phyllis placed a hand on her hip, the scowl deepening.“Harry Blacksworth, don’t you dare.Those shoes hurt my feet and I’m too busy to visit a foot doctor and—”
“Excuses, Phyllis.That’s exactly what those are, and I don’t think Lester would want to hear them.I’ll stay quiet but you need to see that podiatrist.If you don’t want to drive, I’ll take you.”He sipped his coffee, winked at her.“Now how about you let me and Will have a conversation and bring me a bowl of your Greta Blacksworth’s approved steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries?”
One more snap of her gum, another huff and Phyllis marched away in her scuffed sneakers, muttering something about Harry and his big mouth.The man didn’t seem bothered by her comment.In fact, he acted like he enjoyed the sparring.“Phyllis is a good one.Honest, no-nonsense with an opinion about everything.Her husband’s a lucky man.”He rubbed his jaw, settled his gaze on Will.“As I was saying, the whole town knows you and the Russell girl have unfinished business.No different than Tess and Cash and quite a few other couples who never thought they’d end up together.They took the jump, so…what’s stopping you?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Where a woman’s concerned, it never is.I denied how I felt about Greta until I almost lost her.Foolish, pig-headed, so sure I didn’t need anyone, especially a feisty German woman with two kids who thought she could give me the businessandkeep me in line.”Those blue eyes turned bright, his voice shifted with emotion.“Then she ended up pregnant and I was scared to death.What did I know about being a father?I was just going to screw things up again, but Greta never gave up on me.I told myself I had everything—money, women, lots of women… But you know what?”He cleared his throat, said in a quiet voice, “None of them were Greta.And I think you knowexactlywhat I mean.If you don’t do something soon, you’ll lose her for good this time.”
Melanie satacross from Will in a back booth of Harry’s Folly.The man himself had seated them, made the not-so-subtle comment aboutprivacyand Will hadn’t missed the sparkle in his eyes when he said it.Harry was up to his old tricks and the smile said he was pretty sure he’d convinced Will to change his mind about Melanie and relationships.Not exactly, though spending time with Harry made him realize he shouldn’t ignore the obvious—the attraction was still there—hot, deep, undeniable and it was past time to do something about it.
“This place makes the best shrimp risotto I’ve ever tasted.”Melanie scooped a forkful of risotto, sighed.“Even the restaurants in Pittsburgh can’t compare with this dish.”
Will sipped his wine, tried to ignore the red lips, the slender neck… “I’m sure Harry will take that as a huge compliment.”
When she smiled at him, her face lit up, made her even more beautiful.Tonight, she wore a V-neck emerald sweater and black slacks that accentuated her curves.The high-heeled boots made her almost as tall as him.And the gold hoops were a—
“Will?Where did you go?”She laughed, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.“I think I lost you for a few seconds.”
“Just thinking.”He grabbed his wine, took a healthy swallow.Just thinking about being with you later tonight, relearning every inch of you…tasting you…
“Well, don’t think too hard or you’ll miss the deliciousness of Harry’s Veal Scallopini.”
Will stabbed a bite of veal, held it up.“Actually, Jeremy’s the chef.Not sure if you remember him, but his father was the police chief before Ben Reed took over.”
“I think I do… Tall… Thin… Flat top?”
“That’s Jeremy.He’s filled out some and still has a flat top.The kid loves his hair.”Will recalled the meeting he had with Jeremy recently about getting his finances in order.It had been Harry’s idea and turned out to be a solid opportunity to teach the guy the basics of finance and how to stay out of debt.“He’s seeing Pop’s granddaughter.Seems pretty serious and everybody expects he’ll pop the question one day soon, but… It hasn’t happened yet.Maybe that’s why Harry asked me to meet with him and offer a budget and a little long-term planning.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
A shrug, a half-smile.“You know I love my numbers.I understand them a lot better than…” He stopped before he added relationships to the sentence, but apparently the word hadn’t been necessary because Melanie already knew it.
“I remember.”
Her voice struck him like a caress, coaxed him to offer more.Hope?Not happening.Will plopped the veal in his mouth, chewed until his jaw hurt.“Still no issues with your hand?”
She held up her right hand, moved her fingers, flexed her wrist.“Almost as good as new.”More wrist flexion and a four-finger tap on the table.“I’ve been doing exercises and except for a tiny scar, you’d never know.”Her hazel eyes turned bright; her voice dipped.“It’s almost as if that day never happened, but I’m glad it did.”That voice that used to share dreams with him in the blackness of night continued, “And I’m so very thankful you were there.”
It was the way she looked at him and the sigh that accompanied her words that made Will desperate for the dinner to be over.As he barreled through the veal dish, all he could think about was getting back to her place, undressing her, touching and tasting her… But damn Harry Blacksworth had to bring out another bottle of wine that he said was one of his favorites and then came the dessert menu.Did they really have to hear abouteverysingle item on the list when what Will wanted for dessert was sitting across from him?
Apparently, Harry thought so and had to recommend not one, but two items.
Melanie’s gaze had slid from the gelato to Will’s mouth as she murmured something about “mouthwatering” and “irresistibly delicious.”Talk about sizzle and heat.He hadn’t been this aroused in a long time, and they weren’t even touching!He couldn’t wait to get her out of here, alone.He might not make it to her house before he pulled her to him and devoured that beautiful mouth…
He wanted her and the way she’d been watching him, homing in on his hands and mouth—no doubt remembering what he could do with both—said she wanted him, too.When Harry delivered the crème Brulée, Will finished it in three bites, asked for the check and helped Melanie into her coat before Harry could offer them after-dinner drinks.They were done eating, done drinking, done with everything but what came next—a night of long-awaited exploration.
Will and Melanie were on their way out when Harry caught up with them, hugged Melanie and leaned in to shake Will’s hand.“There was enough heat coming from that table, I thought I’d need a fire extinguisher.”A soft laugh and then, “Anticipation, my boy.It’s all about anticipation.She’s a keeper.Don’t blow it.”
He straightened and nodded at Melanie.“I hope to see you again soon.Next time get the penne pasta with spinach and garbanzo beans.It’s my personal favorite, and one of the many reasons I married my wife.”His lips pulled into a wide smile.“Not the only reason, but…it did make me open my eyes.It’s the little things that often do that, don’t you think so, Will?”
Will shook his head, opened the door for Melanie.“Good night, Harry.”
25
If the weather had cooperated instead of pummeling them with rain, Will and Melanie would have begun their “reunion” the second they were outside.A deep kiss, bodies pressed against each other, sighs, and a promise of much more.But the downpour forced him to leave her under the canopy while he ran toward the car and brought it to the doorway—but not before he framed her face with his hands and planted a quick kiss on her lips.She tasted like chocolate and wine, and he wanted more… He pulled away, said in a rough voice, “Wait for me.”
