Page 39 of Love's Home Run

With the change in her plans, Melissa gave up the idea of visiting one of her favorite cooking stores and sat in the waiting room of the rehab center, thinking about the road trip. She didn’t feel the least bit awkward about traveling with Ross. As they’d agreed, they were just neighbors making the journey together. Nothing was sexy about it. But when the time came, she wanted Dirk to know that’s all it was. She liked him and still thought they'd make a couple as two of the remaining unattached young people in town.

She quickly went through her wardrobe in her mind and was satisfied that she had everything she’d need for the trip. She’d never been one to overpack because she wasn’t that fussy about what she wore. Good, classic things were all she needed. Nothing fancy.

She was still thinking about the “rules of the road” when Ross appeared. Margo tailed him.

“I’m through with these sessions,” said Ross. “But I have to exercise at home.”

Margo spoke up. “He’s doing exceptionally well. It’s always a pleasure to work with an athlete. They work so hard at it.” She gave Melissa a curious look. “I hear you two are going on a road trip together in a few weeks.”

Melissa held up a hand. “I’m happy to get away from town after my family’s restaurant has burned down.”

“Oh, yes. I heard about it on the news,” said Margo. “Any idea about what started it?”

“They’re certain it began in the kitchen. We don’t know exactly how yet,” said Melissa, feeling a pang of sorrow work through her. She’d loved the restaurant.

“It was such a classy place, with good food and a beautiful location. Did the fire ruin everything?” asked Margo.

Melissa thought of the pile of burnt lumber and the dreams her parents had had and felt a sting of tears. “Yes, it is a total loss.”

“Ready to go?” Ross asked, and Melissa was grateful for the diversion.

“Sure. We have a list to talk about.”

“Or two,” said Ross, grinning.

###

The drive home was filled with conversation. Melissa and Ross easily agreed on a couple of things right away. Number one, the driver got to choose the music. Number two, the driver would agree whenever one of them needed to stop for whatever reason.

“Getting to New Jersey will be an easy drive with few stops, I suppose,” said Ross. “But if you want to do any sightseeing on the way to Florida or back, we’d better talk about it and devise a plan.”

“Agreed,” said Melissa. “As I’ve told you, running a restaurant meant little time for vacations or days just ambling around the country. We did the basic things, but I’ve never been to Savannah, for instance, or one of the coastal islands. That sort of thing.”

“Like you, there’s a lot I haven’t seen. Little places, scenic locations. We can start a list of those and see how convenient it would be to get to them.” Ross smiled. “I wasn’t looking forward to the drive, but now I think it’s going to be better than I thought.”

###

The next four weeks seemed to drag or fly by, depending on the day.

Plans regarding Fins were slower to materialize than she’d thought they’d be. She tried to keep her parents’ spirits up, but she could see that the trauma of it was affecting them negatively. Her mother, especially, missed her role at the restaurant, meeting and greeting people.

One of the things that helped Melissa was the new routine that she and Ross developed. She continued to rise and jog in the morning whenever possible and often met Ross when he was out walking with a cane. Afterward, they usually had coffee at her house. Occasionally, they went exploring on Ross’s new golf cart, checking out new construction in the neighborhood.

On rainy or very hot days, she would offer to drive Ross to the café for coffee, anything to keep him from going crazy in his house. It helped their friendship grow.

In all this time, Dirk didn’t call and seldom went to Jake’s. Melissa told herself it was because of his increased responsibilities at the dental office. But she couldn’t help wondering what went wrong between them.

More than that, she realized how lost she was without her identity as a working chef and told herself she didn’t need any man to make her happy. What she needed was to figure out where her career was going next.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

At the end of four weeks, Melissa drove Ross to the doctor’s office.

She was as anxious for this appointment as Ross because it would determine when they could take their road trip.

“It’ll be an escape for both of us. But I’m worried about your father’s condition,” she said.

“Last night, my dad told me on the phone that he’s doing fine, that I’m not to worry. But that’s why I’m concerned. He’s tough as nails. He had to be raising four boys. But even though he’ll fight his cancer as hard as he can, there’s only one winner in a battle like this.”

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