Chapter Five
Melissa and Julia could not stop laughing. Much after they had left Acheron River, the two friends recalled the stunt that Melissa had pulled on Joe, and the terror on his face. Much to her pleasure, the poor man looked like he had seen a ghost. Her plan had worked like a charm. It might have sounded cruel, but for her, it was just punishment for his behavior. Melissa’s initial thought was to give him a nasty scar to remember her wolf by. Still, this would invite a lot of unwanted attention. Joe was a lawyer; he could easily go to the press, and bring all kinds of trouble to Shandaken and Paxton alike. A simple sighting of a wolf her size could not be proved, unlike the awful scar that her bite would leave him.
The sunset found Melissa feverishly preparing for her date with Joe. She was stressed; perhaps more stressed than she should have been. Indeed, the 24-year old felt like a school girl getting ready for the prom. After rummaging through her closet for more than an hour, she chose to wear a violet mini dress that brought out her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror, and struck a pose, firmly believing that her outfit and her curvaceous figure would entice him. As soon as that notion crossed her mind however, Melissa frowned at herself. Why? Because: she was on the verge of making a big mistake. At last, she would go out with a man entirely different than anybody else she had dated so far, and yet, she was about to treat him like a regular guy. Yes, the prospect of seducing him sounded very intriguing, but, if she wanted him to take her seriously, she had to put that thought aside. Melissa had had enough hollow relationships. Now, she was searching for something more meaningful, and she was not going to get it by throwing herself at Joe.
A few minutes before nine o’clock, she was parking Ray’s truck outside the “Red Maple”, her pulse rising, as she eagerly anticipated the moment of seeing him again. As she stepped onto the pavement that led to the entrance though, a male voice rose above the noise of the bar.
“Over here!” Joe cried, standing at the gate of his house, as he waved his hand in the air. A spark of curiosity kindled within Melissa. He was the one to suggest the bar. Why wasn’t he waiting for her in there? Why would he choose the privacy of his home? She couldn’t know. He didn’t give her much time to speculate, either. Joe had a tight, white shirt on, along with a pair of faded jeans. She couldn’t see his shoulders, the part of his torso that had tantalized her imagination the night before, but she was more than happy to scan his body from bottom to top, as she sauntered towards him. Now she was especially glad she had decided to wear an outfit that better fit her as a person: a pair of softly worn faded jeans; her most comfortable black leather calf-high boots underneath; and a newly favorite royal blue, short-sleeved, silk button up shirt.
“Good evening.” Joe welcomed her with a polite smile, as he pushed the gate open.
“Hey,” Melissa said, returning the smile. “I thought we were going to the bar.”
“I was just there,” he responded, showing her the way, towards the left, to a small table in his yard. “It’s good, but it’s a little too loud for my taste. Have a seat.”
The corners of her lips curled into a smile as she spotted a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. That small detail was an indication of what a gentleman he was. Melissa seated herself beside him, looking up into the starry sky, as Joe picked up the bottle.
“Again, I’m really sorry for my behavior last night,” Joe uttered, his tone calm and steady, as he poured wine into her glass. “I was upset about something else, and I took it out on you.”
“I’d like to know what that was,” Melissa confessed, lifting her glass, as he filled his own glass up.
“To second chances,” he proposed as a toast, tapping her glass with his. “I’m a lawyer in New York, Ms. Bradford. This is my sister, Emily’s, house. I came here for the weekend. My life is very complicated. I need to deal with all kinds of craziness every day; twenty-four, seven. Interacting with clients can be very frustrating.”
“Try again,” she urged, her brows twitching into a disapproving straight line above her thin nose, as she tried to disregard the fact that he had called her by her last name.
“What, you don’t believe me?” Joe squinted down at her, surprise written all over his face.
“I know about you, Joe,” Melissa assumed a firm tone, intensifying her stare. “I know about your wife. My friends and I were in the cemetery yesterday. It was hard to miss it, really. I saw you cry. You must have loved her very much. So…” she paused, easing her glass back down on the table. “Why don’t you tell me what really had you all worked up last night? Be honest with me this time.”
“Ok,” he said on an exhale, leaning his back against his seat, as he averted his gaze from her. “It’s that song I played with my sister and her friend. The one you liked so much. I dedicated it to Laura when I lost her. I was reading the lyrics, remembering our wedding day, when you showed up. It was the best day of my life. She was glowing with love. We danced to ‘Please forgive me’, our song. I’ll never forget that.”
Undoubtedly, Joe’s short story moved her. He was the sensitive man she believed him to be. Yet, it also made it crystal-clear to her that he was still someone else’s. He was still clinging to the past, to a life long gone. As he completed his last, few sentences, Melissa’s motive to spend any more time with him vanished into thin air. Rising from her seat, she cast a glance full of pity down at him, as a bitter smile formed on her face.
“Why did you even ask me out?” She whispered, lightly shrugging her shoulders. “You’re not over her.”
“I’m sorry.” Joe sighed, slowly getting up as well. “I…”
“Stop,” Melissa commanded, thrusting her hand up to his lips. “You don’t have to apologize. I can understand. Care for a friendly piece of advice?”
A simple nod served as his answer, as she dropped her arm.
“Stop living backwards,” she instructed in a voice that could only be called a whisper, her heart sinking at the realization that she would have to give up on him that very night. “Goodnight, Joe Stanton.”
At that, Melissa turned her back on him, unwilling to gaze upon the eyes of the man she knew that could never be hers. Joe embodied an untouchable dream, a fantasy that could not come true. With a heavy heart, she dragged her feet across the yard, her eyes on the black gate to the right, as she recalled Kate’s words:
“That man is in pieces.”
How right she was… Joe was a wreck, and probably a wreck beyond salvation. Melissa was desperate to drive back home. She could hardly wait to share her story with her friends. As usual, they would lend a sympathetic ear, and try to ease the pain that had been festering in her soul. As she reached down to grab the gate’s latch, she felt pressure on her hips. In a split second, Joe spun her around to face him. A gasp of shock left her lips, as he held her close. Tilting his head down, he plucked at her lips teasingly once, before covering her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss. The most amazing thing happened as she curled her arms around his neck. Melissa could smell him. A wave of his scent filled her nostrils. A sweet, cherry fragrance engulfed her, as his clean-shaven jaw brushed over her chin. Melissa would not even bother asking herself as to why this was happening. She was living in the moment, enjoying the one and only kiss she would ever get from him. Her mind could not be troubled with any theories. She was touching him. She was feeling his soft, warm lips. His kiss was as sweet as his scent, shattering her disappointment, sweeping her off her feet, as he held her tightly in his arms. Joe splayed his fingers over her hips, loosening his grip, as he slowly opened his eyes.
“Goodnight, Ms. Bradford,” he whispered, his mouth less than an inch away from hers, as her hands crept around his neck.
“Why did you do that?” She wondered, her voice wobbly, as she sensed his hot breath on her skin.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Joe claimed, a whisper of sadness darkening his brown eyes, as he eased out of her hold. “Goodnight.”
“Why?” Curiosity and frustration sent Melissa’s voice three octaves up, as she leaned towards him. “Tell me.”
He sucked in a deep breath, blinking slowly, upon hearing her request. Joe dropped his gaze down to the ground, pursing his lips, as he put his hands on his waist. Melissa was waiting for his answer with bated breath, but all that he could provide was silence. Just like that, he had shut down on her. She would not speculate. Neither would she pressure him. There was no point in insisting. It was obvious to her that she could not become part of his life. Keeping her mouth shut, she cursed her luck, as she stormed out of the yard. Alas, a relationship with a gentleman would have to remain a dream.