The Heat Between Us

~MELODY~

"That kid of yours needs a father ASAP!"

"Mom! We've gone over this particular issue umpteenth of times!"

Clarissa Novas rolled her eccentric blue eyes upwards as though in agony and observed her only child. Melody Novas, a smart, beautiful woman of twenty-six whose super powers seems to be the ability to avoid men as though they were electric wires. Ever since Jackson Taylor,her son-in-law had died three years ago during a skiing accident in London,she had closed her heart to all men and their advances. The elderly woman shook her head again,surely there must be a good man out there whom her daughter would see noble qualities in. She snorted inwardly,that would only be possible if she allowed herself to notice him. Clarissa sighed and looked at Melody again.

"Melody Novas Taylor!"

" Uh-Oh....the whole government", Melody grinned mischievously

Ignoring her, Clarissa went on, ".....you are twenty-six years old with an extremely spoiled rotten five year old daughter who needs an iron hand to straighten her out.....the good Lord knows we've both tried our best over that child!"

Melody smiled almost indulgently, "Mom, I know we've both tried and Sharon also knows that,I don't know why she's being so difficult." Her green eyes misted over and her mother noticing,sighed again.

"If only Jackson were alive........he always knew how to handle her."

"Well,he's not around anymore and I honestly think it's about time you rise up to that task!"

Melody shook her red head resignedly, "Mom,you know that's not entirely possible......I've got my job to think of and the house is currently under construction......I've got to attend to that too....the new CEO will be arriving soon."

Clarissa raised an elegant brow, "What's happening to the old one....I mean Daniel Claviford?"

"Mr Claviford is retiring and his son is taking over come next week"

"You mean the one that was sent to Russia years ago?"

Melody laughed, trust her mother to make it seem as if Mr Claviford's son was on an exile. "That same one."

"Well,it's about time he comes home and be responsible for his father!"

Melody arched a perfect brow, "Mom, do you have anything against him."

"No.....nobody had any cause to hold anything against him," she continued at Melody's puzzled expression, "you wouldn't know anything of it since you were away in London when it happened." She adjusted herself on the couch, caressing the pink pillow on her lap slowly. "You see when Daniel's wife Michelle died, Daniel became so disoriented and had to be flown out of the country."

Melody became wide-eyed because she couldn't imagine Daniel Claviford been anything except in control. "Go on mom"

"While he was there, he learnt he had a son whom he sired during his college days with a bar waitress."

Melody gasped,"Daniel and Michelle never had any kid together?"

Clarissa shook her head sadly," No, they didn't and it constantly irked all of us here because Michelle was such a nice lady,you know she would come to the shop frequently to chat with me.....she was pretty lonely. "Shaking her head again,"It wasn't until later we heard that she had ovarian cancer and died right after the operation she had in India."

"OH GOD! That must have been so terrible!" Melody cried.

"It was disastrous, the whole country shook because of the great loss ,apart from the fact that she was the President's cousin."

"Daniel must have been so embittered!"

"We all thought he would go loco for a while, that was when he was flown out to Spain. Then the boy came out of nowhere.....an exact albeit defiant looking version of Ronald. We were all in awe of the striking resemblance and nobody could deny the fact that Dan's heir had come to stay." She smiled slightly almost fondly, "He was such an aloof young man,could stare and be silent for ages....it was almost disconcerting. Dan had him sent to Russia when he refused to attend his own welcome party"

"WHAT!?" Melody gasped and burst into laughter. "I can't wait to meet my new boss, he seems like a piece of work.....even more than Sharon."

Clarissa wrinkled her nose delicately, "He's just a barbarian."

"Mom! That's my boss!"

They both laughed humourously again and Melody's phone suddenly rang,looking at the screen, she frowned.

"It's Mr Claviford.......I wonder what he wants."

" Pick up the call then."

"Hello sir.....Yes,I'm at the shop with my mom..... No, Sharon is back yet.....Alright sir,I'll be with you shortly. She dropped the phone and looked at her mom. "He wants me to be at the house right now."

Clarissa stood up looking concerned,"Is everything alright?"

"Yes....well he didn't sound otherwise over the phone," she leaned over over to kiss her mother's forehead and grabbed her car keys while looking at her wrist watch.

"It's just two PM,I'll be back soon."

"And what should I tell her highness when she gets back from her school?"

Melody laughed lovingly, "Tell her I'll be back shortly," and with that,she left her mother smiling softly behind her.

"I hope Daniel's sudden request to see her has nothing to do with his son......he had better think twice about hurting my daughter!" Her blues eyes glinted fiercely with maternal love.