Page 32 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
“You sure you weren’t doing pull-ups on it?” He eyed her playfully as he placed his toolbox on the floor and hunched over it to locate a tiny screw.
“I wasn’t doing pull-ups, but I wouldn’t put it past one of the customers.” Melody leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, ignoring the little bump in her pulse. “There is never a dull moment in this place. It’s kind of like Jo herself. Every time I turn around, I find something interesting. Did you know she kept a box of crystals below the cash register?”
Christopher chuckled as he glanced up. “Actually, I did know that. She gave me one once. Told me to carry it around in my pocket for a month to reset my energy.”
“Your energy? Why?” Melody was equal parts intrigued and comforted by all the stories of her great-aunt. She’d missed so much time with Jo, taking for granted that Jo would be here waiting for her when she made her way back to Trove.Ifshe made her way back.
“My fiancée had just left town.” Christopher straightened to a standing position with his drill and the screw in hand. He put the rack into place on the wall and lined up his drill bit.
“I didn’t know you were engaged,” Melody said.
Christopher swept his gaze sideward, his blue eyes meeting hers. No, the color was more like the river on a clear day, deeper somehow. “How could you?”
Ouch.“Who was she? Your fiancée.”
Christopher cleared his throat. “A teacher at the high school where I work. She taught math there for a while. We dated and fell hard-and-fast for each other,” Christopher explained. Then he stopped talking and drilled for a long moment, securing the rack back into place.
So many questions popped into Melody’s brain as she watched him. For some reason, she’d assumed Christopher had never gotten serious with anyone. Otherwise, he’d be married with kids like everyone else they’d gone to school with. He wasn’t a band geek anymore though. On the contrary, he was cool. And kind of hot, which she felt weird even thinking.
Christopher lowered his drill and looked around. “Anything else you need me to do in here? While I have my tools.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
His gaze swept back to meet hers. “I get daily to-do lists from my mom, remember? I’m a handy guy to have on speed dial.”
Melody hedged. “Well, if you’re sure, there is a lightbulb that’s burned-out in the laundry room. I have a ladder and a bulb. It’s a small ladder so I can’t quite reach the fixture. Short people problems,” she said on a nervous laugh.
“Lucky for you, I’m tall.” He headed in that direction and proceeded to change the lightbulb, fix the leaky faucet in the bathroom, and sand out a splintered bookshelf.
“Where did she go? Your ex?” Melody finally asked as he put his equipment away. A good hour had passed since they’d spoken of the woman in Christopher’s past, but Melody was still thinking about it. Instead of pushing it out of her head, more and more questions floated around.
Christopher expelled a breath. “Small town life isn’t for everyone. She didn’t love it here and couldn’t see herself spending the rest of her life in Trove Isle.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but Melody suspected his heart had been broken by this math teacher. “She wanted to move to a big city.”
“And you didn’t?”
Christopher gave his head a hard shake. “Not a chance. This is my home. My family is here. My friends. My students. My hometown is a huge part of who I am. If she didn’t love Trove Isle, she didn’t love me. Not fully.”
“So you’re here to stay,” Melody said.
“I am,” he confirmed with a nod.
“I love how you included your students. You must be a great teacher.”
“Not as good as Mr. Lopez.”
Melody laughed unexpectedly. “Mr. Lopez was so boring. Is he still . . . ?”
Christopher folded up the small ladder as they talked, carrying it to its spot between the washer and dryer set. “He may be in his eighties, but Trove High’s former senior English teacher is more active than most people half his age. Boring or not, he’s doing well.”
“That’s good news.”
Christopher looked around the store. “I can tell you’ve been working in here. It looks good.”
“Thanks. Abigail Winslow said this place will sell better if it’s empty, but every time I open the door, a customer walks in. And donations are still being piled up out back even though I have a sign that says we’re no longer collecting. Or I had one. It’s MIA.” Melody grimaced. “Call me crazy, but part of me suspects Jo.”
Christopher offered a humorous look. “Sounds like your aunt is scheming beyond the grave.”
“Except she doesn’t have a grave,” Melody said with a head shake. “I still can’t get over the whole fireworks thing.”
