Chance Encounter: Gage and Melanie (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Three) (Companion to the Over You series)

by Christine Kersey

  Gage: Your car’s ready. If it works for you, I’ll stop by this evening and drop it off.

  Slightly disappointed to have to give his car back, she was also looking forward to how much easier it would be to get Avery into and out of her own car. She replied to his message.

  Melanie: Sure. I’ll be home by six.

  Gage: Perfect. See you tonight.

  Throughout the rest of the day, Melanie thought about Gage and their meeting that night, her mind going back and forth: What vibe would she get from him? What vibe did she want to get from him? When it was finally time to leave work, she went to Avery’s day care and picked her up.

  “I think Avery might be coming down with something,” Mrs. Johnson said as Melanie scooped Avery up.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. She’s been complaining of a tummy ache this afternoon.”

  At that, Avery laid her head on Melanie’s shoulder. “Does your tummy hurt, baby girl?” Avery nodded against Melanie’s shoulder, and when Melanie pressed her cheek against Avery’s forehead, she thought it felt a little warmer than usual. “Has anyone else been sick?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Mrs. Johnson said.

  “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on her. Thanks.”

  Melanie fastened Avery in her car seat and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go home and cuddle, okay?”

  Avery nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “How you doin’ back there, sweetie?” Melanie asked with a glance over her shoulder as they drove.

  A little pout pushed Avery’s lips down. “My tummy hurts.”

  “I know, baby girl. We’re almost home, okay?”

  Eyes slowly blinking, Avery nodded.

  Just as they pulled into their driveway, Avery threw up all over the back seat of the Camaro.

  “Oh no,” Melanie moaned. “Are you okay, baby girl?”

  “Yucky,” Avery said, then she threw up some more.

  Melanie jumped from the car and hurried around to the passenger side, then took Avery out as quickly as she could while still being gentle. The smell made her gag, but she swallowed over the urge to vomit and carried Avery inside the house while leaving the door to the Camaro open in the hopes the smell would somehow be less repugnant.

  No more new car smell. Gage was not going to be happy.

  The thought of turning his car over to him with it being such a disgusting mess, coupled with having to care for a sick child… Would she have to take the next day off from work? This was not what she needed.

  “Does your tummy still hurt, Avery?” Melanie asked as she carried her into the bathroom.

  She shook her head. At least throwing up had helped. Melanie bathed her, then put her in her pajama’s before carrying her into the front room and settling with her on the couch. Ashleigh arrived home a few minutes later.

  “You left the door open on Gage’s car,” she said as she set her purse on the counter.

  Melanie grimaced. “I know.” Then she told her what had happened. “And he’s going to be here soon to get his car.”

  “Oh man,” Ashleigh said. “What are you going to do?”

  “Well, if you can stay with Avery, I’ll try to clean it up.”

  “Of course.” She sat beside Avery. “Do you want Aunt Ashy to sit by you, sweetie?”

  Avery nodded, so Melanie went into her bedroom and changed into jeans and a t-shirt, then hurried to the linen closet to get some cleaning supplies. Next, she rushed out to the Camaro, and after taking the car seat out, she began the nasty task of cleaning up Avery’s vomit.

  Twenty minutes later she’d cleaned it all up, but the smell lingered. Kneeling on the driveway, her body halfway inside the back seat, Melanie scrubbed the carpet, desperate to get rid of the odor. Moments later she heard the sound of a car approaching, then stopping.

  It was Gage.

  Dang it!

  Setting the sponge down, Melanie stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. Gage was just getting out of Melanie’s car, a smile on his face. How long would that smile last once she told him what had happened? Not long, she feared.

  “You didn’t have to clean it,” he said as he walked up the driveway and stopped a few feet in front of her.

  A soft chuckle slipped from her lips. “Yeah, well, don’t be so sure.”

  His head tilted as his eyebrows bunched. “What do you mean?” Then his gaze slid to his car, probably looking for some sort of damage she’d caused.

  “Uh, well, unfortunately Avery threw up in the back seat a few minutes ago.”

  At the look of horror on Gage’s face, Melanie would have laughed if she didn’t feel so bad about it.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ll pay for you to get it detailed.”

  What? Her kid barfed all over my car?

  Reminding himself to take deep breaths, Gage felt his body tense with anger. His beautiful car was now ruined. Letting Melanie borrow it had been a huge mistake. What an idiot he’d been. Just because she’d been the girl of his dreams back in high school… He’d let his adolescent fantasies override his good sense and he’d basically lost his mind when she’d walked into his bakery.

  Well, it was too late to change that now.

  He forced his body to relax.

  It was only a car, after all. Yes, it was his dream car, but maybe he loved it a little too much.

  No, he didn’t. He loved it just the right amount.

  Still, it was just a car.

  He looked at Melanie, who obviously felt terrible about what had happened. Despite that, her guilt wouldn’t fix the problem.

  Let it go, Gage. Let it go.

  After several more moments of convincing himself it wasn’t that big of a deal, he said, “Let me take a look.”

  Melanie stepped aside and he poked his head into the back seat. It looked perfectly clean, but over the scent of the cleaning fluid she’d used was the faint smell of vomit. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to smell it from the driver’s seat. He could only hope.

  He had to focus on what was important. Stepping back, he turned to Melanie. “Is Avery okay?”

  Surprise showed in her eyes. Maybe she’d expected him to yell at her instead of asking after her daughter. He’d been tempted, but he was glad he hadn’t gone there.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she said. “Just a bit of stomach flu, I imagine.” Her lips curved upward. “Thanks for asking.”

  Then it occurred to him that this could be an opportunity.

  “I’m so sorry, Gage. Like I said, I’ll get it detailed for you. Maybe they can…uh, get the smell out?”

  He hoped so. “Tell you what. If you’ll go out with me, all will be forgiven.” Was that pushing this too far? Taking advantage? Maybe. But it was worth a shot. And he deserved something out of this.

  When Gage had asked after Avery’s welfare instead of getting upset, Melanie had awarded him big points. But now? Bargaining with her to go out with him in exchange for letting her off the hook? Was that fair? Not really, but she couldn’t blame him for trying.

  Then again, what would it hurt? They would both be getting what they wanted—he would get the date with her that he’d been trying for, and she would feel less guilty about Avery puking all over the back seat of his car.

  Maybe it wasn’t the worst idea ever. And after their one date, they could both move on with their lives.

  “All right,” she said. “It’s a deal.”

  Gage’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay.” Seconds later his face smoothed out. “Will Friday work?”

  “Yeah. I think so.”

  “Perfect.” He held out the keys to her car. “Your car is as good as new.”

  Holding back a grimace, Melanie took the keys to the Camaro out of her pocket and held them out. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same, but here you go.”

  One side of his mouth turned up. “Thanks.” Then he closed the passenger door on the Camaro. “You’ll be at practice tomorrow night?”

&nb
sp; “Unless Avery’s still sick.”

  Gage nodded. “I hope she feels better.”

  “Me too.”

  “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in.

  Melanie watched him back out of the driveway, and when he waved to her, she waved back, and as he drove down the street, she decided going out with him wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

  Chapter 11

  Melanie took the next day off from work to give Avery time to recover, but by the afternoon she was feeling back to normal and Melanie thought it would be good for her to be able to play on the playground next to the softball field.

  “Where’s Mommy’s race car?” Avery asked as Melanie helped her climb into the back seat of her car before softball practice.

  “I had to give it back,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “I was just borrowing it while Mommy’s car got fixed.”

  Avery settled into her car seat. “I liked the race car.”

  “Me too, baby girl. Me too.”

  Ashleigh climbed into the passenger seat. “Hey, I bet you get to ride in that race car on Friday.”

  Melanie started her car and laughed. As they drove to the softball field, Melanie missed the feeling of driving Gage’s cool car, and when she arrived at the field and saw his black Camaro, her gaze went right to the field where she saw him warming up with the players who had already arrived. Then she thought about the date they would be going on two nights later. A frisson of excitement swept over her, but she tamped it down. She wasn’t looking for anything even remotely resembling a relationship. Not after Kyle had chosen someone else over her.

  “I see Hannah,” Melanie said to Avery as they pulled into a parking space.

  “She painted my nails,” Avery said as she held up her hands to show Melanie the bright red color.

  “I know she did. And they’re beautiful.”

  She took Avery out of her car seat and walked with her and Ashleigh to the bleachers where Hannah was waiting for them.

  “Hi, Avery,” Hannah said.

  Avery pressed her face against Melanie’s leg.

  “She was sick yesterday,” Melanie said. “So take it kind of easy today.”

  “Okay.”

  Melanie knelt in front of Avery. “You’re going to play with Hannah now, okay?”

  Avery nodded.

  “Hannah will take you to play on the swings,” Melanie said. “Would you like that?”

  Avery looked at Hannah. “Yes.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right here if you need me.” Melanie kissed her on the cheek, then after giving her a bright smile, she and Ashleigh went onto the field.

  As Melanie walked onto the grass, she studiously ignored Gage. She didn’t want him to know of her growing attraction.

  “Someone’s looking at you,” Ashleigh said under her breath.

  “Stop it,” Melanie whispered in reply.

  “Why? I think it’s great.”

  Melanie let her eyes flick to Gage for just a second before looking away. Knowing they would soon be on their date—just the two of them with no distractions—made her slightly nervous. Not sure why, she shoved aside the thought and focused on why she was there.

  Gage watched Melanie approach and the only thought he had was that he would be taking her out in a couple of days. She’d done a good job cleaning his car, and though the car had lost some of its new car smell, he couldn’t smell Avery’s vomit either. And he’d gotten a date out of it, so it wasn’t all bad.

  All throughout practice, whenever he looked at Melanie, he relished the idea of spending time with her one on one. How would it go? Would she let him kiss her? He could hardly wait for Friday night. But first they had to play their first game the next night.

  “You can do it, Chloe,” Melanie called as Chloe stepped up to the plate. It was the second inning of their first real game, and they were losing three to one, although the only reason they even had one run was because of Gage. He’d batted one person in before the next batter had struck out and the inning had ended.

  Now though, Kirk was on deck, with Melanie in the hole.

  Chloe hit a fly ball and the centerfielder caught it easily.

  “It’s okay, Chloe,” Melanie and others on her team called out as she walked back to the dugout.

  Kirk hit a single, and then it was Melanie’s turn. Nervous, she walked into the batter’s box. During their practices she’d done great, but now was when it counted.

  “Come on, Mel,” Ashleigh called out.

  She appreciated her sister’s encouragement, but when she looked in her direction, her gaze slid to Gage. He was watching her intently. Wanting to impress him—as well as the rest of her team—she focused on the pitcher. And got a strike.

  Come on, Melanie. Focus.

  This pitcher was different than Cody, the pitcher she’d gotten used to during their practices. He meant business. He wound up and pitched.

  “Ball,” the ref shouted.

  Glad she hadn’t swung, Melanie concentrated on her task. The pitcher threw the ball and she swung.

  “Strike,” the ref called out loudly.

  Frustrated that she’d swung when the pitch was outside, she drew in a deep breath and waited for the next pitch. The pitcher released the ball, and she held her bat steady. Too late, she realized it was a perfect pitch, but she hadn’t swung.

  “Strike three. You’re out.”

  Clenching her jaw, Melanie strode off of the field. She couldn’t believe she’d just struck out.

  “It’s okay, Melanie,” Chloe called out.

  Easy for you to say. No one expected you to be awesome. Holding back her thoughts, she forced her lips into the semblance of a small smile.

  “Shake it off,” Gage said as she passed him.

  Kind of mortified, she barely glanced at him before going into the dugout.

  “You’ll do better next time,” Ashleigh said.

  That was her hope too, but her next at-bat she hit a fly ball into left field which was immediately caught. And her final time at bat she struck out again. The team lost, and along with everyone else, Melanie was discouraged.

  “Look, we were off our game,” Gage said after they’d shaken hands with the opposing team and huddled around him. “We know what we need to work on at Saturday’s practice, and next game we’ll do better.” After saying a few more encouraging words, the members of their team said their good-byes and Melanie and Ashleigh turned to go. Half-expecting Gage to say something about their date the next night, when he didn’t, she wondered if maybe he’d changed his mind about taking her out. Maybe he’d been turned off by her poor performance that night. Telling herself that was ridiculous, she gathered Avery from Hannah, then walked to her car.

  “That was a disappointing game,” Ashleigh said as they drove home. Then she laughed. “Kind of like our entire last season.”

  “Really?” Melanie’s tone showed surprise.

  “Yeah. Remember how Kirk said he he thought we’d win this game and I told him not to be overly confident?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s why.”

  A swell of embarrassment swept over her. “I also remember him saying something about having me on the team giving him more confidence.” She grimaced in Ashleigh’s direction. “After tonight, I don’t think he’ll feel that way.”

  “It’s been years since you’ve played, Mel. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  “I know, but striking out twice? How embarrassing is that?”

  “You’re not the only one who made mistakes.”

  That was true, but it hardly made her feel better.

  “Anyway,” Ashleigh said with a smirk, “maybe you can get some private coaching tomorrow night.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.” But she wasn’t thinking about the coaching help Gage could give her. Instead, she was thinking about whether or not she should have accepted the date in the first place.
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br />   Chapter 12

  Gage parked in front of Melanie’s house and climbed out of his car. He’d been looking forward to their date all day, but he wondered how she felt about it. The other two times he’d asked her out she’d turned him down. Had guilt been the impetus for her to agree this time? If so, he had to make the most of it, make a good impression on her while he had the chance.

  He walked up to the door, but before he had a chance to knock, it was flung open by Avery. “Well, hello there,” he said with a smile. Then he looked past her and saw Melanie rushing towards the open door. She wore a pair of black dress slacks that accentuated her long legs, black boots with low heels, and a blouse that perfectly matched her blue eyes.

  Gage could hardly believe she was going out with him. The girl he’d thought was way out of his league back in high school—well, she had been way out of his league back then. She was going out with him. Tonight. And she was stunning. As usual.

  She reached the door, slightly out of breath and a smile on her face. “Hi there.” Chuckling, she said, “Looks like Avery got here before me.”

  “Are we going in the race car?” Avery asked as she looked at her mom.

  Melanie’s gaze flicked to Gage before going to Avery. “You’re going to stay with aunt Ashy tonight, baby girl.”

  Avery’s face crumpled. “Nooo. I don’t want you to go.”

  Was Gage taking Melanie away from her daughter? Making both of them unhappy? He really wanted to spend time with her. Was he being selfish? Feeling guilty that he was putting his own desires ahead of theirs, he said, “Maybe…we should do this another time.”

  Was this her out? Clearly, Avery’s reaction was getting to Gage. Should she use it against him? But the thought of staying home filled her with a sense of disappointment.

  “No,” she said. “Avery will be fine.”

  Relief filled his eyes, which reassured Melanie. It seemed going out with her was important to Gage, which boosted her confidence.

  She took a moment to analyze her feelings. Why did her confidence need boosting? Was it because Avery’s real father had bolted the moment he’d found out she was pregnant? Or was it because Kyle had chosen Jessica over her despite all Melanie had done to keep him—things she wasn’t proud of? Knowing it hadn’t taken much for those men to leave her gave her a feeling of unworthiness that was hard to shake. Once Gage got to know her, would he leave her too?