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The magic words brought a waitress to their sides.
“Good afternoon, and welcome to Kidstravaganza. My name is Veronica and I’ll be your hostess.”
Melodie was of the uncharitable opinion that Veronica’s too-sweet smile just might put her in a sugar coma. The thought was immediately followed by a frown. She was rarely catty, so she couldn’t figure out what had made her react that way. It surely couldn’t be the admiring glances being cast in Trenton’s direction. Admittedly, he looked incredibly attractive in his disheveled state, but even if Veronica was flirting with him, what did that matter to Melodie?
It didn’t matter at all, as a matter of fact. If Veronica the bimbo wanted to play goo-goo eyes with Trenton, then she could just knock herself out. Melodie refused to make a fool of herself for any man, especially one as unattainable as this rich lawyer guy. If she was on the hunt, which she most certainly was not, she knew better than to pick someone so completely opposite from her type. And Mr. Perfectly-Pressed-Suitand-Tie was definitely not her style.
Before she realized it, pizza and salad had been ordered without her input and Veronica was sashaying away.
“—hope that’s all right.”
“What?” she asked, trying to focus on Trenton’s words.
“I said, you didn’t say anything while I was ordering so I hope pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of cola is all right with you.”
“Yes, that’s fine. I would rather have had iced tea but that’s okay.”
His forehead furrowed. “I’m sorry. I’ll call her back-”
“No. That’s okay. It’s not worth the hassle.”
“Yes, it is, if that’s what you want. I should have gotten your attention sooner.”
A headache was building behind her right eye. “I said it was all right. We’re talking about a glass of tea here, not a new car.”
“Melodie—”
“For heaven’s sake! Does anyone ever argue with you?” she snapped as she pressed two fingers against her closed eye.
He was obviously taken aback.
“That’s what I thought. Look, Trenton the Valiant, if I was determined to have the stupid drink, I’d let you come to my rescue and reorder. So can we just drop it?”
“Certainly.”
A glance across the table told her she’d just insulted the man again.
She sighed. “I apologize. That was unfair. I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m not usually this grumpy.” In the time it had taken her to argue with him, the pain in her head had gone from a twinge to near agony.
He must have heard the sincerity in her voice for his body language changed immediately. “Please don’t give it another thought. I can see you’re not feeling well.”
“Are you all right, Miss Melodie?”
Melodie forced a smile for Amber’s sake. “I’m fine, sweetheart. My head just hurts a little bit.”
“Do you have a sperin?”
Trenton looked at Amber, frowning. “A what?”
“An aspirin,” Melodie supplied. “I have some medicine in my glove compartment. I’ll go get it in a minute.”
“I’ll collect it for you,” Trenton said as he stood. Joey had given him the key, and they had the locker open before Melodie could protest.
“It’s all right, really. I’ll go out in a minute.”
She had no intention of telling him she’d rather endure her headache than have him get a close-up look of her car. Right behind that thought came the taunt of: why should she care what he thought of her car? And on the heels of that came the brilliant final thrust of: she just did, that’s why.
Her protest proved unsurprisingly futile as she watched Trent leave the building. The children were quiet, their little faces serious.
She smiled again. “Hey, guys, I’m fine. Don’t look so glum. It’s just a little headache.”
The reassurance didn’t work. She didn’t get them to smile at her until Trent handed her the bottle of medicine and she swallowed a pill.
“See, all better.”
Freed from their concern, the kids dug into the newly arrived pizza. Melodie tried, but it would be a while yet before she could eat. More unnerving than the headache—which would dissipate as soon as the medicine hit her system—were Trent’s assessing glances over the table.
“Please don’t be concerned. I get these all the time. I’m feeling much better.” She couldn’t explain why she felt the urge to reassure him.
“I’m glad.” He looked at her again, his expression unfathomable. “You, Miss Allford, are a mass of incongruity.”
Surprise set her back in her chair. “What makes you say that, Mr. Laroquette?”
“I can’t read you very well, and that bothers me.”
“So is this a crime punishable by jail time, or merely a fine?” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“No crime, just a surprise.”
“Oh, good. I like surprises.”
He glanced at her sharply. “I don’t.”
“Really? Why?”
He studied her for a long moment but didn’t answer. She felt compelled to cover the silence.
“I guess I’m probably your worst nightmare, then. I’ve been told by more than one person that I absolutely defy logic.”
“I think that’s a female prerogative.”
“Oh! Already on to the sexist comments.”
“No, just a statement of fact. And I didn’t say it was a bad thing. It’s what makes women such wonderfully complex, stimulating creatures.”
Melodie knew she should be feeling the politically correct righteous anger that his statement ought to invoke, but somehow she knew that he meant it as a compliment. Her gut told her this man was a Southern gentleman. She’d bet her bottom dollar that he would treat any woman as his equal in the business world, but he still opened doors and held coats and walked dates to their doors. She personally felt there was room to be strong and still be feminine. The two were not mutually exclusive.
“I’m not the only incongruity around here,” she shot back, breaking out of her reverie.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re quite an enigma yourself.”
“So I guess we’re both intrigued.”
“Possibly, but I have to be honest and tell you that I feel you’re being coerced into including me on this project.”
“I—”
“Uncle Trenton, Joey’s sticking his tongue out.”
“Am not!”
“Are, too!”
“Hold it, guys,” Trenton interjected before an all-out brawl ensued. “What’s going on?”
Joey lowered his eyes to the table. “Nothing.”
“Uh-huh,” Amber argued. “He was bein’ gross.”
“Joey?” Trenton waited, a wealth of questions behind the simple name.
“I was just trying to be funny. She’s just a little ninny, that’s all.”
Ninny? Melodie wondered. She had no idea kids used the word ninny these days.
“Are you guys finished eating?” The two nodded. “Then why don’t you go play on the second playground.”
The two were off like bolts of lightning, and Trenton shook his head. “I just love those kids.”
“They are darlings, that’s for sure. Can I make a big leap here and assume they are the reason behind this video?”
“Part of it, certainly. My market research gives me hope that it will also be a lucrative project. It would be a nice addition to their trust funds.”
Melodie settled back and crossed her legs comfortably. “How did you get started in all this?”
“Their mother, who is my sister, is a radio/TV/film major at U.T. Bridgette has to do a video for a school assignment and she mentioned one day that she couldn’t find any good children’s exercise videos. We both just looked at each other.”
Melodie raised an eyebrow. “And the rest, as they say, is history?”
“Pretty much. Her project doesn’t have to be marketed, but after doing some research, we figured that if she was going to do all that work, she might as well get something out of it.”
“Just she? You’re not involved?”
“I’m fronting the expenses, but that’s all I’m going to let Bridgette pay me back. This is for her and the kids.”
“That’s awfully nice of you.”
“They’re very special to me.”
The love and caring she saw in his eyes made her uncomfortable. He was obviously the kind of big brother every girl dreamed of having. Bridgette was one of the lucky ones to actually get an older sibling like Trenton. Other big brothers weren’t quite as close to the mark.
She cleared her throat. “So where do I come in?”
“We envision this as a dance video. We had someone lined up to lead it, but she had to back out due to an illness in her family. Now we need to recast the role.”
After they briefly discussed the financial terms, Melodie admitted she was interested, but every time she looked at Trenton, her gut meter went off in warning. It was the voice that said, “Danger! Nice guy ahead.” Nice guys, as a whole, were all right, but they tended to be awfully straitlaced.
Worse yet, she knew from some of Serena’s gossip that Trent was not only a nice guy, he was a nice guy hunting for a wife. Not that he’d ever cast her in that role, but the last thing she needed was to be locked into a project with a guy that made her nervous. And nice guys could never understand that she wasn’t going to sacrifice who she was on the altar of marriage. Men always started out saying they won’t ask a woman to give up her career or her dreams, but she’d watched too many of her friends cave in when their husbands put on the pressure. She didn’t have the time or the desire to play that game.
Time. Now there was the real problem. She didn’t have the time to devote to this project, even if she were so inclined. So all in all, it would just be easiest if she let them both off the hook.
“Look, Trent, I appreciate you talking to me about the video and all, but I don’t think I’m your girl.”
He looked at her for a long moment, and Melodie appreciated his honesty by not offering false disappointment.
“If you’re sure…” he began.
Melodie nodded. “Yes, I think it would be best. I do want to thank you for the opportunity.”
“My pleasure.”
She doubted it, but it was nice of him to say anyway.
They stood and were shaking hands when Joey burst into the room. “Uncle Trenton! Amber threw up!”
Trent turned and raced to the play area. He’d barely reached the door when Amber came through and launched herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face.
“I was just…” The rest of her words were lost in her sobs. Melodie stroked the child’s head comfortingly.
“She was hanging upside down on the monkey bars when she hurled all over everything. It was cool!” Joey supplied with typical brotherly concern.
Attendants hurried to the area with cleaning supplies, and a manager came over to them. “Is the child all right, sir?”
“Yes, she’s fine. I should have made her wait longer after eating.”
“That’s quite all right. This happens often.”
Trenton stood with Amber in his arms and gave Melodie a wry smile over the little girl’s shoulder. “Look, Melodie—”
They both gave exasperated sighs as his cellular phone chirped in his pocket. Shifting Amber, he answered the summons.
Feeling awkward about listening to his side of the conversation, Melodie tried to focus her attention elsewhere. This was one of those situations the protocol police needed to come up with some new rules for. Did one stand there and listen obviously? Did one look off and pretend not to listen? Did one physically move away? Melodie decided if she could find the time she was going to write a book: Cellular Phones and the Men Who Love Them.
It should be a bestseller.
Thankfully, he kept the conversation short. When she brought her attention back to him, it was obvious that he wasn’t exactly happy.
