Page 60 of Simply Irresistible
“And you’ll give it no more.” Preston looked at me. “Tyler, go get Mr. Hoffstadt a box for his personal belongings.”
I nodded, passing two security officers on my way out of Roger’s office. I laughed to myself, thinking about how Roger called his own personal escort out of the building.
“And you did it all without letting the cat out of the bag about Tyler being family,” Hannah said.
“It was important to him,” Preston said, and I respected him even more for it.
“You’re sweet,” she said, kissing his cheek.
Seeing them cuddling and kissing made me yearn for Melanie. The last time I was over their house for Taco Tuesday, Melanie was with me. I missed her so much.
It was time.
“Han,” she stopped making goo-goo eyes at Preston and looked at me. “I need your help.”
34
Melanie
I sat at my desk, keying in some final notes for Brianna’s upcoming travel itinerary when the suite door opened. Glancing at the clock on my computer monitor, I saw that it was ten minutes until six. I wasn’t expecting anyone.
Hannah peeked her head around the corner and smiled when she saw me.
My heart raced.
What was she doing here?
“Hey, girl,” she said, walking up to my desk like her brother hadn’t broken my heart.
“H-hi,” I stuttered, unsure of what she could possibly want.
“I just wanted to drop this off for you,” she said, dropping a folded square of paper on the desk in front of me. “I’ll see you later,” she sang, disappearing back out the door as quickly as she’d walked in.
Did that even happen? Had she been a figment of my imagination?
I looked down at my desk, eyeing the paper. It looked like a folded-up note, like the ones you passed to your friends in high school before texting.
I took it between two fingers, holding it up to eye level. There was writing on the inside. My heart told me it was Tyler. Duh. Who else would have sent me a note through Hannah?
I quickly unwrapped the note and a slip of paper fell to the desk. I ignored it and read.
Spice,
I can’t properly express how sorry I am for my behavior, or lack thereof, the last few weeks. I’m not going to offer you excuses, you deserved so much more from me than that, though someday I would like to explain what happened. I’m not so good with these kinds of words, but I’m trying here…
If radio stations still took dedications, I’d dedicate all the love songs to you...like Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” or “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. I want to take you on dates to the mall and have matching instant messenger usernames. I’d also keep making you mixed tapes of all the songs that make me think of you. Then I’ll make more that make me think of us.
I’m sorry, Melanie. I miss you so much. Please come see me tonight at 10:00pm.
Love,
Tyler
I picked up the fallen piece of paper. It was a ticket to the Empire State Building’s 86th floor observation deck. He was inviting me to the top of the Empire State Building.
***
“How very nineties of him,” Meredith said when I called her to tell her about Tyler’s note on my way home.
