Page 39 of Save the Drama for your Mama
I headed to my bedroom and took a hot shower to clear my head, but my mind kept drifting back to Melody, even after I got into bed and turned off the light.
A few minutes later, Romeo jumped off the bed and ran to the door. I could hear him sniffing around in the dark, then he started howling.
I clicked on the light. “What are you doing?”
He continued to howl.
I sighed and got out of bed, even though I hadn’t heard a thing. As I stepped into the hallway I promptly collided with Melody.
“Oh!” she yelped, jumping back. Her eyes glanced down at my body before meeting my gaze again.
In my rush to investigate why Romeo was barking, I had forgotten that I was wearing nothing but my boxers. Not that Melody was much more covered up in her thin nightshirt that barely covered her bottom. I tried not to stare, but it was hard not to notice her smooth, bare legs or the way the fabric clung to her curves. Her wavy hair was tousled from sleep and her eyes were wide, yet she still looked so beautiful.
“S-sorry,” I stammered. “What are you doing out here?”
“I jumped out of bed when I heard Romeo howl,” Melody said.
We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I couldn’t resist sneaking another glance at her legs before forcing myself to look at her face.
Get it together, Cooper!
“Did Romeo hear something?” she asked, pulling at the hem of her shirt. “Do you think it was the ghost?”
I just shrugged, trying to play it cool, even though my pulse was racing from getting to see so much of Melody. “I don't know what to believe. I’m wondering if it really could be a ghost, and if it’s actually my mom. Was this what she meant when she said she was going to be watching over me?”
There was a click-clacking noise coming from the other end of the hallway. Romeo made a beeline to the library to investigate.
“That’s weird—was that the typewriter?” Melody asked.
I nodded. “It sure sounded like it, but that makes little sense because it’s not plugged in.”
“Woo-woo! Spooky!” said Melody, taking a step toward the library. “Let’s go check it out!”
“Whoa, not so fast!” I said, pulling her back, hyper-aware of our physical contact and how much I enjoyed it. “It could be a trap.”
She chewed her lip, then glanced at my chest and my abs for a couple of beats before saying, “You’ve been reading way too many of your mom’s mystery novels. What do you think is happening? An axe-murderer is tapping on the typewriter keys to lure us into the library, then the bloodshed will begin?”
“You never know . . .”
She eyed me up and down again. “Well, I’m going, with or without you.” She smirked. “Wimp.”
Had she really just called me that?
I am not a wimp. I’m cautious.
Big difference!
Melody turned and walked down the hallway, the hem of her nightshirt teasing me as it swayed back and forth.
I sighed and pulled my mind out of the gutter, then headed in the same direction, curious about the noise.
When I entered the library, Melody was standing over the typewriter.
“Get a load of this,” she said.
I approached and glanced down at the sheet of paper.
The best things in life are right under your nose.
