Chapter 9
Melinda carried a woven basket with a strawberry rhubarb pie tucked inside as she climbed the steps to Stacey’s front door. This was her first fish fry and she wasn’t sure what exactly to expect. Was it like a normal cookout? She raised her hand to knock when it swung opened.
“Hey Stacey,” Melinda greeted her warmly. She held up the basket. “I brought pie.”
Stacey took the basket from her. “Come in. We’re all out back.”
Melinda glanced at the number of cars parked on the street in front of their house. “I hope I brought a big enough pie.” She chuckled. “I didn’t realize this was going to be a party.”
Stacey glanced back over her shoulder. “Once Will starts inviting people, things tend to grow. But it’s everyone you already know.” She set the basket down on the only open space on the counter. “Adam is out there. I think he’s keeping an eye on the grill.”
Looking around the kitchen, Melinda noticed there were several plates of cookies, a cake and a big bowl of cut-up fruit. Relieved there were more dessert choices, she said, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Not at all. Everything is done.” She gave Melinda a smile. “Will said Adam has been working hard at your place.”
“I’m excited to see how it will look when he’s done. I heard on the news there’s a storm blowing in late tomorrow, so hopefully that won’t put him behind schedule too badly.”
While Melinda was talking, Stacey poured two glasses of white wine and handed one to her.
After accepting the glass, Melinda stepped through the open sliding door and onto the deck. She noticed Molly and Tim grinning and gesturing for her to join them.
Melinda crossed the grass to where they were standing. Happy to see them she said, “Hi, you two.”
Molly gave her a quick hug. She gushed, “I’m so glad you’re here.” She glanced at the group of people, and Melinda looked around to see what Molly was looking at, or for who.
“Is everything all right?” Melinda couldn’t help but notice Molly’s eyes were bright and she almost seemed to be bouncing in place.
Molly took Tim’s hand. “We’re going to make an announcement tonight, but we wanted you to be the first of our friends to know.” She kissed Tim on the lips lightly.
Melinda could guess what they were about to say.
Tim said, “Well, since you seemed to have piqued her interest, you’d better tell Melinda before you bust.”
Struggling to keep her voice low, Molly held up their joined hands. A flash of brilliance was caught by the sun. “We’re engaged!”
Melinda felt tears prick her eyes. She blinked them away and said, “Congratulations to you both.” First, she kissed Molly’s cheek and then Tim’s. “I’m sure you’ll both be very happy.”
“If it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be an us,” Molly said.
“You’re giving me far too much credit. All I did was make it possible for you to meet.” Melinda clasped their entwined hands. “You did the hard work of discovering the wonderfulness about each other.”
Tim wrapped an arm around Molly’s waist. “We expect to see you at the wedding.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. Have you set a date?”
Molly’s head bobbed. “The last Sunday in July.”
“Of this year?” Melinda asked as she mentally counted the weeks until the end of July.
Beaming, Tim said, “Yes, and the theme will be Christmas in July.” He kissed Molly’s cheek. “She wants all the colors of Christmas, and we don’t want to wait and have to worry about snow and the cold, so it’s the best of both seasons.”
“Sounds perfect.” Out of the corner of her eye, Mel noticed Adam walking toward them. “You can tell me more after you make the big announcement to the group.”
“What announcement?” Adam asked as he stopped beside Melinda.
“We’re getting married!” Molly screeched.
Silence fell over the backyard and Stacey came rushing over. “Did you say what I think you did?”
Molly nodded her head up and down. It made Melinda dizzy watching at the speed it moved. “We are!”
Melinda and Adam stepped aside as their friends rushed over to shake Tim’s hand and hug Molly. Adam steered Melinda toward the grill. “Care to help me burn,” he chuckled, “I mean, grill the fish?”
“Sure, but do you know what you’re doing or should I take over?” She couldn’t help poking fun at him. “You said you don’t cook.”
“You’re looking at a grill master.” He picked up a baseball hat sitting on a table. “See, the hat even has it on the front.”
Melinda took the hat from his hands and laughed. “Wearing this won’t help us have a tasty dinner if you aren’t equipped with the proper skills.”
Adam tapped the center of his chest with his fingers. “Not to worry. All I need to do is oil the fish and add some seasoning. Slap it on the grill for a couple minutes, flip it over for a few more and shazam, dinner.”
Melinda hip-checked him and said, “Move over. Let me show you how it’s really done.”
Adam handed her the hat. “If you’re going to cook, you have to wear this.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re kidding, right?”
He slowly shook his head and grinned. “Nope. If you want to run with a grill master, ya gotta wear the right hat.”
Reluctantly she accepted the well-worn baseball cap and perched it on top of her head. “Be prepared to weep over the most delicious fish you’ve ever eaten.” Melinda smirked over her shoulder and turned down the grill. “They need a medium heat. I don’t fancy sushi today.”
“So far you haven’t done anything I wasn’t going to do.” Adam crossed his arms across his chest and attempted to look stern. “But I am impressed.”
“The magic is in the flipping.” She laughed, surprised at how much fun she was having.
“Again, Mel, I know how to cook fish.” She could hear the teasing in his voice but noticed he was very attentive to everything she was doing.
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled as she watched Molly and Tim bask in the group of well-wishers. “Do you think they’ll tie the knot in July?”
“Nah. Molly is going to want a very specific kind of wedding and I don’t think there is enough time.” Adam leaned close to Melinda and said, “You do seem to have the magic touch. For matchmaking.”
She turned her head to look at him, taken aback by how close he was. She didn’t want to pull away and seem rude, so instead she said, “I’m very fortunate to be able to find people that seem to mesh.” She relaxed and grinned. “And you’re next.”
Adam frowned. “I hope the next one won’t have treated the profile process like a joke.”
“That isn’t typical of the people I work with.” Quietly she said, “I talked to Susan and she was very nervous to meet you. Sometimes anxiety can take over and highlight a person’s flaws.”
He adjusted the cap on her head. “I know I was hard on her but I am taking this process very serious. I had high expectations.”
For the first time, Melinda really noticed they were almost the same height; she could look into his eyes. “You know, you’re pretty easygoing for a Marine. At least with me.”
He snorted. “How many Marines have you met?”
She tapped her fingertip to her chin, pretending to think really hard. “Just one. Well, two. Will and you.”
“That just goes to show you, stereotyping can lead to a completely wrong conclusion.”
Adam held out an oversized platter and Melinda slid the fish from the grill to it. “Whenever I’ve seen pictures of the Marines, or a commercial on television, the men and women look so serious. Like they lack an obvious sense of humor. Is it a requirement for the Corps?”
“Ah, that’s all for show. You’d be surprised how many of us are jokesters.”
Without looking up, she said, “John was a police officer.”
“I had no idea.”
Melinda was surprised at the gentle tone in his voice.
“A lot of his buddies used to hang out at our place and they were always laughing and joking around.”
She was interrupted when Molly came over. “Hey you two, is dinner ready? I can corral the troops.”
Adam held up the platter. “We are.”
Molly turned around, put her fingers in her lips and whistled. “DINNER!” She grinned. “That should get them moving.”
For a moment Melinda felt a stab of emptiness. She closed the lid on the grill after running a wire brush over the grates, thoroughly cleaning the remnants of fish off. She wished John could be here to meet these wonderful people who had become her good friends.
When she looked up, she saw Will was watching her. He said, “Thanks for cooking. If Adam had, who knows how much char we’d be eating instead of this delicious-looking fish.”
Melinda smiled, happy to be distracted from the melancholy moment. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” She looked across the yard to where Adam was peering into the drink cooler. He held up a bottle of beer in her direction and she nodded. “He seemed to have it under control.”
Will’s gaze followed the direction Melinda nodded in. “You know I’m really glad you and Adam have become friends.” He took a step toward her, closing the gap between them. “When he arrived, he was at loose ends, and frankly I was worried about him. Meeting you seems to have brought him out of his shell.”
“I’m sure it must have been an adjustment retiring from the military and moving to a new town, but he had you, Stacey and all your friends for support.”
Will slowly nodded. “Don’t let his happy go lucky demeanor fool you. There’s a lot going on behind his grin and teasing facade.”
“Will, I think what you and Stacey did, renting him your garage apartment, was the best thing for him. He had friends, who are more like family, as neighbors from day one.”
Will folded his arms over his chest. “Was it hard moving here by yourself?”
“Not really. I was ready. Leaving Philly was the only decision I could have made. It was time.” She didn’t want to relive the memory of packing each box with John’s personal belongings after the house had been sold. Reminding herself this was a party and not the time to take a sad stroll down memory lane, she forced a sunny smile. It didn’t matter—Will didn’t know it was fake.
“Mel?” Adam touched her arm. “I brought you a beer.”
She accepted the frosty bottle and kept the smile plastered to her face. Her voice strained, she said, “Thank you.”
“Hey, you look a little pale. Do you want me to drive you home?”
“No, I’m fine.” She grinned and took a sip of her beer. “Just parched.” She teased, “Doing your job was thirsty work.”
Adam let out a big laugh and clinked bottles with her. “And you did it admirably. I can’t wait to eat.”
Melinda swallowed the lump in her throat. “Let’s find a place to sit and for giggles, I’ll let you fix me a plate.
“By all means, chef, it would be an honor.”
He gave her a quick salute and Melinda felt the stranglehold around her heart loosen just a bit. Losing John was horrible, but being around good people, and Adam, made it just a little more bearable.
She looked at Molly and Tim. After all, today was a happy day.