Page 36 of Love's Home Run

Melissa remained silent. Her emotions were so mixed. She’d complained about working such long hours, shouldn’t she feel a sense of freedom? But seeing the pain on her parents’ faces, she felt deep sorrow. And guilt set in. Had she or one of her staff caused the fire? She was on duty. She might have missed something.

Scott stood. “You’ll have plenty of time to think things over. We’ll get back to you with whatever news we have.”

While her father led Scott to the door, Melissa turned to her mother. “Do you think I forgot to do something, check something?”

Her mother clasped her hand. “I was there at the restaurant too. It’s not your fault or mine. You follow a routine every night. We all do.”

Until they found the actual cause of the fire, Melissa knew her emotions would be in turmoil.

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.

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