"Chris wanted you to know that he's sorry he can't make it."
Melanie crossed her arms over her chest and fell back against the pillows on the bed. Mateo had shown her to the suite after a long day with Vero, and she had expected Christopher to be in the suite with her, ready to fulfill his promise of spending the night together. But he wasn't, and Mateo had wisely waited until she was settled in to be the bearer of bad news.
"Production is taking longer than expected, but he should be available in the morning," Mateo explained to her. "Towels are in the bathroom if you want to shower. Clothes are in the closet. If you need anything else, I'll be at the bar."
She huffed out a breath and forced a smile. "Thanks, Mateo. You don't have to worry about me tonight. Enjoy yourself. I'll just be here."
He nodded and then without much else to say, he turned to close the door.
When Melanie was completely alone, she walked into the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes to shower. As she waited for the water to warm up, she grabbed her phone from her bundle of clothes and looked for Lukas' number. She had suddenly remembered that they hadn't spoken all day, and it was only right to inform him that she was thousands of miles from home.
"Hey, pretty girl," he said once the line connected. She didn't even have to wait long to hear his voice. "Everything ok?"
"Christopher flew me out to the Clearwater Resort," she told him.
"Sounds romantic."
"Well, he's filming here."
Lukas hummed. "So, it's really for business, but he thought he could mix some pleasure in."
"It was a nice gesture," she said all too defensively.
"I'm not saying otherwise. But if you're supposed to be enjoying yourself, why are you calling me?"
"Can't I call to check in on my best friend?"
He emitted a heavy sigh. "What's the matter, Melanie?"
She was quiet for a long moment while she gathered her thoughts. Then she finally asked, "Are we okay?"
"Of course we are," he assured her. He had said it with such gentleness that she was almost convinced. "That isn't why you called though, is it?"
"I think I'm homesick."
He chuckled. "If you and I ever get the chance to travel the world, how are you going to survive one night?"
"You want to travel the world?" she asked him. A smile appeared on her lips, and although he couldn't see it, he could hear the happiness in her voice.
"You just said I was your best friend. Isn't that something best friends do together?"
She nodded to herself. "Where would we go?"
"I've always wanted to go to the Clearwater Resort, but you're already there."
"Where else then?"
"I'd go anywhere you go," he said. They fell silent. Then he cleared his throat and continued. "We have our whole lives to plan. That's assuming neither one of us gets married. I'm sure Christopher wouldn't want you flying across the globe alone with me."
She rolled her eyes. "We aren't that serious."
"I wouldn't take a girl to the Clearwater Resort unless I was planning to put a ring on her finger one day."
Her brows knit together as she considered his words. "But you wanted to come here with me."
A loud crash on Lukas' end of the line made him deeply sigh. There was muffled shouting in the background, and even though she couldn't hear what was being said, she could make out some of the words. Lukas wasn't even at all fazed by it, so she had to assume it wasn't his first time experiencing trouble. "I'm sorry to do this to you, pretty girl, but some assholes are smashing all my windows. I'll call you back, alright?"
"Lukas—"
She couldn't finish her sentence because he had already hung up, disconnecting the call. She stared at the screen for a long moment and then reluctantly put her phone down. She prayed to whoever would listen that he was alright.
She quickly redressed herself and made her way out of the suite in search of Christopher. They crew was no longer on the beach, so she headed in the direction of Vero's suite. She knocked a few times, and when Vero appeared in front of her, she released a sigh of relief.
"Is there any way off this island so I can get back home?"
Vero raised a brow at her. "Where's Chris?"
"I don't know, but my friend's in trouble, and I need to go home," she explained. She was breathless by the time she finished her sentence. "Do you know how I can do that?"
Vero nodded her head and pulled Melanie inside. "I'm doing this because I genuinely think you're a great girl who's in need of help. I'll call the pilot, but you can only go if he says so."
"Thank you," she said to Vero.
Vero typed a text on her phone and waited for a response. When it pinged, she gave Melanie a hopeful smile. "We have to meet him on the landing pad. He said you can leave right now."
"Can you take me?"
"I might as well go, right? I'm not even needed here." Vero grabbed the small bag of her personal belongings and took the lead. "You're not going to tell Chris?"
"I'll have to call him. He's still filming."
"They finished filming hours ago."
Melanie faltered in step, but she kept moving. "Mateo said it was taking longer than expected."
"That man is Chris' uncle, Mel. He works hard to make sure Chris does what he's supposed to, and he also lies for him."
Once the two women reached the landing pad, a man emerged and took Vero's bag from her. He nodded to them but didn't speak as he helped them on.
"So, where is he then?" she asked Vero.
Vero shrugged her shoulders and tightened her safety straps. "He disappears a lot. There's always more to do once filming is over, but some of the crew members just gave up on finding him. He does whatever he wants." She pointed to the headphones hanging above Melanie and then grabbed her own on her side. "Remember to put those on. It'll be awhile before we get back."
"My insurance policy will only cover burglaries and theft. Since nothing was taken, they won't pay for the damages." Lukas swept the shards of broken glass into the dustpan and then dumped it into the barrel of trash. He had called Adam early that morning to help. His friend of many years didn't hesitate for even a second and showed up ten minutes after they ended the call. "I haven't even estimated the cost yet."
"You forget that I'm an accountant who can help calculate costs," Adam said to his friend. "My money's kinda tight right now, but you know I got you."
"No," Lukas quickly said. "You have a wife and kids you need to be taking care of."
"Ma'am, you aren't allowed inside," a male voice said from outside the bar. "We're still investigating."
"Lukas is a friend. I need to get in."
Lukas recognized the voice outside and walked out of the bar. When he met Melanie's gaze, she charged for him and wrapped her arms around his tense body. "I thought you were at the Resort."
"I was worried."
"You don't need to worry about me."
She looked past his shoulder at the shattered windows and held him tighter. His muscles instantly relaxed to welcome her embrace. "What happened here?"
"It might have been personal. They didn't try to take anything."
"Mel, you good?" Vero asked from the driver seat of a parked car.
Melanie pulled away and turned back to Vero. "I had to check in with Lukas."
"This is your friend?" she asked Melanie as she gave the man a once over. "Cuter than Chris, I might say. Is everything alright?"
"We'll figure it out," Melanie assured her. She bent over to hug Vero through the open window and then walked back to Lukas. "Thank you again."
Vero sighed. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Melanie alone at a crime scene. "Do you need help?" she asked Lukas. "I kinda ditched the whole crew at the Resort, so I'm available for anything you need."
Lukas hesitated for a moment and then nodded his head. "You're welcomed to come inside, but I don't want you ladies around this mess."
Vero quirked a brow and exited her car. "You don't think I can get my hands dirty?"
"This is Vero," Melanie said to Lukas with a widespread grin. "Isn't she great?"
"Another famous friend of yours?"
She nodded. "A more recent friend. She got me back home, so be nice."
Lukas led the two women inside and smirked when Vero grabbed the broom and dustpan. She immediately began sweeping the glass on the floor without another word spoken between them. "I like her better than that other friend of yours."
Melanie nudged his shoulder and shook her head at him. "You're supposed to be nice to me, too."
"Aren't I always?" Lukas looked over at Adam who had been watching them, amused by their interaction. "You haven't met Adam yet."
"You must be Melanie," he said, extending a hand to her. "I've heard about you. I'm impressed that Beaumont's campaign director gives this idiot the time of day."
Melanie laughed. "Lukas isn't too bad. I assume you don't hate the mayor."
"We're in good hands with him." He moved in the direction of Lukas' office and set his broom on the bar. "Let's go over what this is gonna cost you. We'll get this place cleaned up by tonight."
"Vero and I got this," Melanie assured the two men. She had to stand on her toes to embrace Lukas before reluctantly parting. Once they had disappeared into the office, she grabbed the broom and began piling up the shards of glass on the floor.
"Are you still sticking to your lie that Lukas is just a friend?"
Melanie snickered. "It's not a lie."
Vero stopped sweeping and placed a hand on her hip. "You flew all the way back home for him. I bet you haven't even sent Chris a single text since we got in my car."
"And you joined me on the flight."
"Because you're very fucking special, and I think we're meant to be," Vero said, shrugging her shoulders casually. "I can say these things because we'll only ever be friends. You don't even know what will happen with you and Lukas."
"He's the only family I have," she explained to Vero. "If I ruin what we have, I'll regret it forever. Besides, I think he'd rather have the pretty faces that walk in here."
"Now you're just lying to yourself."
Melanie giggled then she looked down at the floor and smiled to herself. "You know I call him Teddy Bear because I just knew he had the biggest heart. I wasn't wrong. So, if I get to have one good person in my life, I want it to be him."
Vero frowned. She didn't mean to, but the sadness in Melanie's voice had made her emotional as well. "I've lost my soulmate, and she won't even admit that she loves hers."