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had he been completely wasted, he’d trashed her place of employment.
Not exactly the reunion he’d imagined for them. It was probably for the best. A
girl like Mel didn’t belong in his world, yet…
             
Tamping down another wave of nausea and breathing through the pain, Jackson
knew he’d have to wait a couple of hours to take another hit. He needed a clear
head. He had a plan to put into action. He knew it was selfish to want Mel back
in his life, but he didn’t care. He needed her more than ever.

 
    Chapter
6
    Decked
out
     
     
     
              “ Fired ?
What do you mean I’m fired?” Melody squeaked. “I’ve worked for you since I was
eighteen. I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into making this hotel the
establishment it is today. And I’ve never once put so much as a toe out of
line.”
             
“Be that as it may, I left you in charge for one week, only to come back to a
penthouse with more than thirty-thousand dollars worth of damage and a high
profile regular who will no longer patronize our hotel.” Carlos gave her an
apologetic frown and his voice softened. “I’m sorry, Melody. The decision is
out of my hands.”
             
“B-b-but, I had no control over that,” Melody stammered in disbelief. She was
out of a job, thanks to Black Jack’s reckless partying. How could Jackson’s bad
decisions still manage to hurt her after all these years?
              “Exactly. A good manager would have anticipated the
problem and prevented it. I’m afraid you’re just not ready for the
responsibilities of your position.”
             
“But if you’d just give me another chance,” Melody pled, desperate to grab some
sort of foot hold before she toppled end over end into unemployment. Student
loans for post graduate studies were bad enough. Such loans were even worse if
unemployed.
             
“With your education and experience, I am certain you will find the right
position for you. It’s just not at the Grand Hotel.”
             
Melody sucked in a deep breath and gave him a pained smile. It wasn’t the end
of the world. No , just the end of her career. Either way, no tears. She would accept her fate with all the
dignity and grace of a professional. Then go home and draw devil horns on
Carlos in every picture she had of them together at company social functions.
  
             
The Grand had been her second home as she’d worked her way through college. She
loved the old hotel and all the staff there. Carlos had been personally
grooming her to run the hotel after his retirement. And she would’ve made a
damn good replacement. If not for Jackson.
             
Melody rose to her feet and smoothed her skirt. With a polite nod, she choked
out a “thank you,” and turned on her heel. She walked out of Carlos’s office
and the hotel with her head held high. Everything would be okay.
             
Moisture brimmed her eyes as she stepped out into the
sunlight. It couldn’t possibly be tears. No, the increased brightness made her
eyes water.  That was all. Studying her perfectly polished toes through
the little window of her peep toe pumps, Melody focused on the comforting ‘click’
of her heels on the pavement.
             
A man’s unexpected voice sent her leaping into the air. “Ms. Davis?”
             
Melody whipped her head around to see who had startled her so. A big, brawny
bear of a man with cropped red hair a few shades lighter than her own leaned up
against the stone wall of the hotel, relaxed and casual.
             
Melody tipped her head to the side, studying the stranger. “Do I know you?”
             
“No, ma’am,” the man answered, his light brown eyes laughing as his mouth
remained neutral. “But we have a mutual friend.”
             
Melody raked him with an appraising gaze. Maybe it was the tattoos or the
craggy skin that