Half an hour and several drinks later, James returned. Ella and Christine had finally left Mel alone after she had given them just enough information about her ‘mysterious lover’ to sate their curiosity.
“I’m going to kill you, James,” Mel said.
“Sorry, Mel.” He didn’t look the slightest bit apologetic. “Those two are relentless when it comes to gossip. I had to get them off my back.”
“You owe me big time.”
“That’s fair.” James sat down across from her.
Mel leaned forward. “You can make it up to me by telling me all about Rose.”
“Rose? Did I mention her?”
“You said she was Vanessa’s ex. What happened between them?”
James lowered his voice. “It was a while back. I don’t remember how they met, or how things started. All I remember was that they were hopelessly in love. You could tell just by looking at them.”
“Vanessa? Really?” Mel couldn’t imagine Vanessa being overly affectionate like that, especially in public.
“Yep.” James was oblivious to the hint of jealousy in Mel’s voice. “Vanessa was a different person back then. And they seemed so happy together. But one day, out of nowhere, something happened between them. And then Vanessa basically disappeared for a few weeks. When she came b
ack, she said that she and Rose were done. And that Rose was on her blacklist, and banned from ever coming to The Lounge, or anywhere near Vanessa.”
“Wow. Do you know why they broke up?”
“Nope. She refused to tell anyone what happened. But whatever it was, it changed her. She became a bit more reserved, more serious. And since then, she hasn’t let anyone get close to her.” He took a swig of his drink. “Except for you.”
Mel sat back. The world was starting to spin. She tried to sift through everything James had told her in her head, then gave up. She didn’t want to think about any of that right now. Mel just wanted to enjoy herself.
Out of nowhere, Ben appeared at the table.
“Hey, Mel.” He held out his hand. “Wanna dance?”
Mel grinned at Ben. “Sure, why not?”
“Whoa, seriously?” James said. “I’ve been trying to get you to dance this whole time, and Ben asks you once and you say yes? I’m crushed, Mel.”
Ben sighed. “Should we take him with us?”
“Probably. Come on.” Mel grabbed James’s arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.
Chapter Fourteen
Mel picked up a pillow and squashed it over her head. Her ears were ringing, and her limbs felt like lead. She groaned. Why had she agreed to go out last night after work?
The last thing she remembered was dragging James onto the dance floor. Everything after that was a blur. Mel rarely drank enough to actually get drunk. She didn’t want to end up like her mother. But she had really let loose last night.
The ringing continued. It wasn’t in her head. She rolled over to her nightstand and picked up her phone. “Hello?”
“Happy birthday, Melanie,” Vanessa said.
“Thanks, Vanessa.”
“Still recovering from last night?” There was a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Ughhh.” Mel sprawled out on her bed. “How do you know about that?”
“James. I woke up to a long and interesting voicemail from him. He’s quite talkative when drunk.”