Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel) (7 page)

Kind of liked her
? What, was he in the fifth grade or something?

His palms were sweaty and itchy, and he kept rubbing them on the thighs of his jeans. When the episode ended he jumped up from the couch and excused himself to go to the bathroom. He was too damn twitchy for his own good, and Mel had raised her eyebrows at him before he turned around and walked down the hallway.

Why was he making this so damn complicated? He was attracted to her. He liked spending time with her. He wanted to spend more time with her. So what was the big deal if they started dating? They could do that casually. It wasn’t like they were going to get married or anything.

Married? No, no, no. Noooooooo.

Bennett wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t sure he’d
ever
be ready for that. Marriage wasn’t in his plan. Not to Mel. Not to anyone. He wasn’t stable when it came to relationships. Really, he wasn’t stable, period. It might’ve been a couple of years, but he wasn’t over what had happened in Afghanistan. He’d never be over it. He’d forever be screwed up.

It wasn’t something that Mel needed to be exposed to. She didn’t need to witness his nightmares or the panic attacks that accompanied them. No one should have to deal with his fucked-uppedness, especially her.

He’d probably scare the ever-living shit out of her with one of his panic attacks. God knew he scared the ever-living shit out of himself.

Bennett was so far in his head that he wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going. He pushed open the door and flipped on the switch, but instead of walking into the bathroom, he walked into Mel’s bedroom.

The walls were a light green. The curtains, lampshades, and quilt spread across her queen bed were a bright blue. And right there, right in the middle of the pillows on her bed, was the teddy bear he’d gotten her when she’d been in the hospital.

Okay, so something was definitely up with Bennett. That much was obvious to Mel. He was fidgety and just…off. He’d never acted like this with her before, and she really didn’t like it. She had absolutely no idea what was going on and she was going to ask him about just as soon as he came back from the bathroom.

But Bennett was walking back down the hallway about ten seconds after he’d disappeared, and he looked like a man on a mission, a man on a mission to get the hell out of her house.

“Everything okay?” she asked, standing up.

“Yeah, I just have to go. I didn’t realize how late it was, and I have to get up early tomorrow.”

Mel’s eyes flickered to the clock on her wall. They normally hung out until around ten and it was only eight thirty. She didn’t really know when that was ever considered late, but all right.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, then turned and hightailed it toward the front door. Mel followed. When he stepped out onto her porch he turned. “Thanks for dinner.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, still uncertain as to what was going on.

“Have a good night,” he said before he turned and walked out to his truck.

Mel watched him for just a second before she shook her head and went back inside. She closed the door and locked it, then leaned against it, listening to his truck start up and back down the driveway.

“Well, that was delightful.” She pushed off the door and went into the kitchen. She’d drunk a little bit too much wine tonight in an attempt to calm her nerves, and she needed some water. She filled a glass and sipped at it as she walked through the house turning off the lights.

What the hell had happened? Bennett hadn’t even gone to the bathroom. She’d never even heard the door shut before he’d come back down the hallway looking panicked.

Had he just figured out he wasn’t interested in her or…

Mel froze when she got to her bedroom. The door was open, and she knew for a fact she’d closed it. As she peered into her room, her eyes settled on the reason why Bennett had freaked and promptly peaced out.

He’d seen the stupid teddy bear.

O
kay, so Bennett was a coward. That resounding fact kept repeating over and over again as he drove home. There were few things that freaked him out these days. But when he’d seen that bear on Mel’s bed it had scared the shit out of him.

The thing was, it had scared him so much because he’d liked seeing it there. He’d liked that something he’d given her was so close to her at night. That it meant something to her. That he might mean something to her.

He liked her. That much was obvious. And she apparently liked him.

But things wouldn’t be casual with her, and when it came to a relationship he was incapable of doing anything serious. Really he’d been an idiot to think that something with Mel would be anything less. She wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl. Not that he’d wanted a one-night stand with her. Bennett didn’t work that way, not anymore. He’d been a little wild when he’d first joined the military, picking up girls in bars whenever he was on leave. But then the next morning would roll around and he’d feel more than a little empty.

He’d dated a couple of girls semiseriously over the years, but the relationships had always ended when he’d been transferred to a new base or when he’d been deployed. Bennett had never been in love with a woman before. So whenever he’d left, he’d never looked back. Never had any regrets.

But Bennett knew he’d have regrets if he kissed Mel, if he walked her back to her bedroom and done all of the things he wanted to do…for many, many hours.

He was a bad man. Mel was too sweet for him, too innocent and vulnerable. Kind of like Bambi. The very last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Who would want to hurt Bambi? Yeah, he needed to stay far, far away from her.

Which was going to be a bit of a problem, because he would be working on this project with her for the next three months. If Bennett was anything, he was a man of his word. So he was just going to have to suck it up and deal. Act like a man.
Be
a man.

She was just a pretty girl. Nothing more.

Except that wasn’t exactly true. Actually it wasn’t true at all. She was way more than just a pretty girl. She was his friend, his beyond-beautiful friend whom he wanted in ways that weren’t friend appropriate.

Yup, he was so totally screwed.

Mel was more than a little humiliated over the whole teddy bear incident. Bennett had seen the damn thing, seen that she slept with it on her bed. Well,
did
sleep with it on her bed. Now, it was stuffed in the far recesses of her closet, where it was going to stay.

She was so done with all of this. So done with worrying about what one man’s opinion of her was. So done with wanting that same man who obviously didn’t want her. So done with everything that involved Bennett Hart.

It was just too damn bad she wasn’t going to be free of him anytime soon. It was going to be a long semester. But she was an adult. She could do this. She could be around Bennett in a professional manner and get over her stupid little crush.

Because that was what it was: stupid and little. She’d get over this. Get over him.

Mel kept repeating this to herself over and over again as she tossed and turned in bed for a good four hours. She was determined that when, or in this case
if
, she fell asleep, she would leave Thursday behind her. Friday would be a new day, free of humiliation and rejection. It would be better.

But that just wasn’t the case.

Friday dawned rainy and miserable. Mel was tired from her lack of sleep the night before, and in her pre-coffee morning haze, she managed to spill the entire pot all over the counter.

Mel wasn’t what anybody would call a morning person. It usually took her two cups of coffee and a shower to even resemble a human being. She always set her coffeemaker at night, because to do it when she first woke up in the morning normally took skills that were beyond her. Today, it was pretty much mission impossible.

Somehow she managed to blunder through it, keeping only one eye open as she glared at the damn machine. When it percolated enough for one cup she carefully poured it and carried her steaming mug into the bathroom, where she was tempted for a second to bring it into the shower with her. Instead she set it on a shelf outside of the shower and took a healthy gulp in between shampooing and conditioning her hair.

Mel wasn’t exactly sure why she spent any time on her hair that morning. By the time she got to school, the wet and humid day had made her hair take on proportions so large it needed it’s own zip code. She threw it up into a bun that only somewhat managed to tame the mess that it was.

Good thing she wasn’t trying to impress anyone today. No, it was perfectly okay that she looked like a freaking mess. And why should she care? She was Melanie O’Bryan, math teacher extraordinaire. Really she should just change it to
ordinaire
, because that was what she was, just an ordinary girl who couldn’t offer a man anything more than friendship.

Okay, she was officially done throwing this stupid little pity party for herself. She was going to get over this whole Bennett thing. She just needed time and she would be past it. Yeah, that was all she needed, just a couple of days to get over him. But first she was going to need at least another cup of coffee to get through the day.

School got out around two o’clock. The day hadn’t been as bad as Mel imagined it was going to be. The key was for her to stay busy, so the second she walked in the door of her empty house, she had a problem. She changed out of her dress and into an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts. She may as well do something productive, like clean.

Oh what a thrilling life she led, doing housework on a Friday. It was pretty hard for her to not feel just a little bit pathetic at that moment.

Her first room to tackle was the bathroom. As she scrubbed the tub, she decided she was tired of the pale purple walls and the shabby blue bath mats. She wanted something different. Something bold. Something that wasn’t plain and boring.

She grabbed her keys and drove down to the hardware store. She headed straight back to the paint department, where she spent a good twenty minutes looking at all of her options. She finally decided on a deep red.

That was definitely a different color choice for her.

After she got her paint mixed, she went over to get the other supplies she needed—and who did she just happen to run smack into?

Bennett.

You have got to be kidding me!
Her face flamed up and her stomach tightened painfully.

“Hey,” he said, looking down into her cart. “What’s the project?” he asked raising his eyebrows

Seriously? After fleeing from her house yesterday, he wanted to chat? Well, she didn’t want to talk to him. She just wanted to crawl into a hole. And drink wine. She wanted lots and lots of wine.

“Painting the bathroom.”

“Ah.” He hesitated as he continued to look at her.

God, why was it so freaking awkward? They were friends. Or had been. Hadn’t they?

“Well, I’ll let you get to it.” He took a step back and walked away.

Yup, even he knew how pathetic she was. It was going to be a long couple of days getting past the rejection from Bennett.

After Mel got the rest of her stuff and checked out, she threw it into her car and headed over to LauraAnne’s Liquors. She scanned the parking lot before she went in, looking for Bennett’s slate-gray Silverado. It wasn’t there, thank God.

She bought two massive bottles of wine and headed home.

She shoved one bottle in the ice tray, put the other in the fridge, and started getting ready for her night of painting. By the time she went to get her second glass of wine, she already had the bathroom cleared out and all of the trim taped. She was just pulling the bottle out of the fridge when her cell phone rang.

“So how was last night?” Harper asked. “Did he fall in love with you over shrimp and grits?”

“Grace has the biggest freaking mouth.”

“Hey,” Grace’s indignant voice came through the line. Apparently Mel was on speakerphone.

“Last night wasn’t good,” Mel said.

Both girls were silent on the other side of the phone for a moment.

“We’re on our way over now,” Harper said.

“And we’ve already picked up a pizza,” Grace added.

“Great. The two of you can help me,” Mel said.

“Help you with what?” Harper said slowly.

“You’ll just have to see when you get here,” Mel said, and hung up.

The two girls were on Mel’s doorstep within ten minutes. Grace was holding the pizza. Harper had a bottle of wine in each hand.

Four bottles of wine for the night? Yeah, they were good to go.

“All right, spill,” Harper said, as they followed Mel into the kitchen.

“You were both wrong about him. He is
soooo
not interested,” Mel said as she grabbed three plates from her cabinet.

“There’s no way,” Grace said.

“Oh, there’s a way. And I experienced it three times in less than twenty-four hours.”

“What?” Harper asked, one of her eyebrows going up.

They sat at the dining room table and Mel launched into the story. They ate most of the margarita pizza and finished the first bottle of wine.

“Well, shit,” Harper said dropping her napkin on her plate.

“So to sum up, he’s
not
interested.” Mel got up from the table and went to get another bottle of wine.

“I’m still trying to work out how you got that he rejected you three times,” Grace said.

Mel held up a finger. “Once when he didn’t kiss me in the kitchen.” She held up two fingers. “Twice when he ran out of here like his pants were on fire after he saw that stupid teddy bear.” Her third finger popped up. “And three at the hardware store.”

“I thought you said you hadn’t wanted to talk to him,” Harper said.

“That isn’t the point,” Mel said. She grabbed the corkscrew and started twisting it into the cork.

“What is the point?” Grace asked.

“That it was awkward as hell and he couldn’t wait to get away from me again. He isn’t interested in me. But it’s fine. I’m fine. I’ll get over it.”

“Just like that?” Harper asked, as she leaned back in her chair.

“Just like that.” Mel pulled the cork free, and an audible pop sounded throughout the kitchen.

“Bullshit,” Grace said, shaking her head. “Don’t try to act all tough and stoic in front of Harper and me. Sweetie, we got your number a long time ago.”

“Look,” Mel said, walking back to the table. “I don’t want to do this, okay? I don’t want to dwell on this man who obviously doesn’t want me. Life’s too short, and I know that for a fact.” As she spoke, her voice got a little bit louder, a little bit more passionate. “I know what it’s like to have your life flash before your eyes. And I’m not wasting it on a man who’s not interested.”

Harper and Grace didn’t say anything. They just looked at Mel for a second, a little at a loss for words.

“So are we done with this?” Mel asked setting the bottle on the table a tad too forcefully. The bottle thunked loudly on the wood, and a little bit of wine sloshed over onto her hand.

“Yes,” Grace and Harper said in unison.

“Good!” Mel grabbed the plates and went back into the kitchen. She loaded them into the dishwasher, fully aware that Grace and Harper were still staring at her.

“He’s an idiot, you know,” Harper said.

“What?” Mel asked, turning around.

“Bennett. He’s a moron,” Grace clarified. “He couldn’t find anyone better than you, and if he’s to blind to see it then it’s his loss.”

“Without a doubt,” Harper added with a nod.

Grace and Harper were loyal to a fault. They were two of the best friends a girl could ask for, and if Mel didn’t watch it she was going to get a little too emotional, which was definitely not what she needed at the moment.

“So what exactly are we helping you with?” Grace asked, mercifully changing the subject.

“Painting,” Mel said pouring wine into all three of their glasses.

“And drinking, apparently,” Harper said.

“This is going to be interesting,” Grace said.

“Or at the very least entertaining.” Mel held up her glass, Harper and Grace raised their glasses, and they clinked them together.

For three fairly tipsy women, they did a pretty good job of painting the bathroom. Maybe that was because they had done all the trim work at the beginning of the night before the alcohol really took effect. When they finished around midnight, they sat on the floor, leaning back against the bathtub, and stared at the brightly painted walls.

“I like this color,” Harper said, stretching out her legs.

“Me too,” Mel agreed.

“Very fiery,” Grace added.

“Unlike me,” Mel said, taking a sip of wine.

“That’s not true.” Harper leaned around Grace to look at Mel.

“Really? When have I ever been anything besides Little Miss Tame?”

Harper squinted her eyes like she was thinking really hard. “Uh, well, there was that one time you went skinny-dipping.”

“I was with the two of you. That doesn’t count.”

“Yes, it does. And you’re plenty spicy when you want to be,” Grace said.

“Yeah, but not around men. I was never very spicy with Justin.”

“That’s cause he wasn’t very spicy. He was just sweet. You need something beyond sweet. You need ho-o-o-o-o-t,” Harper said.

“Drunk much?” Mel laughed.

“Maybe a little bit.” Harper smiled, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Grace and I are going to have to crash with you tonight.”

“Lushes,” Mel said.

“Takes one to know one,” Grace said.

“Yeah, I don’t think you could walk in a straight line at the moment. But like I was saying, you’re going to find the right guy and he’s going to set you off,” Harper said.

“Riiight. I’ll believe it when I see it.” Mel rolled her eyes.

“Or feel it.” Grace grinned stupidly.

“God, I hate you,” Harper said with a frown.