Best Friend Next Door (Love Next Door Book 2) *Rough Draft*

Chapter 13

Isaac pulled in the drive way of his empty ranch-style house. He'd tossed the idea of calling her, at least he a good reason. He scrolled through his contacts in his phone and slid his finger over her name. The phone rang a couple of times and he was almost expecting to hear her voice mail again.

"Hello?"

Her voice came through the speakers. He still had his phone connected to his hands-free feature in his car. "Hey Mel." He said keeping his excitement in check, but he was happy that she was answering her phone again.

"Hey, Isaac, what's up?"

"Just checking in," He clicked his phone leaving his car, heading toward his house, "How are wedding plans coming?"

"As good as they could be I guess." She sighed, "I feel like I'm doing this all by myself."

"You've got me." He said, "I mean, I can take my lunch breaks to help during the week, and I'm free all weekend."

"Thanks Shaggs, I'm just so overwhelmed." She sighed again, "It looked like I'm just shooting in the dark, hoping they like it."

"Melanie, you are brilliant, you're creative, you have an eye for detail. Just think of it as a scene in a play." He'd even impressed himself with that analogy, "It's like my dad and Valerie are your leading actors, and it's the big wedding finale."

She let out a slow breath letting him know that she was relaxing her mind, "Mmm! A candle lit ceremony. Outside. Lanterns, lights, flowers...even in the arch. In a big garden with trees."

"That sounds beautiful." He smiled.

She giggled, "Thanks Shaggs."

"I knew you had it in you. Just let me know what you need so we can make it happen. You can even use the house as your headquarters.

"Okay, just let me get my clothes together. Which side of the bed to you prefer?"

His heart dropped, "Uh...huh?"

She giggled, "Nice try, Shaggs."

"Mel, I just want to help with the wedding Maybe a change in scenery will help...or the extra space."

She sighed.

"I went to see Dad today."He said changing the subject. He didn't know why she thought it was an offer, he knew that offer was a long way off. "Brody came by."

"Really? That's unusual?" She said.

"No," He replied, "I overheard him say something about trying to buy the shop."

"That is strange. You think he knows your dad's struggling?"

Isaac shrugged. "I don't know...I mean, Dad's not admitting the business is in trouble." Isaac sank on his soft gray suede couch, "I mean, if it was, he didn't even seem to care. Thought of Dad losing the business to someone like Brody." He shook his head.

"What is you and Christian's issue with Brody?"

"Like you don't remember, Mel. He hasn't changed, he just got a nice suit and a degree."

She laughed harshly,"Just like you." He didn't know what she meant by that but it was a punch in the gut, "That's why I live in Atlanta, I hate small towns."

"I never heard you complain about it before." He objected.

"You ever want to go back to those days?"

The question caught him off guard, but the answer was simple, "All the time." He wished he'd appreciated the time she wanted to be in his arms.

"Everything was so simple, easy and carefree." She sighed.