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  “You got it.” The girl scanned the tag on the shirt, took it off of the hanger and bagged it. “Shoot. I forgot the discount code for this brand again. One second.” She shifted to wave at someone. “Melody? Help?”

  Exasperated, Mariah drummed her fresh acrylics on the counter, then froze when the woman that Devin was speaking to appeared behind the counter to enter the code at the register. She looked Melody up and down again. “You work here?”

  Melody looked up, met her gaze and smiled. “Yes! I’m the owner, actually. Nice to meet you. I’m Melody Taylor.”

  Mariah raised a thin, defined brow and formed a practiced attitudinal pucker. “If you’re the owner, then who is Bethany?”

  “My mother. I named the store after her.”

  Mariah’s eyes narrowed to slits. “How cute.” She pushed the bag away. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want that dress. It’s hideous. Just like this entire, tacky little shop.” With a hair flip, she turned and exited the store.

  Brow raised, Leana turned to Melody. “Well, that was weird.”

  Chapter 7

  At home, Melody sunk into her cushy microfiber sofa and stretched, her hand clutching a chilled glass of merlot. Her feet ached, her back was sore, and she had a faint, dull headache, but the day had been perfect. Opening day sales were great, and feedback from the community had been almost completely positive. Well, except for that one woman. Melody couldn’t be sure – there was so much going on – but she looked a lot like Devin’s blind date. Melody laid her head against the sofa’s soft cushion and smiled to herself. Hmm, Devin. He’d asked her out today. She’d file that under ‘positive’ in today’s experiences. Maybe.

  Carynne padded into the room barefoot, stepping carefully so as not to ruin her fresh, bright orange toenail polish. Flopping down next to Melody, she reached for the empty glass on the coffee table to fill it.

  “I. Am. So. Tired.”

  “Preaching to the choir, sister.” Melody paused. “Nice toes.”

  Carynne angled her head to get a look at them. “I borrowed your polish.”

  “You don’t say.”

  Chuckling, Carynne rolled her eyes, then circled her head on her neck, before searching the couch for the remote. “Good day, huh? BB’s was packed from open to close.”

  “Yes, thank God. Way better than I expected. Even Mrs. Talbert bought some accessories, when she was done napping in my chair.”

  Carynne’s jaw dropped, her eyes narrowed to slits. “That old bat. I feel so betrayed. She better buy coffee tomorrow.”

  “Good luck with that.” Melody shifted, tucking her legs under herself and taking a sip of wine. “We’ve still got to work on closing and counting and depositing…that process was a little rough today.”

  “It was opening day. You’ll get there.” Carynne aimed the remote at the TV to turn it on, and then immediately lowered the volume on the set. “Doesn’t one of the girls have retail experience?”

  “Crystal does, but never in a clothing store. She’s really quick though. We should be running full-speed by the end of the month.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t stick around to help at the end there.”

  Melody smiled. “No biggie. People need their lattes.”

  “And Mrs. Talbert needs her loveseat.”

  Melody sighed as if to release the day’s tension. She let the room get quiet, the low mumble of the television the only thing filling the space. “Did you know that Devin is the guy that brings her groceries?”

  “Hmm?” Carynne’s attention was now glued to a reality show, and she was half-listening. “Oh, Mrs. Talbert?”

  “Yeah. He told me today. Did you know?”

  Carynne spared Melody a sideward glance. “No, I didn’t know. That’s nice of him.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Silence hung as Carynne waited for Melody to continue. When she didn’t, she slugged her in the arm, causing Melody’s wine to slosh around in the glass.

  “Ouch! What the hell was that for?”

  “You really like him!”

  Melody snorted and impassively took another sip. “No, I don’t.”

  “You do. You stood there batting your eyes at him like a cliched version of a high school cheerleader today. And the last time I saw you two, you were kissing each other’s brains out. If I hadn’t walked in you’d have had sex on the floor. Admit it. You like him, and he likes you.”

  Melody didn’t bother repressing her smile. She repeated it quietly, “He likes me.”

  Carynne rolled her eyes again. “Jesus.”

  Melody laughed. “He asked me out. Well, sort of.”

  “Sort of?”

  “He wanted to know if I’d be watching the Spurs game on Friday, which, is the sky blue? Of course I am. Then he asked to meet up at Walker’s so we could watch it together.”

  “Nice.” Carynne gave a slow nod. “First date-ish but not too fancy. Low key, no pressure, meeting up instead of him driving over. I like his style.” She picked up the merlot bottle and topped both their glasses off. “Are you going to meet him?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Carynne gave her an impatient, pitying look. “Come on, Mel. What could it hurt?”

  Me, Melody thought. Eventually, me. She sighed. “I don’t know.”

  * * *

  Devin dropped onto the floor next to Kyle and his many scattered toys. Kyle offered him a dump truck, which he accepted and tossed in the air, making explosion noises. Kyle clapped his hands and giggled gleefully.

  “Again!”

  Devin grabbed a miniature police car and ran it head first into a red convertible. “Kaboom! Look Kyle, Uncle Pryce had an accident. The bad guys are going to get away!”

  From his place on the sofa, Pryce kicked Devin in the side. He looked over at his nephew. “Uncle Pryce never has accidents, kiddo.”

  Kyle picked up the red convertible and threw it in the air, mimicking Devin. “Boom!”

  Pryce chuckled, and leaned to give Kyle their much-practiced fist bump. “Damn right.”

  “Hey! Don’t curse in front of my grand-baby.” Elise buzzed into her living room in her favorite linen pants and a crisp, white sleeveless top, smacking Pryce on the back of the head before laying a bowl of popcorn between her sons. This’ll tide you boys over until dinner’s ready. Toni’s in there ruining a potato salad, so I had to cook some fresh ones and start over.

  “I heard that, Mama!”

  “I meant you to!” She spun on her heel and left the room.

  Thursdays had become family night at the Parker house. It was the only night of the week that both Pryce and Toni were off at the same time. Devin was usually done with the kids by six, so he was typically last to arrive. Their father, Malcolm, a retired firefighter who volunteered with SBFD, always arrived home shortly before Devin and went upstairs to change into what Toni called his grandpa clothes.

  At exactly 6:30, because Elise Parker was nothing if not punctual, Devin sat down to a dinner of roasted chicken, glazed ham, green beans, macaroni, pinto beans, rice, and two different potato salads. God bless his mother.

  Lifting his glass of water, he surveyed his family before taking a sip. Toni sat across from him, texting as she bickered with Pryce. At the head of the table, his father sang softly to himself, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” and skillfully spooned more macaroni onto his plate while his wife wasn’t looking. Elise sat directly across from her husband, with Kyle perched in her lap, snuggling him and kissing him on the nose. They were his anchors, all of them. And, he supposed, the fact that they were all here together had much to do with the fact that he was theirs.

  When Devin scored the job as head coach three years ago, he’d asked Pryce to consider transferring to the police department in Spring Branch, because he couldn’t quite swing the moving expenses and
the rent on a small-town coaching salary. And, quite honestly, he didn’t want to be completely alone in a new town. Pryce, being the type that let the wind take him, transferred in, waited 11 months, and then applied for sergeant. He landed the promotion the same month that Toni, barely 22 and still in college at the time, found out she was pregnant. Panicked, she left UC Davis in her tiny Honda Civic and showed up on her older brothers’ doorstep two days later. They took her in, fussed at her a bit, and then got to the business of taking care of their little sister. Devin did more research on pregnancy than he ever would have liked to, ready to coach his sister though this as he had when she played basketball. Devin and Pryce helped her find a way to tell their parents, and eight days after she showed up, they sent her back to school to graduate. When she finished her last final, she drove right back. UC Davis mailed her diploma.

  Kyle was born that October. They’d lived together, the four of them, for another year and four months while Toni got a handle on being a mother. When Kyle was old enough, she enrolled him in the daycare adjacent to Devin’s school and found a day job at a doctor’s office. She worked nights at a fine dining restaurant near Canyon Lake 3 times a week. For her 25th birthday, Devin and Pryce signed a lease on a two-bedroom apartment on Main for her and Kyle. With the money he had saved up, Devin put a down payment on a condo for himself just outside of town.

  Then, one day, Elise called and smartly said she was none too happy with missing out on the raising of her only grandchild and the lives of all three of her kids, so they were moving to Spring Branch. Weeks later, his father was officially retired, his mother had relocated her interior decorating business, and there they were.

  Devin quietly wondered what it would be like for Melody to be here with them. Where, and how, she would fit in with the Parkers?

  As if reading his mind, Toni spoke over the noise in the room. “So, Devin. Any more news on the girl you’ve been after?”

  Elise’s ears perked up, though she continued to spoon Kyle’s macaroni and cut up chicken to his mouth. “Oh! The one with the store! I passed by during the grand opening a few days ago but I didn’t have time to go in. It looks lovely.”

  “Devin went in.” Toni’s brow quirked up and she smiled devilishly at her brother. “Cassie, from work, was there. She saw you. Melody’s her name, right? She said you had your flirt face on.” She made a goofy face at him. She then turned showed it to Kyle, who burst into playful laughter.

  “Hush, Antonia. Feed your son.” Elise passed Kyle to her and then turned toward her middle child. “Melody’s her name? That’s pretty. Did you ask her out?”

  At the head of the table, Malcolm spoke. “Is this the girl Pryce set you up with?”

  “No no, Daddy.” Toni said as Devin placed his face in his hand. How did he become the first and primary topic of discussion? “I’ll catch you up. See, Pryce set Devin up with a woman and he went on a blind date with her at Walker’s. And he meets up with Melody thinking that she’s his blind date, but she wasn’t! It just so happened that Melody was on a blind date too, and they mistook each other for the dates they were supposed to meet! But then Melody’s actual date showed up and so did Devin’s and then they split up and Devin didn’t see her again until the basketball court.”

  Malcolm took a second to look puzzled. “I didn’t completely follow that, but alright.” He turned to Devin. “So, you’re dating two women at the same time, son?”

  “He’s not that smooth.” Pryce spoke between bites of potato salad. “He didn’t like the girl I set him up with. He’s after Melody now.”

  “We should go check out the store, Mama,” Toni said to her mother. “Cassie said she got some really cute stuff there.”

  “Oh no you don’t, you two.” Devin, looking between his mother and sister, elbowed Pryce in the ribs for laughing. “Nobody’s going in there to ambush her.”

  Elise chuckled and reached to pat him on the hand. “We won’t go until you say it’s okay, baby. Right, Toni?”

  Toni rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you buy me those earrings in the storefront window – the hoops with the little keys hanging from them – I won’t go in there.”

  Malcolm spoke again. “Stop blackmailing your brother, Toni.”

  “Sorry, Daddy.” Even ask she spoke, she narrowed her eyes at Devin. But you still owe me earrings.

  Devin narrowed his eyes back at her., then gave her a small smile, admitting defeat. Fine. Change the subject now, please.

  Toni grinned at him before sitting back in her chair. “Mama, Kyle learned all his shapes this week.”

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Melody’s phone rang. She peered at it. Leana. “Hey. How’s it going?”

  “Melody, something happened.”

  Melody’s pulse quickened. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I just got here to open up, and one of the front windows is broken. Someone threw a brick through it or something. There’s glass all over the floor and one of the displays is ruined.”

  Melody pressed a hand to her eyes. What the hell? They’d just opened. “Okay. Calm down. Did you call the police?”

  “No, no. I called you as soon as I saw.”

  “Okay. I’m on the way over. Hang up and call the police. Not 911, but the department office. The number is on the wall next to the thermostat.”

  “Okay. Are you coming?”

  “Yeah, I’m on the way.” She hung up and ran to the living room, where she’d kicked off her Nikes the evening before. How could this have happened? She certainly didn’t have any enemies in town; she’d just gotten back. It could have been an accident, or maybe some kids had been up to no good last night. Or…

  No, she thought as she threw on a jacket before heading for the door. Just an accident, or some kids. That’s all.

  Chapter 8

  On Saturday night, Melody arrived at Walker’s about ten minutes before tipoff. The place was, per usual, very loud and equally busy, the chatter of patrons and the smell of good food practically thickening the air. Looking around, she spotted Devin in a booth near the back of the restaurant under one of the many overhead flat screens. He lifted his beer in greeting, his mouth curling into a slow, one-sided smile. She felt her face flush a bit and silently hoped it wasn’t visible. Carynne was right. She was apparently hot for him.

  When she approached, he stood and enveloped her in a hug.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Melody inhaled. He smelled like fresh laundry. But sexier. Sexy fresh laundry.

  When they separated, she dropped into the seat across from him and placed her purse at her side. He slid a fresh beer across the table to her.

  “Corona okay?”

  “It’s perfect, thanks.”

  “No problem. I also ordered you the bacon-cheese fries, extra jalapeno. They should be here in a minute.”

  “Thanks.” Yep. Definitely hot for him. She might actually burst into flames.

  “So,” Devin began, rapping the back of his knuckle against the table. “How are things with the store going? Sell any more stuff after I came in to disturb you?”

  Melody laughed. “Yeah, I managed to. It’s been a great opening week. The staff are really starting to get into the rhythm of things, and there’s a steady stream of shoppers day to day, which is great.”

  “That’s good. Don’t be surprised if you see me there again soon. I’ve got to pick up some earrings.”

  “Oh?” Melody playfully checked each of his ears for holes. “Trying a new look, or picking them up for another woman?” she teased.

  Devin smiled. “Another woman, I suppose. For my sister. They’re a bribe. I buy her earrings, and she and my mother won’t show up at your store to check you out.”

  Smirking, Melody casually lifted her beer and took a slow sip. “How would they know to check me out? Have you been talking ab
out me, Devin?”

  Devin chuckled in that way that only ridiculously handsome men could manage, and matched Melody’s slow sip with his own. “I may have told them about the night we met, that I was interested in the woman that was opening the store. And Toni – that’s my sister – knows about the day I saw you on the basketball court.”

  “So you’re bribing potential customers away from my store with merchandise from my store?” Mel crossed her arms, playfully considering him. “I don’t know whether to be mad or to thank you for your business.”

  “Probably both.”

  They shared a smile right as the game began.

  For the next hour, Devin tore his attention two ways – watching the game and watching this woman watch it. She sat across from him, feminine, fragrant and pretty in her black tank top, jeans and braids, voluminous curls and long lashes, engrossed in the game, commenting on stats from time to time, cursing at the refs, and shoveling fries into her mouth as if she’d never eaten before. She also hadn’t so much as spoken a full sentence to him since tipoff.

  She was a goddess.

  And, he mused, she loved this game. Loved it the way he did. He slid a look at her as she whooped over a three-pointer. If this went somewhere – and the more time he spent with her, the more he hoped it did – it would be nice to talk to someone about his job and have them really listen to him, understand not just the game, but his passion for it. His family listened, and they understood, but it wasn’t the same. They didn’t love it. Melody was something different entirely.

  At halftime, they chatted amiably about the game, player stats, and then their own stats in high school and college. After more beers came to the table, they ventured into college majors and career choices, each of them a bit more relaxed, a comfort of familiarity floating between them.

  “Did you always know you wanted to coach?” Melody asked, absently spinning the silver ring on her thumb as she looked at him, her big brown eyes forcing his pulse to race, his manhood to awaken, and the breath to catch in his throat.