Chapter SIXTEEN
After a restless night during which she fought feeling insecure and helpless, she got up, determined to have a better day. She was delighted to have the opportunity to drive Ross to his rehab clinic. The task would fill the morning.
Melissa showered and dressed, leaving her long auburn hair down to dry. Working in the kitchen, she wore it either in a bun, tied back in a ponytail, or woven into a pigtail. Her mother had told her that her hair and her eyes were her best features. Now, staring into a mirror, Melissa realized she wasn’t as ugly as her mother sometimes made her feel, even though she had her father’s strong nose and chin. She brushed away hurts from the past and left.
In the kitchen, she fixed a cup of coffee and carried it out to the screened-in porch. It was going to be a scorcher of a day. Cicadas were already making their high-pitched noises as if knowing it would be too hot to do much later.
Melissa loved her house and enjoyed the independence it gave her. Gazing out at the tall pines and hardwood trees lining the woods behind her lot, she looked for the telltale red of a cardinal, her favorite bird. She listened, and though she didn’t see it, she heard its distinctive cry. Gratefulness for all she had filled her, pushing aside darker emotions. Somehow, she’d get through this next phase of her life.
By the time she picked up Ross for the trip to Concord, Melissa was in a better frame of mind. Considering all that could’ve happened with the fire, she and her parents were lucky. No one had gotten hurt.
Ross was equally upbeat as he got into the car. “Another beautiful hot day. Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome. I’m delighted to have something to do. After I drop you off, I’ll visit one of my favorite cooking stores to see what’s new. I’m not sure what I want to do in the future, but I might as well check it out.”
“Seems like you’re missing the restaurant,”
said Ross.
“Yes and no,”
she answered truthfully. “I just need to keep busy. No matter what, I’m going to have some free time on my hands while things get sorted out relating to the fire.”
After a moment, Ross said, “I talked to my dad last night. He’s not doing as well as I’d hoped. I intend to drive to New Jersey as soon as I can. I talked to my doctor, who said I must wait for at least four more weeks before considering such a trip, and I’d need someone to accompany me. Something about not sitting for too long and the risk of blood clots. Is there any way you’d consider helping me drive there? I know how you feel about us being just friends. We’d make that clear to everyone. I know you’re hoping to get together with Dirk.”
She turned and smiled at him. “Friends … and good neighbors. I don’t even have to think about it. Of course, I’ll do it. We’d drive down there and back?”
“Well, we might have to spend a night there, maybe two. But I’d get a nearby hotel room for you, and, if necessary, one for me. I’ve hired live-in help for Dad, so I’m not sure what the space allocations are like at home. He’s still living in the house I grew up in, and we didn’t have much room. But my brothers and I can’t convince my father to move.”
“What about the trip to Florida that you told me about?”
she asked. “Would I help you get there too?”
“That’s up to you and how well I’ve recovered. We could continue to drive to Florida, spend some time there while I looked at what Mike wanted me to see, and I could fly you home, or you could drive back with me. It depends on how much time you want away from the mess in Lilac Lake.”
“Could we make a lot of stops on the way? See things I’ve read about but haven’t seen?”
she asked, becoming excited about the idea.
He shrugged and said, “Why not? We’ve both got the time.”
“Okay,”
said Melissa. “We’ll call it a neighborly road trip. We seem to be compatible, but we’d have to set up some rules.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what would they be?”
“I’ll work on them while you do your exercises,”
Melissa said, grinning.
He laughed. “Okay. I might have a few of my own.”
###
With the change in her plans, Melissa gave up the idea of visiting one of her favorite cooking stores and sat in the waiting room of the rehab center, thinking about the road trip. She didn’t feel the least bit awkward about traveling with Ross. As they’d agreed, they were just neighbors making the journey together. Nothing was sexy about it. But when the time came, she wanted Dirk to know that’s all it was. She liked him and still thought they'd make a couple as two of the remaining unattached young people in town.
She quickly went through her wardrobe in her mind and was satisfied that she had everything she’d need for the trip. She’d never been one to overpack because she wasn’t that fussy about what she wore. Good, classic things were all she needed. Nothing fancy.
She was still thinking about the “rules of the road”
when Ross appeared. Margo tailed him.
“I’m through with these sessions,”
said Ross. “But I have to exercise at home.”
Margo spoke up. “He’s doing exceptionally well. It’s always a pleasure to work with an athlete. They work so hard at it.”
She gave Melissa a curious look. “I hear you two are going on a road trip together in a few weeks.”
Melissa held up a hand. “I’m happy to get away from town after my family’s restaurant has burned down.”
“Oh, yes. I heard about it on the news,”
said Margo. “Any idea about what started it?”
“They’re certain it began in the kitchen. We don’t know exactly how yet,”
said Melissa, feeling a pang of sorrow work through her. She’d loved the restaurant.
“It was such a classy place, with good food and a beautiful location. Did the fire ruin everything?”
asked Margo.
Melissa thought of the pile of burnt lumber and the dreams her parents had had and felt a sting of tears. “Yes, it is a total loss.”
“Ready to go?”
Ross asked, and Melissa was grateful for the diversion.
“Sure. We have a list to talk about.”
“Or two,”
said Ross, grinning.
###
The drive home was filled with conversation. Melissa and Ross easily agreed on a couple of things right away. Number one, the driver got to choose the music. Number two, the driver would agree whenever one of them needed to stop for whatever reason.
“Getting to New Jersey will be an easy drive with few stops, I suppose,”
said Ross. “But if you want to do any sightseeing on the way to Florida or back, we’d better talk about it and devise a plan.”
“Agreed,”
said Melissa. “As I’ve told you, running a restaurant meant little time for vacations or days just ambling around the country. We did the basic things, but I’ve never been to Savannah, for instance, or one of the coastal islands. That sort of thing.”
“Like you, there’s a lot I haven’t seen. Little places, scenic locations. We can start a list of those and see how convenient it would be to get to them.”
Ross smiled. “I wasn’t looking forward to the drive, but now I think it’s going to be better than I thought.”
###
The next four weeks seemed to drag or fly by, depending on the day.
Plans regarding Fins were slower to materialize than she’d thought they’d be. She tried to keep her parents’ spirits up, but she could see that the trauma of it was affecting them negatively. Her mother, especially, missed her role at the restaurant, meeting and greeting people.
One of the things that helped Melissa was the new routine that she and Ross developed. She continued to rise and jog in the morning whenever possible and often met Ross when he was out walking with a cane. Afterward, they usually had coffee at her house. Occasionally, they went exploring on Ross’s new golf cart, checking out new construction in the neighborhood.
On rainy or very hot days, she would offer to drive Ross to the café for coffee, anything to keep him from going crazy in his house. It helped their friendship grow.
In all this time, Dirk didn’t call and seldom went to Jake’s. Melissa told herself it was because of his increased responsibilities at the dental office. But she couldn’t help wondering what went wrong between them.
More than that, she realized how lost she was without her identity as a working chef and told herself she didn’t need any man to make her happy. What she needed was to figure out where her career was going next.