Chapter 23

Melany

I WAS IN the middle of drafting a proposal for Collin on a new build out he wanted to pursue. It was a huge deal. The popular five-star Hammerly Hotel chain was looking to expand. They wanted to build not only in Manhattan, but in Rochester, Ithaca, Albany, and Syracuse as well. If Collin got the deal, he’d be the lead architect responsible for every build out in New York state. It would make the firm ungodly amounts of money and would mean huge bonuses for Collin’s department. Myself included. Not to mention, the awards the firm would be nominated for and the press a deal like this would garner. I wanted to do everything in my power to help Collin nail this proposal.

This meant I’d been working longer hours than usual and was running on little sleep, but if he signed this client, it would all be worth it.

“How’s the apartment hunt going?”

I was in my zone, so I hadn’t noticed Logan standing at my desk, let alone heard his question. “Huh?”

“Your apartment,” he said, looking a little disheartened at my lack of attention. “I asked how the search was going.”

“Sorry.” I sighed and reached up to massage my temples with the tips of my fingers. I’d been staring at my computer for so long I felt a headache coming on. “I’ve just been swamped with this proposal and was zoned out. I didn’t see you there.”

He smiled at my explanation, and instead of moving along like I’d hoped he would do so I could get back to work, he made himself comfortable, resting on the edge of my desk. “That’s all right. I get it. But you look like you need a break. Why don’t we go out for lunch today?”

I looked at him apologetically and explained, “Thanks, but I really can’t. We’re on a strict deadline to get this done.”

His smile dropped to a crestfallen frown. “Well, how about if I help you out where I can? Then you’d have a bit more free time.”

I arched a brow and rested my elbows on my desk. Just like Collin, Logan was a partner as well. He should have been swamped with his own projects. “That’s nice, but don’t you have your own client projects you should be working on?”

“Nothing on too strict of a deadline at the moment,” he explained. “Besides, I prefer my team to have a healthy work/life balance. Keeps productivity up. Something Collin doesn’t seem to understand, apparently. Maybe you should see about transferring.”

That comment didn’t sit well with me. At all. Collin was a fantastic boss who was always considerate to the members of his team. He hardly ever demanded overtime and was hands-on in everything, making sure to pull his own weight instead of passing it off to one of the lower-level employees. I didn’t like Logan’s blasé insult of him.

With a heavy frown, I told him, “I would never consider transferring away from Collin. He’s a wonderful boss.”

Logan’s hands went up in a placating gesture. “I wasn’t trying to be offensive. It just looks like you’re under a lot of stress. I’m sorry if that came across poorly.” How he thought I could interpret what he’d said in any other way was beyond me, but I was too busy and tired to give it any more thought.

“That’s all right. I understand,” I lied, because I didn’t understand, but I didn’t have time to worry about what he meant. I was just about to tell him I really needed to get back to work, implying as politely as humanly possible that maybe he should go back to his own office, when my cell phone rang, saving me from that particularly awkward conversation. Saved by the bell.

“Sorry, I have to get this, but I’ll talk to you later,” I muttered. Logan didn’t look pleased, but he caught the hint, stood from my desk, and headed toward his own.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Chance’s deep, sultry timbre came through the line. “Hey, honey. Busy day again?” It was, but just the sound of his voice went a long way in melting away some of the stress. My head was so wrapped up in Chance that I didn’t even stop to consider that I welcomed a distraction from him, while one from Logan simply irritated me.

“Yeah, and it will be for a while now. It’ll probably be another late night, too.”

“Okay, that’s what I was calling about. If you’re working late, I’m going to stop by with some takeout. You haven’t been eating enough this week.”

That warm, melty sensation I was growing accustomed to when it came to Chance hit my belly once again. “That’s sweet. I’d really appreciate that.”

“Then consider it done.” He started to say something else, but the phone on my desk began to ring, the caller ID stating it was Reception. “Hold on a sec. My desk phone’s ringing.”

I pulled my cell a few inches away and lifted my desk phone from its cradle. “Hey, Sam. What’s up?”

“Hi, Mel. I know you’re really busy, but security in the lobby just called up. There’s a woman downstairs causing a disturbance.”

My entire body froze solid as the blood in my veins turned to ice. “What?” I whispered, panic starting to seep in.

“I’m so sorry. But they told me she’s claiming to be your mother. They’ve already called the police, but—”

“Oh my God. They called the police?” I interrupted on a squeak, my voice rising as dread took over.

“They asked that you come down and talk to her. Try and diffuse the situation.”

“O-okay. I’ll… I’ll b-be right down.” Oh no, my stutter had returned, along with that nervous anxiety I’d worked so hard to get control of. I hung up on Sam, my head swimming. It felt like I was suddenly stuck in a tunnel with the walls closing in on me. In the distance, I could hear Chance’s voice calling my name. That was what snapped me out of it.

“Melany? Mel! What’s going on?”

I put my cell back to my ear, my hands suddenly trembling. “Ch-Chance,” my voice broke.

“Sweetheart, talk to me. What’s happening?”

“It’s… it’s my m-mom. She’s downstairs causing a scene.”

“Son of a bitch!” he snapped through the line. “I’ll be right there, baby.”

My voice was weak and broken as I begged him, “Hurry.”

“I’m coming, I promise. But you don’t go down there yet. I’m calling Collin.”

“No! No, please. Don’t bring him into this. It’s humiliating enough—”

“This is not on you,” he said in a firm, hard tone. “You hear me? You have nothing to be embarrassed of. The only one who should be embarrassed is your bitch of a mother. Now, I’m calling Collin because there’s no fucking way you’re going down there by yourself. You understand? Now, I have to go. Do not go down to that lobby without Collin. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up before I could get a word in edgewise. I stared at the tiny clock on my computer screen, silently counting down the time until Collin’s office door swung open. It had only taken one minute for Chance to pull in reinforcements.

“You okay?” Collin asked, stopping at my desk, his face a mask of worry… on my behalf. See? He was such a great boss.

“No,” I croaked, trying my best not to cry. “I’m really not. My mom is… well… she’s terrible, and she’s at my place of business causing a scene so bad they’ve called the cops. I think it’s safe to assume I am not okay.”

Reaching for my hand, he pulled me from my chair and began leading me down the hall toward the elevators. “Well, Chance is on his way, and until he gets here, I’ve got your back. There isn’t a single thing for you to worry about, okay?”

That was easy for him to say; he hadn’t met my mother. There were people standing around Sam’s desk as Collin and I hit Reception. From the looks on their faces, they already knew what was going on forty floors below. I wouldn’t have been surprised if some of them had witnessed it. The combinations of pity and empathy mingled on my coworkers’ faces only caused my anxiety to worsen.

The elevator ride to the lobby felt like I was making my descent into the pits of Hell. As soon as the doors opened, I could hear her.

“Don’t you touch me! Take your hands off me, you asshole!”

Oh, God. She was drunk. It was eleven o’clock on a Thursday morning, and she was already wasted.

I charged out of the elevator, past Collin, wanting to get to her and put a stop to this before she caused any more damage. “Mom—”

Her head spun around, her over-processed, damaged hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in at least a week and had a good two inches of dark roots. Her caked-on makeup looked like it had been applied yesterday, pre-drunken bender, and she’d simply slapped more on top of it this morning before leaving the house. The worst part of all was that she hadn’t bothered to change out of her housedress. Luckily it covered most everything, but it didn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra beneath, and it was the kind of housedress that could not, in any way, be mistaken for anything other than sleepwear. That’s right, folks, my mother was standing in the lobby of my work, drunk, making a scene, and in her freaking pajamas! She looked rough… and furious.

“There you are, you little bitch!”

She charged, but Collin was right there, pulling me behind him and standing tall and strong between my mother and me. The security guard closest to my mother tagged her around her waist before she could reach me. “Get your fucking hands off me, pig! I’m here to see my daughter!”

“I’ve already asked you once to lower your voice,” the guard warned. “Don’t make me ask you again.”

“Mom, please. Just stop.” I couldn’t control the shakiness of my voice as I stepped around Collin, but made sure to stay close to his side. “Please. Let’s just go somewhere and talk.” We had already drawn a large enough crowd, I didn’t want this nightmare to gain an even bigger audience.

“Fuck you!” she shouted at me, her angry words coupled with my own humiliation causing my face to burn red. “This is all your fault, you selfish, spoiled little bitch!”

“What the hell is going on here?” At the sound of Chance’s booming, angry voice, my entire body drooped. He’d come, just like he promised. And I knew right then and there that he’d take care of me.

“Oh, this is just great!” my mother cackled loudly, as Chance made his way to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling my front into his side. It wasn’t until I was engulfed in the safety of his embrace that I realized Devon had arrived with him. “Of course you called in your guard dog to take care of things for you. I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been too weak and pathetic to take care of anything yourself.”

I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry, I chanted in my head, but it didn’t do any good. The burning tears broke free from my eyelids and slipped down my cheeks.

“Don’t you say another goddamned word,” Chance warned on a ferocious growl. “I’ll warn you, you’re in enough trouble as it is. Make it easier on yourself and keep your fucking mouth shut until the police arrive.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do! I came to speak to Melany, and I’m not leaving until I do!”

“You aren’t speaking to her,” Chance barked. “You’re yelling hateful, spiteful words and making a scene. If you wanted to talk to her, you should have shown her the respect that she’s due and called to schedule an appointment. You didn’t do that. You purposefully showed up without warning in the hopes of blindsiding her. You made a scene at her place of employment and let your true colors shine through so that security had no choice but to call the cops and have your ass carted away. I warned you once already that you weren’t to reach out to her, that you were to wait until she made contact, but you didn’t heed that warning. Now you’ll suffer the consequences for it.

“What you won’t do is speak another word to Melany. You won’t even so much as look at her, and once the police get here, I’ll be pulling in every single favor I can to make sure you’re slapped with the steepest fine possible, and if I can guarantee jail time be tacked onto that, you bet your ass I’ll see to that as well. I told you not to cause her any more undue stress. You didn’t listen, now I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

Mom’s face blanched an unnatural shade of white. “The bank’s taking my house!”

At that, my body locked up. I didn’t like my mother, that was obvious. She’d made my life miserable and done everything in her power to make me feel worthless and unloved. I hated living with her, and it was only during these past few months with Chance that I’d realized just how amazing my life could really be. I never wanted to see her again. But… that being said, she was still my mother, and the thought of her losing her house racked me with guilt so acute it took my breath away.

“They’ve foreclosed since I haven’t been able to pay. And it’s all her fault! If she hadn’t left—”

“She left because you’re an abusive, manipulative cow,” Chance shot back. “And it wasn’t her responsibility to pay your bills. You’re an adult, her mother, for Christ’s sake. If you’re in this position, it’s no one’s fault but your own. You’re an able-bodied woman who is more than capable of working to earn a living. You just choose to be lazy. You’ve had Melany paying your way for so long, you’ve come to expect it. Well, that gravy train is gone. You should’ve gotten your shit together and picked up the pieces of your own miserable life. You chose not to do that. Again, you’re suffering the consequences of your own actions. That fault doesn’t rest on Melany’s shoulders.”

“But where am I supposed to go?” she yelled, throwing her arms out.

“That’s not my problem, and it certainly isn’t hers.”

I watched as her face twisted in rage. She hadn’t heard a word Chance had just said. The police finally arrived moments later and were left with no choice but to arrest my mother when she continued to act like a fool and refused to leave. She was struggling, still screaming obscenities as the officers wrestled her through the lobby.

Chance released his hold on me, but only in order to turn my body to his, cup my cheeks, and lift my face. “Hey. You okay, sweetheart?” he asked on a whisper.

“N-no.” My voice broke. “She’s r-right. This is… this is my fault. If I hadn’t left—”

“This is not your fault,” he bit out.

I clenched my eyes closed and shook my head. Deep down, I knew he was right. My mother had reaped what she’d sown. But still… “She’s my mother, Chance. I might not like the person she is, I might never want her in my life, but she’s still my mother. I can’t stand the thought of her being homeless. I just can’t!”

The more the guilt ate at me, the more hysterical I started to feel, until I was clutching the lapels of Chance’s suit jacket in a death grip.

“Okay, honey. Okay. Just calm down. I’ll take care of it, all right? But I need you to tell me you understand. What happened today is not on you. Tell me you get that.”

“I do.” I nodded, my eyes on his light blue button-down. “I know I can’t control her actions. But that doesn’t make me feel better that she could possibly end up on the streets.”

His fingers under my chin forced my head to tip up. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“So when I tell you I’ll fix this and that you don’t need to spend another second worrying about this, you’ll believe me?”

“Chance, it’s not your job—”

“Yes or no, Melany?” he demanded.

There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. “Y-yes. I believe you.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back, and when I return, I’m taking you to lunch.”

“But—”

Collin spoke up, and until then, I’d forgotten anyone else was there. “That sounds like a great idea. Devon and I will join you.”

Chance nodded at Collin and looked back at me. “That’s done. Now let me take care of this.”

He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning and heading toward where the police had just led my mother off. And as I watched him go, I lost another large piece of my heart to him.