Page 42 of Pursued by the Player

“He’s not here, Liv.” Mel sighed and returned her gaze to her friend. “I invited Jett, and he didn’t show up.”

“Aw, honey.” Liv put her arm around Mel’s shoulder. “Try not to let it get you down.”

“I hurt him, and part of me thinks that he’ll never forgive me.”

“If he doesn’t forgive you, then perhaps he isn’t the right one.” She squeezed Mel’s shoulder and smiled when Mel flashed her a confused look.

“Everyone makes mistakes, honey,” she explains. “You don’t want a guy who has unrealistic expectations.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

Liv rubbed her arm. “Come on, cheer up. Don’t let some asshole ruin your big day.”

Mel smiled. “Thanks.”

“I mean it. If he isn’t willing to meet you halfway, then he isn’t worth it. There are plenty of fish in the sea.” When Mel wrinkled her nose, Liv laughed. “Honest.”

“Yeah, but you took the best fish and left me with the guppies.”

Liv laughed harder, and Mel couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m sure there’s at least one more good man in this world.” She considered Mel for a moment before continuing. “Give him time, Mel. He’s hurt and needs a few days to process everything.”

“But it wasn’t my fault.”

“I know.” She let out a long breath. “I know. If it was meant to be, then it will all work out. Promise.”

“Places everyone!” Kennedy called from somewhere in the back. “Beach babes are on in five.”

“Good luck.” Liv hugged Mel one more time and then hurried to her seat. Mel took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Showtime.

The next forty-five minutes passed in a blur of tulle and satin. Mel pinned cloth here, fixed tears there, and the adrenaline rush gave her little time to think about the empty seat in the front row.

“And now for the brainchild of the entire runway project, Melody Lerner!”

Mel wiped her hands on her skirt, plastered a smile on her face, and eased out from behind the curtain. The bright lights immediately blinded her, and she stood there for a long moment, trying to adjust her vision. As the crowd around her came into focus, her gaze fell to the empty seat in the front row.

It was no longer empty.

Jett sat there, arms crossed, with a scowl on his face. He didn’t appear happy, but at least he was there. Mel’s smile was genuine as she started down the runway. Now it was time to set the final leg of her plan in motion.

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” she said as the applause began to fade. “I appreciate all of you coming out to support me and my new line.”

Jett snorted and turned away in his seat, clearly not happy with the way things were going. Give it time.

“My new clothing line isn’t the only surprise we have in store for you,” she said. “There is another, bigger surprise in store.”

As Jett turned back to face her, she noticed that some of the hostility had gone from his face.

“All of the proceeds from tonight’s show will be donated to the ‘Right Way’ foster home, to help kids find the love they deserve.”

“All of the proceeds?” someone asked.

Mel nodded. “The foster home is a special place, and run by people with big hearts. Considering that they were part of the inspiration for this new line, I think that giving back to them is the right thing to do.”

As the crowd stood and began to applaud, Mel’s gaze turned once again to Jett. Many of the hard lines in his face had softened, but the frown remained. Her breath caught as he stood, turned, and walked toward the exit.

Well, at least I tried. Mel blinked back the tears and smiled at her new fans, who seemed to love her gesture. As the rest of the models and staff came out to take their bows, Kennedy put his arm around her waist and leaned in close to her ear.

“We’ll discuss this later.”

“No need, I quit,” Mel shot back through tight lips. She took her bow and walked off the stage before Kennedy could form a decent retort.

At least she could rest easy she did everything she could to set things right. Like Liv said, if Jett didn’t want to forgive her, then that was on him. She wasn’t going to lose any more sleep over the situation.

She made her way to the back rooms to get her purse, navigating all of the dresses, shoes, and hair pieces that had been tossed carelessly onto the floor between changes. When she arrived at the small room for the staff in the back, she found someone standing there with her purse in his hands, waiting.

“Mel,” Jett said as he started to close the distance between them. “That was quite the show.”

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