A Reason to Love (22 page)

M
elanie stared at the phone in the kitchen. It had been a bitch of a day, and she’d rather be sharing a bottle of wine with Spence than making another phone call, especially this one. But she knew procrastinating wouldn’t make it any easier, so she reached for the receiver and dialed the number. When the answering machine picked up, she breathed a sigh of relief. Yeah, it meant everything was still up in the air, but she gave herself points for trying.

“Hi, Aunt Marcia. Sorry I didn’t catch you, and I know Mom has been calling. I’ve been really busy lately, but having said that, I do need to talk to her about a few things. The kind of stuff that would be better done in person. Would it be all right if I drove down for an overnight visit? I won’t be home this evening, so just leave a message on this number to let me know what day works for you, and I’ll be there.”

After hanging up, she grabbed her keys and the bottle of wine and bolted out the back door. It was a good thing that she and Spence had made plans to spend the evening at the cottage. At least she wouldn’t be sitting around the house alone and dreading her aunt’s call. Or worse yet, her mother’s. She’d left a couple of messages, but Melanie hadn’t responded, figuring it was her usual demand for more money. That was part of what Melanie needed to talk to her about. And wouldn’t that discussion be fun?

When she reached the cottage, she was surprised to discover the front door was locked and Spence’s motorcycle missing. Had she gotten the time wrong? No, she was sure he’d said six o’clock. She had a key to the cottage on her key ring, but she didn’t feel comfortable letting herself in with no one home. Before she could decide what to do, a muted bark reminded her that one of her tenants was inside. The least she could do was let Mooch out for a run.

She unlocked the door and blocked Mooch’s escape while she reached inside for the leash and the Frisbee Spence always kept on the table by the door. Once she clipped the leash to Mooch’s collar, she stepped back and let him out. He hit the porch at a dead run that had her stumbling down the steps in his wake.

“Slow down, dog. Spence won’t be happy when he gets home if you’ve managed to break my neck.”

Evidently, Mooch didn’t care what his master thought. He charged around the small yard, nose to the ground, until he completed one full circuit before finally stopping to take care of business. When he was finished, she led him around the side of the house and turned him loose in the backyard of her family home.

“Come on, Mooch, I’ll let you have a quick romp, and then we’ll come back and wait on the porch.”

Once he was off the leash, Mooch ran circles around her until she sent the Frisbee flying through the air. The dog tore off across the yard and made a high leap to grab it out of the air. He came trotting back and dropped it at her feet, his tail wagging like crazy. With a flick of her wrist, the disk went sailing with Mooch hot on its trail. She wasn’t sure which of them enjoyed the game more. For sure, it felt darn good to be doing something besides worrying about things she couldn’t change.

The next time she tossed the toy, Mooch caught it. This time, instead of bringing it to her, he froze in position with his ears up. “What is it, boy?”

The dog yipped in response and trotted a few steps toward the cottage before looking back at her as if to ask,
Are you coming or what?

Then she heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle. “Go ahead, boy, I’ll catch up.”

When she reached the driveway, Spence had parked the bike and was pulling a couple of sacks out of his saddlebags. “Damn it, dog, settle down.”

She smiled because even as Spence crabbed at the dog, he was setting the bags back down so he could give Mooch a thorough scratch. Yeah, he was such a big softie. Then he tossed the Frisbee for him before picking up what had to be their dinner.

When he spotted her, he smiled and held up the plastic bags. “Thanks for letting the idiot out, and I hope you don’t mind Thai food. I know I promised to cook, but things took a little longer than I expected.”

“Thai sounds great, and it was a long day at the office for me, too. It felt good to work out a few of the kinks playing with him.”

Mooch returned with his prize but headed straight for the porch with it. Melanie picked up the bottle of wine she’d left there and took one of the bags from Spence so he could unlock the door. The three of them trooped through the living room straight into the kitchen. While Spence got out plates and glasses, she gave Mooch fresh water and filled his food bowl.

Despite the three of them moving around one another in the small kitchen, it was cozy, not crowded. Something else she shouldn’t get too used to, knowing it would make it that much harder to watch Spence ride away for the last time. Even so, she wouldn’t let that stop her from enjoying every minute they had together.

“Rats, I knew there was something I forgot,” he said.

She put the lid back on the bin of Mooch’s kibble. “What’s that?”

Spence’s hands settled on her shoulders and turned her to face him. His smile was sly, his green eyes darkening as he leaned in close to capture her mouth with his. Her heart fluttered in her chest as he tasted and teased until she parted her lips in invitation. His tongue swept in, taking charge, taking her from zero to sixty in five seconds flat. She dug her nails into his shoulders and held on for dear life.

When he backed off on the kiss, she was glad she wasn’t the only one whose breath was coming in ragged gasps. She traced the curve of his smile with a fingertip. “I’m glad you remembered. I would have hated to miss out on that.”

“It was my pleasure. Now we’d better eat or dinner will get cold.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Besides, I’m really hoping I’m going to need all the strength I can muster tonight.”

“Well, then by all means, let’s get you fed.”

•   •   •

She was into her second glass of wine and thinking about making a move on the man sitting next to her, when her cell phone buzzed. It went silent after a few seconds but then immediately started ringing again.

“Are you going to answer that?”

She didn’t even look at the screen to see who it was. “I asked my aunt to leave me a message tonight. It’s probably her.” Even though she’d asked Aunt Marcia to use the landline, not her cell.

Spence tightened his arm around her shoulder and took her wineglass from her hand and set it safely out of reach. “Good. We have better things to do than talk on the phone.”

“I like the way you think. Now kiss me.”

Before he could carry out her order, the phone started up again. Clearly someone was determined to talk to her. She picked up the phone and immediately wished she hadn’t. It was her mother calling, not her aunt. As much as she wanted to ignore the interruption, her dutiful daughter syndrome kicked in.

“Yes, Mom, what is it?”

•   •   •

Spence watched all the life drain out of Melanie’s face as she listened to whatever her mother was telling her. If he was reading her expression correctly, it wasn’t anything life-threatening. Probably more of her mother’s constant demands for more money.

Or maybe it was something else, considering Melanie had just shifted to sit on the far end of the couch. Clearly she didn’t feel comfortable with whatever her mother was ragging on her about with him sitting beside her. It was tempting to pry the phone out of the death grip Melanie had on it and simply disconnect the call. Or better yet, he could tell Mrs. Wolfe to get off Melanie’s back for once. Didn’t the damn woman realize how hard her daughter was working to salvage something from the mess her husband had left behind?

None of those were good choices, so he settled for giving Melanie some space. “Come on, Mooch, it’s time for you to patrol the yard.”

He squeezed Melanie’s free hand and headed for the door with the dog at his heels. He’d give her about ten minutes to wrap up the call and then he’d do it for her.

•   •   •

His countdown had almost reached zero when Melanie finally stepped out on the porch. He whistled Mooch back and joined her on the front step. “So I’m guessing she found out about us.”

“She said if I was going to indulge in a fling, the least I could do was be discreet. Seems the neighbors are talking.”

Melanie threaded her fingers through his and laid her head against his shoulder. “I don’t know which makes me madder: that some busybody felt obligated to tell tales or that my mother managed to make something that’s so special sound cheap and tawdry.”

What could he say to that? What they had was special, but a couple of weeks ago her mother wouldn’t have been entirely wrong. From the outset, they’d both said their relationship had no real future. He was only planning to be in town temporarily, and she didn’t know what was going to happen to her family company. It had become all too easy to forget the rules they’d established when hanging out together felt so right.

“I’m sorry she said such hurtful things.”

“Well, she’s not going to be happy with me anytime soon. I’ve already told my aunt that I need to make a trip to Portland. It’s time to quit coddling my mother and lay the facts out for her to see for herself. With the bank turning the company down for a loan, I have fewer options when it comes to keeping all of us afloat financially. Putting the house on the market is the next logical step.”

If Spence had harbored any doubts about the plan he’d put into motion that afternoon, they were gone now. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, Mel. It would be too bad to see Wolfe House pass out of your family’s control.”

She shrugged. “I’m not so sure about that. Maybe I’d feel differently if the place wasn’t more of a museum than a home. Besides, if Mom’s going to stay in Portland, I sure don’t need to keep rattling around in a house that size.”

“Maybe.”

“I will admit that I’ve found there are some things about being a Wolfe that matter to me. I want to remain a part of the community and support some of the charities my parents did. That feels right to me.” Melanie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Tell me you don’t feel better . . . freer somehow . . . you know, now that you’ve signed the house over to Callie and Nick. That’s got to be a huge relief.”

Yes, it was, but then he’d made the choice because he’d wanted to, not because of money problems. He wanted Melanie to be free to make that same kind of choice. “When you go visit your mother, let me know if you want me to come with you.”

“That’s sweet of you to offer, but I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, Mel. I’m offering.”

She released his hand to slide her palm down to his leg and give it a quick squeeze. “And is that all you’re offering? Because I seem to remember you saying you needed all your strength for something.”

That warm pressure from her hand wandered on, stroking the inside of his leg up to the top of his thigh and back again. As a tactic designed to change the subject, it was a dandy. The second stroke was a little slower and a lot more adventurous. The next one had his eyes about to roll back in his head. He caught her hand in his and used it to tug her up to her feet after he managed to stand up himself.

Spence whistled to get Mooch’s attention. “Hey, buddy, it’s time to come inside.”

The dog looked up from the bush he’d been sniffing. Maybe he picked up on something in Spence’s voice, because he immediately headed right for them. Good, because thanks to the effect of Melanie’s touch, Spence could barely walk, much less run.

As soon as they were all inside, he swept her up in his arms and carried her straight into the bedroom. He wanted her, needed her, and that made him even more determined to make the most of every minute they had together. In a perfect world, he would have been able to offer her a future together. But he couldn’t, not when he was still so broken inside. He didn’t know if they’d make it out of this relationship without regrets, but damned if she’d ever doubt that he wanted her, that he cared.

N
ick had asked Leif to tag along with him and Callie to their appointment with Troy. They were signing off on their portion of the paperwork about the house, which didn’t really involve him. Sarge’s excuse was that they needed Leif’s moral support, saying the three of them were jumping off a cliff together by opening two businesses at the same time with no idea of whether their parachutes would open.

Not a bad analogy. A high percentage of new businesses failed. That was a fact, but Leif had a good feeling about all of this. Maybe it was because there was so much right in their lives now. As long as Nick and Callie were together, they’d be happy. Him and Zoe, too. If they fell flat on their collective asses with the bed-and-breakfast and the remodeling business, they’d pick themselves up and press on.

Troy appeared at the door of the small waiting room. “Hi, everybody. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Nick stood up and held out his hand. “No problem. Troy, you remember our friend Leif Brevik.”

The attorney shook Callie’s hand, then Nick’s and Leif’s. “Of course. Why don’t we head into the conference room? There’s more room in there than in my office.”

Signing the papers hadn’t taken all that long, but the attorney didn’t seem to be in any great hurry to show them to the door. Clearly something was bothering the man. Right now Nick and Callie were busy studying the last paper they’d signed, the one that gave them legal title to the house. Maybe they hadn’t noticed the worried look on Troy’s face.

Leif nudged Nick and then gave the attorney a hard look. “You’re concerned about something. What’s wrong?”

Troy actually jumped as if Leif’s blunt statement had startled him. His face flushed red and the worry was replaced by what looked like guilt. “I’m sorry. It’s something I can’t discuss with the three of you.”

Leif sat up taller. The man hadn’t actually said that the matter didn’t concern the three of them, only that he couldn’t discuss it with them. That left only one logical explanation: Spence. “What’s he done this time?”

“What has who done?” Callie asked as she glanced around the table at each man in turn.

When the attorney didn’t respond, Leif answered her. “Spence has done something that has Troy here worried, but he can’t tell us what it is because of attorney/client privilege or some such shit. Not to mention, I’m betting Wheels is still planning on leaving town.”

Troy remained grimly silent but gave the briefest of nods—twice. Meaning Leif was right on both counts. Son of a bitch, what was Wheels up to now? Well, there was no way Leif would get the answer to that question sitting here. He exchanged looks with Nick. Yeah, they’d have to track Spence down and find out for themselves. The tricky part would be not outing Troy in the process.

Leif reached for his cane. “Well, we should be going. Places to go. Certain people to see.”

Nick and Callie stood up with him. Troy shook everyone’s hand again and led the small parade back down the hall to the door. “Thanks for stopping by. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to call me.”

As they filed past, he stepped in front of Leif. “Tell Spence hi for me when you see him.”

“I will.”

When they reached the parking lot, Nick held out his keys to Callie. “I’m going to catch a ride with Leif.”

She ignored the keys. As she glared at her husband, she said, “Tell me what you two have planned.”

Leif stepped back. No way he was going to get caught in the middle between the pair. “Nothing, Callie.”

She shot him a disgusted look. “Right. So Nick is blowing off our lunch date for nothing?”

Well, shit, this wasn’t going well. “Nick, you want to take the lead on this?”

Nick pocketed his keys. “We’re just going to go talk to Spence. Shoot the shit. See what’s going on with him.”

Callie crossed her arms over her chest. “And if he doesn’t want to spill his guts? What then? I know how these discussions usually end. I’m telling you right now, I don’t want you coming home with bloody noses and bruised knuckles.”

Her husband clearly wanted to argue the point, but there was no denying that she was right on target. “Callie, Nick and I have years of experience in dealing with Spence. Sometimes a good right cross is the only way to get through to him.”

“Not happening, gentlemen.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So you want to let Spence go ahead with whatever screwball thing he’s doing that has Troy that worried?”

That didn’t go over well. Callie turned her anger in his direction. “He was my friend long before he was yours, Leif. No one cares more about what happens to Spence than I do, with the possible exception of Melanie Wolfe. So I’m thinking we need to have a barbecue at the house and invite both of them. That way, after a few beers, we can gang up on him and see where it gets us.”

Nick finally smiled and flexed his right hand. “And if that fails, promise me we can still try our way of convincing him to talk.”

Callie’s smile matched her husband’s. “It’s a deal.”

Good. That much was settled. “So what excuse can we come up with that won’t make him suspect this is an intervention?”

“We should keep it simple, like a potluck. Tell him it’s a chance for old friends to get together. We’ll limit it to three couples besides Spence and Melanie: Nick and me, you and Zoe, Bridey and Seth. Eight people is plenty. We don’t want a huge crowd of witnesses.”

“Good thinking. Figure out the day and time, and I’ll let Zoe know to save the date.”

He had started for his own truck when Callie called his name. “Leif, maybe we can add one more thing to the agenda. I would really love it if we could convince Spence to stay here in Snowberry Creek.”

“Me, too, Callie. Me, too.”