Chapter FIFTEEN
After Melissa returned home, she couldn’t wait to take off her clothes and throw them in the washing machine to get rid of the acrid smoke smell from the fire. After doing that, Melissa stepped into the shower, shaken to realize her whole life had changed. The future she’d envisioned had been as burned to ashes as the restaurant.
Melissa was now free to leave town, work elsewhere, and do something as different as she’d once thought she’d wanted. But after having so many friends return to Lilac Lake, she knew she wanted to stay. But it would take months, perhaps a year to rebuild. Would she and her parents want the same kind of restaurant if they moved forward? Or something simpler?
Beneath the double sprays of water in the shower, she scrubbed her hair, hoping to return it to the flowery aroma it usually had. The warmth of the water caressed her body, and she suddenly felt so weak she couldn’t stand without holding onto the grab bar on the wall of tile.
Still weak, she emerged from the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She hadn’t eaten since last night, and she’d been too upset to eat this morning. Afraid of fainting, she stumbled into the kitchen to get some food.
The doorbell rang.
Melissa crept to the door and looked through the front door's peephole. Crystal.
She opened the door and stepped back. “Hi. Come on in. What brings you here?”
“This,”
said Crystal, holding up a plate of food. “I figured you were too busy, too upset to eat much, and I brought you some of my orange chocolate chip cupcakes. They’re a pick-me-up when you need something to get you going.”
“Oh, Crystal, you’re a lifesaver! Excuse my appearance. I just got out of the shower. Can I get you coffee, tea, water, anything?”
“No, thanks. I won’t keep you. I need to get back to the café. You understand how that is.”
Crystal set the plate down on the kitchen counter and turned to give her a quick embrace. “I remember how kind you were to me growing up, and I’m delighted to help you in any way I can.”
Tears stung Melissa’s eyes. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
Crystal gave her a sweet smile. “Just slide the plate in the microwave for a few minutes to heat them. See you later.”
After Crystal left, Melissa put on a robe, heated the treat, and sat down to eat it. The close-knit community was one reason she didn’t want to leave town.
She finished her snack and, restless, wandered outside. Ross had canceled his physical rehab appointment, so she had nothing to do. Hoping to escape the trauma that still filled her, she walked over to her garden. Getting her hands in the soil and pulling weeds was just what she needed. It would give her a sense of accomplishment.
She went to her garage and pulled out her gardening tools. Anything to keep busy. But as she worked, thoughts continued to occupy her mind. She and her parents had found their safe was intact. Therefore, they didn’t lose important information or money they hadn’t yet deposited as they did every morning. But had her father canceled all their food orders? What other things needed to be done?
The reality of how life would be going forward hit her once again. Staring up into the sky, clear now after the storm, she wondered if the fire was a sign that she should move on to something new. It was both exciting and devastating to think that. Cooking was part of who she was.
“Hey, there! How are you doing?”
Melissa whipped around to find Ross approaching her slowly with a cane.
She got up off her knees and faced him. “I’m trying to keep active as we wait for news of how the fire started. I pray it had nothing to do with human error because I was manning the kitchen last night.”
“That’s why I’m here. Your mother asked me to check on you. She knows we’re friends and neighbors. She understands you think the fire might be your fault, but neither of us wants you to dwell on it. Accidents and fires happen.”
“Let’s go sit on the porch. It’ll be more comfortable for you there.”
Melissa helped him across the grass and up onto the screened-in porch.
He took a seat on the couch, and she sat in a chair nearby. “Can I get you a glass of iced tea or lemonade?”
she asked.
“Lemonade will be perfect,”
he said. “Thanks.”
Happy to have something to do, she got up, went into the kitchen, and soon returned to the porch with the lemonade.
Ross accepted the drink from her and said, “I told your mother at the fire scene I’d help in any way I can. That’s why she called me.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“She and your father are not doing well,”
said Ross. “Otherwise, I’m sure she’d be here herself. She told me they might take a long break after this.”
“They’re thinking of retiring but won’t make a move until they’re sure about what I want.”
She sighed. “I don’t know what that is. I feel as if the world around me has vanished. The only thing keeping me grounded right now are friends like you.”
“At least you have that,”
said Ross. “Everyone is rallying around the idea of your running the next restaurant, but it’s because, selfishly, we’ll all miss Fins.”
“Believe me, I know. But that can’t be a reason for me to make a life choice.”
She heard her note of despair and became silent.
“I’ve had to go through an unexpected life change, too, so I know how you feel,”
Ross said. “For now, I suggest you forget it. Just bide your time.”
“You’re right. I’ve got to stop worrying about it. Answers will come in time.”
She studied him. “How did I ever find such a friend as you?”
Ross shrugged, though his cheeks colored. “Good friends help whenever or however they can.”
“Well, I appreciate you,”
she said. “I’ll be very happy to take you to your rehab center. It’ll give me something to do while I try to recover and will be only a small measure of my thanks.”
“I enjoy your company, but the sessions won’t last too long. Margo says I’m doing very well.”
“She’ll be sad to see them end, I’m sure. She enjoys your sessions.”
“She’s excellent at her job. That’s all that matters to me,”
said Ross.
Melissa was impressed that Ross wasn’t the kind of man who would take advantage of a beautiful young woman helping him to recover. Some professional athletes seemed to fall into that trap.
She and Ross talked about what the fire might mean for other restaurants in the area.
“Maybe Crystal will keep the Lilac Lake Café open for dinner now,”
Melissa said.
“You could help her if you want to keep busy.”
Melissa let out a long sigh. “So many things to think about. For now, I will take your suggestion and just chill out. Nothing must be decided yet.”
Ross got to his feet. “I’ve got to get back to my house. I’m working on some ideas for the sports center. Mike wants me to meet with him in Florida as soon as I can to look at a center down there. But it’ll be a few weeks before I can even consider it.”
“How would you get there?”
she asked.
“I’m not sure,”
he said. “The trip depends on my dad and how he’s feeling.”
“If I can help, you know I will,” she said.
Ross gave her a little salute. “Thanks. See you later.”
Melissa watched as Ross made his way to his house next door. When she’d built her house, she’d had no idea what good friends they would become.
###
That evening, she went to visit her parents. Ross had told her that they were not doing well with having their lives shattered. Her mother, usually so strong, was weepy about the future.
Her dad was quiet as he grilled steaks for dinner. But when they sat down, he said, “We need to make a list of items lost for the insurance people. We haven't lost much in food because we buy fresh things and keep little as a backup. I went down to see the restaurant this afternoon. Our big freezer was destroyed, and there wasn’t anything salvageable. I talked to one of our restaurant suppliers, and he said we shouldn’t even try to rescue heavily damaged equipment, food items, or anything affected by the fire.”
“That will add to the cost of rebuilding,”
her mother said. “After twenty-five years in the business, we’ve collected many useful utensils, special appliances, and even things like unique seasonings that will be hard to replace. The thought is overwhelming.”
“We can start new,”
her father said. “Maybe make Fins even better than it was.”
“I want whatever is best for you, Melissa,”
her mother said. “I thought you were set for life, knowing you’d eventually own a restaurant as successful as ours.”
“While it’s a wonderful gesture, it leaves me trapped in a sense,”
she said. “I’m trying to decide on my personal life right now. I like living here in Lilac Lake, but maybe it’s not meant to be. I still don’t have a special person in my life.”
“What about Ross?”
her mother said. “You couldn’t find a better man.”
“It takes two people to make a relationship, remember? We’re friends. Great friends. But that’s as far as it’s going to go. As you said, he’s a decent man, but he’s not interested in me.”
Her mother emitted a long sigh, and Melissa was taken back through the years to the days of high school when she was the same dateless person she was now. Unable to handle her mother’s disappointment, she got up from the dinner table.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well. It’s all too much to think about. I’m going home.”
Her mother gave her a sad look. “We love you, Melissa.”
Recalling how her mother had always said that on dateless high school nights, Melissa wanted to weep.
She kept herself together as she drove her car to her home. But when she pulled into the driveway and saw one lonely light on in her empty house, she let the tears she’d held back roll down her cheeks.