A Road to Let Go (Fallen Tuesday #4) (27 page)

“
Damn,
you are so beautiful,
”
Jake
said.

“
Stop
that,
”
Mel said.
“
You
’
re just looking to get some.
”

“
Of
course I am. But you are still beautiful. No matter what.
”

Silence fell and that was just fine
with Jake. He could stare at Mel all day.

When she slowly walked away, Jake
stared at her. She poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the
counter. She was a dream. And she was becoming everything he ever wanted.

*

Mel felt so good. Being with Jake
made her this way. The way he touched her and looked at her was like nothing
she ever felt before. She had panicked a little when she woke up in an empty
hotel room bed, but when she heard Jake
’
s
voice, she felt better. Seeing him kept the world spinning. But no matter what,
she had to make the call to Jon right now and then deal with whatever came
after that. She would probably need to call Jon
’
s
guy and then figure out if her father was even in this state. If he was, it
could be a potentially life changing day. If he wasn
’
t, then Mel would have to make a decision whether
or not to keep pursuing him.

Looking at Jake, it made it easier
to think about giving up on the search. Maybe some people just wanted to be
left alone. Mel could understand that, but deep inside her heart she really
wanted to know the truth of her father.

Mel sipped her coffee and watched
as Jake picked up his guitar. The moment he hit the first note, her body
gushed. A big time rockstar sat there on a hotel room couch and played guitar.

It was a soft and sweet sound,
nothing that sounded like a Fallen Tuesday song, but it was still Jake playing.
It was a sound Mel could listen to all damn day.

Jake used his fingers instead of a
pick, and it gave the guitar a quieter sound.

“
Hey,
”
Mel said.
“
Play something new.
”

Jake nodded.
“
Here
’
s one of the slow ones on the new album.
”

Jake started a song, nodding his
head as he played. It sounded like a Fallen Tuesday song. Mel wished the rest
of the band was there so she could get the full effect of the song and its
lyrics. Then again, alone with Jake was pretty good too. He played the entire
song, even the guitar solo. With nothing else in the background, Jake carried
the solo by himself and it was amazing.

When he hit the last chord, he
looked at Mel.

“
How
was that?
”

“
You
’
re amazing, Jake,
”
Mel said.
“
And yet you
’
re here with me? I don
’
t get it.
”

“
I
’
m thinking the same about you,
sweetheart,
”
Jake said.
“
I'm wondering why you
’
re here with me.
”

Jake put the guitar down and
grabbed his coffee mug and walked to Mel.

“
I
think we should get some breakfast,
”
Mel said.

Jake kissed her.
“
Of course. Why don
’
t you make your phone call and I
’
ll order some food.
”

“
Sounds
like a plan.
”

Jake put his mug down and wrapped
his arms around Mel. He held her tight and Mel sought comfort against Jake
’
s chest. She let out a gentle
moan. Was this so wrong to have? Was this so wrong to want for the rest of her
life?

“
We
’
re not going to get much done like
this,
”
Jake whispered.

“
No,
we
’
re not. But that could
be okay, right?
”

“
Mel,
if this is what you want, I
’
ll
stand here until the rest of the band flies their asses out here and drags me
from this hotel.
”

“
That
might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.
”

Jake laughed. He kissed the top of
Mel
’
s head and then opened
his arms.

“
Go
make that call,
”
he said.

Mel took her coffee and walked to
the bedroom. She looked back at Jake who was staring down at the menu for breakfast.
She took a deep breath. She suddenly believed that whatever was going to happen
had meaning and purpose. It had direction and it mattered.

In the bedroom, Mel called Jon.

“
Good
morning, Mel,
”
Jon said.

“
I
’
m in Washington, Jon.
”

“
You
’
re
…
what?
”

“
I
’
m in Washington. I got here.
”

“
Are
you serious, Mel?
”

“
Serious.
”

There was a pause.
“
Well then
…
I
’
m
not really supposed to care or ask how or why
…”

“
Then
don
’
t,
”
Mel said.
“
I didn
’
t do anything illegal to get here. But I
’
m here. I need everything you
can offer me.
”

“
I
’
ll give you the phone number to the
guy I know.
”

“
Okay.
”

“
It
’
ll cost a little bit of money,
Mel,
”
Jon said.
“
I won
’
t ask for anything more.
”

“
Do
you know anything else?
”
she asked.

“
Mel,
what would I know? If I ask questions, it costs me money or favors. Both of
which I don
’
t like giving
out. I only like collecting.
”

“
I
appreciate your help, Jon. With everything.
”

“
I
know,
”
Jon said.
“
Everyone does. Until they get
bad news and I
’
m the jerk.
”

Mel laughed.
“
Did I ever make you feel like a
jerk?
”

“
Other
than that time you stormed out of my cousin
’
s
restaurant
…
no.
”

“
Sorry
about that.
”

Jon gave Mel a phone number to
call. The guy
’
s name was
Tommy and Jon provided a brief background of how they had worked together in
Nevada for a few years before they had a falling out (over what, Jon wouldn
’
t tell) and they split up, each
going to their own business.

As soon as Mel hung up she dialed
Tommy.

Today
…
something
’
s going to happen today
…

She dialed and on the fourth ring,
a voice picked up.

“
Yeah?
”

“
Uh,
hello. Is this Tommy?
”

“
Tommy
who?
”

“
I
don
’
t know. Jon gave me
…”

“
Oh,
Christ. Yeah, it
’
s Tommy.
You Melanie?
”

“
Yeah.
You can call me Mel.
”

“
Are
we dating?
”

“
What?
”

“
Exactly.
I
’
ll call you what I feel
like. Not to be abrasive, Melanie, but I need to know if you can afford my
charge.
”

“
Yes,
”
Mel said.
“
Do you know anything about my
father?
”

“
Run
the names by me again.
”

“
On
the back of the picture I found it had Burhden on it. That
’
s my name, and was my mother
’
s too. But then Jon found out he
was living under the name Mike Riversen.
”

“
Got
it,
”
Tommy said.
“
I only dug for a second, sorry.
I
’
ll get to it now and we
’
ll meet up. Sound good?
”

“
How
long? I
’
m here for
…”

“
Melanie,
I know how to do my job. I
’
ve
got your phone number. I
’
ll
call.
”

The line went dead.

Mel sat on the bed for a few
minutes, thinking. She was actually very relaxed and contemplating what Jake
had proposed to her. To create the cover art for the next Fallen Tuesday seemed
like a really big deal. And Jake wanted her to do it. Mel realized that she may
have already got the cover art done. The picture she worked on the day before
would look perfect on the cover. It made her excited to think that she could be
part of something like this.

The bedroom door opened a little
bit and Jake stood there.

“
Hey,
you okay?
”

“
Come
in,
”
Mel said.

Jake joined Mel on the bed. He didn
’
t speak. He reached for Mel
’
s hand and squeezed it.

“
I
’
m waiting for a call now,
”
Mel said.
“
I have to meet and pay this new
guy, Tommy. Then I
’
ll find
something out. Or at least I hope.
”

“
Don
’
t worry about a thing,
”
Jake said.
“
I
’
ll
take care of it all. I just want you to find your peace.
”

“
I
’
ve found it,
”
Mel said.
“
In you.
”

Jake looked at Mel and they started
to kiss. Mel touched Jake
’
s
face, keeping him there. But Jake put his hand to Mel
’
s stomach and with a gentle nudge he fell back to
the bed with Mel still kissing him. They faced each other, kissing, touching.
Jake
’
s right hand was fast,
moving up her body, cupping her bare breast, playing and loving her body. Mel
wrapped one of her legs around him and pulled, wanting him.

A knock at the door snapped them
out of the sensual moment and they both laughed.

“
Damn
breakfast,
”
Jake whispered.

“
Maybe
we can continue after breakfast,
”
Mel said.

“
Sounds
like the perfect morning to me.
”

Mel smiled.

They ate breakfast, but before they
were able to continue what had started in the bed, Mel received a call from
Tommy.

Mel
’
s
father was still in Washington.

(25)

Jake dressed and sat on the couch
with his guitar again. Mel rushed around the bedroom and the hotel, making
herself presentable. To Jake, she was always presentable, but he knew telling
her that wouldn
’
t help
much. The guy on the phone had been pretty adamant about meeting Mel right
away. The way he put it without being too much of a pushy ass was that the end
of Mel
’
s journey would come
today. Jake didn
’
t know
what that meant but he would support Mel in whatever happened. And by
supporting her, he had to make a tough decision right now.

Mel stormed from the bedroom and
said,
“
Can we leave?
”

“
Yes,
”
Jake said.

He stood and dropped the guitar to
the couch.

Outside, there was a car waiting
for them. It was a rental car, so Jake finally had the privilege of driving himself
around. Having a driver was convenient and everything, but he sometimes missed
the privacy and freedom of driving himself.

In the car, he drove as Mel gave
him directions she read from her cell phone. Jake
’
s
heart raced and he felt a lump in his throat.

“
I
have to get something off my chest,
”
Jake said.
“
And the timing
is horrible.
”

“
Oh?
”

“
I
tried to talk to you on the plane... but you fell asleep.
”

“
Is
everything okay?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Jake said.
“
But before you, there was a
woman
…”

“
The
one in the hotel bedroom?
”

“
No,
Mel. Not her. This woman goes back a long time with me and the band. I don
’
t want to burden you with
everything right now, but I just feel like I need to say something about it.
She had been staying at my apartment when we met. In her eyes, I cheated on her.
But in my eyes we weren
’
t
together. If that makes sense?
”

“
Okay
…”

“
Years
ago, she came between me and Trent. It actually caused a lot of problems in the
band. Over and over. She was like an addiction that I didn't know how to quit.
”

“
An
addiction,
”
Mel said.

“
That
’
s what it was. I never loved
her. I cared for her and still do. But she
’
s
gone now, Mel. I just wanted you to know that. The way I feel about you really
means something to me. This isn
’
t
just some random thing for me, okay? I never felt this way before
…”

“
It
’
s okay,
”
Mel said.
“
You
don
’
t have to explain to
me.
”

“
But
I do,
”
Jake said.

Jake froze up as Mel pointed to a
corner café.

“
This
is it,
”
Mel said.

Jake had more to tell her. He
’
d have to do it later. Jake
pulled up to the curb and stopped. He took Mel
’
s
hand and looked at her.

“
I
think you should do this alone,
”
he said.
“
This is your
journey and I don
’
t want to
impose.
”

“
Jake
…”

“
I
’
ll be waiting for you. Unless
you really want me to come in there.
”

“
You
don
’
t know what you mean to
me,
”
Mel said.
“
Or what all this means.
”

Jake nodded and smiled. He felt
guilty for not being able to tell Mel everything about Chloe. He wanted her to
know everything, and he prayed she would understand it all. Then he could
confess the truth to her. The truth that he was falling in love with her.

*

Mel went into the café and looked
around. There were only a handful of people there. Some at tables with
newspapers. Some in line. The wonderful smell of coffee and food filled the
air, but Mel wasn
’
t there
for coffee or food. She was there to meet Tommy and get information about her
father.

There was a man in the far corner
sipping coffee. He had a long face, covered in scruff, and jet black hair.
There was a scar above the left side of his lip. He gave a nod to Mel and she
nodded back. He then waved for her to come to him.

Mel went to the table and stood
there.

“
Melanie?
”
he asked.

“
Tommy?
”

“
Sit
down,
”
Tommy said.
“
Glad you were able to make it
this quick.
”

“
I
came here for one reason,
”
Mel said.
“
Did Jon fill you
in on all the details?
”

“
Most
of them,
”
Tommy said.
“
No offense, but I
’
m not here to get to know
anyone. I research and dig up details. And get paid for it.
”

Silence fell and Tommy raised an
eyebrow. That was the cue for Mel to pay him. She reached into her bag and took
out the money Tommy had told her she needed to bring. She paid Tommy and he
slipped the money into the inside of his jacket.

“
Your
old man lived in North Carolina,
”
Tommy said.
“
That you know.
He also lived in New York.
”

“
That
’
s what took me to New York and
Jon.
”

“
Well,
he didn
’
t stay there long,
Melanie. He came to Washington and lived here his entire life.
”

“
So
he
’
s still here
…”
Mel tried to hide her smile.

Tommy let out a sigh.
“
Let me just tell you about him,
okay? He seemed to be a good man. Took care of himself and his neighborhood. He
never married or had any other kids.
”

“
Where
is he now?
”
Mel asked.

“
Melanie,
look at me,
”
Tommy said.

“
What?
”

“
I
’
m really sorry to tell you this
…
but he
’
s gone.
”

“
He
’
s gone? What do you mean he
’
s gone? You just said he was in
Washington.
”

“
He
is, Melanie. Your father passed away two years ago.
”

There was silence again and then
shock hit hard. Mel felt like her heart had been ripped out. She lost her
breath for a few seconds and the entire caf
é
looked like it was spinning.

“
Take
your time with this,
”
Tommy
said.

Mel let out a shaky breath. She
composed herself.
“
What
happened to him?
”

“
Heart
attack,
”
Tommy said.
“
He had been working long hours
and days with one of his organizations. He traveled a lot, especially to California
and back many times. He missed one of his flights and someone went to check on
him.
”
Tommy paused.
“
Do you want to know all this?
”

“
Yes,
”
Mel said. She was cold and
numb.

“
Someone
found him face down in his bedroom. He was barely alive. The hospital tried to
save him, but it was too late. He passed and was cremated. I have the obituary
if you want to see it.
”

“
Did
he die as Mike Riversen?
”
Mel asked.

“
Yes
and no. He legally changed his name. There was nothing in his past to explain
why. Maybe he just wanted to become a totally different person. But he died as
Melvin Liversen. Something about him just wanted to be hidden. And the obituary
itself was small. A few lines. Probably written by friends. Your buddy, Jon,
should have dug deeper
…”

Mel nodded. She was trying really
hard not to break down and cry. She didn
’
t
want to cry in front of Tommy. She didn
’
t
want to cry in a strange café somewhere in Washington.

“
I
’
m sorry I don
’
t have better news for you,
”
Tommy said.
“
It didn
’
t take me long to dig all this up because
…
well
…
there
’
s
an end to the road.
”

“
Why
didn
’
t Jon just tell me?
”
Mel asked.

“
He
called me and told me what he knew. We have a respect for each other. He wanted
you to be out here when you learned the truth.
”

“
The
truth.
”

“
I
know you were hoping for something else. Sometimes that
’
s how these things work out. Hell, you know how
many people never get a single answer? At least you can say you found him.
”

Mel nodded. It still left plenty of
questions unanswered. But she would have to take it for what it was worth. Her
father had decided to leave when she was so little. He changed his name and created
a whole new life. And now he was gone.

“
Listen,
”
Tommy said,
“
I
’
ll
sit here as long as you need me too. Ask as many questions as you have.
”

“
I
appreciate the help,
”
Mel
said. She slowly rose from the table.
“
This
is really the end for me then. With this. Now I know he just wanted a different
life.
”

“
I
’
m sorry about that,
”
Tommy said.
“
Everyone has their own journey.
”

Mel nodded and walked away. She
left the caf
é
and looked
left and right. She chose right and hurried to the side of the caf
é
. She spotted Jake
’
s car in the back lot, but she didn't
make it there before she broke down. Burying her hands in her face, Mel shook
her head and let it all out. It all came crashing down on her. She realized
that part of coping with her mother
’
s
death had been this journey to find her father. Everything was done now. Her
mother was dead. Her father was dead. Everything was over.

What do I do now? Where do I go?
What
…

Mel felt arms wrap around her. She
tried to jump back, but the strength was too great. She looked up, letting the
tears fall down her cheeks.

It was Jake.

“
I
’
m right here,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m
right here, sweetheart.
”

Mel
’
s
lips quivered, but she couldn
’
t
find the words. Instead, she buried her face in Jake
’
s chest. And he stood there, holding her, without a
question. The only thing Jake did was slowly walk Mel toward the car. He opened
the door and helped her inside. He then got in the driver
’
s seat and started the car. Mel
hung her head, wanting to control herself.

“
I
’
m so sorry,
”
Jake whispered.
“
Whatever happened
…”

Mel blinked fast and chased away
the tears. She looked at Jake. He was so handsome, even with the concerned look
spreading across his face.

“
Tommy
found my father,
”
Mel said.
She swallowed.
“
He
’
s dead. All this time and work
…
hope
…
for nothing.
”

“
No,
”
Jake said.
“
It wasn
’
t for nothing. Don
’
t
ever think that. You set out to find something and did just that. I
’
m sorry it wasn
’
t what you wanted. But it
brought you to me..."

Mel reached out and touched Jake
’
s face.
“
I just want to leave.
”

“
Okay.
We
’
ll go back to the hotel.
”

“
Not
just the hotel,
”
Mel said.
“
I want to leave this state.
”

“
Where
do you want to go then?
”

“
I
don
’
t know. I don
’
t even have a home
…”