The Game Changer (41 page)

There was silence on the other end of the line, then, “Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, Ava,” Melody said quickly. “I was really looking forward to today, and I’ve been working hard on your new room.”

“It’s okay,” Ava said quietly.

Melody’s heart gave a painful little tug. Just when her relationship with Ava was finally getting on track, she had to go and set it back. “I promise I’ll make it up to you. When I get home, I’ll finish your room, and you can come stay for a whole weekend if you want.”

“Okay,” Ava said again.

Melody searched her mind for something else to say, but she was afraid anything she told Ava right now would seem like empty promises. She was surprised when Ava spoke again. “Tell Julian I hope his dad feels better.”

Maybe Ava understood the situation better than Melody gave her credit for. “I will. I’ll see you soon okay? I love you, Ava.” The last words slipped out without her thinking, and she held her breath through the long silence that followed.

“Bye, Melody.” There was a click and the dial tone sounded in Melody’s ear.

Melody let out a long breath and tossed her phone onto the bedside table. “Well,
that
went well. Maybe now I can find a baby to steal candy from or a puppy to kick.”

She rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Hoping to clear her head, she turned the water on lukewarm and stepped into the shower, closing her eyes as the water fell rhythmically over her, massaging her back and shoulders. Despite her feelings of guilt over letting Ava down, she couldn’t regret coming to Ottawa with Julian. He had needed someone to be with him, and after last night…well, how could she be sorry about that?

Shutting the water off, she stepped from the shower and walked into the bedroom. The sound of the front door opening made her heart trip in her chest. She debated going to greet Julian wearing nothing but her towel, and taking his mind off things the way she had just hours before, but thought better of it in case his mother was with him.

She pulled clothes haphazardly from her bag and dressed quickly. “Julian?” she called, walking down the hall and stopping at the head of the stairs.

Bonnie appeared at the bottom of the curved staircase. “Just me,” she called. She looked tired and pale, but she smiled warmly at Melody. “Julian’s gone to do a few things, but he’ll be back.” She held up a takeout bag and motioned for Melody to come downstairs before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen.

Gone to do a few things?
Melody thought. She had hoped Julian would be as anxious to see her as she was to see him. With a shrug, she traipsed down the stairs and found Bonnie in the kitchen unpacking containers of Chinese food.

“I know it’s early, but I haven’t had a proper meal in almost twenty-four hours, and I’m famished. I hope you like Chinese.”

“Love it,” Melody told her.

“Good.” Bonnie gave her a small, tired smile and handed her a fork.

They fixed their plates in silence, and Melody poured them iced tea from a pitcher she found in the fridge. They sat on stools at the kitchen island, and for some reason Melody was glad she didn’t have to face Bonnie. She knew she tended to wear her emotions all over her face, and she didn’t want Bonnie to guess the thoughts that were running through her head, since most of them were about Bonnie’s son.

“I really can’t thank you enough for coming with Julian,” Bonnie said after several minutes of silence.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Melody told her. “Julian’s one of my closest friends. I’d do anything for him.”

Bonnie nodded slowly, casting a sidelong glance at Melody. “I know this might not be appropriate, but I’m going to blame it on the exhaustion…” She smiled slightly, taking a second to spear a piece of broccoli on her fork. “It seems like you and Julian are more than just friends.”

Melody felt her cheeks flush. She bowed her head further over her plate, shuffling her food around to buy herself time while she came up with an appropriate answer.

“I’m sorry,” Bonnie said, waving her hand as if batting the words away. “It’s none of my business. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Melody said, straightening up and meeting Bonnie’s eyes. “I…well, I don’t know what Julian and I are at the moment, to be honest. I think it’s safe to say we’re developing feelings for each other, but…I don’t know if we’re going to pursue them.”

“What are you afraid of?” Bonnie asked.

Wow, hit the nail right on the head there
, Melody thought. Was her fear really that obvious? She wondered if she’d always projected her fear and everyone else had noticed but her. “I guess I’m afraid of ruining our friendship. Or things not working out. Or…well…Julian’s sort of…”

“A man-whore,” Bonnie stated matter-of-factly.

Melody choked on a bite of chicken. She half-coughed and half-laughed as Bonnie patted her on the back and pushed Melody’s glass of iced tea toward her.

“I love my son to death, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what he’s like,” Bonnie explained, angling herself on her stool so she faced Melody. “But I also know that I’d like to see my boy settle down, preferably with a nice girl like you.” She laid her hand over Melody’s until Melody reluctantly met her gaze. “You’re all he talks about. There’s been a change in him since you two met. He’s…” She waved her hand around again as if she hoped to grasp the word out of the air. “Happier, for starters. He’s always been sort of laidback, but he’s been on a whole new level of calm these past few weeks. Just totally different. Even his father noticed a change, and god bless him, but the man is generally oblivious to that sort of thing.”

Melody smiled faintly. “That could just be because his business is doing well,” she reasoned.

Bonnie shook her head and smiled knowingly. “I don’t think so. He’s happy about that, yes, but that still wouldn’t account for him bringing your name up in every conversation we’ve had. And before you say it’s because you’re friends and you spend time together, I’ll tell you again that I know my son. Something has changed.”

Change. It seemed to be the theme of Melody’s life lately.

“I’ll just say one more thing, and then I’ll let it go…for now,” Bonnie said with a twinkle in her eye. “If you think there’s a possibility of something more than just friendship between the two of you, don’t worry about the what ifs and the whys and everything else. None of that is important if the feelings are there.” She touched a finger to her own heart, and Melody noticed the rings on her left hand winking in the sunlight that streamed through the French doors.

“And don’t worry about his past,” Bonnie continued. “I know it’s not the ideal history for a partner, but Julian’s a good boy, and he’s not defined by the number of bedmates he’s had over the years. He’s never said as much to me, but I think he’s just been waiting for the right girl to come along and turn things around for him. Something worth changing the name of the game, if you know what I mean.”

Melody felt the corners of her lips tug upward. “I think I do,” she said slowly.

Bonnie patted Melody’s hand and went back to her lunch.

When they finished eating, Melody offered to clean up. Bonnie let her, saying that she was going up to take a shower and change her clothes, then head back to the hospital.

“Oh, and Melody?” Bonnie paused in the doorway and waited until Melody looked at her. “Don’t let Julian fool you. That cool confidence is often just a façade. It’s a comfortable mask for him now, but sometimes it’s just that—a mask. There are times when I still see that lonely, insecure young boy. So be there…even when he doesn’t necessarily make it easy.”

Like when he told me sleeping together would have been a mistake, and then tried to convince me not to come to Ottawa,
Melody thought.
But he needed me. I know he did. And he still does.
“Thank you, Bonnie. I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.” Bonnie stepped back into the kitchen and gave Melody a quick hug. “And for what it’s worth,” she whispered in her ear before pulling away, “I hope things work out for the two of you. You’ve been good for him.” She winked at Melody and threw a little wave over her shoulder as she headed out of the kitchen.

Melody tidied the kitchen, then wandered into the living room, wanting to give Bonnie privacy upstairs. In the daylight, she could see just how large the house was. The kitchen led into a formal dining room with a table large enough to seat at least twelve, and a beautiful antique sideboard that Melody stood and admired before moving on to the living room.

Bright and spacious, the room was filled with comfortable-looking furniture, bookshelves that nearly overflowed with books, and beautiful artwork and framed photographs on the wall. It reminded Melody a lot of Julian’s apartment in Bellevue, and she smiled to herself thinking how his childhood home must have influenced his design sense.

Drawn to the bookshelf, Melody ran her fingers along the spines. She was thrilled when she encountered a book about the Canadian Maritimes, and she drew it out eagerly, taking it to the cushioned rocking chair by the window. She became instantly engrossed in the book, making mental notes of places she, her mother, and Ava should visit that summer. She was surprised when she realized an hour had passed and Bonnie hadn’t returned from upstairs.

She was about to go check on her when she heard movement above her head, then hurried footsteps on the stairs. Bonnie raced past the living room, then backtracked and stopped in the doorway, slightly breathless. “I showered and got dressed, then sat down on the bed for a minute to collect myself before heading out, and I must have fallen asleep.” She pulled a wristwatch from her pocket, fiddling with the band before finally getting it fastened. “Joe will be wondering where I am. Will you be okay here until Julian gets back?”

“Of course.” Melody marked her page and set the book on the chair. She crossed the room and stopped in front of Bonnie. “I’m sure Joe is fine. He’ll probably be pleased that you got to rest a bit.”

Bonnie blew out a breath. “You’re probably right,” she agreed. “He kept telling me to go home and get some sleep, but I didn’t want to leave him.”

“You need to take care of yourself, too,” Melody told her. “Is there anything I can get you before you go, or do for you while you’re gone?”

“You’re sweet,” Bonnie said, smiling distractedly and glancing at her watch. “I can’t think of anything. I’ll see you later?”

Melody assured her she would, and walked her to the door, waving her off before locking the door. Returning to the living room, she picked up the book and continued reading. She had thought Julian would be back by now or that he’d at least send her a message, but she hadn’t heard from him.

After reading the book cover to cover, Melody replaced it and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Taking her cup out onto the front porch, she sat in a whicker chair and admired the quiet, tree-lined neighbourhood. She tried to picture Julian living here as a teenager—she imagined a lot of kids lived in the area, which likely made it even more isolating for Julian since none of them wanted anything to do with him until Gil came along. She’d always known she was incredibly lucky to have Olivia, but when she thought of how lonely Julian must have been, she was even more thankful that Olivia had always been there for her.

Feeling a sudden pang in her chest from missing Olivia, Melody was about to pull out her cell phone when Julian’s car pulled into the driveway. She stood immediately and made her way down the steps to meet him. “Hey stranger,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Hey,” he said, hugging her back quickly and then pulling away. Not exactly the greeting she’d been hoping for after last night. “Sorry I was gone so long. I just had some things I needed to…” He waved one hand in a vague gesture, then motioned for Melody to follow him back up to the house.

Inside, he left his shoes on and headed straight for the kitchen. Melody saw him eyeing the small bar on the far side of the room with its fancy decanters of assorted alcohols, but he poured himself a glass of water and downed it in a few gulps.

“I talked to my mom awhile ago,” he said a bit breathlessly, setting the glass down hard on the counter. “After the latest round of tests, the doctors say my dad’s going to be okay, but he’s going to need a lot of care when he comes home, and he’ll have to make some major changes in his lifestyle.”

Melody watched Julian closely. His face was pale, his hair disheveled, and he stood stiffly by the counter avoiding Melody’s gaze. There was something he wasn’t telling her.

“That’s usually the case after a heart attack,” she said slowly, hoping to prompt him into telling her what was on his mind.