Page 50 of Love is a Harmony
“Sorry, guys,” Piper said. “Drew has to prepare for his show.” Her brow dipped. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?”
Drew pulled her back. “Hug me, Piper. Then, I can pretend I’m part of the group hug.”
“Um, no.” She pushed him away.
“Fine, then I won’t tell you about Noah and Melanie getting married.”
Ben leaned forward. “Pipes, we have to go. Drew will fill you in. Love you.” He hung up.
Every eye in the room turned to Melanie.
“So,” Ben started. “What happens next?”
“Do you get a divorce?” Jo worried her lip between her teeth.
Melanie folded her arms across her chest. They weren’t questions she hadn’t already asked herself a million times. “We agreed on a year.”
“And you’re okay with that? Being married, I mean?” Jo didn’t look like she could believe it.
None of them knew about Justin or how hard it had been for her to say yes to Noah, but she couldn’t tell them. So, she nodded. Slowly as if trying to make herself believe it too. “It’s only temporary.” The words tasted sour in her mouth. “For Stella. You guys don’t know this kid yet, but Noah is completely in love. We need to help him. All of us. They’re both grieving, but it’s not only that. He’s only ever had to take care of himself, and as his publicist, I’ve had a front-row seat to how well he does that… or doesn’t.”
She paused, realizing she had their rapt attention. They wanted this, to be useful, to be kept in the loop. To be a family.
“But you all need to understand something.” She stood, her confidence returning. But not confidence in herself. “Noah is not the same man who left for London last month. He can do this, he can be what she needs. I need you to believe in him.Heneeds you to believe in him.”
Jo groaned. “I was a jerk, wasn’t I?”
“Just a bit.” Ben draped an arm over her shoulders. “But Noah loves you. He’ll get over it. We’re all kind of in shock.”
Jo shrugged him off and stood to face Melanie. “Of course, we believe in him. I know Noah better than anyone. Despite the scandals and the women, he does care. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have kept me around the last ten years. He can do this.” She put a hand on her stomach. “We can do it together.”
Melanie never felt more at ease than when she was surrounded by this group. They calmed her frantic mind, eased her nerves. When she’d first brought them together, it was more of an advice group so they could learn from each other and hold on to their success.
Now, it was so much more.
* * *
The moment Melanie walked into her apartment, she wanted to turn right back around and leave. The barren walls she’d never taken the time to decorate now screamed at her with their coldness, their lifelessness.
The noises from the city seeping through the walls—something she’d used to love—now made her miss the quiet of the tiny French town.
The space didn’t feel like it belonged to her anymore. Maybe it never really had. Sure, the furniture was hers, but she’d rarely been home to sit on the plush couch or watch the large television hanging on the wall.
She ran her finger along the table near the front door as she walked by. Her cleaners must have been here while she was gone because there wasn’t a speck of dust. Everything was so… sterile.
She left her suitcase near the front door and walked into her bedroom, the one room she’d done anything with. A plush white carpet covered the hardwood floors underneath her bed.
If there was one thing she hadn’t liked about her stay in France, it was the uncomfortable beds.
She dropped her purse on the end of the bed, stopping when her phone rang. Digging through the leather bag, she pulled it free. Her dad. He’d just call again if she didn’t answer.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Sweetie?” She could hear the smile in his voice. “How was the trip?”
“Uneventful.” Except for getting abducted from the airport and interrogated by their friends.
“Hmm. Well, I don’t expect you at work tomorrow.”
