Bourbon Nights - Shari J. Ryan Page 0,59

and slaps my shoulder a few times. “Harold said Melody was going through a bad break-up of some sort with a guy she had been living with. I guess he wasn't doing any good for her and had no intention of settling down. So, on top of Melody going through this upcoming loss of her dad, she’s dealing with those emotions too. It’s all bad timing, but I thought you should know there’s more going on than you might have thought with her. It’s something to keep in the back of your head, I suppose.”

“I knew she had ended things with some guy recently,” I respond.

“Harold is happy that she left him. He was emotionally abusive to her, from what he told me. Melody changed a bit over the last few years and wasn’t acting like herself. Harold and Marion had been very worried about her, so Harold is just hoping now that she’s back here in Vermont, that she will stay and find the happiness she deserves, rather than settling for something less. Of course, I can’t quite guarantee him that I can control this particular situation, but I think he just wanted to express his thoughts on the matter.”

“Wow,” I say, trying to digest it all. “I’m not sure why Pops is telling me all of this. I wonder if he has a reason or if he is just sharing what he heard.”

“I’m not telling you to get yourself involved, but I know you always had a thing for her back in the day, so now might be a good time to be the friend and a shoulder to cry on. That’s all.”

A friend. Is that all he means, or should I read between the lines? There is nothing more I can be to her at the moment, aside from a friend. I would never act on anything else at an inappropriate time. I don’t want to force a relationship when she is vulnerable and on the rebound. I understand Harold’s wishes, but there’s a difference between helping out with those wishes and meddling in a situation that could end badly. “Well, I plan to be as much of a friend as she needs during this time, but it’s not my place to be more than that right now,” I tell Pops.

“Of course, nor would I expect you to think in such a way. I just wanted you to know what Harold said to me. It was unexpected, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

“Dad!” Parker shouts, running around the corner. “Look at my nails.” Her hands are out in front of her, showing off the fluorescent pink color.

“Hold on a minute. I think I need sunglasses from the glare,” I joke with her.

Mom rounds the corner next with a smile. “Perfect as always,” she says, commenting on Parker’s behavior.

“Thanks for watching her tonight.”

“How are things with—”

“Fine,” I interrupt her, hoping to avoid the conversation in front of Parker. “She’s okay.”

“Good,” Mom says. “It’s nice of you to be supportive, especially after not seeing her for such a long time. I’m sure she’s grateful for a friend right now.”

“Are you talking about Melody?” Parker asks, her eyebrows lifting with question.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Dad likes her,” Parker mutters, making herself comfortable on my lap. I throw my head back against the sofa and close my eyes.

“Parker, I never said that.”

“You don’t have to,” she says, giggling.

Pops scoffs a laugh and Mom covers her mouth with her freshly painted nails. “Okay, time to get going. You have school in the morning.”

“This is what Dad does when he doesn’t want to talk about something,” Parker continues.

“We know, sweetheart,” Mom agrees with my seven-year-old.

“Anyway, let’s grab your things and get going,” I continue, lifting Parker off my lap and placing her feet on the ground so I can stand up.

Mom grabs her things from the dining room table and hands them over. “Maybe Dad is Melody’s Prince Charming,” Parker says while sliding her arms into her coat sleeves.

No one responds, but they all do what they can to stop their laughter from rolling in. I am struggling to get her coat zipped up so we can leave before she says anything else. I’m sure I’ll be hearing all about the fairytale she has conjured in her head throughout the ride home.

18

My head has been full of so much shit today that I’ve made a dozen mistakes with the inventory check and balancing the drawer from yesterday’s cash payments. I’ve had to redo everything at