old country tune, leaving Owen to pull out his tools to finish the drawer rails. He measured the spot he thought would work for the second brace and discovered he was a half-inch off. This would have bound up the drawer at the half-way mark and screwed up the rest of them. Irritation flooded Owen’s chest, and he wanted to throw down the tools and… and…
And do what?
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Confusion, hurt, frustration, and anger clouded his mind. Yes, anger. He acknowledged that he was angry at Melanie but angrier at himself for allowing it. He just gave the go ahead for Jerry to set him up on a blind date with another woman. That was on him and had nothing to do with Melanie’s feelings toward him or lack thereof.
This was love? Falling in and out for convenience or on a whim? Was it that easy?
Air whistled in his nose as he took a huge breath and held it. He raised his face to the ceiling and blew out slowly, letting his irritation go with it. Working with tools when angry spelled disaster. Most of his jobsite injuries had happened when his focus drifted to anything other than the work in front of him. He stared at the white ceiling and sifted through his thoughts. Melanie was a player, no doubt, and had been for a long time. She probably didn’t even realize her games with his feelings. Why? He’d never told her. Never admitted to her how much he cared about her. Never let her know the power she held over him. She might have an inkling of his love but had never acknowledged its existence. Based on what he knew about her, what he saw at her parents’ party, what Jerry said to him, she would run far, far away if she knew the depth of his feelings.
Best if I keep it to myself and deal with it. I’d rather be her friend than nothing at all, even if it hurts like hell.
He noticed two cracks had formed in the smooth sheetrock above his head. He took one more big breath and turned to see if he had any spackling compound in his toolbox.
Chapter Seventeen
Cassie laughed and pointed to the shapely mannequin in the window. “I bet you would look so good in this dress. You should try it on and get it. Vincent Ziglar will stare at you all night at the game and not score one touchdown.”
Matilda pulled me into the store. “Oh my God, yes! You should totally try it on.”
I laughed with my two best friends in all the world. Both of them knew I had a crush on the team quarterback. So what if he was a nineteen-year-old high school kid and dumb as a box of rocks? He was a senior to my sophomore, hot and popular, and that was all that mattered. Right?
The mall lights shone brightly as I pulled a size six from the rack. Damn, it was shorter than I’d thought. No big deal. I’ll just have to be careful about bending over. Make that when to bend over. If I flashed a little more skin at Vincent, maybe he’d finally notice me. My friends giggled and pushed me to the dressing rooms in the back. I caught the store clerk watching us with a frown. Old biddy probably thinks I’m going to shoplift or something. Just wait till I pull out the credit card Daddy gave me. That’ll wipe the smug look off her face.
The dress fit perfectly, showing off my breasts and legs. At sixteen, I had a woman’s body. Lush, large perky and full double-ds, a high tight ass, and long legs that made me taller than most of my class. The silky slick fabric clung to my hips and flared into pleats that floated around me as I turned circles in front of the dressing room mirror.
“How much is it?” Cassie slipped a similar blue dress over her head, but it got caught on her wide shoulders and she ended up tearing it. “Fuck. I don’t have enough money to pay for this. My mom’s gonna kill me. Think the cashier lady will notice if I hang it back up myself instead of putting it on the reject rod?”
I shrugged. “I’ll pay for it. Daddy doesn’t care how much I spend.”
“Won’t he notice you don’t have a navy blue dress with your red one?”
“Nope. He just pays the bill. I bought some stuff