I say nothing, just sip my wine.
“I know, okay? I know it looks like I’m being reckless, making bad decisions. But you don’t know how it is between us. It’s good. Really good. He takes care of me, Ian. Do you know how long it’s been since my well-being has been someone else’s primary concern? And you don’t count.”
I know enough of Mel’s background to know she’s right. She’s never been anyone’s first priority, present company excluded, of course. And I’m glad she has someone to fill that space. But…
“And yes, he’s coming off a bad divorce, but that’s not his fault.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Are you sure he’s really—”
“Of course, I’m sure. Chaz wouldn’t lie to me. The divorce was final in August. He only wears the ring because his boys are really conflicted about it. He’s easing them into their new reality. And I respect that. He’s a good dad, and his boys come first.”
The words are right, but there’s something very wrong about them.
“I just want you happy,” I tell her honestly. I’ve learned that people rarely want advice. And even if they want it, they rarely take it.
“I am happy,” she insists. “My happy might not look like yours, but that’s okay.”
Again, the words make sense, but they don’t tell the whole story. But I’m certainly not going to change her mind tonight, so I refill our wine glasses and grab a cheese tray from the fridge.
“Yum. Cheese and wine are my favorite food groups,” she says, thanking me when I hand over her drink. “Where are Phoebe and Willa? And I never thought I'd say this, but I miss that baby.”
As much as I’m a baby-whisperer, Mel is decidedly not. But Rose is pretty irresistible. “They're all at a game at UMass. The Wolves are playing and the whole fam-damily decided to go.”
“Good for them.”
“Yeah, check this out,” I say, pulling up a picture on my phone. “Rose has a little t-shirt. I think Whit made it.”
Mel rolls her eyes. “That guy and his Cricut. Can you imagine him with a partner someday? He’s tons of fun, but oof, that’s a lot of energy.”
“Truth,” I say, yawning, as if to punctuate my serious lack of energy.
“This schedule is gonna break you, bud.”
“Nope. I’m unbreakable. I'll be fine. Hannah should be back in a couple weeks, and Dave gave me the go ahead to hire two more baristas.”
“That's good. A couple of the interviewees seemed promising.”
“In theory, yes. but we still have to train them. I put an SOS out to Delilah.”
“The girl from the downtown store? Crazy curls?”
“Yeah. But she takes classes here, so I might get her to swing.”
Mel laughs. “You wanna swing, huh?”
My cheeks redden. I should have seen that joke coming.
“Nope. It's like I always tell you—no time for love. And believe me, these days, it's true.”
Chapter 6
Ian
This week has flownby and I'm back on my couch with Mel and wine, once again. But this time, Phoebe and Willa are here too. Baby Rose is at home with her dad and his buddies, I’ve got plenty of sheets and blankets for the couch and guest bed, and we’ve killed three bottles of wine so far.
It’s a good night.
But before I get too tipsy, I need to film a TT. It’s been two days since I’ve posted, and that’s two days too long. I grab my phone and pull up the app, figuring I’ll duck into the kitchen and record a quick video.
