Jerry’s smile turned sympathetic. “She loves you and she likes to brag about what a good teacher you are.” Melanie perked up realizing she wasn’t about to be set up with someone’s son. “I’m the headmaster at Franklin Academy, it’s a private school. It’s just a few miles from your grandparents.”
“Oh, yes. I think I passed it this morning. What grades?” Melanie asked.
“Pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.”
“Well, it’s a lovely campus.” She had thought so that morning.
Jerry’s smile softened. “It is. Maybe you could picture yourself there?” she asked. Before Melanie could respond, Jerry went on. “Your grandmother said you were planning to move here and were looking for a teaching position. We have openings for third and fifth grade next year.”
Melanie’s jaw dropped and a soft laugh built in her chest. “My grandmother was mistaken.” And was going to get an earful when they were alone. “I’m just visiting, but good luck filling the positions.”
“Oh, well, in case you change your mind or find yourself moving here in the future, give me a call.” She wrote her name and number on the back of the announcement page of the church program and handed it to her.
“I appreciate it but I’m not even licensed to teach in Arizona.”
“That’s easy to solve and we could always work something out until you’re certified. Just hold onto it. You never know.” She wrapped Melanie’s hand around the paper.
On the drive back to her grandparents, she stared at the paper still folded in her hand. Her heart literally ached with longing when she pictured herself working at Franklin Academy. She wasn’t so sure she could go back to working for her sister when the month was over. She belonged in a classroom.
Chapter Eight
May 3rd
Preston
Preston walked into his house flipping on the lights as he made his way toward the living room. Looking around, he felt the quiet more than he heard it. Being in his home again didn’t feel as good as he expected it to for being away for so long. He had always loved this house and was grateful when his grandfather left it to him when he passed away. But now it felt incredibly lonely.
Shaking off the melancholy, he moved through each room opening windows to air out the house. When he finished, he went to the kitchen to see what he had in the cupboards. It wasn’t too surprising to find only a couple of cans of soup and a box of crackers that were most likely expired.
Since he had a few hours to spare before he had to be at his parents, he decided to hit the grocery store so at least he had something to feed Melanie the next day.
Melanie.
Even thinking her name made him smile. She was so unexpected and the more time he spent with her the more he liked her. Watching her drive away had left him feeling restless and unsettled. Maybe that’s why the house seemed so quiet, he thought. After spending hours next to someone who he couldn’t get enough of, everything seemed dull and washed out compared to her.
The moment he walked into his parents’ home, his mother shouted, “My baby boy is home!” She grabbed his face and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. Even though he was thirty, had a career, and hadn’t lived at home since he was eighteen, his mother made him feel like a little kid. “Your father is in his office on a conference call but he should be finished soon.”
He followed his mother into the kitchen where she had all of his favorites cooking. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. He was pretty sure he had died and gone to heaven. This was his first home cooked meal in months and his mouth was already watering. It never seemed worth the effort to cook for himself especially since he lived near so many excellent restaurants that delivered. “Everything smells wonderful. Thank you for doing this, Mom.” He gave her a warm hug and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m just glad you’re home. Speaking of...” He dropped his arms and stared her down. Oh no. The way she hesitated wasn’t a good sign. “Your dad and I ran into old friends of your grandparents, the Reynolds, at the golf course today,” No. No. No. “and they said their granddaughter is visiting so I was thinking how nice it would be to invite her over for dinner. It might be kind of nice for her to meet someone her own age.”
He sighed when she stood and looked at him waiting for his reply. One dinner. He could do one dinner but it meant he would have one less evening with Melanie. He grumbled under his breath but agreed to meet the girl.
“My memory is a little hazy but I think you might have met her when you two were kids. Like eight or nine. I can’t remember her name but she had reddish hair and she had an older sister.”
He smiled realizing she was talking about Annie. His first crush. Suddenly, dinner with her and his parents didn’t sound so bad. They had shared a dislike of their bossy older sisters who forced them to play together until they had a falling out. After that, they weren’t allowed to hang out with the enemy.
He had wondered what had happened to her.
Once he was finished cleaning up dinner, he followed his dad to his office. The moment the door closed behind him his father went straight to the liquor cabinet. He handed him a bourbon and said, “You’re going to need this.”
He would laugh, but his dad’s serious expression left him uncertain. “Why,” he asked.
“Your mother is running all over town finding eligible woman.” He took a large sip of his drink and groaned. His father laughed heartily and patted him on the back.
Preston could stand one possible set-up, but he wasn’t about to waste any time with someone else while Melanie was in town. His mother would have to deal. “Can’t you do something about her? I don’t need help finding a woman.”
“She just wants to help you find a nice girl, especially after everything that happened with Bridget.”
Preston leaned back in his favorite wing-back chair and propped his feet on the ottoman preparing himself for a long conversation. “Bridget was a nice girl,” he stated plainly. In fact, she was one of the nicest girls he had ever met. Her niceness wasn’t the problem.
“She was,” his father agreed nodding his head.
When his dad didn’t say another word, he asked, “But?”
“She was a nice girl. I liked her and that Katie, boy, I miss that little girl, but from my perspective it seemed like the timing was off between you two. Even though she was mature for her age, she was still very young and I don’t think she was over whatever happened between her and Katie’s father.” His father looked him in the eyes. “I know you loved Bridget and I believe she loved you, but I think you liked the idea of her and Katie more. I think when you saw them, you saw what your heart desired, a family.”
Preston swallowed the rest of his drink in one swallow. “It took me almost two years to see it. Why didn’t you say something before?”
“Some things you have to figure out on your own.”
They sat silently seeming to be lost in their own thoughts until his father kicked his foot to get his attention. “I know it’s frustrating to have your mother set you up but do you think you could humor her for a little while. She just wants to see you happy.”
“Dad, I don’t need help finding someone.”
His father sat up straight and stared him down. “You’ve met someone.” It wasn’t a question.
Preston couldn’t hold back a smile. “I did.”
“That’s good.”
“I think so.”
“So tell me about her.”
Preston drew in a deep breath and thought about the words to describe Melanie. “She’s funny, kind, hard-working, she loves kids and, Dad, she’s beautiful but she’s more than that. We never run out of things to talk about and being with her is…easy.”
His dad grinned ear to ear. “So when are you bringing her by? I hope it’s not like Bridget and it takes months for me to meet her.”
“It won’t take months. It can’t take months,” he muttered. His dad waited for him to explain. “S
he’s only here for a month but I’m sure I could talk her into coming to dinner.”
“A month?” his father asked looking a little less happy.
Preston spent the next hour telling his father about the past twenty-four hours. Once he was finished, he stared at his dad who sat silently neither smiling nor frowning but looking at him intently. “I know I just met her. I’m not planning on marrying her or anything, but I am excited to see if anything happens between us. After Bridget, I thought I would be a little gun shy to start something with someone new, but I’m not. In fact, I’m worried that I’ll waste one moment with her.”
His father’s silence was getting uncomfortable. He knew his parents worried about him especially after the way he broke down when Bridget broke up with him. “Dad, don’t you think it’s possible to connect with someone in a day?”
He shrugged, then finally spoke. “I think it’s possible to have a connection with someone within minutes of meeting them. I did with your mother.” He sounded weary then unsure when he admitted the last part.
“Dad, I felt a connection before she said a word to me.” He sighed. “I don’t want you to worry. I know we only have a month. I’m not going to go off the deep end when she leaves but I am going to enjoy my time with her while she’s here.”
His words didn’t seem to bring his father any comfort. “Well, I guess you better make it a good month,” he said sounding resigned.
Chapter Nine
May 4th
Preston
Unlike most Sunday mornings, Preston woke up early excited about the day. He could barely sleep knowing Melanie was coming over. He spent the morning cleaning the inch of dust that lay on every single surface and vacuumed until the house looked less like an abandoned building and more like someone’s home. He even lit one of the candles his sister sends him every year to ‘warm up the place’.
His heart about beat out of his chest when he heard her knock then opened the door to the woman who seemed to get prettier every time he looked at her. “Welcome.”
Chapter Ten
May 4th
Melanie
Melanie’s hand shook as she knocked on Preston’s door. A part of her feared that her initial attraction and the easiness of the past few days would somehow be different today. Their meeting had felt like it was more than just coincidence. It was a little too perfect. Something had to go wrong. That was just how her life was. If something was too good to be true, it probably was.
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until he opened the door. Just seeing his smile made her worries vanish. Right then and there she decided she was going to relax and enjoy the next twenty-nine days. Whatever happened would happen.
He waved her in. “Welcome.” She took a few steps inside then waited for him to close the door giving her a chance to get a good look at him. With his messy blond hair, faded t-shirt, shorts and bare feet, he looked casual and relaxed. She had never been the kind of person who went ga-ga over sexy guys, but he brought it out in her. Everything about him was sexy, even his blush when he noticed her staring at him.
“Hey,” he said with a soft smile. Placing a warm hand on her lower back, he leaned into her and kissed her cheek. “This may sound strange or forward or…I don’t know, but I missed you.” With his admission, he blushed again, which made her like him even more.
She bit her lip to keep from smiling, but it didn’t work. “I missed you too and it probably is strange, but I don’t care.”
“Good.” He took her hand and gave her a tour of the main part of the house. It wasn’t a large home, but it was homey. It may have something to do with the fact that he lived here. Walking around, she could see bits of his personality in each room. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, I didn’t even think to plan anything. I just wanted to spend time with you.”
“Hanging out works for me.” She honestly didn’t care what they did as long as they did it together.
The look of relief on his face made her smile.
After spending a few hours at Buffalo Park walking trails and enjoying the weather, they went back to his house to make lunch. He was pulling out ingredients to make sandwiches when she asked to use the bathroom. “It’s just down the hall.” He pointed with his elbow. She giggled at him and his ability to juggle several items in his arms since he refused to set anything down until he had everything they needed.
He didn’t specify which door so she went down the hall and opened the first door she came to. It most definitely was not a bathroom. She looked around the room and her stomach dropped. They had talked about their families but he never mentioned he had a child.
She walked back into the kitchen; her voice got caught in her throat as she tried to speak. Finally, she managed to spit out, “You have a daughter?” It wasn’t his having a child that bothered her, it was the fact that he never said he did.
He was midway through spreading mustard on bread when his face paled and he dropped the knife on the counter. “What?” he asked.
“I...” she pointed to the hallway. “Katie?” she said. She only knew his daughter’s name because it was spelled out in block letters on one wall.
“Oh, God. It’s not what you’re thinking.” He walked over to her and took both of her hands in his and pulled her to the table. “Just take a seat and I’ll explain everything. Please.” With sad eyes, he took a seat and waved her to the one facing him.
She dropped down in the chair, unsure how she felt. Never mentioning having a child was big. “Well, it looks like a little girl’s room with its pink canopy bed, the doll house in the corner and a white vanity.” It would’ve been every little girl’s dream bedroom. It would’ve been her dream bedroom. “You don’t have a daughter?” she asked.
He took a moment seeming to wrestle with what to say then finally drew in a deep breath. “My last girlfriend, Bridget.”
“The one who broke up with you when you proposed?”
He nodded. “When I first started dating her she had just turned twenty years old and had a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter.”
“Katie, I assume?”
He leaned forward with his knees braced on his elbows. “Yeah,” he muttered as he stared at a spot on the floor. “When I first met Katie she was wearing a princess dress and crown. It’s that image I see every time I think of her. She was a sweet kid and I was crazy about her.”
He ran his hands down his face then sat up straight to look her in the eyes. “Bridget and I had been dating about six months when I began to imagine myself as Katie’s father. Whenever she and Bridget came over, this house seemed to come to life so when I decided to ask Bridget to marry me, I decided to show her that it wasn’t just her but her and Katie that I wanted in my life.”
Melanie’s chest felt tight and her stomach knotted thinking about his affection for Bridget and Katie. In her head, she knew it was ridiculous to be jealous of them especially since they were no longer together but she couldn’t stop the feeling. A part of her wanted him to stop talking but the other part of her wanted to find out what happened.
“A couple of months before our two year anniversary, my mother, sister, and I spent hours searching for the perfect furniture and bedding. I special ordered the dollhouse. I wanted the room to be perfect.”
“It is perfect,” she whispered. He took her hand and blew out a shaky breath. She wasn’t surprised by his emotions, but it still hurt to see him so upset.
“Anyway, on our anniversary, I brought Bridget here and I surprised her with the bedroom then got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.” Melanie tightened her grip on his hand. “You know the rest.”
“How long ago did you break up?”
“It’s been nearly two years.” She mindlessly nodded her head trying to digest his story. Her heart broke for him at seeing the depth of his pain.
“You kept the room.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “This will make me sound pathetic but I held out hope tha
t Bridget would change her mind. But a few months after the break-up I ran into her at the grocery store and we ended up getting coffee. That day it became clear that it was over. A few weeks later, I moved to Chicago. I haven’t been in that room since the day she broke up with me. Honestly, I forgot about it.”
Melanie swallowed the lump in her throat wanting to ask one more question but afraid of the answer. “Are you still in love with her — Bridget?”
“No. I mean yes, I love her but I’m not sure if I was ever in love with her. Two years later, I miss her daughter Katie more than I miss her. I fell in love with the idea of being a husband and father. I’m still in love with the idea.” He looked her in the eyes. “Does that scare you?”
She shook her head with a small smile. “No,” she murmured trying to hold back the emotions. Knowing he had done something so thoughtful for Katie made her like him even more. If he did one more sweet thing, she was going to be lost forever. “She didn’t deserve you.”
“That’s what people say to those who get dumped.” She laughed along with him.
“I know but it’s true. There would have been no way I could have said no to you.”
By the time they finished eating lunch, the mood had changed back to their comfortable banter. Every concern she had about his lingering feelings for Bridget vanished. Not that it mattered; she would only be here for twenty-nine days…almost twenty-eight.
The number seemed to follow her around like a blinking light. Maybe if she could find something she didn’t like about him, she wouldn’t be able to imagine the clock ticking down. But after spending the rest of their day talking, listening to music, making dinner together then cuddling on the couch with a movie, she knew it would be harder to leave than she imagined.
Until Here Page 5