Chapter TWENTY
Their dinners came, and Ross and Melissa concentrated on their meals briefly. Melissa was sure the catfish she ordered must have tasted delicious, but with her pulse racing, it was as tasteless as cardboard. All she could think of was what might happen after they left the restaurant.
When at last they stood outside, Ross turned to her. “Ready to go back to the hotel?”
Melissa nodded, suddenly shy.
On the way, Ross filled the car with small talk, and Melissa wondered if he was as nervous as she was.
He pulled into the parking lot and brought the car to a stop. “Why don’t you come to my room? There’s a baseball game on television. We could relax and watch it together.”
“Okay. I’ll freshen up and meet you there.”
###
After washing her face and recombing her hair into her normal ponytail, Melissa left her room wondering how the evening would go. She’d had such high hopes for a relationship with Dirk, but now she realized they’d both been trying too hard.
Ross greeted her at the door to his room with a smile. “Come on in. The Yankees are ahead by two.”
“They’re not playing the Red Sox, are they? You know I’d have to root for them.”
He laughed. “No. They’re playing the Braves.”
He led her over to the couch and sat down. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, he looked as relaxed as any guy watching a favorite game.
She sat beside him and accepted the bottle of water he handed her. She knew something about baseball, but sitting next to Ross, listening to his take on the situation, she was learning much more about the game.
At one point, a Yankee player hit a home run. Cheering, Melissa turned to Ross, and in their excitement, they embraced. As he stared at her, Melissa felt the world turn silent. Then his lips were on hers, and behind her closed eyelids, colors erupted like fireworks.
When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing hard.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time,”
said Ross, cupping her head in his hands. His blue eyes drew her in, and she sighed as his lips met hers again.
He tugged her down on the couch, and they lay there, side by side. Melissa was surprised by how well they fit together. She snuggled closer, enjoying the feeling of Ross protecting her. From what, she didn’t care. In his arms, she felt as if she’d found the man she’d been searching for all along.
Facing the television, they continued to lie together, watching the action. With a score of seven to two in the eighth inning, the game was pretty much over. Not that Melissa cared about the numbers. She could only think of being this close to Ross.
When the game ended, Ross rolled to his side and faced her. “I know we’ve been together a lot in the last few weeks, but I never got the chance to say how beautiful you are.”
She gazed into his eyes. “I thought you weren’t interested in me, and that’s why you offered to help me with Dirk.”
“At first, that might’ve been true. But as I got to know you better as a friend and neighbor, my feelings changed, and I didn’t know how to tell you. Besides, I didn’t think you were interested in me.”
She put her arms around his neck and drew him closer so she could kiss him.
He responded by pressing his torso against hers, and she knew he was as aroused as she.
She reveled in the knowledge that she’d made him feel this way and realized the mutual attraction they shared. Her body loosened and filled with a fire she had never experienced.
When kissing and caressing weren’t enough, they moved to the bedroom, where Ross demonstrated just how fit he was.
###
The next morning, Melissa awoke and lay in bed next to Ross. She was grateful to him for alleviating any awkwardness between them, making their lovemaking one joyful discovery after another.
She turned to find Ross smiling at her. “Come here,”
he said gruffly, and she went into his arms, eager to demonstrate how much she’d learned from him.
Sometime later, Melissa got up and hurried to her room to get ready for the day. They planned to drive to Charleston to spend the night. She’d always wanted to see Charleston and was pleased when Ross easily agreed.
###
The drive to Charleston seemed to pass in no time while Melissa and Ross talked more about their childhood and their dreams and hopes for the future. The more they talked, the more Melissa was convinced, as Ross’s father had suggested, that she and Ross were made for one another.
Melissa looked up information on Charleston. Her excitement grew after reading about the cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and pastel antebellum houses in the French Quarter and Battery districts. She couldn’t wait to walk the streets and taste the food.
“Look up hotels. Let’s get one where the action is,”
said Ross. “Then I won’t have to walk so far.”
Her heart pounded. “One room or two?”
She waited for his answer, needing him to affirm that their time together was right.
He glanced at her from behind the wheel. “I say one. How about you?”
“For sure,”
she said happily, smiling at him.
He grinned and reached for her hand.
###
A few hours later, they made their way through the streets of Charleston to a four-star hotel between the waterfront and French Quarter. Called an Art Hotel, The Vendue advertised over 200 pieces of art throughout the hotel. That, the food, and the rooftop bar had made it an easy choice.
A bellman led them to their room, where sparkling white walls brightened the dark wooden floor. Red accents inside the room complemented the red on the guest room door. Melissa stared at the king-size bed and felt heat rise to her cheeks, remembering the lovemaking she’d shared with Ross.
Ross caught her attention and winked at her as if knowing what she was thinking.
She forced herself to listen to what the bellman said about amenities and was more than ready for him to leave.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to rest a bit before going out,”
said Ross. “My leg is hurting.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. They have an old-fashioned tub. Do you want to soak your leg?”
“Only if you join me,”
he said and laughed at her surprised expression. “I’ll just lie here on the bed for a bit, and then we can look around.”
“There’s enough to see in this hotel to have us exploring for hours,”
said Melissa. “While you rest, I’ll read up on Charleston.”
He gave her a sexy look, waved her over, and laughed when she said, “Or maybe not.”
They lay together atop the bed, cuddled close. Ross closed his eyes, and as Melissa kept an eye on him, his breathing slowed until he was sound asleep. It was sometimes easy for her to forget that not long ago, he’d had major surgery.
Quietly, to avoid disturbing him, she got up and decided to look around the hotel by herself.
Melissa was captivated by the artwork as she went from space to space. She loved the bright, bold colors of many of the works. But she especially loved paintings done by FRED. She inquired about them at the front desk and was handed a pamphlet on him and his work.
She eagerly read: “Born in Southern Belgium and a world traveler most of his life, he took Charleston’s art scene by storm. His Charleston cityscapes are not seen with a traditional eye. The sky is generally dark, the trees assembled color masses.”
The more she read, the more convinced she became that she wanted one of his paintings for her house. A painting of his would add to the décor and give her a loving memory of the time she spent with Ross.
###
When she returned to the room, Ross looked up at her and grinned. “Do some exploring?”
“Yes, wait until I show you what I want to buy for my house. It’s unique.”
He stood and pulled her to him. “You’re pretty unique yourself.”
She smiled and met his lips, wondering why they’d hidden their feelings for so long. It felt so right to be together. She’d been na?ve to think she could just wish for a relationship to happen. She now knew one had to be formed with two hearts, not one.
“Let’s look around and then enjoy a drink on the rooftop,” he said.
“Okay. We’re both tired. Why don’t we eat dinner early? Tomorrow, we’ll go to the waterfront and explore other areas of the city. I want to go to the City Market, for sure.”
The driving, the emotional meeting with his father, and all their lovemaking were beginning to slow them down.
###
Up on the rooftop, Melissa drew a deep breath of satisfaction. The view was everything the hotel had promised. Gazing down at the old brick and stucco buildings in an array of colors and then beyond to the waterfront, Melissa knew she’d always love this city.
She gazed at the man beside her and leaned against his shoulder. Life had taken on a special meaning, and she had him to thank for that. She was happy they’d discovered one another away from Lilac Lake, where old expectations might bind her. Being with Ross opened her to possibilities she’d never contemplated.
Ross smiled at her. “You’re looking a little smug.”
“Definitely,”
she replied, chuckling. “I’m just thinking how lucky it is that we found one another after thinking neither of us was interested in a romantic relationship.”
He leaned down to kiss her.
Their cocktails came, and they sat at their table. Melissa had ordered a Planters Punch to keep with tradition and enjoyed the taste of rum, orange, and pineapple juices, along with other ingredients of her red drink.
The evening air swirled around them. It was, Melissa thought, a perfect evening.
Later, they discovered a restaurant downtown that served high-end, low-country meals. Pleased to be accepted for an early dinner, Melissa gazed at her She-Crab soup. Creamy, with lots of crab meat, the soup was topped with orange roe, designating it was made specifically with female crabs.
Melissa tasted a spoonful, closed her eyes, and savored the taste.
“That good, huh?”
teased Ross.
She laughed. “You can take the chef out of the kitchen, but you can’t keep her away from yummy food.”
“It’s an experience to share meals with you. You enjoy them so much,”
he said, grinning.
“It’s fun to discover new tastes,”
she said, thinking of how she might fix something similar for Fins. Then, she felt a pang of regret that those days might be over.
After they finished their crab soup, they sipped a crisp white wine and waited for their next course.
Melissa couldn’t resist ordering shellfish over grits as her main course. Sauteed shrimp and sea scallops were served over white grits with a lobster butter sauce.
Ross had ordered Parmesan-crusted snapper with a citrus beurre blanc sauce.
When it was served, Melissa studied both of their dishes. “I’m glad we don’t have to confess to Emmett Chambers what we are about to eat. I’m sure it wouldn’t pass his idea of what every doctor hopes his patients eat.”
Ross laughed. “Married to Crystal, he already knows what delicious food is. I don’t think even he would pass up a meal like this.”
Still smiling, Melissa took a forkful of food and let out a moan of pleasure. “M-m-m, as wonderful as I thought it might be.”
Ross chewed a piece of fish. “Delicious.”
Melissa was delighted that Ross was an adventuresome eater. Her life revolved around food and would continue to do so whether or not she worked in a restaurant. Thinking of that now, she knew she wasn’t ready to commit to a new family enterprise.
Too full for either of them to order dessert, Ross asked for the check, and after paying, they left to walk back to their hotel.
With Ross’s fingers entwined in hers, Melissa thought it seemed natural for them to hold hands. They couldn’t seem to get enough of one another. Even with a healing leg hindering some movement, Ross made sure she was satisfied. She’d never felt so treasured.
When they got to the hotel, there was no talk of an after-dinner drink on the rooftop. They went directly to their room.
As Melissa unzipped the dress she wore, she hesitated. She’d always been uncertain about her body, which seemed so tall, so strong, so angular.
Ross came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. “Need any help?”
She turned to him, and when he drew her closer, she opened her lips to his kiss.
When they pulled apart, he helped her out of her dress. Overcome with shyness, she stood before him in her panties and nothing else.
“I know you don’t believe it, but you’re beautiful, Melissa.”
Her eyes filled. She’d spent her life thinking she’d never meet the beauty standards her mother had set for her.
Ross kissed her and led her to bed, where he made her feel as beautiful as she’d always wanted to be.