Mail Order Stepbrother by Kira Ward Page B

service, so she had nothing to do Thursday afternoon. Tanya chased after her as she was walking to the parking garage.
    “Hey, you want to get your nails done? I have this coupon…”
    “You had me at nails.”
    Tanya laughed.
    Melanie drove to the salon and sprang for the addition of a pedicure. “I’m going to a party for my new stepfather, so I should look my best, right?”
    “Definitely.”
    They sat in their chairs and picked their colors, then settled back as the ladies began to do their thing. Tanya made this sighing sound that she often made when she had something she wanted to say, but she wanted to make sure she had everyone’s full attention. Melanie peeked at her from under her lashes, wondering what gossip she had today. And if it was worth giving up this relaxed silence she had fallen into.
    “Have you heard about Jack?” Tanya finally asked, apparently no longer capable of keeping it in.
    “What about him?”
    “He was arrested last night.”
    Melanie sat up straighter, startling the woman working on her nails.
    “What for?”
    “He got fired, you know, because someone made a report against him for harassment and it was like the third time it had happened. So I guess he got drunk and tried to go home to Tess and Eli, but she had thrown him out. She called the police and got him arrested for trespassing and making threats against her.”
    “Shit,” Melanie whispered, thinking about Tess and Eli, about her own role in Jack losing his job. What if something had happened to Tess and Eli? She never could have forgiven herself if it had. “How did you hear about it?”
    “He called half the people in the radiology department looking for someone to help him post bail.”
    “Gutsy.”
    Tanya nodded. “I don’t think he ever found anyone to help him out. But he managed to light a fire under the gossip mill.”
    Melanie stared down at her fingernails, not really seeing the soft pink color the technician was applying. She saw Jack’s angry face as he cornered her in the parking garage. She saw Tess standing over Eli’s crib in the hospital. And she saw that innocent baby, lying still with a bandage covering most of his torso.
    When she thought of Eli, she knew she’d done the right thing.
    “So, is your boyfriend going with you to this thing at your mom’s?”
    Melanie glanced at her. “What makes you think I have a boyfriend?”
    Tanya laughed. “You smile all the time. You leave the hospital at a decent hour instead of hanging out till the middle of the night. You were late to your rounds three times this week—“
    “I was not.”
    “You were. And you smell like men’s cologne when you first come in most mornings.”
    Melanie shook her head. “I didn’t think you paid that much attention.”
    “I’m a nurse. My life revolves around gossiping about doctors.”
    Melanie laughed, as much out of surprise that Tanya would admit it as the amusement factor.
    Tanya smiled. “Tell me about him. What does he do?”
    “He runs his family’s business.”
    “Sounds fun. What kind of business?”
    “Retail.”
    “Hmmm…lucky you. Have you ever seen a picture of the guy who runs Marchand? I would dump my husband in a heartbeat if I was given the chance to be with him.”
    Melanie smiled as she wondered what Tanya would think if she told her that her mother was married to Marchand’s founder.
    “Looks aren’t everything.”
    “No, but if he comes with the reigns to one of the biggest department stores in the country—the one that happens to be my favorite place to get stockings and those cashmere sweaters my husband doesn’t know how much they cost—I would definitely ditch the husband.”
    Melanie laughed again. “I hope Roland is aware of that.”
    “Oh, he knows.”
    ***
    Melanie dropped another dress on the end of her bed, trying to decide if she needed three or four dresses. She wasn’t quite sure what they would be doing while she was there. When she went to visit her mother in