Chapter Seventeen

She Deserved More

It was ten days later and still no word from Melissa. I called her, I texted her—I even dropped by her house three times. I knew she was home. I made sure to go at night when Christopher was sleeping and all three times, she left me standing on her stoop.

“Where the fuck is he?”

A familiar voice shouts causing me to round the rig I was inspecting.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific,” Frankie croons.

“Jimmy the dick Casale,” Melissa’s sister hisses. “I know he’s here. I let the air out of the tires on his truck.”

Fuck.

I guess I had that one coming.

“Jesus, Casale,” Gary hisses. “Is every woman in your life this hot-headed?”

Ignoring him, I make my way to the front of the house and find Frankie blocking Amber, who, I should point out, is holding a baseball bat.

“Now, listen, babe, why don’t you—”

“Who the fuck are you calling babe?” Amber sneers, lifting the bat over her head.

“For fucks sake, calm down,” Frankie growls.

As amusing as it might be to watch these two stand-off against one another, I intercept, pulling Frankie away from Melissa’s raging sister.

“You bastard,” she seethes as her eyes meet mine.

“Nice to see you too, Amber,” I mutter, reaching above her head for the baseball bat. Her grip only tightens, forcing me to tediously pry each finger away until I’m the one possessing it. Some might view Amber as a pain in the ass and say she should learn when to mind her business. Me, on the other hand, admires her spunk. I wish Melissa was as bold and passionate, maybe then she’d fight for us, instead of pretending I never existed.

“You’re a creep,” Amber hisses. “A real fucking creep that deserves to have his tongue cut…amongst other things.”

Okay, maybe she is annoying, and a filter wouldn’t be the worst idea.

“You got something you want to get off your chest, Amber, by all means, go ahead but not here. I’m working,” I say, turning slightly to hand off the bat to Frankie.

“Oh,” she begins, arching an eyebrow. “You’re working. Where the fuck are my manners,” she says, glaring at Frankie who takes a practice swing with her Louisville. “Break it and you buy it, pretty boy,” she says to him before slicing her eyes to me.

If looks could kill, this girl would bury me six feet deep.

“Did you know today is the first day in over a week my sister has gone to work? She’s been sick to her stomach over what you did to her.”

“I don’t know anything because she won’t fucking talk to me.”

“Do you blame her?” she admonishes. “Everything out of your mouth is a fucking lie. Who would want to talk to you?”

Crossing my arms against my chest, I bite the inside of my cheek and check my self-control as I lift an eyebrow.

“Yet, here you are…talking to me.”

“Make no mistake about it, Casale, I want to break your nose too.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“You really are a dick.”

“No, I’m not,” I reply, unfolding my arms. “I’m a man who made a mistake. Look, Amber, I never meant to hurt your sister and not everything out of my mouth was a lie. When I said I wanted her, I meant it…just like I meant it when I told her I loved her. This shit with me knowing Chris—yeah, it was wrong of me to lie but, what do you think would’ve happened if I told her the truth?”

She doesn’t reply, and I take advantage of the situation.

“You saw how fucking nervous she was about letting another man in her life. For fuck’s sake you got her drunk, so she would have the courage to make it through a simple dinner with me.”

“You make it sound like I poured the alcohol down her throat,” she mutters.

“You supplied it,” I counter quickly. “You knew she wouldn’t go through with the date, that she was perfectly content existing.”

“She deserved more.”

“She still does, and I swear to you, on my children, I want to give her everything she deserves. I want to put a smile on her face every day I’m alive. I want to fucking love her like she should be loved. If I told her I was the guy who pulled Chris out of those towers, she would’ve got stuck on that and she would’ve never given me the chance to pull her out of her grief. She wouldn’t remember what it feels like to be alive and not stuck on pause, in the back of a church, waiting for a groom that will never show.”

Brushing her fingers through her hair, she quietly looks away for a moment. The silence stretches, and I contemplate going any further with my argument before she turns back to me and shakes her head.

“I don’t know if I’m a fool to believe you or if you’re just that convincing.”

“I’m not lying to you,” I say hoarsely. “And to be fair, I never lied about knowing Chris. I omitted the truth.”

“It’s the same fucking thing.”

“Help me,” I demand. “Tell me what to do,” I say. “I promise you, you won’t regret it. If she just hears me out, I can make this right between us.”

I watch as she draws her lower lip between her teeth and contemplates my plea.

“You went by her house?”

“Several times, all when I knew Christopher would be sleeping.”

“She’s my sister, Jimmy. I can’t betray her and set something up. If she really decides she wants nothing to do with you, she’ll never forgive me for that and I’m all she has. I won’t let that happen.”

“I’m not suggesting that. Have you talked to her? Maybe ask her—”

“Of course, I’ve talked to her. She wants to break your nose too,” she says with the cock of her head. “But if you showed up at the school, she wouldn’t start a scene. She’d never do that at work. That might be your best shot.”

At this rate, it seems like it’s the only shot. I glance down at my watch, noting it’s nearly one. I don’t get off for another hour, but she works until three and if I hustle to the other side of the island, I’ll make it just time.

“Jimmy,” Amber calls, forcing my attention back to her. “If you tell I suggested this, I swear to God, I’ll fucking cut your tongue and your balls off, I’ll gift wrap them and everything.”

Before I can assure her that I won’t say anything to Melissa and dig my hole any deeper with her, Frankie steps up and saves the day.

“Marry me,” he blurts.

Only a sadistic fuck would be turned on by a woman who just threatened to cut another man’s balls off. Amber gives him the side eye and snatches the bat from his hands.

“Dream on, fireman,” she says, slapping the neck of the bat against her palm. “Only a fool would get married in this day and age.”

“Is that a dare?” Frankie questions.

“What’s wrong with you people?” she relays, glancing between me and him. “You’ve inhaled too much carbon monoxide in the line of duty.”

As the words leave her mouth, the alarm rings and her eyes go wide as the rest of the house comes running towards the rig, hurrying to put on their bunker gear.

“Shit,” I hiss, glancing over my shoulder as Gary calls my name and tosses me my gear. Catching my coat, pants, and helmet, I turn back to Amber. “I’ve got to go,” I tell her, dropping my stuff in front of me. Quickly, I start to pull my gear over my sweats. “I’ll fix this,” I promise. “Right after this, I’ll go straight to the school.”

Her eyes dart all around as the guys start filling the rig. Gary jumps behind the wheel and fires up the engine, the sirens blare decorating the room in shades of red and blue. As I fit my helmet to my head, I stare at Amber—if I knew a call coming in would shut her up, I would’ve conducted a fire drill the minute she threatened to do away with my nuts.

“I’ll see ya,” I say.

“Be careful,” she replies. “The last thing I want to do is tell her you died too.”

Rolling my eyes, I start for the truck.

It’s gonna take a lot more than a fire to tear me away from Melissa.