After scanning the room, I turned to signal for another drink when a bright light caught my attention.
I got up and walked toward him.
“Derek, I believe Melody asked you to stay away from her.”
He was recording Melody with his phone. I would have snagged it and slammed it against the table, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.
“Please stop filming.” I stood in front, blocking his view.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I can be wherever I want to be. I sure as hell can film my girlfriend.”
The man was past delusional.
I pulled a chair over and sat next to him.
“Melody asked you to stay the hell away from her. If you don’t leave immediately, I will call the police. I’m a man you don’t want to fuck with.”
“You don’t own the place, asshole!”
The fucker was going to make a scene.
I looked toward Melody, who seemed not to have noticed, but a few people next to us had.
“You and Melody haven’t been a thing for years. It looks to me like you’re stalking her.”
His face turned red. “I moved here for her. I don’t know what lies she’s telling you, but we are trying to work things out.”
“You are one crazy fucker.” I stood.
He scraped the floor loudly when pushing back his chair, which caused attention to swing to him. This time the music stopped.
Fuck.
“You have one chance to walk out of here, or I will drag your ass out. I promise you, once I drag you out, you won’t be walking for a while.”
He squared his shoulders, and I was prepared to do what needed to be done, but he surprised me when he grabbed his things from the table and stormed out the door.
I looked toward the stage at Melody’s frazzled appearance and gave her a smile with a nod to continue.
The rest of her set wasn’t her best, and I could tell she was barely holding it together. However, I wasn’t sure if she was upset with Derek or me.
It took Melody a while to come out of the restroom after she had finished. When she finally approached the table, I held out my arms, and she stepped in for my embrace.
“I wanted to surprise you, but...”
She said nothing.
I pulled her back by the shoulders.
“I saw Derek filming you and asked him to stop. I also asked him to leave before you noticed him.”
She leaned in and hugged me, laying her face on my chest.
“Thank you, I’m sorry he doesn’t get the picture it’s over.”
I squeezed her firmly, trying to contain the anger of her feeling guilty about that clueless fuck.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Melody collected her things, and I escorted her to the car.
The moment she slid in, I grabbed hold of her, bringing her onto my lap.
“The asshole is a stalker, Melody, and unstable. You need to get a restraining order.”
“He’s harmless.”
“Melody, he said he followed you here from California. Is that true?”
Her eyes went wide, then fell.
“It was six months…”
“Is it true?”
She nodded.
“Fuck, that is insane. Please, for your own safety, get a restraining order.”
“Ben, I-I was more worried about you leaving. Derek doesn’t scare me. I thought he said something that would make you decide I’m not worth the trouble. I’m embarrassed.”
I lifted her sad brown eyes to mine. “This is not your fault. I can see why the sick fuck is so obsessed with you. Hell, if you left me... I might have to come find you.”
She rolled her eyes with a slight grin. I would do anything not to see that sad face again.
“You are full of crap, Ben Schilling.”
“No, I’m serious.” I kissed her firmly.
Seeing the doubt in her eyes regarding how I felt toward her, only made me want to figure things out fast.
I dropped her off at her place with the expectation Saturday would be a better day.
Melody’s smile could warm even my heart in the cold, but I turned up the heat anyway.
“You are truly an enigma. It’s freezing outside, and you have the top down?”
I decided to take the convertible. It was forty degrees, but it was supposed to warm up to sixty later that day.
“I thought you would want to see the coast. Breathe in the fresh air. Grab the blanket in the back.”
She turned around and pulled out the checkered wool blanket I had my housekeeper, Lori, pack.
“You have a lot going on in the backseat I see,” she said, going through the items.
“Get out of there.” I yanked her back into her seat, then took her cold hand in mine. “You will see those later. Now, wrap the blanket around you.”
She threw the blanket over herself before leaning against me. “I love surprises,” she said, smiling brightly.
We drove along Long Island’s coast for a couple of hours. The traffic was horrible, usually, only when it was warmer. It would take hours, and I was hoping the lost time wouldn’t deter my plans.
When I pulled up to the house, Melody asked, “Is this your house?”
The question explained the look on her face. She stared up and down the house as I pulled into the sloped driveway.
“It’s my family’s house. My mom took us here in the summers.”
I grabbed the basket out of the car and took her hand, leading her up the ramp to the front door.
Every time I walked into the house, it was as if I could still smell her, even though it had been many years since she passed away. My father rarely came back here, but my sister and I still used the place in the summer.
“I’ll show you around after I drop this in the kitchen.” I left her to roam while I placed the items in the refrigerator.
When I returned, she was staring out the back windows that faced the ocean. The entire house was framed in glass. We had privacy pixels for the evenings, but you could see straight from the front of the house to the back. One thing my mom had loved most about the house was the lighting, and every room in the house had a great view.
“This place is spectacular. It reminds me of California. I didn’t know homes existed like this in New York,” Melody said, staring out at the ocean.
I took her hand. “I thought you might like it. This was one of my favorite places I spent time with my mother.” I walked her out to the back patio.
“There’re more rooms out here?” she said, looking over the outside kitchen and living area.
I turned her around to the east side of the house and pointed down the path. “Our playset is still over there, to the right.”
“You played?” She laughed.
For a moment, I remembered the sound of my mother’s laughter.
Melody followed me past the outdoor kitchen, through the living area to the pool. I showed her the hot tub, inviting her for a dip anytime, then we headed down the miniature boardwalk onto the beach.
“My father used to have his boat docked out here, but I don’t know where the hell he keeps it now. It could be in Italy.” I threw a rock at the docks bell as we walked by.
Melody’s hand grabbed my forearm. “You mean a yacht? You make it seem like it’s a small boat he’s sailing to Italy.”