“Okay, now can you take a little break? I brought us a post-workout snack,” Jaclyn asked. “It’s a new cookie recipe I need your opinion on.”
“Sure. Can I get you a water or coffee to go with it?”
“I’d love a water, thanks. Meet you back here in a jiffy.” Jaclyn went into the ladies’ locker room while Melanie poured two cups of water for them and sat at a small table near the front desk. Jaclyn joined her a moment later and pulled a plastic container out of an oversized tote bag that had rabbits embroidered on it. When she took the lid off, Melanie smelled sugar and raspberries. Lots of raspberries.
“I’m tweaking my raspberry thumbprint cookies. Usually I make a shortbread base. This time it’s my usual snickerdoodles but with a dollop of raspberry jam in the center. What do you think?”
Melanie reached for one and took a nibble. Cinnamon and raspberry flavors danced and mingled together in a very delicious way.
“Yum. That’s all I have to say.” Melanie reached for a paper napkin to wipe crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Jaclyn looked pleased.
“Good. I thought it worked but I wanted to make sure. So, let’s talk about what’s really important.” Jaclyn looked suddenly serious and Melanie leaned forward to pay close attention.
“What’s that?”
“Tell me about Bryan.”
Melanie smiled. So that’s what was so serious? “Bryan Baker? He’s doing great. He’s lost more than ten pounds and has been coming in twice a week.”
Jaclyn waved her hands in the air and made a face as she reached for another cookie. “I don’t care about that. He looked fine to me.”
Melanie laughed. “He did to me, too. I guess I’m not sure what you’re asking then.”
“The fairies are anxious for the two of you to hurry up and figure things out. They have plans for the two of you.”
“They do?” Melanie had heard about Jaclyn’s fairies but this was the first time she was aware that she was on their radar.
“You like him, right? Find him attractive, nice guy and all that?” Jaclyn seemed a little impatient that she had to explain what evidently should have been obvious.
“I do. I think he’s great.”
“So, what are you waiting for, then? Make sure he knows so he can do something about it.”
Melanie set her cookie down for a moment. “Well, there is a policy here that doesn’t allow us to date clients. Mrs. Weston confirmed it.”
“Hmmm, and who brought that to her attention?” Jaclyn asked.
“Actually, it was Amy, Bryan’s ex.”
Jaclyn raised her eyebrows. “And she mentioned that while Mrs. Weston was there? You do know that she’s not actively involved in running the ranch any longer? It’s been handed over to the kids. And if I’m not mistaken, Wade was a client of Maddie’s as well as her boss. It doesn’t get much stickier than that and they’re married now.”
Melanie laughed. “Well, that did cross my mind, too. But I figured I’d not push my luck since I’m so new here. But I did think that I had shown interest. Maybe I’m not Bryan’s type.”
Jaclyn shook her head. “That’s not it. Something else is going on. I’ll get to the bottom of it. You’d make a good pair, the two of you.” She peered over her glasses and added for emphasis, “The fairies are never wrong, you know.”
“Okay. Well, if you talk to them, let them know I agree. We just need to work on Bryan.”
Jaclyn stood and turned to leave. The nearly full container of cookies was still on the table.
“Don’t forget your cookies,” Melanie said.
“Keep them. Share with the others here. I have plenty more at home. Maybe I’ll come back next week, maybe not. I’m going to play it by ear.”
“Well, I’m glad you came in. Let me know anytime if you feel like coming in again. And thanks for the cookies.”
“I hit publish today!” Melissa said proudly when Melanie stopped into the bookstore on Thursday at the end of the day. They were going to walk over to the restaurant together for trivia night. It was just Melissa as Jack had picked up an extra shift and was working.
“You already got it edited, and published?” Melanie was impressed. She followed Melissa out and waited while she locked the store door behind her. As they walked along, Melissa filled her in.
“I sent it off to an editor that was recommended. Eloise is awesome, and super fast. She read and edited the book in two days! I made all the corrections that she suggested, got the cover design back the next day and uploaded the book everywhere this morning. It just went live an hour ago!”
“How exciting! Send me the link when we get home and I’ll be your first sale.”
“Too late, someone already bought a copy. I have no idea how they discovered it but I guess that is the magic of Amazon’s computer algorithms. You can still buy a copy, though!”
“I will. That’s really great. I’m so proud of you.” For as long as she could remember, Melissa had talked about wanting to write a book and now she had finally done it. And published it!
“I ordered ten copies of the print edition for the store, too. Well, nine actually. Jack said he needs one and then we’re going to frame it after he reads it. He wants to hang it on the wall.”
“I bet that will look awesome.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already there. Jaclyn and Simon, Bryan and Clark, Lily and Bernie—neither of their husbands were able to join them—and Melanie was surprised to see that Wade and Maddie weren’t there.
“Maddie wasn’t feeling great again. Wade seemed worried when he left for the day,” Bernie said.
“I saw Maddie earlier in the week for a massage, and she said this pregnancy has been a more difficult one for her,” Melanie said as she sat down next to Bernie. Bryan was across the table, next to Jaclyn. Melanie was a little disappointed that she wasn’t near enough to him to chat easily. But, she knew she’d be seeing him the next day for his session and then Saturday night for the Jingle-Bell Jam.
“I still need to get a dress for that,” she murmured to herself.
Bernie laughed. “What was that? Are you talking to yourself?”
“I was! I just realized I’m running out of time to buy a dress for something I’m going to on Saturday. I’d almost forgotten I have nothing appropriate to wear.”
“Oh, are you going to the Jingle-Bell Jam? We’re both going, too. Well, Lily’s band will be there and David and I are going with Jess and Jake.”
“The veterinarians?” Melanie hadn’t met them yet, but remembered Bryan had mentioned taking his cats in to see them.
“Yeah. Both Jess and Maddie volunteer with the food pantry which is one of the charities the event supports. I know Maddie and Wade were hoping to go, but it will depend on how Maddie is feeling.”
“I hope she feels up to it. It sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun.”
“It should be. I went last year and it’s wonderful. Great food and music, a really good time.”
About half-way through the evening, Melanie felt as if someone was looking her way and when she looked around, she saw Amy and an extremely fit man with a crew cut sitting in the bar area. She guessed it must be her fiancé. Amy had a quizzical look on her face as she looked around the table. Her gaze narrowed when she saw Bryan laughing at something Jaclyn said. Bryan looked really cute when he smiled. Melanie noticed in addition to the laugh lines that she’d admired before that he also had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled really big. It gave him a playful look that was very attractive.
She couldn’t help but notice that Amy didn’t look like she was having an especially good time. She and her fiancé were barely speaking to each other and both kept checking their phones. That was a pet peeve of Melanie’s. She hated when people had stared at their phones instead of enjoying each other’s company.
They did better this week at trivia, and came in first place thanks to a final question about golf that only Simon knew the ans
wer to. As they left, Melissa went to use the rest room and Melanie waited outside for her. Clark said goodbye as Bryan stopped to chat with her for a minute.
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to you much tonight,” he said.
“Jaclyn was glad to have you to herself. You two were thick as thieves.” Melanie had noticed Jaclyn talking softly to him quite often throughout the night and wondered what they were gabbing about.
He grinned. “She fancies herself a match-maker I think. Her and the fairies.”
At that moment, the door opened and Amy and her fiancé walked out. Amy did a double-take when she saw them.
“I didn’t realize the two of you were here together.” She looked at Melanie and raised her eyebrow. “Are you still working at the gym?”
Melanie laughed. “Yes. And we’re not here ‘together’. There was a big group of us playing trivia.”
“How are you, Amy? You look well,” Bryan said pleasantly.
“I’m great thanks. Couldn’t be better. Good night, then.”
Melanie watched her walk off and shook her head. “I can’t figure her out.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s jealous. Which makes no sense because she dumped me,” Bryan said. “I ran into her when I first came to the gym and she actually warned me not to even think about trying to date you. She said there’s a rule against it or something.”
“She did?” Melanie was horrified. “I’d say that’s none of her business. Maybe she’s regretting her decision. I noticed that she didn’t look overly happy with that guy and you are looking better than ever.”
Bryan looked surprised and pleased by the compliment.
“Thanks. I doubt it, though.” He spoke softly as he quickly added, “She is somewhat right about no dating rules. I have a similar policy with my work. Not that it’s ever been an issue, but I would never ask someone out if they were a client. It doesn’t seem right. And I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble, either.”
That took Melanie by surprise. She wasn’t sure what to say or think. Did it mean that Bryan would be interested in dating her if not for the no-dating rules? Or not? She was relieved when she saw Melissa come through the door. “Right. Well, here’s Melissa. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for your workout.”
Chapter 10
Melanie had a busy Friday. Bryan was her first client of the day and the conversation of the night before seemed to be forgotten. He was friendly and focused, and said he’d see her the next night for the Jingle-Bell Jam. She had back-to-back sessions the rest of the day, ordered takeout Chinese for dinner and went to bed early.
She arrived at the food pantry at a few minutes before ten the next morning. Maddie was there to greet her and introduced her to Jess, who was Wade’s cousin.
“It’s nice to meet you. A friend told me he brings his cats in to your clinic.”
“Oh, who’s that?” Jess asked.
“Bryan Baker. His cats are Holly and Rudy. Rudolph, actually.”
“Oh, sure. The Maine coon cats. They’re beautiful and very sweet. Maine coons are friendly cats.” Jess opened a box of canned tuna and restocked one of the shelves while Maddie put out the sign up sheet for clients to sign in when they arrived. When she finished, she turned her attention to Melanie.
“So, let me show you around. We go shopping with the clients when they come in, and let them choose different items. The number depends on the size of their families, more food for more people. It’s pretty straightforward. Dry goods are on the shelves, and then we have eggs and cheese and sometimes yogurt in the refrigerator and frozen meats in the big freezer in the corner. The local bakery donates pastries and bread every week, so we let them pick that out for themselves as well.”
Melanie followed Maddie around as the first few clients came in and then she started taking them around herself. There was a steady stream of customers for the next hour and a half. When the shift ended, she followed Maddie and Jess to the Parish Hall next door. The food pantry was built by the parish many years ago, and sat next to the main church.
“We brought all the supplies in here last night and now we’ll set up an assembly line, putting each item that goes in the bags on a different table, so then the kids will just grab a bag and then go from table to table, adding one of everything to their bags. We add the refrigerated items, butter, whipped cream and cheese, when the families come to pick up their bags next Monday and Tuesday night. And of course that’s when they get a turkey too.”
Melanie helped Maddie and Jess put all the food out on the tables. It didn’t take long, and Maddie explained that doing it this way saved a lot of time and organizing it by having one item per table helped to prevent mistakes.
“Once the bags are all made up, we’ll have the kids bring them into the church so the pastor can bless them at tomorrow’s service.”
“How many do we make up?” Melanie asked. It seemed very well organized.
“We usually plan for a hundred but make up an extra ten and they always go. People sign up ahead of time so we have a good idea of how many we need. There are always last minute additions, though, or people who think they signed up and aren’t on the list.”
“So, that’s what the extras are for?” Melanie said.
“Yep. Every year we get a little more organized.”
The parish doors opened, and Wade and Bryan came in carrying five boxes of pizza each. A pretty, petite blonde girl followed them carrying a bag of sodas and cups.
Melanie hadn’t known that Bryan was coming to this. Though now that she thought about it, he had initially hurt himself by lifting the turkeys, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that he was involved in putting the bags together, too. Bryan smiled at the cute blonde girl and Melanie felt a pang of something. Who was she? She had never seen her before.
The doors opened and a dozen young children ran into the room, followed by several sets of parents and a few minutes later another batch of children and parents. Maddie poured cups of soda while Jess set out paper plates and napkins.
”What can I do?” Melanie offered.
“Have some pizza.” Maddie laughed. “We ordered extras this year to make sure we had plenty.”
Melanie grabbed a slice of cheese pizza and then smiled as six adorable little Girl Scouts, dressed in their Daisy uniforms, walked in together and headed straight for the pizza.
“They’re so cute!” Melanie said as she reached for a second slice.
“Aren’t they?” Maddie agreed. “They come every year to help and they take it so seriously.”
“Hi, Melanie.” Bryan walked over with the pretty blonde girl by his side. “I’d like you to meet my sister, Cameron.”
“It’s nice to meet you!” She was relieved to learn Cameron was his sister. Now that she took a closer look, Melanie could see the resemblance around the eyes. She had a kind smile as well.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Cameron said warmly.
“All good, I hope,” Melanie joked, somewhat nervously.
Cameron laughed. “Yes. I hear you’re going to the Jingle-Bell Jam tonight with Bryan. Clark can’t make it this year, but I’ll be there and my parents will be, too.”
Melanie looked at Bryan. “I didn’t realize your parents were going.”
He nodded. “They go every year. My mother looks forward to getting all dressed up.”
“I look forward to meeting them,” Melanie said, but felt a bit intimidated at the thought of meeting his parents.
“They’ll love you,” Cameron assured her as she reached for another slice of pizza.
Melanie still needed to find a dress to wear and was planning to go shopping as soon as they finished up with putting the bags together.
“Did you eat?” she asked Bryan. She hadn’t noticed him having any pizza yet.
“I had a turkey sandwich before I left the house. Trying to make better choices,” Bryan said with a smile.
Melanie was impressed. “Smart. Now you can
indulge a little tonight.”
“Exactly. Oh, it looks like they are ready to begin.”
Maddie called for everyone’s attention and then Jess demonstrated how to fill the bags.
“I usually go around and slowly fill one bag and let the kids do the rest,” Bryan said.
“That sounds like a good plan.” Melanie did the same and watched with amusement as the little Daisies raced to fill as many bags as they could. They were fun to watch.
“See what I mean?” Maddie asked as Melanie walked over to drop off her bag and a little Daisy ran in front of her to drop hers off first.
“They are very cute,” Melanie agreed. She noticed a strange look flash across Maddie’s face as she grabbed hold of the side of the counter to steady herself.
“Are you okay? What can I do to help?” Melanie asked.
“I think I just need to sit down for a minute.” Maddie eased herself into a chair and ran a hand across her forehead. Melanie saw that it was glistening with sweat. Maddie didn’t look well at all.
“Maybe Wade should take you home. We can finish up here. It looks like they are almost done.”
Jess caught the tail end of what Melanie said and looked concerned as well. “Melanie’s right, Maddie. Go home and rest up. If you don’t feel better, have Wade take you into the ER.”
“Bryan and I rode here together. I could drive Maddie’s car home, so she can ride with Wade. I don’t think she should drive right now,” Cameron added.
“I’ll get Wade.” Bryan returned seconds later with a visibly concerned Wade.
“Let’s go,” Wade said simply, allowing for no protest. He helped Maddie up gently and then walked her outside.
“I’ll be by around seven to pick you up,” Bryan said before he left with the others to get Maddie home and to pick up Cameron after she dropped Maddie’s car off.
“I think Maddie pushed herself to come in today and it caught up to her,” Jess said.
“I hope she’s okay. She really looked exhausted.”
Jingle-Bell Jam (River's End Ranch Book 32) Page 8