Chapter FOUR
Melissa awoke to gray skies, stretched, and lay back against her pillows. She’d slept restlessly, thinking of the best way to approach Dirk to ask him to dinner.
A sudden idea hit her. She sat up and quickly got ready for her day, dressed, and headed to the Lilac Lake Café. She’d heard Crystal tease Dirk about how prompt he was to get his morning coffee before going to work. She’d mentioned 7:30 A.M. Jake’s might be the gathering spot at night, but Crystal’s café was where many of the townspeople got their start for the day.
Pulling out of her driveway, she waved to Ross, who was jogging in shorts and sneakers and stretching in front of his house.
Afraid she might miss her chance to meet Dirk, she went on her way.
###
When Melissa walked into the café, she saw Dirk sitting at the counter and walked over to him.
“Mind if I take a seat here?”
she asked him.
He turned and smiled. “Not at all. Where’s Ross?”
Melissa could feel the blood drain from her face. “What?”
“You’re together now, aren’t you?”
“No, he’s my neighbor.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m here to invite you to dinner at my house. Tomorrow is a slower day of the week at the restaurant, and I thought it would be a way for us to get to know one another better.”
“Thanks. I’m not much of a cook, and any free meal I can get is much appreciated,” he said.
It wasn’t quite the response she was looking for, but she gave him a thumbs up. “Okay, then. Come to my house at 6:30 tomorrow. If the weather is pleasant, we’ll have drinks on the deck before we eat.”
“Excellent.”
He checked his watch. “I’ve got to go. See you then.”
As he walked away, Melissa sighed and watched him leave. She’d need more help from Ross if she wanted a better response.
Taylor walked into the café carrying her laptop. She waved to Melissa and came over. “I’m getting a corner table. Want to join me?”
“Sure. I was just wondering if I should leave, but I’m happy to stay,”
Melissa said.
“What’s up with you?”
Taylor asked, looking puzzled.
“I came to ask Dirk to dinner. I figured I could catch him here,”
she said, following Taylor to a corner table that had a reserved sign on it.
Taylor removed the sign and sat down. “With Cooper working at the cottage, I sometimes find it easier to write here. I know it sounds crazy, but I can block out the noise here.”
Misty, Crystal’s sister, came over to them. “Good morning. May I take your order?”
She gazed at Melissa. “I saw you talking to Dirk and didn’t want to interrupt you earlier.”
Melissa smiled but realized she’d made a big mistake by coming to the café. Before the end of the day, everyone in town would know she was talking to Dirk, and many would know she’d invited him to dinner.
Taylor ordered coffee and an oatmeal muffin, and Melissa decided to do the same.
“So, how’d it go with Dirk? Taylor asked her.
“Okay, I guess. He says he likes any homecooked meal he can get.”
Melissa frowned. “It doesn’t sound great, does it?”
“I’ve noticed Dirk is shy. I’m not saying he’s difficult, not at all. But I imagine it’ll take work to make him feel comfortable about dating,”
said Taylor.
“I think you’re right. But I like him. I’m not the most outgoing person, so I’ll give him all the time he needs.”
“What about you and Ross?”
asked Taylor.
Melissa let out a long sigh. “I don’t know why everyone keeps asking me that. We’re friends. I like him, but I don’t love him. I’m not the usual type of woman he dates—high fashion models, glamorous actresses, and the like. I wouldn’t be a good fit for him. I think we both agree on that.”
“Oh, I see,”
said Taylor. “I’m such a romantic that I’ve imagined possibilities there, not reality.”
“I’m interested in Dirk as someone I could build a future with. I can imagine a very peaceful and happy life with him.”
Taylor made a face. “I just want you to be happy, Melissa. We’ve been friends since early summer days.”
She hugged Melissa quickly and turned as Misty brought their orders to the table.
They ate breakfast together in companionable silence, though Melissa’s mind raced, wondering if she should wear her new sexy top for dinner with Dirk. Maybe he needed a little encouragement in that direction.
###
When Melissa returned to her house, she decided to walk through the neighborhood. It wasn’t as effective as jogging, but she still felt full of her breakfast. Crystal had sent over some hot cinnamon scones, and she hadn’t been able to resist.
She put on sneakers and decided to see what new construction was taking place. She and Ross were in two of the first houses to be built, but others were under construction in the far reaches of the development. She’d heard the governor and his wife were building on a double lot in the woods.
Primary paved roads had been put in throughout the development, though Dani had assured her they would install a smooth top coating to the road once they had finished most of the houses.
Melissa walked past two houses that were similar to but not like hers. She liked that all the houses had different exterior designs. She knew the houses shared many of the same amenities inside them, but with Dani’s architectural help, a buyer could easily change the basic design.
She moved past some open lots until she reached two houses under construction at the far end. One on a larger plot of land was obviously for the governor and his wife. She didn’t know who’d bought the other one. Aaron had talked of building here; maybe it was his.
She walked down to the waterfront, contemplating taking her canoe for a solo spin.
When she arrived, Dani and Brad were standing on the dock and gazing around. Dani had a notebook in her hand.
Melissa joined them. “Planning something new?”
Dani held up her notebook. “Jotting down a few ideas to build some small cottages near the water. It’s just in the thinking stage now. What are you up to?”
“Enjoying a morning walk. I didn’t take my usual jog this morning, and I needed to work off some scone and muffin calories from Crystal’s café.”
Dani chuckled. “Me, too. We’re through here. I’ll walk you back to your house on my way to the office.”
“Deal,”
said Melissa, pleased.
“I’ll meet you at the office later,”
Brad said to Dani and then kissed her.
Observing them, a pang of envy hit Melissa in the solar plexus. She caught her breath and turned away, giving the lovers some privacy.
Moments later, Dani came up behind her. “Ready?”
Melissa turned to her with a grin. “Are you?”
Dani laughed. “We’ve been working hard, and Brad and I need every moment alone we can get.”
“You two are great together,”
said Melissa, hoping she and Dirk could be like that one day. She’d heard he was very good with his patients—competent and gentle, with a warm way about him. So perfect.
Melissa and Dani chatted easily about the development as they walked together. As they approached her house, Ross looked up from his front yard, waved, and headed toward them.
“You two are just the people I want to talk to,”
Ross said, smiling at them. “At Jake’s, Mike and I talked about the fundraiser baseball game we’re setting up, and now we’ve decided we need women on both teams. You both are perfect. Will you join us?”
Melissa glanced at Dani.
“Sure,”
said Dani.
“Okay, but I haven’t played baseball in a long time,”
said Melissa.
“You’ll have to help me,”
Dani said to Ross. “I’m usually okay at sports, but this is something new for me.”
Ross smiled at them. “I’ll train you and anyone else who wants practice sessions.”
“It better be in the early morning when it’s cooler, and I haven’t worked all day,”
said Dani.
“Yes, that’s a convenient time to do it before I head to work,”
Melissa agreed.
“Okay. We can do it then. When do you want to start?”
“Tomorrow?”
Dani said, giving Melissa a questioning look.
“Okay, tomorrow,”
Melissa said. “That’ll give me time to rest to prepare dinner for Dirk.”
“So, it worked?”
Ross asked her.
“He’s coming, just like you said he would,”
said Melissa.
Ross clapped his hands for attention. “Okay, then, I’ll see the two of you at the high school athletic field at seven tomorrow morning. Thanks. We’ll make a useful time of it.”
He waved goodbye and left.
Dani looked at her and grinned. “What have we got ourselves into?”
Melissa chuckled. “I’m not sure, but we’re about to find out.”
###
When the alarm went off the next morning, Melissa groaned and turned it off. She was a morning person, but the thought of putting herself on display at the baseball field made her want to reconsider her offer. But Dani hadn’t hesitated. If Dani could do it, so could she.
She got out of bed and dressed for the practice session. Dani was right about one thing. It would be the coolest time of day. Still, she dressed in shorts and a halter top, grabbed a baseball hat, a towel, and a water bottle, and then took off.
###
When Melissa reached the high school athletic field, Ross was already there, talking to a group of people, including Dirk. Surprised to see him, Melissa nervously adjusted her top, which exposed her belly. Then, chiding herself for feeling nervous, she went to join them.
“ ’Morning,”
said Ross cheerfully. “We’ve got a full team of nine. I’ve brought extra baseball gloves, and Dani has some from the members of their building crew who aren’t playing.”
Melissa accepted the leather baseball mitt he handed her.
“Now, let’s get started,”
said Ross. “For now, we’ll just throw the ball back and forth. Later, Mike and I will bat a few balls to you to see what positions work best for you.”
Melissa glanced over at Dani, who was talking to Misty. It looked like the three of them would be the only females on one of the teams. Dani and Misty both looked hot in their outfits. Melissa tugged on her baseball cap, wishing she could disappear.
“Pick a teammate and spread apart so we can watch you play catch,”
said Mike. “Dani, you and Melissa play together. I’ll take Misty.”
The guys easily chose someone to toss the ball to, and they all practiced. Mike and Ross helped with a few hints about picking up a ground ball, cupping the ball in the glove, and other usual maneuvers.
Melissa remembered some coaching hints from when she played softball in high school and discovered she was enjoying herself as she caught some balls from Dani. Both Dani and Misty seemed comfortable with what they were doing.
“Okay, now head to the outfield so Ross and I can bat some balls to you. They may be fly balls or grounders, so be prepared.”
She heard the sound of a bat and looked up as a fly ball flew toward her. Automatically, she reached up and caught it.
“Great job,”
called Ross.
“You’re good,”
said Dirk, standing next to her.
She laughed, pleased she’d performed well.
At the end of the practice session, Mike told them they were looking good but needed to come back tomorrow for more practice. “We have only a few days to get ready. Tyrus Jackson and Bo Bonner have put together a superb team with our high school players. We have to represent the town well against them.”
Melissa caught up with Dirk as he was leaving the field. “I’m happy you’re coming to dinner tonight.”
He smiled at her. “Yeah, me too. I’m looking forward to it.”
“The baseball game should be fun,”
said Melissa. “And it’s for an excellent cause.”
“I didn’t know you were such an athlete,”
said Dirk.
“My parents always pushed me to play sports to make new friends,”
said Melissa, hiding that her shyness had sometimes made it difficult for her to socialize with her peers. She’d also had to face bullying from another girl in high school, which made things worse.
“Well, it’s easy to see why it would be no problem for you to get chosen for a team,”
said Dirk. “Talk to you later.”
He waved to Cooper and took off running after him.
Dani walked up to her. “What was that all about?”
“I’ve invited Dirk for dinner. We were just confirming it.”
“Maybe you’re asking the wrong guy. Ross does seem interested in you,”
Dani said.
“We’re just friends. That’s how he wants it, and I’ve told him I’m interested in Dirk.”
“You told him that?”
Dani asked, her eyebrows shooting up on her face.
“Yes, that’s what I meant about being friends. We can talk to each other about a lot of things.”
Dani studied her with a puzzled frown. “Okay, I guess.”