The Game Changer (12 page)

Melody bit back a yelp as she jumped and spun around to face Julian. He was grinning broadly at her, his dark eyes alight with humour.

“What?” she said stupidly.

Julian pointed at the rows of cereal in front of them. Melody hadn’t realized what aisle she’d chosen; she had just been standing there blindly, waiting until she thought Julian was gone.

“But I don’t know how well Cinnamon Toast Crunch would go with bacon,” he said, nodding his head toward the package of bacon she was clutching to her chest.

Melody felt heat creep up her neck and into her face. She realized she must look like a complete idiot, standing there in the cereal aisle gripping the bacon like it was a lifeline. She relaxed and tried to smile, hoping it didn’t look like a grimace.

“Olivia’s hung over and apparently she’ll die if she doesn’t eat bacon,” Melody told him. She was ridiculously pleased when his smile grew. “Something about the grease. I don’t know, there’s a study about it, I guess.”

“I think I read about that,” Julian said. Melody could tell he was trying to be serious, but his eyes were still dancing. “You’re all bright and clear-eyed this morning…this afternoon,” he corrected after a quick glance at his watch. “Impervious to the dreaded hangover?”

“This time, surprisingly,” she said. “Olivia usually is, too, but she fell asleep before I could get water into her.”

“Ahh, yes, the key is hydration.” Julian nodded wisely. “Most people think coffee, but that’s just not the case.”

“It doesn’t sober you up, it just makes you a wide-awake drunk,” Melody said. Strangely enough, it had been Olivia’s mother who imparted that little pearl of wisdom to them. They had been thirteen, and far too young to drink, but they’d never forgotten it.

Julian chuckled. “That’s right. So you two live together?”

“Yeah, we just live…” She started to point in the direction of the bookstore, but realized she didn’t really know this guy well enough to be revealing where she lived, even if most people weren’t aware there was an apartment above Green Pea’s. “Nearby,” she finished. “I had an extra bedroom, so when Olivia said she wanted to move back to town we decided to live together. It’s something we always wanted to do, but…” Why was she telling him this? He was a virtual stranger, and a playboy to boot; he probably didn’t give a damn why she and Olivia were living together.

“But…” he prompted.

Was that genuine interest she saw in his expression? “But she moved away to college and I stayed here, so it never happened. Now the timing’s just sort of right for both of us.”

“So you’ve been friends a long time then, I take it?”

“Forever,” Melody said with a small smile. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, like he understood the kind of forever that came with having and being a best friend since childhood. “Or since third grade, anyway.”

Julian smiled, ducking his head with a little nod. “Long time,” he commented. He seemed to be thinking about something for a minute, then he looked at her again, and those bedroom eyes nearly took her breath away. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”

“Right now?” Melody asked, her voice high from surprise.

Julian’s mouth twitched. “Yeah. We can walk across the street to Becky’s.” He pointed out the window to the diner with the red and white awning.

“But…we don’t even know each other,” Melody said, once again feeling stupid. She knew things like this happened, but they had never happened to her, so she didn’t know how to react. Was he being friendly? Did he consider it some weird Sunday afternoon date? Was this his M.O. for getting women to sleep with him?

Julian’s eyebrows winged up. “Well, no, but that’s kind of the idea of coffee. It’s a slightly less awkward way of getting to know someone than standing in the cereal aisle of Lion’s.”

When she hesitated, he pointed out the window again. “It’s just right there. All we have to do is walk across the street and up a little. You can say no, of course, but just know that you’ll be responsible for crushing my fragile ego.”

That finally brought Melody out of her thoughts. She let out an explosive laugh, then clapped a hand over her mouth. This guy was good.
Really
good. And, yet, even though she was sure he was feeding her lines, she was tempted to say yes. “I think your ego could take it,” she told him. “I really should get home, though. Olivia’s waiting for me.” She held up the bacon as a reminder.

“I bet you anything she’s passed out by now,” Julian said. “She probably won’t miss you for awhile.”

He was likely right. “Let me just check. If she’s rejoined the land of the living since I left I don’t want her to worry.” She remembered seeing Olivia’s purse on the floor beside the bed and knew her phone would be inside, so she pulled her own cell phone out of her purse and dialed Olivia’s number.

It rang several times before Olivia came over the line with a groggy, “Hello?”

“It’s just me,” Melody said. “Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep, I’m going to be a while, okay?”

“Yep.” And with that, the line went dead.

Melody stared at her phone for a second before clicking it off. “You were right,” she said, slipping her phone back into her purse.

“Three of my favourite words.”

*****

They walked across the street to Becky’s Diner, and when they chose a table Julian pulled out Melody’s chair for her.
God, he’s good
, she thought again. Did guys really do things like that anymore unless they wanted something? Rick had never pulled out a chair for her in their entire relationship. But he’d also never looked at her with the intense, appraising look Julian was giving her now as he sat across from her.

“What?” she asked, wondering if she had something on her face.
Other than no makeup, of course
, she thought, feeling more than a little self-conscious.

Julian shook his head as if he hadn’t realized he’d been staring at her. “Nothing. Sorry.”

“No, you were thinking something,” Melody persisted.

Julian’s lips quirked. “If I told you, you’d think it was a line.”

“That’s probably true,” Melody agreed, pleased to see the quick grin that flashed across Julian’s face at her words.

He leaned back in his chair and studied her, his head cocked slightly to the side. “I was just thinking how lovely you are,” he said.

Melody’s eyebrows shot up. That certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting. And she
did
think it was a line, despite what appeared to be sincerity in his voice and expression.
He’s a playboy; of course he’s mastered the art of sincerity
. Still…lovely? She’d never been called lovely before, sincerely or otherwise.

“I’m serious,” he said, as if hearing her doubtful thoughts. “You looked incredible last night and Friday night. Totally smokin’. But today…” He shook his head again and leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “Today there’s this…understated beauty about you. This quiet confidence that I just find incredibly sexy.”

Melody swallowed hard. Her heart was beating so fast she could feel it pulsing in her throat and wrists. In that moment, with Julian leaning in close, and his bedroom eyes locked on hers, she didn’t care if his words were a line. She
felt
lovely.

She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed when a waitress appeared at their table. Pad and pen poised, she looked between Melody and Julian, and her bright smile slipped slightly, as if she sensed she’d interrupted an intense moment.

Melody smiled at the young girl—Robbie, according to the nametag on her red and white uniform—and her smile returned to its former brightness.

“Hi there, you two,” she said. “What can I get for you?”

“Why don’t you order something to eat?” Julian suggested to Melody. She was about to decline when Julian continued. “They make a mean tomato, cheese, and mushroom omelet here.”

“Well…” Melody said. She could feel her stomach rumble, and was glad it wasn’t audible. “That sounds really good, actually.”

Julian grinned and nodded before turning his attention to the younger girl. “Two omelets and coffee, please, Robbie.”

“Sure, Julian,” the girl said, scribbling something on her pad before heading for the kitchen.

“You can stop doing that eyebrow thing,” Julian said, waving a hand toward Melody’s face. Melody hadn’t realized she’d cocked a brow during the exchange. “I come here a lot, and Robbie’s a sweet kid. She has some trouble at home, and one day it was dead in here during lunch, so I got her to tell me about it.”

“Oh.” Melody felt a mixture of embarrassment and guilt for her thoughts taking a different direction.

“She’s almost half my age. You didn’t seriously think…”

“No! No, of course not,” Melody fibbed. “I just…”

“You just think I’m a player,” Julian finished for her. It was a simple statement; there was no anger or hurt in it.

Melody relaxed slightly. “I don’t know what to think,” she told him honestly. “I haven’t really known you long enough to think much of anything.”

“But you think I’m cute,” Julian said, a devilish grin spreading over his face and lighting his eyes. “And I make you nervous.”

“Cute isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe you,” Melody said. Had she just sounded breathless? she wondered, cringing inwardly. She refused to become
that girl
—the one who fell all over herself because a hot guy was paying attention to her and flirting with her and flattering her.

“What word would you use then?” His voice was low, and his piercing eyes were locked on Melody’s.

She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and motioned him closer. When his face was just inches from hers, she almost lost her nerve. He smelled heavenly, despite the fact that he appeared to be anything but an angel. This close to him she could see flecks of gold in his irises. “I’d tell you, but then I don’t think your head would fit through the door on the way out.”

There was a beat of silence, then Julian threw back his head and laughed. The sound of it was like music, deep and resonant, and it made Melody grin despite herself.

Robbie appeared at their table with two huge mugs hooked in one hand and a coffeepot in the other. She smiled as she looked between the two of them and set the mugs down to pour the coffee.

“Robbie, Melody here thinks I’m an egomaniac,” Julian said, wiping his eyes. “But you know that’s not true, right?”

“Well…” Robbie said.

Now it was Melody’s turn to laugh. Robbie shot her a sly grin, and set one of the full coffee cups in front of her. “He’s not so bad, really” she said. “And I guess he’s kinda cute for an old guy.”

“Old guy!” Julian cried as Robbie bounded away, ponytail swinging. He pulled his coffee cup closer and added milk and sugar. “Old guy,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I’m only thirty.”

“Which is old when you’re her age,” Melody reasoned. “And hey, she said you’re cute, so there you go.”

Julian chuckled as he stirred his coffee. “There I go.” He sat back and took a sip of the steaming brew, examining Melody over the rim of his cup.

She was feeling self-conscious again. The humour was gone from his eyes, and they were intense once more. What did he see that she wasn’t able to see when she looked in the mirror? What was worth staring at?

She was about to ask him when a second waitress appeared at their table holding plates of omelets and home fries. She was older than Robbie by at least five years, and was tall and curvy. Her glossy auburn hair was pulled back from her face in a braid that trailed halfway down her back. She was eyeing Julian so hungrily, Melody was afraid she would start salivating on their breakfast.

“Roberta went for her break a little early,” the waitress explained, still staring at Julian. She set Melody’s plate haphazardly on the table, nearly knocking Melody’s coffee into her lap.

Melody swiveled in her seat and saw Robbie through the kitchen window, having a conversation with the cook. She turned to reach for something, and when she saw Melody looking, she shrugged and flicked a helpless hand toward the other waitress.

Gone for her break, eh?
Melody thought.
More like bullied into taking her break so the older waitress could ogle Julian.
She turned back in her chair and looked at the waitress, who was saying something to Julian. When Melody’s gaze moved to Julian, she was surprised to see that he was watching her instead of looking at the waitress. She raised one eyebrow in question, and Julian shook his head almost imperceptibly.