Page 54 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Mrs. West smiled up at him. “Well, of course, you would. You always did have a sweet tooth. Would your friend like a piece too?”
Christopher turned to Melody. “It’s okay if you have something else to do.”
“No. I don’t. I’d love a piece of pie too.”
Christopher looked pleased. “All right then. Can we have two slices of pie? I’ll cut it. Would you like some too, Mom?”
“Yes, I suppose so. Although there’ll be nothing for your dad when he gets home.”
Christopher shared a look with Melody, his eyes regretful.
Ah. Melody understood now. Christopher’s father was gone and Mrs. West hadn’t remarried. She just wasn’t remembering things correctly. Melody resisted the urge to wrap her arms around Christopher and give him a big hug. Having to deal with this day in and out must be hard. Moving forward couldn’t be easy when his mom was stuck in the past.
They all sat at a small round table and ate pie. Melody was a little hesitant at first, but Mrs. West hadn’t seemed to forget how to bake. She’d only forgotten the details of her life, or at least some of them. When they were done eating, Mrs. West collected the dirty dishes.
“You’ll come to Sunday lunch?” she asked Melody. “Christopher comes every week after church.”
Melody hesitated and looked at Christopher.
“Mom makes a delicious spread. You’d think she’s expecting the entire town. Sometimes Matt joins us. Liz has been over a couple times too. You should come,” Christopher urged.
Melody nodded. “Yeah. I’d love to,” she told Mrs. West. “Thank you for the invitation. And for the pie.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Anytime.”
Christopher stood and looked at Melody. “I’ll walk you out.”
She waved at Mrs. West and headed back toward the front. When they got outside with the door closed behind them, Christopher turned to Melody.
“Sorry about that.”
“No, it was fun. I enjoyed catching up with your mom. Is she . . . okay?”
“Her memory is a little iffy. Some days her thinking is as clear as mine. Others are like this afternoon. She gets confused and frustrated.”
“That’s why she’s homebound?” Melody asked.
“That and she gets lost on the roads. She used to call me from random places and not know where she was. It was pretty scary, for her and for me.”
“I imagine. I’m sorry.” The more time Melody spent with Christopher, the more she saw how wrong she was about him. He had the weight of the world riding his shoulders and he carried it in stride. He made it look easy and acted as if it were no big deal, but Melody knew better than most the toll that kind of selflessness took on a person.
After her mother had died, Melody’s dad had checked out mentally. Great-aunt Jo had been amazing, yes, but Melody had also sacrificed to care for Alyssa, disregarding her own needs in the process.
Christopher didn’t deserve Melody’s hard feelings toward him. He couldn’t help that he didn’t feel the same way about Alyssa as she had for him all those years ago. It was a silly high school crush that had happened ages ago.
“Fortunately, she’s never really liked to the leave the house,” Christopher said. “I know a lot of people might wander out and get lost, but I don’t worry about that with Mom. She’s the most clearheaded when she’s at home, and for the time being, she’s okay.” He tipped his head toward the side of the house opposite of Melody’s father’s home. “Janet and Larry still live next door. They check in on my mother several times a day. It’s a revolving door over here. In a good way.”
“That’s nice,” Melody said.
Christopher nodded. “It’s just another reason why small-town living is the best. We take care of each other. We’re family.”
Seeing Trove Isle through Christopher’s eyes was fascinating. Melody hadn’t allowed herself to have any positive feelings toward her hometown in years. Now, listening to him, she understood the appeal. “Your mom is a lucky woman.”
“And I’m a lucky guy to have her.” He cleared his throat, looking suddenly nervous. “So you meant it when you agreed to Sunday lunch? Because my mom hasn’t lost her touch with cooking at all. Her food is the best on the isle.”
Melody smiled, feeling like perhaps she was lucky too. “I meant it. I’ll come.”
A slow grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Perfect. I’ll look forward to it even more than usual.”
