All They Need(39)
“I need to dig that charger out for you,” Mel said, pivoting on her heel and heading into the house.
Her sister followed her, watching from the study doorway as Mel stuck her hand down the back of the desk to try to pull the charger from the outlet. She could just reach it with her fingertips.
“I’m sorry,” Justine said after a moment.
The plug was wedged in too tightly and Mel couldn’t get a good grip on it. She dropped to her knees and crawled under her desk, yanking the damned thing free. When she emerged, she looked at her sister.
“I know I made mistakes, Just. If I had it to do over, there are about a million things I would change. But I don’t need you judging me as well. I’ve got enough of that going on in my own head, without you joining in.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just get so angry on your behalf sometimes.”
Mel stood and handed the charger over. “I know. And I appreciate your concern. But you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve learned my lesson. Believe me. No one will ever do that to me again.”
Mel had made a vow to herself in the early weeks of her separation. It had been a painful time as she’d struggled to come to terms with how much of herself she’d given away during her marriage. Sitting with her new self-awareness, looking back over the past six years with wiser, sadder eyes, she’d made a promise—never again would she put herself in another person’s power the way she had during her marriage.
Never.
Justine nodded. “I believe you.”
They walked to the door. Justine put her arms around Mel and gave her a hug. “I really am sorry.”
“Forget about it. It’s okay,” Mel said.
And it was okay. Her sister had been a rock in the aftermath of her marriage; she could hardly blame Justine for wanting to protect her from future hurts, even if the only person who could ever really do that was Mel herself.
“Thanks for the charger. I’ll pick up a new one tomorrow and get this back to you ASAP,” Justine said as she started down the steps toward her car.
“No worries.” Mel stood on the porch in the cold for a while after her sister had driven away. It was strange, but out of all the things that her sister had said, the two things that lingered were Justine’s comment about Mel not protecting herself and the disparaging reference her sister had made to Flynn, calling him an “I-own-the-world *.” Standing in the cool darkness, Mel felt…not guilty, but close to it for not correcting her sister’s assumptions. Flynn had shared a meal with her as well as offering her a window into matters that were clearly deeply important to him. He might be wealthy, but he wasn’t an imperious *. He was open and interested and friendly and talented and creative and incredibly generous, given what he’d sacrificed for his father, and she felt as though she’d betrayed him by letting her sister’s disparaging comment slip by.
I like him.
It was a fairly obvious realization, but it hit her like a slap. It was one thing to be attracted to him—she figured that was simply about being female and having eyes in her head—but to like the man behind the gorgeous face…that was a different matter entirely. It felt much more dangerous and threatening, especially after the conversation she’d had with her sister.
Unsettled, she reentered her house, heading for the kitchen to check the possibilities for dessert. Instantly, she spotted Flynn’s keys, sitting on the counter. She’d forgotten to give them back to him.
Oh, well done, Porter. Well done.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE FARTHER HE GOT from Mel’s place, the more Flynn felt like a dick. He couldn’t believe that he’d elbowed his way into her home and proceeded to dump all his crap on her. Every time he thought about how he’d almost cried he squirmed in his seat. Sure, he’d redeemed himself a little with the garden discussion afterward, but still…
She’d been great about it, hearing him out and offering her thoughts and feeding him, but that was beside the point. He felt as though he’d rolled over and displayed his soft underbelly to her like a beseeching puppy dog.
Was he really that desperate for a little comfort and companionship? This was the sort of behavior that had wound up with him hurting Hayley. He needed to get a grip.
Although, in all fairness, it had taken him a long time to tell Hayley what was going on with his parents. They’d been sleeping together for well over a couple of months before he’d shared his father’s diagnosis with her. It wasn’t information that he bandied about, out of respect for his father’s privacy and dignity. But with Mel, he’d let it all hang out. He wasn’t sure why.