Defying the Odds(54)

“Yeah?” she asked in a heavy voice. “I never noticed it. That’s odd.”



“It used to be a rec center. We got swimming lessons all year long and a Jacuzzi.”



“That’s a pretty fancy place to own.” Melody reached behind her, grabbing one of his hands and pulling it around her until it was resting over the soft plane of her stomach. “How’d you buy it?”



“They were gonna close it down, and that place was a haven for us when were growing up. We couldn’t just let it rot to the ground. Wyatt, Jules, and me went in together and bought it. It was looking rough by then and cost more to remodel than to buy it. We renamed it because it was a brand-new place when we were done.”



“Dang, you three must be loaded if you’re fixing up big rec centers with pools and Jacuzzis.”



“We do all right,” Clay confirmed. “But the Cellar doesn’t make us much. We were happy when it started to break even every month. Now we make a little profit, but it’s really a labor of love.”



“I think that’s nice. I’m sure Garnet appreciates you for it.” Melody sighed, sounding more asleep than awake.



Clay let her lie against him in silence. The tub was huge, but with both of them taking up space, it filled up fast. He had to shake Melody when it reached the point that the water needed to be turned off. The way she jerked from his gentle nudge made it obvious she’d fallen asleep. She stretched out her legs, struggling to turn off the faucet with her feet in a way that was comical enough to make Clay laugh out loud.



Melody finally gave up, laughing with him as she leaned forward and turned off the faucet by hand.



She fell back against him with a huff. “Darn faucet. I ain’t never seen a tub I couldn’t turn off with my feet.”



“Is this a specialized skill you’ve developed?” Clay asked, the mirth still heavy in his voice because he’d never once attempted to manipulate a faucet with his feet.



“Yes, it is,” Melody said with another laugh. “I love baths, and I’ve become an expert at taking them. I used to have a big garden tub in Ohio, and it was the only highlight of being married to Justin. That tub was my escape. It didn’t have jets, though. How’d ya turn them on?”



Clay turned around, searching for a button to turn on the jets rather than focus on the sinking feeling in his chest that blossomed once more. He found the button and pushed it, making the big bathtub burst to life.



Melody actually squealed in excitement as she placed her feet over the jets at the front of the tub. “If I was sad ’bout not having a tub at my little place back home, I’m real broken over it now. I could get used to this.”



Hot tubs reminded Clay of sports medicine, and he wasn’t overly thrilled with them. Being in one usually meant he was hurting pretty damn badly, but he was excited for Melody. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying the experience, and he had to admit lying in the bubbling hot water with her snuggled naked against him could easily change his mind about them.



He tried to focus on those things, the good things, rather than the tightness in his chest, but it wasn’t working. Clay couldn’t seem to stop himself from dragging it out in the open, because he didn’t want any walls up between them.



“Mel.” He finally sighed in defeat. “Will you tell me ’bout Justin?”



Melody turned around, looking surprised rather than affronted. “What’d you wanna know?”



Clay shrugged, feeling shy. “I dunno, just anything—everything. Does that make me an asshole?”



Melody considered him, her green eyes, so stark when they weren’t hidden behind her glasses, seeming distant. “No, you’re not an asshole. It’s just not, you know…a nice story.”



He wrapped both arms back around her and held tight because he knew her past was haunted and he felt guilty for asking. When he was uncomfortable, he tended to get silent. This time he found himself actually wishing for Wyatt’s gift of gab because he couldn’t think of anything to say to make things better as Melody turned around and settled against his chest once more.



“My daddy got sick,” Melody finally whispered over the hum of the jets. “And it was terrible ’cause he was so big and so strong and he took care of us. I wish you could’ve met him, Clay, ’cause he was a real good man. He never said much, but his heart was golden. He’d give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it.”



Clay smiled. “Sorta like someone else I know.”