Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

On a groan, Melanie put her shaker bottle back on her desk and tried to shift her focus back to the blog. She had a few blogs in reserve for emergencies, but daydreaming about the hunky officer who had given her the best night of her life, probably didn’t constitute as an emergency.

Melanie shoved her hand through her hair and rested her elbow on the desk as she continued to stare at the blank screen just waiting for something to magically appear. She’d prescheduled the guest blogs for Wednesday and Saturday, so she wasn’t shifting them. Today was all her—which had never been an issue before.

When her cell chimed and vibrated across the desk, Melanie jumped. She really needed to turn on some music to calm her nerves.

She glanced at the flash of text, but didn’t get a good look before the screen went black. Eager for a distraction, she reached for her phone and brought it to life. Immediately she regretted that decision.

Call Me

Her heart clenched as she dropped the phone back onto the desk. Most people would see that message and never think of it as a threat. Those people hadn’t been involved in her two-year marriage. Two years of pure hell and never knowing what the next day would bring.

Neville was always so careful with his texts. He’d never do anything she could use against him. She had enough blackmail material on him if she chose to go public. But he’d granted her the divorce in exchange for her promised silence on what had really happened behind their closed doors.

During the course of their marriage, anytime she’d receive a text or call from him, fear would instantly settle in deep. Now when she saw his number pop up—she’d deleted his name—she didn’t feel anything but rage. She’d changed her number four times since leaving. She finally gave up once she realized he would get her new number no matter what.

How dare he contact her, like she was going to respond? Did he truly believe she’d call? His assistants had often called or messaged, and Melanie chose not to talk to any of them, either. There had been one assistant Melanie had gotten somewhat close with. Of course Neville never knew or he’d have put a stop to that. He’d claimed she didn’t need anybody but him. Friendships were off-limits because Melanie might actually confide in someone about the goings-on in the Prescott house.

Turning her phone over, Melanie turned back to the screen. Nothing motivated her like that reminder of what she’d come from and who she was now.

The cell chimed and vibrated again, but she ignored it. Her fingers flew over the keys as she started in with the topic of Making Your Own Happy. It had taken a long, long time, but Melanie could finally say she was happy. Thrown off by the unplanned pregnancy, yes, but she was happier than she’d been in, well, forever.

Removing herself from the clutches of Neville and knowing she held something over him had given her the courage and the power to leave. So why was he continuing to reach out to her?

At first he’d been all apologetic, but she’d heard that before and didn’t believe a word out of his lying lips. Then he’d slacked off a bit and now he was back full force.

Melanie opened up the music on her laptop and cranked her favorite song. Anything was better than the silence and thinking of her ex’s next move. Jade had gone with Olivia to look at some restaurant booths and tables. Not that they were anywhere close to needing that stuff yet, but Sophie Monroe had given them a tip about a nice restaurant closing only a couple towns over.

Sophie had married Zach Monroe. The couple was quite dynamic, with Zach and his construction business and Sophie with her real estate office. They knew all the ins and outs in and around Haven. Anything to help save a dollar was going to add up in the long run. Melanie couldn’t wait to see the end result of this airport. The vision and dreams they’d all discussed, the hard work and determination to pull this off, it would take time but be so worth it.

As Melanie continued to type, she started singing. She searched for images to slide in various points in her post.

“What the hell, Melanie?”

Melanie nearly fell back in her seat as her singing came to a halt and she jerked around to see Tanner in the doorway.

With a hand to her heart, she attempted to restore her breathing. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Tanner swiped a hand down his face, his chest heaving as he pulled in a deep breath. “I thought something was wrong. I called, but you didn’t answer. I texted, no answer. Then I think I broke laws getting here. I rang your doorbell when I saw your car and bike outside, but . . . Damn it, can you turn that music down?”

Melanie reached back and tapped on the keyboard. Pushing her seat back, she came to her feet and rested her hip on her desk. “What are you doing here, Tanner?”

“Right now I’m getting over the slight heart attack I had thinking something was wrong with you.” He pulled in a deep breath and raked a hand over his jawline. “I took the day off work and I wanted to surprise you with something.”

Shocked, Melanie crossed her arms over her chest. The second day off in a week? Maybe he truly was reprioritizing his life.

“You took time off to surprise me?”

Tanner shrugged. “I had an idea I thought you might enjoy. I never take time to myself. Trust me when I say the captain was more than eager to sign off on this.”

Melanie heard the words, but things still weren’t processing. Being cautious at every step was the only way she could move forward.

“Okay, so you never take vacation days and now you’ve done it twice just this week. You’re sure you want to spend it with me?”

“Pretty sure we’ve already established that.”

Yeah, they had, but that didn’t mean she understood his reasoning any better. Neville had never surprised her with anything, let alone taken an entire day off. Melanie couldn’t help but compare the two men because, honestly, she hadn’t had many serious relationships.

Not that Tanner was a serious relationship, but they were certainly more than casual. Weren’t they?