Melt (Steel Brothers Saga #4)(58)

“Sure,” he said. “Have it your way.”

Melanie was looking down, her arms still crossed over her chest, even though the water was covering her. I got out, naked as a jaybird, and tossed my boxers on. Jade had the decency to look away as she rubbed Lucy behind her ears. I grabbed the robe for Melanie, used it to cover her as she got out of the pool, and then wrapped it around her.

“Do you want to go inside?” I asked Jade and Talon.

“Sure,” Talon said. “We have some news.”





Chapter Twenty–Eight





Melanie




If I’d had one wish at that moment, it would have been for a giant hole to open up right next to Jonah’s pool and swallow me. I was completely embarrassed. How unprofessional! I was Talon’s therapist, for God’s sake. And here I was, naked, and in his brother’s pool.

I needed to excuse myself fast. Of course, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I walked briskly through the kitchen and back to Jonah’s bedroom to put on my clothes…and found that only my bra was on the floor. The rest of my clothes were in the kitchen, strewn on the floor, no doubt being seen by Talon and Jade at that moment.

“What the hell have I done?” I said aloud.

“You haven’t done anything wrong.” Jonah stood in the doorway, holding my clothes. “Here you go. Get dressed. There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about. Then come out and join us. We’re going to have a drink at the kitchen table and look at the new evidence Talon and Jade have.”

“This is really none of my business.”

“Of course it’s your business. You know the whole story. You probably know it better than either Jade or I do. I talked to Talon. He doesn’t mind you being here.”

I imagined the two of them guffawing and patting each other on the back, congratulating each other on their conquests. My God, this was so unprofessional.

Joe grabbed a pair of jeans, pulled them on, and then walked out of the room. He turned back to me. “Take your time, but please, don’t worry about anything.”

What the hell? Right now, I wasn’t allowed to practice in my chosen field. Talon probably already knew, had gotten a call from Randi earlier. I took off Jonah’s robe and hung it up in his closet to dry out, and then I went to the bathroom and dried myself off with one of his soft cotton towels. My hair was a mess from the earlier shower and now from the pool. I combed through it as best I could and then put my work clothes back on.

“Now or never,” I said aloud. I walked out of the room, down the hallway, toward the kitchen.

And then made a beeline to the front door, where I escaped.



I didn’t particularly want to go back to my loft, so I decided to go into the little town of Snow Creek and do some exploring. The Western slope was home to many little towns, but I usually stayed in the city. I couldn’t help but be a little curious about the hometown of one of my most successful patients…and his brother.

Thinking about Talon’s healing made me feel a little better, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t get me back into practice. I would have to call each of my patients individually, referring them to another therapist while I was taking my “leave of absence.” And of course Talon would be on that list. I’d have to find a good fit for each of them. However, there were some—and Talon was in this category—who would be fine going without a session for three weeks. Talon no longer needed weekly sessions. He had come so far. I was proud of him.

A sign decorated with Colorado peaches said “Welcome to Snow Creek, Colorado” as I entered the town. It didn’t take long to find the downtown area. There wasn’t much parking, so I drove through the little town, which was no more than a few blocks long and housed a mom-and-pop grocery store, several restaurants, a hardware store, a bar called Murphy’s, a café called Rita’s, a beauty salon—all the small-town essentials.

On the outskirts of town, several roadside stands were set up selling peaches and apples.

I decided to drive back through. Luckily, someone was just leaving, so I found a parking spot on the street. I got out and walked around.

I ambled into Rita’s Café and ordered an iced tea. I took it to go and sipped it as I walked down the street, looking in windows. A cute little antique store caught my eye, and I strolled in, perusing their selection.

The woman behind the counter smiled and asked if she could help me with anything, but other than that didn’t bother me, which was just as I preferred it. A phoenix figurine caught my eye. Talon had talked a lot about the symbolism of the phoenix during our sessions and how it had become a contradictory image in his mind. For some reason, the little figurine drew me. I wasn’t sure why, but I picked it up. It looked fairly new. Why was it in an antique shop?

If only I could be a phoenix. If only I could escape from everything that was torturing me now and rise again.

But there was no escape for me. Gina Cates was dead, and now it looked as though I was going to pay for it—probably all because I’d made one ill-advised phone call out of guilt, when I knew better.

And the phoenix—it was also a symbol of the man who had stolen Talon Steel’s innocence. I swallowed back a lump clogging my throat, put the figurine back on the shelf, and left the shop, taking a business card on my way out.