Lucy cheers me up a little. She's so sweet, so vulnerable. I can't be angry when I'm with her. I sit in the living room feeding and bathing her while Andrew and Dad set the world to rights and discuss sports results in the kitchen with not a care in the world.
I try really hard not to slam my door when I go to my room in case I wake Lucy. But I might have banged it a little hard.
"God help you coping with her moods," I hear Dad say.
Thanks for nothing, Dad.
It takes me ages to fall asleep. I'm fuming. Hurt and fuming. I've just been stupid. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved. My own stupid fault. Stupid. Stupid Stupid. I'll leave in a few weeks. He'll be happy with that perfect Scandinavian nanny. I was right. It turned out she was from Sweden. Wherever she's from, it doesn't make any difference. Andrew has spoiled my whole trip. But I did it. I did it to myself. Stupid stupid me.
*
Dad leaves after breakfast to go to his meeting in London. "Great to see you both," he says. "Sorry it was just a fly-in-visit. And Melissa, cheer up or Andrew will have had enough of you before your six weeks are up. I hope she hasn't been too much trouble."
"No trouble at all," Andrew says, smoothly.
It's like I'm some kind of joke.
Dad gives me a hug. "I'll see you in a few weeks, honey. Have a great time in Europe seeing the sights, and then I've got a great project lined up for you. You know that account you were working on the last break? It's come through, so you can cut your teeth on that."
Great! Why does that do nothing for me at all? That's a good start for anyone in a company. It's just not my choice. I'll do it for him, not for me.
We wave Dad off from the front door. I guess Andrew and I will have to talk now. It's his day off, so he's not rushing to get to work. But I don't want to hear what he has to say. I know he's going to let me down gently, tell me I'm being ridiculous, lie to me to try to keep me sweet so he can get inside my pants for the rest of my stay.
And then I get a text, so I go into the kitchen and answer it.
CHAPTER 22
Andrew
Shit! Melissa is not happy with me at all. I can't blame her for being upset if she thinks she means nothing to me. I haven't been able to get her alone to reassure her. It's time we talked, so I follow her into the kitchen and when she stops texting, I say "You're wrong about me. You might not believe it, but I care about you."
"You're pretty calm making all the arrangements for after I'm gone, getting yourself a replacement, so why would I believe you?"
"Melissa, for fuck's sake, I'm trying not to put you off going on your trip. You've looked forward to doing something like that for a long time. Your dad told me that. And I could tell you were excited about it when you first arrived."
"I'm still excited. Excited about getting out of this ... situation."
Fuck! She calls this a situation. I'm in this deep. She's about to break my heart when she goes and she calls it a situation!
"You know that this is more than that. Look at me and tell me you think it's just that."
She can't look at me.
"It's more, isn't it, for both of us? We got into this with our eyes wide open. We knew there would be an end to it but I couldn't help it and I don't think you could either."
"No," she says. And suddenly she's in my arms and I kiss her softly and then more firmly because I want to kiss the hell out of her, and after a moment of hesitation, she kisses me back, our kisses getting harder and deeper until somehow, we're against the countertop, her hands holding me tight as if she doesn't want to let me go, though she's the one who is leaving. I feel her soft body against mine, but I'm anything but soft. Far from it.
"I'm sorry for the past two days," I say.
"Just think if Dad had come at the wrong moment."
"If he had found us together the visit would have gone differently, for sure. So, what now? No work again today. Let's do something special so I can make it up to you."
She colors. "I'm going out."
Why is she embarrassed about telling me that? "Out where? Sorry, not that it's any of my business. I'm just a situation."
She pulls a face at that. "It's just a guy I met on the plane. He's going around Europe too. He wanted to meet for a coffee."
That guy from the airport?
"So go then, if you'd rather spend the day with him."
"If you're going to get in a mood, just because I'm meeting a friend for coffee, then yes, I would rather go than stay here. A nice, uncomplicated coffee."
It's my turn to clatter around in the kitchen banging pots around. Is she enjoying making me jealous? What does that guy mean to her? I can't bear the thought of her going to Europe with him. I've had dreams of going with her but of course, I can't. I have a fucking situation here.
She comes out of her room looking beautiful-for him. But when she sees my face she says "It's only a coffee."
I have to show her she's mine right now. I glance over at Lucy safe and sound on her play mat burbling to her toy giraffe and I follow Melissa out to the hall.
"In my experience, coffee is only the start. After coffee comes kissing." I run my hand over her lips and she stands there looking at me, her eyes wide. And then I kiss her. She doesn't respond at first and then she says "Oh Andrew" and she's there with me again in my arms, kissing me right back.
"And … " I unbutton her blouse and push up her bra to take her in my mouth. She gives a sharp intake of breath "... after kissing, there's more ... "
"Andrew, I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can." She fastens her clothes.
"I'll be waiting and I'm gonna fuck you so hard you won't ever want to leave. Remember that when you're drinking cappuccino."
She laughs and pulls a face.
"Are we good?" I ask her, though I know the answer
"We're good."
She opens the front door to make her escape, and I pull her to me again for a long lingering kiss. We're definitely good. Fucking good.
A car door slams and I look up. Duncan is staring at us, his face furious.
"What the fuck!" he says, getting out of his car and Melissa shrieks.
CHAPTER 23
Melissa
I guess I'm not going out for coffee after all. Dad grabs hold of my arm, pulling me into the house. Andrew stands aside and lets us in.
"She's my daughter, Duncan, you bastard. She's only twenty-one. I trusted you."
"It's not like that, Dad." I have to make him see what Andrew means to me. He has it all wrong.
"And I trusted you, too, Melissa. How long has this been going on?"
"A few weeks," I tell him. "It's not like you think."
He ignores me. "The whole time you've been here?"
"Yes."
"So, you couldn't even wait five minutes to get into her pants!" he snarls at Andrew.
"Dad!" This is horrible. If only he'd been ten minutes later, none of this would have happened. I would have been on the train to London. And suddenly I remember. "I have to let Paul know I'm not going."
"Who's Paul?"
"Just a guy I met on the plane. I was going to meet him for coffee."
"Do I even know you? A couple of weeks in England and you're making out with every guy you meet?"
"Paul's just a friend."
"And is Andrew just a friend too? It didn't look like it to me."
"No, he's more than a friend."
Dad shakes his head like he can't believe what he's hearing. "And what about you, Andrew. Is Melissa just a 'friend' to you?"
"Much more than that."
"Or so you say. You just broke up with Angela. You're telling me this means something? Because I don't believe it."
"I love her, Duncan. I love your daughter."
I look at Andrew. He loves me?
"You're kidding me," Dad says. "Now I've heard it all. There didn't seem to be much love lost last night. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. I came back because I got a message saying my meeting was switched to a pre-dinner thing and I thought I'd take you two to lunch. I thought I could mend some bridges and make the next few weeks easier on you both. After all, it was my fault I put you in the same house. And I find this!"
"We were arguing when you arrived yesterday. We made up." I tell him.
"That figures. I can't get over this. He's forty-two, Melissa, twice your age, almost the same age as me. You have your whole life ahead of you, a trip around Europe, a promising career. Is that not enough for you?"
"Melissa is still going on her trip, Duncan. I'm not stopping her. Far from it. I'm encouraging her to go, to live her life. I don't want to stop her from doing anything."
"Well then, you'll get over this, Melissa. But I'm not sure we will, Andrew," Dad says, turning his back on us like he can't stand to look at us standing there together.
I take hold of his arm. "Don't be like that. You've been friends for years. Don't stop being friends because of me."
He pulls his arm away as if he can't bear me to touch him. "It seems that means nothing to Andrew. I'm going straight to London and I'll see you back in L.A., Melissa, when you've come to your senses."
Andrew starts, "Duncan, I..." but I interrupt him.
"Don't leave like that, Dad. What if I decide that L.A. is not for me? What if I decide England is where I want to be?"
"Seriously? For god's sake, Melissa. Has he turned your head that much? This is crazy talk. What are you going to do? You're supposed to be joining the company. You've got a great future ahead. Why would you give that all up to stay here?"