Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over.

Six o'clock in the afternoon rolled around the next day and Melinda was ranting to her friends while they tried to help her choose something to wear for her date.

"He was like, 'I know more about him than you think.'." Melinda imitated Jim's voice. "And I was like well why don't you tell me how much you know and then he was like 'You wouldn't believe me anyway.' and I was like try me and then he was like I am no one to try and stop you from liking who you like and what you think of them. I mean come on. He's just the most ignorant, arrogant bastard I've ever met in my life!"

"Melinda! Breathe." Andrea, her best friend, told her.

Melinda took in a deep breath and exhale before sitting on her bed with the rest of her friends.

"Why did I listen to my parents about this?" Melinda pouted. "How could I possibly think that this was a good idea?"

"Because part of you finds Jim attractive." Holly said.

"Please. Don't make me puke." Melinda said.

"Come on, Mel." Delia said. "You're meaning to tell us that you have no feelings whatsoever for him? That he's a pig 24/7?"

"Yes!" Melinda exclaimed, but all her friends weren't convinced. "Okay, fine. Maybe I am a little, tiny bit attracted to him but so what? It's not enough for me to excuse his overall behavior. And plus I can assure you that I'm nothing to him."

"How can you be so sure?" Holly asked.

"Because of the way we act towards each other." Melinda said.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe he is an ass to you because you're an ass to him?" Vanessa asked.

"Once." Melinda admitted. "But I doubt that's the case. He is genuinely annoying. Trust me. Working with him everyday is like a sport. You have to be good at it in order to survive it."

"Well then why don't you try being nice to him?" Andrea suggested. "You guys are married. You might as well start getting along with each other."

"Because it never ends well." Melinda got up and walked over to her closet. "Plus, this isn't a love marriage. I don't love Jim and I have a hot date tonight. And you guys are here to help me pick out something to wear for Sam, not try to convince me that I like Jim."

"Honey, we're trying to help your situation." Hayden said.

"Yeah, won't it be complicated to explain to your potential boyfriend that you're married to your partner?" Melissa asked. "He might think you're trying to bang both of them."

"Sam won't think that. He's very understanding." Melinda smiled.

"Hey, what if Jim is making up stories about Sam because he's jealous?" Delia asked.

"Yeah, right. If anything, Jim is only worried I'd have another reason to blow off work." Melinda joked, causing the girls to laugh.

A couple hours later, Melinda was dressed in a fitted, eggplant purple dress that was knee-length and showed subtle cleavage. Her face was barely covered in make-up, which enhanced her natural beauty and her hair fell down her back in beachy waves. Black pumps and a black clutch were added to wrap her outfit together. Her friends left shortly after she was ready and she waited for her date to arrive.

At exactly 8 p.m., the doorbell rang and Melinda swiftly went to answer the door. Standing in front of her was Sam dressed in black dress pants, a dark green dress shirt, and a blazer.

"Wow, you look handsome." Melinda smiled.

"Thank you. And you look…" Sam looked her up and down. "Gorgeous."

"Thank you." she blushed.

"You're welcome. Are you ready?" he smiled.

"Yes. Let's go." she linked arms with him and they headed off into town.

Jim didn't trust Sam one bit after betraying him so he followed Sam and Melinda on their date. He tried his best to lay low and out of sight in order to avoid humiliation. Jim had to admit that seeing Melinda with another guy irritated him. They've known each other for years because their parents were good friends but they could never stand each other for too long. Their arranged marriage took place four months ago and their feuding had only grown worse since then. Granted, Jim and Melinda have had a few good moments in the past, they never noticed that deep down they liked one another.

Sam and Melinda were having dinner in the park where a magic show was being put on. They sat down and order their food right away. Jim sat a few tables away from them and observed Sam's behavior. Throughout the whole dinner, Jim caught himself staring at Melinda a few times. He never noticed how beautiful she really was. The way her hair fell around her face and the way she smiled made his heart skip a beat. He never looked at her the way he was right now. Jim never tried to make her smile before so seeing it now made him smile at the sight. He imagined what it would have been like if they had gotten to know each other. Maybe their marriage could have been real.

In the midst of his thoughts, Sam and Melinda left the park after their dinner. Jim followed close enough behind. The town was unusually quiet tonight, which made it easy for Jim to hear their conversation. He felt bad for listening in on them, but it was for the sake of the company.

"So, what did you think of the magic show?" Sam asked her.

"It was great, although it didn't leave us much time for talking." Melinda replied.

"I know. But we have plenty of time to talk now." he said. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"Umm, well for starters, where did you live before Grandview?" he asked.

"Hamilton." she said. "Where did you live?"

"Grandview all my life. Well actually, I moved to Michigan for a couple months before coming back here." Sam answered.

"Oh, was it nice?" she asked.

"It was great. But something told me to move back to Grandview. Maybe it was to meet you." he smiled.

Jim rolled his eyes. This guy is full of crap. he thought to himself.

"That's very sweet." Melinda blushed. "So do you have any siblings?"

"Nope. I had a best friend who was like my brother. But things didn't work out. We drifted apart." Sam sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she said.

"It's okay. So do you have any sisters? Or any brothers I need to worry about?" Sam smiled.

"I'm an only child but I have friends who are like my sisters. We're all really close. And as far as brothers go, some of my friends boyfriends and husbands are like my brothers." Melinda said.

"Oh, could they beat me up?" he chuckled.

"I bet they could." Melinda joked.

"Oh boy." Sam stressed. "Oh well. I guess you're worth it."

Melinda giggled. They continued to talk until they got back to Melinda's apartment. With the parts of the conversation Jim heard, he was surprised to learn some details about Melinda's life. He already knew parts of Sam's life and some things he told her were lies. Jim and Melinda never took the time to share details about their lives with each other.

"I had a great time tonight." Melinda smiled.

They stood in front of her apartment. Sam tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Me too. I would really like to go out again." he inched his face closer to hers.

"I would like that, too." she whispered.

Their lips touched in a sweet kiss. They stood like that for a few minutes. Sam pulled away.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he smiled.

"Uh-huh." Melinda said in a daze.

Sam left and as soon as she made sure he was gone, Melinda squealed to herself. She walked into her apartment, all smiles.

Just as Sam rounded the corner, he ran into Jim.

"Oh hey buddy!" Sam exclaimed. "Your wife is delightful. I had a great time with her. I take it you tried to warn her about me and you failed."

"And how would you know that?" Jim asked, angrily.

"She told me about your argument from yesterday. Yeah, she opened up to me like a book. Her mind…" Sam started to walk away. "And her legs."

Jim clenched his jaw and grabbed Sam. He threw him against the wall. Jim was taught to respect women growing up, and he started to feel something for Melinda, which made it worse for Sam to screw around with her.

"Now I know you're a fucking liar." Jim said through gritted teeth. "Melinda would NEVER give herself up like that."

"And how are you so sure?" Sam smirked. "You don't know her well enough to make that assumption."

"I know enough about her to know that she's not some slut you could walk all over. She's a person and I am not gonna let you hurt her." Jim pushed him against the wall even harder. "You are not gonna get what you want. I'll make sure of it."

"Do you really think Melinda will believe you?" Sam quipped.

"I will make her believe me. I'm sure she'll care if she's being used." Jim steamed.

He let him go and walked away. Sam smiled and walked out to his car. He loved how his plan was working. Jim stormed up to his apartment which was on the same floor as Melinda's. While he laid in bed later that night, he reviewed what he learned tonight.

He learned that Melinda might be falling for Sam. He knew he had to stop that for two reasons. One, if Melinda gives him any access to the company, then there was no way Jim could save it again. He worked so hard to make it a success. The other reason was that he was seeing Melinda in a different way. He realized that he felt something for her. If he had the chance, Jim would sweep Melinda off her feet. He knew it would be hard, seeing as where they stood wasn't a good place. But he vowed to himself that he'd try.

He also learned that Sam's plan wasn't foolproof. Sam needed Melinda in order for it to work. And if Jim did his job right, the company would stay his and maybe he could win Melinda over.

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