Holiday Promise (Hollyberry Harbor #2)

Chapter 3

THREE

Melody sat at the kitchen table with Max, her face still burning when Thomas emerged from the office. He glanced in her direction solemnly, then headed toward the front door. She stood. Should she go talk to him? Did he say something after she left that made Blake upset? Max continued to color the picture he was working on, not realizing the turmoil that continued to swirl within her.

Her eyes followed Thomas right up until he picked up his overnight bag and disappeared out the front door. Then they darted toward the hallway just as Blake emerged. He didn’t look pleased with her whatsoever. She froze, expecting him to call her back to his office so he could give her a few notes on how to better respect her boss.

Instead, Blake came right toward them and pulled out a chair beside his son. His eyes lifted only briefly toward Melody before he nudged his boy. “What are you drawing there?”

Max glanced at his father and a small smile touched his lips. He moved his other hand that had been obscuring one side of the picture. “This is me. This is you. And that’s Miss Melody.”

Melody sucked in sharply. She hadn’t been paying attention to the picture, her distracted thoughts trying to decide if she needed to send out resumes to various places around Hollyberry Harbor. Her gaze shifted to Blake, but she wasn’t surprised that he didn’t give her even a second thought.

He pointed to another silhouette of a person that was farther away from the others. “And who are you drawing here?”

Max shifted his focus to the individual that seemed to be made of clouds themselves. “That’s Mom.”

The room seemed to go cold. Melody didn’t know whether to move to Max’s side to comfort him or cry to relieve some of the pressure in her own skull. She covered her mouth to prevent herself from making a sound.

Blake smiled at the picture. “I like to think of your mother watching over us, too.” This time he did look up at her and the meaningful look he gave her set off a wave of goosebumps. “Miss Melody and I had a little chat.”

Max looked up at his father with curiosity.

“She reminded me that you needed me here for all the Christmas fun that’s about to take place in town this year.”

Even Melody could see the way Max’s features brightened, like he’d won the lottery. “Really?”

“Really.” Blake ruffled up the boy’s hair. “And we’re going to start with getting out the Christmas decorations.”

“Tonight?”

He chuckled. “Tonight.”

Melody felt like she’d been struck by a bus. Her heart stopped as she watched this cold and unfeeling man melt for his son. There had been moments in the year she’d worked for him that she’d caught glimpses of the father she knew he could be. But all of those small moments didn’t come close to what she was witnessing right now.

They were utterly adorable together.

One realization hit her as she continued to watch them together. If Blake was staying, did that mean she’d be able to spend more time with her family? Her parents traveled a lot to see her siblings in other parts of the country, but her sister was a local.

Blake cleared his throat, startling her from her thoughts. She found him staring at her with curiosity. Shoot! Had she still been staring at him? Melody flushed. “Would you like me to find Ms. Anthony? I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I can ask her to start supper.”

He motioned to Melody as he stood and moved away from his son.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest. This was it. She was going to get fired. She should’ve known better than to say what she had. Dang it! Well, at least she’d be able to see her sister like she’d thought she would.

Blake moved close to her and lowered his voice. “Seeing as I’ll be working from home, I might need your services more than I thought. My hours will be sporadic and I’ll need you on call. Will that be a problem?” His tone seemed to challenge her, expecting her to argue with him even though she’d been the one to tell him to stay.

Melody shook her head. “That won’t be a problem.” She might not be able to spend as much time with her sister, but she’d happily sacrifice seeing her this year if it meant that Max had what he needed.

“Good.”

Both of them glanced over to where Max had resumed his coloring. If there was one thing Melody wanted, it was to see him happy. She couldn’t bear to watch him struggle with the memory of his loss.

Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Melody glanced over at her boss. Blake stared at her with a gaze that pierced her right to her center. She squirmed beneath his gaze and looked away. “Whatever you need, I’ll make sure I’m available.”

“I appreciate it.”

She nodded. “I’m happy to help any way I can.”

He moved a step toward his son, then stopped and turned to face her. “And Melody?”

Melody stiffened. “Yes?”

“I shouldn’t have to remind you that you work for me.”

“Of course, sir.”

“It would serve you well to know when to give me advice and when to keep it to yourself.”

Melody bristled. She hadn’t wanted this job in the first place. It had been a misunderstanding when she’d come in for an interview. That was why she couldn’t stop herself from what happened next. “With all due respect?—”

He arched a brow, causing her to stumble over her words.

“Respectfully, I disagree.”

“Oh?” He faced her fully, his arms folded and his stance wide. “Please tell me what you feel is an appropriate interaction between an employee and her employer.”

Melody fidgeted even more, wringing her hands as she realized just how intimidating he could be. But then her eyes shifted to Max and her confidence grew. She lifted her chin and stepped toward him. “You hired me to look after your son.”

“I seem to recall that you weren’t interested in the position.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Regardless of what I’d been in search of that day, you saw something in me that made you choose me. I care about your son more than you know. I spend every single day with him. Don’t you think I know a great deal about what he needs?”

“Perhaps.”

“Good,” she murmured. “Then you should also agree that if I feel something is important enough to mention, then it’s for Max’s well-being. You pay me to notice everything. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I kept my opinion to myself.”

He worked his jaw, apparently not very happy about what she’d said but not arguing with her, either. That was a step in the right direction as far as she was concerned. He gave her a sharp nod and returned to his son’s side.

Melody held back, watching them take a moment to be with each other. Their heads huddled together, voices quiet. The look of adoration in Max’s eyes was undeniable. His father was everything to him.

But it wasn’t just the way Max looked up to his father. It was the way Blake’s whole being seemed to soften when he spoke to his son. The world could disappear and it was just the two of them. She could almost see a bubble surround the two of them, protecting them from all the pain and anguish that could befall them.

Max said something and Blake chuckled. It was a strange sound—one that Melody hadn’t heard often. It warmed her from the inside out. She smiled despite the strained emotions that still swirled inside her. To go from anxiety to fury, back to worry, made her dizzy.

Then again, it might not be the shift in her emotions causing this unbalanced feeling. It very well could be something entirely different.

Her eyes landed on her employer. He hadn’t wanted to stay, and yet he’d sent Thomas back to the city. Blake had chosen to stay. Not only was he going to be here for his son, but he appeared willing to accept that she wasn’t going to mince words around him. Her wonder for this man was growing into something that bordered on being inappropriate.

Goosebumps appeared on her arms once again and she sucked in a sharp breath as heat filled her cheeks. Turning, she headed toward her room if only to clear her head. She shut the door behind her, leaning against it as she focused on regaining her level head.

One year of working for him and not once had she looked at Blake as more than just her boss. One year of seeing him come and go without feeling even a degree of attraction for him. But then suddenly she was seeing him in a different light and all because he’d chosen to prioritize his son for the holidays.

Had she completely gone crazy?

Probably.

She’d just have to spend less time in his presence. When he was with Max, she wasn’t needed. Melody could manage that. She would have to in order to maintain the professionalism she’d grown to count on. Otherwise, she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep this job. Melody nodded to herself as if that motion alone would ensure she stuck with her plan, when in reality, she knew she couldn’t control the future.