A Matter of Trust: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 3) Read online

  “Hey, Tyler. Come in.”

  He returned her smile with an easy one of his own. It was rare to see him without a smile when he was interacting with someone.

  Once he was seated across from her, Melanie said, “So? How did the visit with Simon go?”

  Her question dimmed his smile slightly. “Still about the same. He talked a bit more today. Asked questions about my accident and injuries. I suppose that, all things considered, it’s progress.”

  “But not enough to make you happy?” Melanie asked.

  “It pains me to see someone so unhappy.” Tyler leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I certainly don’t expect people to just get over traumatic events. What saddens me, though, is to see someone choosing to not take advantage of the help that’s available to them. Choosing to not take the steps to move themselves forward.

  “Simon is more than willing to talk about my experiences, but I get the feeling it’s because he wants to avoid his own, not because he hopes to learn something from what I’ve gone through.”

  Melanie watched as Tyler straightened and ran a hand through his hair. “So do you think it’s a waste of your time to come see him?”

  Tyler’s eyebrows rose above his blue eyes. “Not at all. Helping people is never a waste of my time, even if they don’t seem to want my help.”

  Warmth unfurled within Melanie, and she pressed a hand to her stomach, grateful that the height of her desk hid the movement. “If anyone can help Simon, I’m sure it’s you.”

  The smile reappeared on Tyler’s face, his eyes sparkling. “I appreciate your vote of confidence. I can only pray that you’re right.”

  At Tyler’s mention of prayer, Melanie found herself thinking about his faith. She went to church…sometimes…like this last weekend. Usually, it was precipitated by a call from her mother to remind her that they hadn’t seen her there for a couple of weeks. She’d been more interested in church and the youth group before everything had gone wrong.

  Maybe experiencing tragedy as an adult allowed one to view God differently than someone who experienced it as a young teenager. Tyler had always clung to his faith even when he’d first showed up at the Center, seemingly confident that God still had a plan for him. She, on the other hand, had spent her teen and adult years wondering where God had been when things had gone so very wrong for her.

  “I hope that coming to see Simon won’t take you away from other things you need to do,” Melanie said.

  “It won’t.” Tyler leaned back in his chair. “Would it be possible to take him out once in a while?”

  “Like for coffee?”

  “Maybe, but I was thinking more like having him come with me to my Saturday night basketball games. You know the ones I go to with a group of guys from work and church. It’s usually just a friendly game.” He paused as he rubbed his hand against his hip. “There are people with prosthetics like me. A couple in wheelchairs and some like Ryan, who have no disability.”

  “If you think it might be something he’d like, for sure you can invite him out. As long as he’s with you and you bring him back, there’s no harm in him spending time away from the Center. It might be good if he did, actually.”

  “I make no promises that an outing like that will make a difference for him, but I thought it might be good to try. He mentioned that he played for a team in high school. Maybe seeing that it’s something he can still do—even in his wheelchair—will be eye-opening for him.”

  “At this point, I think we’re willing to try anything that might give him a sense of hope and purpose. If it’s basketball that gets him focused forward, then I’m all for it.”

  Tyler nodded then pushed himself up from the chair. “I’d better get going. I thought I was done for the day, but Marcus called so I have to head back to the office for a bit.”

  Melanie stood as well. “Thanks again for coming by.”

  “My pleasure.” Tyler walked toward the door but instead of leaving her office, he placed a hand on the doorframe and turned back toward her. “Would you be interested in going for lunch tomorrow after your meeting?”

  “Lunch?” Melanie’s heart pounded. In the past, it would have been a quick acceptance, but now…

  “Yeah. We haven’t talked in a while.” The smile that was usually on his face was missing, his expression serious. “Thought maybe we could catch up.”

  No.

  That’s what she should be saying. The word should have flowed easily because she’d practiced it with plenty of men over the years.

  Instead, Melanie said, “Sure. I’d like that.”

  Tyler’s smile lit up his whole face. “Great! I’ll see you tomorrow then. You can text me when you’re ready.”

  No. No. No. No. No.

  It pounded against her skull like a drum, reminding her of what she should be saying to Tyler. Her mind might have been raging at that moment, but her heart was strangely happy.

  ~*~*~

  Tyler made a rapid exit from Melanie’s office. He had a feeling if he lingered too long, she’d change her mind about meeting for lunch the next day. Not that she couldn’t phone or text to cancel, but for the next few hours, he was just going to enjoy the thought of spending time with her. If she ended up canceling, he’d just try again in a week or so.

  All the recent talks he’d had with himself about this not being the greatest idea he’d ever had had fallen on deaf ears. Between Ryan and his mom, he was starting to feel that his life really was lacking something when that was anything but true. He had a job he loved. He kept active with the young men in his church, thoroughly enjoyed his basketball nights and was part of a group of people at the church that met regularly for fellowship and Bible study. It was full. It was satisfying. Until recently.

  A couple of years ago when his heart had felt like it was healed enough to take another chance on love, he’d found that his mind just couldn’t accept the risk of loving another woman who might leave when being with him became too difficult. But there was something about Melanie that made his heart clamor for him to take that chance. His heart…but his mind resisted.

  As much as he liked Melanie, he sensed that there was something that she held back. Not just from him, but from everyone. After all, she was his age and hadn’t—to his knowledge—had a serious relationship in all the time he’d known her.

  What was keeping her from a relationship? He honestly wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He couldn’t ask her about it without having to reveal his own vulnerabilities and fears, and right now, he rather enjoyed the way she thought of him.

  ~*~*~

  Melanie jerked on the jacket of the pantsuit she’d finally settled on after changing three times. Now she wouldn’t have time to make her smoothie without being late. They usually had food at the weekly meetings, but often it was stuff she wouldn’t eat. Doughnuts. Muffins. Bagels. Not the type of fuel she liked to put into her body.

  Deciding she didn’t care if she was late, Melanie went to the kitchen. Alex and Adrianne were just walking out the door and looked over at her.

  “Running a bit late?” Alex asked with a lifted brow. “That’s not like you.”

  “I’ll be right behind you,” she said as she pulled her fruit and veggies from the fridge. “I’m sure I won’t miss anything too important if I’m a few minutes late to the meeting.”

  Adrianne laughed. “I’ll be sure to let Marcus know you’re on your way.”

  “You do that,” Melanie muttered as she dropped her stuff into the mixer.

  Once she’d started the machine, she looked down at herself. Her final choice of outfit was a pantsuit in deep plum with a jacket that was fitted through the bodice but had a peplum flared over her hips. The cream blouse she wore underneath it showed through the deep vee in the front of the jacket. It was one of her favorites and was comfortable to boot.

  Adrianne also wore suits, but hers were usually paired with a skirt. Melanie, on the other hand, never wore a suit with a skirt. Inevit
ably, those skirts were usually pencil-thin and restrictive to movement. If she ever needed to move, she didn’t want her progress impaired by a tight skirt. She did make a concession on the shoes, however, figuring that she could kick them off quickly and still be able to run if she had to.

  When the mixer had done its job, Melanie dumped her smoothie into her travel mug then snapped the lid in place. She grabbed her briefcase and headed to the garage.

  “Nice of you to join us,” Marcus said as Melanie sat down in an empty chair next to Adrianne.

  Though she nodded, Melanie fought the urge to scowl at the man. Unfortunately, he kinda scared her, so she kept her face expressionless. He might be her brother’s best friend, but there was something about the man that put her on edge. Marcus and Alex were like night and day in her book. Literally. With his blond hair, blue eyes and his smile, Alex was sunshine. While Marcus with his intense nature set against dark hair and eyes made him like the night.

  Light and dark.

  Good and evil.

  Okay, maybe the evil was going a bit far, but if he and Alex were cops, Marcus would definitely have been the bad one. Was it any wonder the man couldn’t hold onto a secretary or assistant for more than a couple of weeks? No doubt all the women felt the same way she did about him.

  “Anything we need to know about the Center, Melanie?”

  Marcus’s deep voice jerked her attention from her musings. She scrambled to remember the things she’d planned to make note of in the meeting.

  “We are in the process of bringing in a couple of trained dogs to help with therapy.”

  “Dogs?” Marcus asked, his brows drawn together. “To what end?”

  “In the past several years, there has been a rise in the use of dogs to help deal with PTSD. After talking with some of my counselors, we feel that there are a couple of vets who could benefit from having a trained dog.”

  Marcus leaned back in his chair, his steepled fingers touching his lips. His gaze was intent on her when he asked, “How is this accomplished?”

  “The dogs are trained to recognize the anxious behaviors of their owners and will work to physically redirect them to something like petting or interacting with the dog. They also can be a physical barrier between their owner and the public if the situations become tense for them. People suffering from nightmares as a result of PTSD can also be calmed by the presence of the dog. Plus, for some, having a dog that needs their care and attention can help draw them out.”

  Marcus nodded. “And you haven’t tried this type of thing before?”

  “We’ve brought dogs into the Center to interact with the vets, but we’ve never actually provided them with a dog of their own. Right now we’ve chosen two vets to receive trained dogs. They will remain at the Center while they adjust to having them around so we can see firsthand how it’s working. If these two cases are successful, we will look into expanding the program.”

  “And the funding for this?”

  “I can answer that, Marcus,” Adrianne said as she laid a hand on Melanie’s arm. “We sent out information to our regular donors as well as a few new ones we thought might be interested in this program, and we had a remarkable response. We received enough money to initially fund five dogs so there is no additional cost to the Center or to the vet. If the program seems successful, we will do more to raise money for additional dogs.”

  “How much is the cost per dog?”

  Adrianne glanced at Melanie before replying. “The value of a dog over the course of its life is around twenty to thirty thousand. The people we are working with receive no government funding so their costs are covered strictly through donations.”

  “So you raised over a hundred thousand dollars for this project?” Marcus asked.

  Adrianne nodded. “We have. We feel that it is a worthwhile project for BlackThorpe to be involved in.”

  Marcus seemed to mull over her words, and Melanie felt her stomach churn. She did not want Marcus to shut this program down. He’d given them free rein over the Center when it came to programs and fundraising. She didn’t want him to take that back now.

  Finally, he nodded and sat forward. “It sounds like it was a good decision to move forward with it.” His gaze landed on Melanie again. “I would like to speak to you a little further about it. Would you come to my office following the meeting, please?”

  His request did nothing to settle her stomach, but Melanie nodded. Now, for the first time ever, she wasn’t looking forward to the end of the meeting.

  The rest of the meeting seemed to speed by and soon Marcus was dismissing them. Melanie took a minute to send a text to Tyler letting him know that she was going to be a bit late. Then, with a final look at Adrianne, she headed off to Marcus’s office.

  He had left the meeting almost immediately—which was normal for him—so he was already at his desk when she got there.

  “Go ahead and close the door,” Marcus said as she walked into his office. “And then have a seat.”

  Feeling a bit as if she was being called on the carpet, Melanie sat down in the chair indicated, her back ramrod straight. She waited for Marcus to begin the conversation because she didn’t figure her attempts at small talk would go anywhere.

  Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too long.

  “So, you really feel that this program with the dogs has potential for people with PTSD?”

  Melanie nodded. “Yes, I do. I did research on it extensively and met with people who had lived with trained dogs for over a year. It doesn’t cure PTSD, of course, but it is another way for people to cope with it. So it does help improve the lives of people who have struggled with PTSD.”

  “I realize that you are probably looking at this strictly from the viewpoint of the people we help at the Center—namely vets—but would it work with someone who suffers from PTSD caused by something other than war?”

  Again Melanie nodded. “The symptoms of PTSD, regardless of the origin, are often the same. I believe that a dog would also be beneficial for someone suffering PTSD from a trauma that is not related to war.”

  Marcus took a deep breath, and his gaze dropped momentarily. When he looked back up, the intensity was still there, along with a bit of vulnerability. Melanie hoped that her surprise didn’t show.

  “I have a sister—I’m not sure if you’re aware of that.”

  Melanie actually knew very little about the man sitting across the desk from her, so hearing that he had a sibling was definitely news to her. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “Well, I do. She’s several years younger than me and when she was thirteen, she experienced a trauma that has left her shattered.”

  Melanie stared at the man. With her own experience with teenage trauma, she wondered what it might have been that his sister had gone through. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Marcus nodded his acceptance of her remark and then seemed to be mulling over his next words. “I wonder if a dog might be something that would help her.”

  The knot that had been in Melanie’s stomach eased. “We can definitely look into that for you if you’d like.”

  “I would. If you could send me some information to review, I would appreciate that.”

  Melanie assured him that he would have his information before the end of the day. “Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?”

  Marcus nodded. “Please keep this confidential.”

  Melanie had already figured out that she would need to do that. There was a reason Marcus kept his sister’s existence from them so she would honor that request without question.

  As she stepped from his office, she took a deep breath and let it out. However, the nerves regarding the meeting with Marcus were quickly replaced by the flutters of anticipation about seeing Tyler. As she walked to the elevator to go down to the floor where Tyler’s office was, she texted him a quick message to let him know she was on her way.

  When the elevator reached the floor and the doors slid open, Tyler stood the
re, his hands in the pockets of his light gray dress pants. He wore a long sleeved dark blue button down shirt. Smiling, he stepped into the car with her.

  “So you were meeting with the big guy?” Tyler asked as he pushed the button for the main floor.

  “Yeah. He wanted some more information on the program we’re setting up to match trained dogs with people suffering from PTSD. It went well, but meeting with him always makes me a little nervous.”

  Tyler laughed. “I know what you mean. Look up the word intense in the dictionary and you’d probably see his picture.”

  That made Melanie smile, glad for the easygoing conversation between them. He’s a great friend. She repeated that to herself a couple of times as the elevator began its descent. Then she got a whiff of his cologne and her stomach clenched. He’s a great friend.

  Never had she been so grateful for the ability she’d cultivated to keep her face passive even when internally she was dealing with overwhelming emotions.

  He’s a great friend.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  AS THEY WALKED through the doors of the small restaurant a short time later, Tyler was determined that this was going to be an easygoing, friendly lunch. That might be easier said than done, Tyler realized as he took in Melanie’s stiff posture and how her eyes seemed detached from the smiles she gave. Her unease didn’t make sense because they’d had lunches together in the past.

  Something had changed. Unfortunately, he had no idea what that was.

  Once they’d placed their orders, Tyler relaxed back on his side of the booth. “So Marcus was okay with the PTSD dog program?”

  “Yes. He just wanted a bit more information on it.” Melanie shifted in her seat and the familiarity of the movement let Tyler know she was crossing her legs under the table. “I’m actually quite excited about the program, particularly because we’ll be able to monitor the interactions of the first two vets we’ve chosen to receive dogs. They are both staying at the Center so they’ll be right there, giving us a firsthand view.”