collect it for you,” Trenton said as he stood. Joey had given him the key, and they had the locker open before Melodie could protest.
“It’s all right, really. I’ll go out in a minute.”
She had no intention of telling him she’d rather endure her headache than have him get a close-up look of her car. Right behind that thought came the taunt of: why should she care what he thought of her car? And on the heels of that came the brilliant final thrust of: she just did, that’s why.
Her protest proved unsurprisingly futile as she watched Trent leave the building. The children were quiet, their little faces serious.
She smiled again. “Hey, guys, I’m fine. Don’t look so glum. It’s just a little headache.”
The reassurance didn’t work. She didn’t get them to smile at her until Trent handed her the bottle of medicine and she swallowed a pill.
“See, all better.”
Freed from their concern, the kids dug into the newly arrived pizza. Melodie tried, but it would be a while yet before she could eat. More unnerving than the headache—which would dissipate as soon as the medicine hit her system—were Trent’s assessing glances over the table.
“Please don’t be concerned. I get these all the time. I’m feeling much better.” She couldn’t explain why she felt the urge to reassure him.
“I’m glad.” He looked at her again, his expression unfathomable. “You, Miss Allford, are a mass of incongruity.”
Surprise set her back in her chair. “What makes you say that, Mr. Laroquette?”
“I can’t read you very well, and that bothers me.”
“So is this a crime punishable by jail time, or merely a fine?” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“No crime, just a surprise.”
“Oh, good. I like surprises.”
He glanced at her sharply. “I don’t.”
“Really? Why?”
He studied her for a long moment but didn’t answer. She felt compelled to cover the silence.
“I guess I’m probably your worst nightmare, then. I’ve been told by more than one person that I absolutely defy logic.”
“I think that’s a female prerogative.”
“Oh! Already on to the sexist comments.”
“No, just a statement of fact. And I didn’t say it was a bad thing. It’s what makes women such wonderfully complex, stimulating creatures.”
Melodie knew she should be feeling the politically correct righteous anger that his statement ought to invoke, but somehow she knew that he meant it as a compliment. Her gut told her this man was a Southern gentleman. She’d bet her bottom dollar that he would treat any woman as his equal in the business world, but he still opened doors and held coats and walked dates to their doors. She personally felt there was room to be strong and still be feminine. The two were not mutually exclusive.
“I’m not the only incongruity around here,” she shot back, breaking out of her reverie.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re quite an enigma yourself.”
“So I guess we’re both intrigued.”
“Possibly, but I have to be honest and tell you that I feel you’re being coerced into including me on this project.”
“I—”
“Uncle Trenton, Joey’s sticking his tongue out.”
“Am not!”
“Are, too!”
“Hold it, guys,” Trenton interjected before an all-out brawl ensued. “What’s going on?”
Joey lowered his eyes to the table. “Nothing.”
“Uh-huh,” Amber argued. “He was bein’ gross.”
“Joey?” Trenton waited, a wealth of questions behind the simple name.
“I was just trying to be funny. She’s just a little ninny, that’s all.”
Ninny? Melodie wondered. She had no idea kids used the word ninny these days.
“Are you guys finished eating?” The two nodded. “Then why don’t you go play on the second playground.”
The two were off like bolts of lightning, and Trenton shook his head. “I just love those kids.”
“They are darlings, that’s for sure. Can I make a big leap here and assume they are the reason behind this video?”
“Part of it, certainly. My market research gives me hope that it will also be a lucrative project. It would be a nice addition to their trust funds.”
Melodie settled back and crossed her legs comfortably. “How did you get started in all this?”
“Their mother, who is my sister, is a radio/TV/film major at U.T. Bridgette has to do a video for a school assignment and she mentioned one day that she couldn’t find any good children’s exercise videos. We both just looked at each other.”
Melodie raised an eyebrow. “And the rest, as they say, is history?”
“Pretty much. Her project doesn’t have to be marketed, but after doing some research, we figured that if she was going to do all that work, she might as well get something out of it.”
“Just she? You’re not involved?”
“I’m fronting the expenses, but that’s all I’m going to let Bridgette pay me back. This is for her and the kids.”
“That’s awfully nice of you.”
“They’re very special to me.”
The love and caring she saw in his eyes made her uncomfortable. He was obviously the kind of big brother every girl dreamed of having. Bridgette was one of the lucky ones to actually get an older sibling like Trenton. Other big brothers weren’t quite as close to the mark.
She cleared her throat. “So where do I come in?”
“We envision this as a dance video. We had someone lined up to lead it, but she had to back out due to an illness in her family. Now we need to recast the role.”
After they briefly discussed the financial terms, Melodie admitted she was interested, but every time she looked at Trenton, her gut meter went off in warning. It was the voice that said, “Danger! Nice guy ahead.” Nice guys, as a whole, were all right, but they tended to be awfully straitlaced.
Worse yet, she knew from some of Serena’s gossip
