Free Hot Fudge Fraud by Anisa Claire West

already taking shape in her heart, and she couldn’t control w here those feelings would lead.
    “Melanie, could we not talk about this?” Keith clipped in a stern tone.
    “I know it’s none of my business.  But these messages have been coming through all day.  It just seems a little odd,” she said, looking down at her plate and stabbing a leaf of cabbage.
    “Yes, well, the person calling me is odd.  In fact, she’s a psycho.  That’s why I don’t want to talk to her,” Keith revealed, taking a long drink of his beer.
    “Psycho?  What are you talking about?  Keith, you can’t just leave off like that and not tell me the whole story.  If this person really is a psycho, I think I have a right to know,” Melanie said sharply.
    “Why?  She doesn’t know who you are.  She won’t come after you,” he argued before sighing and pushing his plate away.  “Listen, I’ll tell you the story.  But after I tell you, promise me we’ll just go back to enjoying our evening together, okay?  I’ll only tell you under that condition.”
    Melanie balked at his restriction.  “I don’t think that’s fair.  Tell me the story, and let me decide my own reaction.”
    “You’re stubborn,” he observed, drawn into her unintentional charm.
    “I prefer ‘strong-willed.’  But call it whatever you like.  Now tell me.  I’m listening.”
    Keith curled his lips into a thin line, as he was reluctant to plunge into the topic.  Perceiving the mild impatience on Melanie’s face, he yielded and explained, “I got out of a relationship last year.  It wasn’t a long relationship.  Only lasted about 3 months.  But apparently, the girl thought it was much more serious.  We had different ideas of where the relationship was going. So I broke it off with her in a nice way.  Or at least I thought it was nice.”
    “How did you break it off?” She questioned.
    “In person.  I didn’t want to go the cowardly route like all my friends and break up over the phone or through text,” Keith said as Melanie nodded with appreciation.
    “If I’m a first class lady, then you are a first class gentleman, Mr. McBrennan.  A face to face break up is what every woman needs for closure.”
    “Well that’s what I thought too!  But she was outraged.  She pun ched me in the chest and threw her cell phone at me.  She just wouldn’t accept what I was telling her.  Ever since then, she’s been calling and texting on and off,” Keith sighed with disgust.
    “Can I ask why you haven’t had your phone number changed?  Doesn’t that seem like the logical thing to do?” Melanie baited gently.
    “Well, I thought the calls and texts would eventually stop.  And they did, for a while.  But just the past couple of days they started up again.  Actually, when we flew out of Charleston is when the texts started polluting my phone again.  I guess she has radar that I might actually be happy, and she wants to mess it up.” Keith clenched his fists in marginally restrained anger.
    “Radar?  Keith, I think you’re giving her too much credit.  She may be a psycho, but she’s not psychic !  Maybe somehow she knows that you went away with another woman and that’s why she got back in touch,” Melanie reasoned, suddenly shivering as the night air cooled.
    “No, she and I don’t have any mutual friends.  I don’t see how she would have found out that I’m away with you.  It’s just a coincidence.  Just an ugly coincidence,” he seethed.
    “I don’t believe in coincidences, Keith,” Melanie retorted, unconvinced.
    “Alright, now I told you the story.  Could we go back to enjoying this evening?  Better yet, could we go back to enjoying that luxurious bedroom?” He winked, rising from the table and extending his hand.
    With just a glimmer of hesitation, she accepted his hand and let him lead her back to the unmade bed.

Chapter 7
    A nother rain shower greeted the new lovers the next morning as they rose from