Page 3 of Love's Home Run

She laughed. “Lord, no. It’s just that I can’t seem to do it on my own. And the last thing I want to do is act like JoEllen.”

Ross nodded. “I understand your problem. Okay, if that’s all you want, I’ll try to help.”

Placing a hand on his arm, she smiled at Ross. “Thank you. You’re the best, like the brother I wished I had.”

While growing up, she had wanted a sibling who could help counter her mother’s criticism about her appearance and manner.

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They got into her car and had a silent ride home.

She pulled into his driveway to let him out and turned to him. “I owe you. How about coming to dinner at my house tomorrow? It’s my day off, and I’ll fix you something special.”

“An offer I can’t refuse,” he said, grinning. He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. “Thanks, Melissa,” he said, giving her a little salute.

She watched him go, pleased by their friendship. He was a very nice guy.

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At home, Melissa went through her emails and regular mail before preparing a cup of her favorite nighttime tea. Then she took the tea and a book to the master bedroom on the first floor. She loved her house and enjoyed using this quiet time to settle down from a hectic day. Cooking for customers who expected the best wasn’t for the weak. You had to be strong and in control, with split-second timing to get everything prepared and delivered to everyone at their tables simultaneously. Melissa enjoyed watching Gordon Ramsay exposing people to the rigors of the kitchen on television. The professional kitchen scene wasn’t quite like that, but one had to have common sense and excellent timing to make it work.

She got ready for bed in one of her usual pajama tops and opened the book. Gazing down at the words of the romance novel she was reading, her thoughts filled with the image of Dirk McArthur, the new dentist in town. Was a relationship with him hopeless?

CHAPTER TWO

Melissa awoke and saw the buttery sunshine shining through the blinds on her bedroom windows. She let out a grateful sigh. It was a lovely summer day to relax and enjoy her time off. She remembered her invitation to Ross for dinner and tried to think of something easy to make. Today, she was going to work outside in her vegetable and herb garden. She might even go down to the common waterfront the development had built and take her canoe out on the water. It was awkward paddling alone but not impossible, and something about being on the lake was so peaceful she didn’t care about the work.

She got up and padded down the hall to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee. She opened the sliding glass door to let in some fresh morning air through the screened-in porch and let out a deep, satisfying sigh.

Melissa fixed her coffee and carried it through the porch to the wooden deck facing south, making sunny mornings pleasant. Sitting in an Adirondack chair, she lifted her face to the sky. With her eyes closed, she breathed in the fresh lake air and basked in the sun like a lazy cat.

Noises next door drew her attention, and she opened her eyes to see Ross out on his deck with a dark-haired woman. A cardinal sang in a pine tree at her yard’s end, and when the two turned to the sound of it, they noticed her. They both waved. Melissa realized the woman was Taylor Gilford Walker and waved back.

It was interesting living next door to someone famous like Ross. She’d seen other neighbors approach him with paper and pen, asking for autographs. Well-known people came to the restaurant, but though they were greeted warmly, they purposely weren’t fussed over. However, her mother, who acted as hostess, liked being able to ask about other lives without appearing too nosy.

Melissa took a sip of her coffee, her thoughts becoming darker. While her father adored her, her mother made her feel like she never met her standards.

Growing up, she’d envied the Gilford girls. It all seemed so silly now. She’d since become good friends with the three of them and loved being part of a congenial group whose members shared memories of the past. New people were added to the mix, making the group even better. From the moment she’d first met Dirk, she’d felt a spark of interest.

Dirk could make it seem like he was interested in what anyone was saying and had an easy, almost impish smile—important attributes for a dentist. Attractive, he was of average to above-average height with auburn hair and green eyes.She liked that he worked steady hours. It helped with her off-beat schedule to know someone would always be there for them if they ever got together and had pets and/or children.

She chided herself for those thoughts. How could she be thinking of such things when Dirk had never called or asked her out? As far as she knew, he hadn’t asked anyone out, but still …

When she got up, she noticed Ross and Taylor had left his deck.

She went inside, fixed a piece of sourdough toast with peanut butter, and headed to her room to change.

In the shower, she let the warm water sluice over her and wondered what it would feel like to have Dirk’s hands caress her body. She washed her hair and, after hand-drying it, shook it in place. Her hair was thick and straight, easy to maintain. Though it was dark brown, the hint of auburn gave it a different, pretty look. She let it hang to dry further while she dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Then she pulled her hair up in a ponytail.

She rubbed suntan lotion on her face, arms, and legs, slid her feet into L.L. Bean boat shoes, and headed outside.

Her vegetable garden was larger than she would’ve planted for herself, but her father had helped her prepare and plant it. They both liked the idea of farm-to-table food and thought it would be a true test of what she could create. The Collister Family Farm Stand provided them with many extra goods during the summer months, but it was fun to think some of the food they served came from her garden.

Now, seeing the weeds, she wondered if they’d been overly ambitious. She gamely pulled out her gardening tools from the garage and got to work pulling invasive weeds and cultivating the soil. She was hot and sweaty in no time.

She’d just finished half the garden when Ross appeared.

“That’s quite a project,” he said as she struggled to stand. “Hey, listen, I’ve been thinking. You don’t need to invite me to dinner tonight. I’m just doing you a favor, no strings attached.”

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