Page 54 of Christmas Romance Galore!
Melanie’s face didn’t alter, despite mine going through a gamut of emotions.
“Tori,” she said, her eyes steely. Did she know? If this was going to be a showdown, please don’t let it be here. I did not want one of my all-time favourite places scarred with the memory of a Melanie Taylor meltdown. I’d seen them before.
“Hey,” I replied, putting far too much forced jollity into my voice. I picked up a nearby wind-up Santa just for something to hold on to. I was expecting a bumpy ride from here on in.
“How are you?” I winced, waiting for the answer.
Melanie scowled at me. “I’m okay, considering.”
I swallowed down. “Considering?” There was a lightness to my tone — I didn’t want to reveal anything I didn’t need to, so if I could get away with keeping this superficial and fluffy, that was my intention.
“Really?” Melanie’s tone, however, had turned scratchy. “You’re going to go the innocent route? If I was going to act on what I’ve been thinking about you over the past few days, I should be kicking your head in right now.”
Panic alarms whirred in my head and tension seized my body. Melanie was considering beating me up in the Selfridges’ Christmas department? I didn’t know much, but I was fairly sure that contravened some sacred bond, some rich pot of Christmas spirit that needed to be tended and stirred regularly. Melanie was planning to contaminate the pot and knee me in the face in the process. I always said she was a bit bonkers. I gripped the wind-up Santa and turned its key nervously.
Melanie took a step towards me.
I wound the key even tighter and took two steps backwards.
“I knew there was something up between you two the first time I saw you together at that restaurant where you were eating that pitiful meal for one.”
I could smell Melanie’s breath on my face, and it had more than a whiff of crazy. I cast my mind back to that fateful evening that seemed so long ago now, with so much happening in the interim.
“You two were all ‘we’re just old friends from school’.” She put the final part in air quotes with her fingers, before shaking her head. “When did that change? When did you sleep with my fiancée? And were you planning on telling me before the wedding or after?”
My mouth fell open and all my blood rushed to my cheeks. “We didn’t sleep together.”
I put down the wind-up Santa on the display unit next to me and he immediately began walking, shaking some small maracas as a tinny rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ blared out of the top of his head. I blushed redder still, and we both watched in horror as Santa made it to the end of the first verse before toppling off the edge of the unit. I picked it up and set it back down again, and Santa immediately resumed where he’d left off, shaking and singing for all he was worth.
Melanie shot a hand out and laid Santa on his back, but his legs kept kicking, his maracas kept shaking. She picked up a nearby Christmas cushion and suffocated Santa. The tune became a mumble and Melanie turned her gaze back on me.
“Why are you lying?”
I shook my head vigorously. “I didn’t... We didn’t. We stopped before anything happened.”
Melanie let out a sharp bark of laughter. “And that’s meant to make me feel better?”
I had to admit, it probably didn’t. I was culpable, there was no denying it, but I wanted to right my mistakes. If Holly had taught me anything, it was that.
“I’m sorry, I never meant for anything to happen — it just did.” I paused, running a hand through my hair, trying to package my wrongdoing into something palatable. “But we didn’t sleep together.” I bit my lip. “When did she tell you?”
“She didn’t — you just did.”
Ah.
“I went through her phone and put two and two together. I confronted her, but she claimed it was nothing. But I’m not sticking around for that. I’ve already had one failed marriage, I don’t need my second starting off on the wrong foot.”
I was confused. “Wait — so you’re not getting married now?”
Melanie shook her head. “Nope. I dumped her over the weekend after I found this out. If I can’t trust her, I don’t want her. So actually, you did me a favour, which is why I’ve decided to spare you.” She shook her head. “I should be thanking you for exposing her for what she is, but I’m not quite at that stage yet.”
Melanie had dumped Nicola Sheen — I hadn’t seen that one coming. And while she’d done the right thing, it didn’t stop me feeling sorry for Nicola. That meant she was back to square one, single and living with her parents. But that was her choice, her life. I had mine now and I was more than happy with it.
I waved my hand around the store. “So have you come for a spot of retail therapy?” I asked Melanie.
“Something like that,” she said. “I actually just came to return all of Nicola’s wedding and Christmas gifts. And now that’s done, I feel a lot better. I wanted it to work, but I knew something wasn’t right.” Melanie looked me in the eye. “So you’re welcome to her. But I pity you if she’s your ultimate love, that’s all I’ll say.”
I spluttered. “She’s not my ultimate love.” It felt like I was being unfaithful to Holly even having this conversation.
