Page 35 of Love's Home Run

Unaware of her tears, Melissa hugged her and watched as the firemen worked to save nearby buildings. Thankfully, Fins was a free-standing structure, but the fire was so hot it was peeling paint off the exterior walls of a nearby insurance company’s building.

Numb, Melissa was momentarily unaware that Crystal and Whitney were holding her up between them.

“I’m so sorry,” murmured Whitney. “I know what this restaurant has meant to you, your family, and the entire town.”

“They’ll find a cause for it, I’m sure,” said Crystal, whose café was far enough away not to be harmed.

Melissa stared at what was fast becoming the remnants of her family’s livelihood. The building seemed to be collapsing into itself.

“A couple of minor explosions had occurred when the fire erupted in the kitchen,” said her father. “We’re just grateful no one was in the building.”

The thought of that happening made Melissa feel even sicker. She looked up as Ross hobbled toward her with his walker. He moved past Crystal and Whitney to hug her. “Dani and Brad brought me. I’m so sorry to see this.”

“Melissa’s dad said most restaurant fires start in the kitchen,” said Whitney.

“He’s right,” said Melissa, wondering if she’d forgotten to do anything before leaving last night. The thought of her being at fault caused her legs to wobble.

Ross grabbed hold and held on tight with one hand. As if he could read her mind, he said, “It’s not your fault. No matter what they find. Understand?”

Dirk made his way toward them. “Melissa! I just heard and came as quickly as I could. Are you and your family alright?”

Ross moved away so Dirk could approach her. “We’re fine. No one was hurt, but it looks like our restaurant is gone.” She wiped the tears off her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

Dirk wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry. If I can do anything to help, please let me know.”

“Thanks, but this is one of those times when there’s nothing anyone can do.” She gazed at what was left of the burning building and wondered how anything could be destroyed so quickly.

“When did the fire start?” Dirk asked.

In a daze, Melissa looked at her parents standing together, a crowd of sympathizers surrounding them. “I don’t know.”

She moved toward her parents.

They held out their arms to her. She rushed to them, and the three of them huddled together while the firemen sprayed the embers and continued to spray the two closest buildings.

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Later that morning, Melissa sat with her parents and the new, young Fire Chief, Scott Kane. The Chief was a heavy-set man who’d come with excellent references. Though his work entailed mostly small home and woodland fires, he knew about the possible causes of restaurant fires.

“It started in the kitchen,” he explained. “Most probably from some faulty equipment. Can you think of what might have contributed to the cause of the fire?”

Melissa glanced at her parents. “I wonder if it could be the gas grill. We used it often last night.”

“Or the deep fat fryer,” said her mother. “I saw a lot of French fries and fried fish going out.”

“Either of those seems likely,” said Scott. “Have you been in touch with your insurance agency?”

Melissa’s father nodded. “Yes. I met with him last month, and he encouraged me to raise my insurance coverage. I almost didn’t.”

“It’s expensive, but thank God, we have it,” said Melissa’s mother.

“Looking over the remains, I suggest we scrape the area clean before it becomes dangerous to anyone. In the meantime, we’ll fence it off. After things have cooled off, you can look for anything you might want to save. But from what I’ve seen, it won’t be much. I’m sorry.”

“Susan and I have been talking about retirement, but we hadn’t expected it to happen this soon,” said Melissa’s father. “We’ll have to think long and hard about rebuilding.”

Scott emitted a sympathetic grunt. “It’s such a shame to lose you. Having Fins here was a huge benefit to the town. It was a favorite of mine and everyone else’s.”

Melissa’s father turned to her. “Well, we have a very talented chef in my daughter. We’ll have to see what she thinks.”

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