Responding to his questions, she told him more about the end of her marriage after Vic left town with another woman. She shared the challenges of being a single mom, but she also talked about the joys of motherhood and Lyssa’s dreams of playing in the Little League World Series.
She felt her cheeks grow warm when she realized how long she’d talked about herself. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had plied so much information out of her at one sitting.
She took a quick sip of her cola. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me about yourself. What brought you to Hart’s Crossing?”
“Besides my job?”
She nodded.
“I lost someone, too. I was engaged. We’d been planning the wedding for months when my fiancée passed away suddenly. She was sick only a short time. No one realized she was that ill. Not me. Not her parents.”
“I’m sorry.”
Mel nodded, acknowledging her sympathy. “I shut down for a long time. I was angry at God and felt cheated by life. I took the job in Hart’s Crossing so I could get away from all the memories that lurked around every corner in our hometown. You know how that is.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a wonder God didn’t give up on me.”
He smiled gently, and Terri saw peace in his eyes, a deep kind of peace that came with trusting God. She returned the smile, feeling a kinship with him, a kinship of loss, a kinship of faith.
“I’m glad I came to Hart’s Crossing,” he said, his gaze locked with hers.
Me, too.
After a lengthy silence, Terri lowered her eyes, not wanting Mel to see her jumbled emotions. She wasn’t as relaxed as she’d been minutes before, but she was not relaxed in a good way. In a way she hadn’t experienced in years, in a heart-fluttering, this-can’t-be-happening-to-me sort of way.
It was then she looked at her wristwatch and realized how long they’d been in the diner. “We missed the start of the first movie, didn’t we?”
A crooked smile lifted one corner of his mouth higher than the other. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“I’m not.” The smile slowly faded. His blue gaze was intense.
Terri remembered the feel of his arms around her yesterday. She’d thought the embrace a bit awkward at the time, but now she recalled the breadth of his shoulders and the strength of his biceps as he wrapped her close.
“Mr. Jenkins thinks you’re pretty, Mom.”
Mel’s crooked smile returned, as if he’d read Terri’s thoughts. Heat rose up her neck and flowed into her cheeks once again, and she longed for the darkness of the theater where she could hide her embarrassment.
“Come on.” Mel slid to his feet beside the booth. “I’ll bet we haven’t missed anything but commercials and previews.” He offered his hand.
She reached for it, amazed by how right it felt, her smaller hand enfolded within his larger one—and she completely forgot that Mel Jenkins was expected to become a good friend and nothing more.
Chapter 8
THE TELEPHONE RANG SHORTLY after 8:00 the next morning. Terri knew the time only because she had to open her eyes to find the noisy instrument.
“Hello,” she said, her voice gravelly with sleep.
“You’re not up?” Angie laughed. “Must’ve been a late night.”
Terri closed her eyes again. “Late for me. We got to my place around 11:30.”
“And?”
She smiled. “We had a good time, Miss Nosey.”
“Oh, I knew you would. I just knew it.” In a soft, wheedling tone, Angie asked, “Did he kiss you good night?”
“No, but it was only our first date.” What Terri didn’t tell her friend was that she’d been disappointed when he didn’t try to kiss her. She’d thought he might. She’d hoped he would.
“So, what’s on your plate today?”
Terri groaned. “More cleaning up at the salon. I’ve got a contractor coming to look at it on Monday morning so I want to be ready for him. And Lyssa’s got her baseball practice this afternoon. It’s the last one before the opening game.”
“Listen, you take care of business at the shop, and I’ll take Lyssa to her practice and stay until you get there.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Ang.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. It’s going to be a lovely day. I can sit in the bleachers and work on my laptop.”
“What are you writing now?”
“Nothing creative, if that’s what you mean. I’m making long lists of things I must accomplish before the wedding.” She laughed. “It seems that’s all I’ve been doing from the moment Bill proposed. I didn’t know planning a wedding took so much time. There’s always something new to add to the list, something I didn’t anticipate.”
Terri smiled as she slid up against the headboard. “Don’t forget to enjoy yourself, too.”
“Good advice. And don’t you forget that we’re driving down to Twin on Monday as soon as school’s out to look at bridesmaid dresses for you and Lyssa.”
Terri winced. Was that this Monday?
“I know you’ve got lots of other things on your mind, Terri, but you can still go, can’t you? We don’t want to put this off too long. Finding the right gowns can be hard.”
“Yes. Of course Lyssa and I can go.” She hoped the contractor would be done long before then.
* * *
Lyssa had lain awake in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling of Angie’s guest room, trying to figure out how to fix the mess she’d caused. She didn’t want to tell her mom how she’d lied about the number she drew out of the bowl at the carnival.
Well, she hadn’t looked at the scrap of paper, so she didn’t know for sure it was a lie.
Only something in her heart told her it was the same thing. She’d told Jesus she was sorry, but now she needed to fix it so her mom wasn’t unhappy about the coach.
When she’d asked her mom if she liked him, Lyssa hadn’t expected her to shake her head no. Why didn’t her mom like him? He was nice. Lyssa liked him a lot.
But she loved her mom even more, and she’d do just about anything to make her mom happy. She would even give up playing in a Little League World Series if that’s what it took.
Of course, if she didn’t get to pitch much for the Cavaliers that would never happen anyway.
* * *
Mel whistled as he reached into the back of his pickup for the oversized box that held bats, balls, and a few extra gloves. He hadn’t felt this good in ages—and that was thanks to a pretty redhead with blue-green eyes and a sad-sweet smile that made his heart race.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Jenkins.”
Leaving the box on the tailgate, he turned around. Till Hart walked toward him, clad in a bright pink warm-up suit, athletic shoes, and a sun visor. “Afternoon, Miss Hart. Nice day for a walk.”
“Yes, indeedy.” She glanced up at the cloudless sky, then back at him. “Getting ready for practice, I see.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll sit and watch a spell.”
“I don’t mind, but the team won’t start arriving for another half hour or so.” Wrapping his arms around the box, he pulled it against his chest and lifted it off the tailgate.
“Well, then, you and I can have us a chat while we wait for them.”
“Sounds good.” He started walking toward the baseball diamond, shortening his stride to accommodate the older woman.
“I’m told you and Terri Sampson had dinner together last night.”
Mel chuckled as he looked at Till. “I think that made the rounds quicker than the news of Bill and Angie’s engagement.”
“If you’d wanted it to be a secret, you wouldn’t have taken Terri to the diner.” She winked at him, but when she continued, her tone was somber. “I hope you managed to cheer her spirits some. Such a shame what happened to her salon.”
Mel set the
box on the lower bench of the metal bleachers. “She’ll bounce back.” And if she’ll let me, I’ll help her do it.
“I know she will. Terri’s made of sterner stuff.” Till settled onto the second row. “More importantly, she puts her trust in Christ. Knowing the Lord makes the burdens easier to carry.”
“Yes,” he agreed softly. “It does.”
Till gave her head a nod, and Mel had the feeling he’d passed some sort of test.
“By the way, Mr. Jenkins, I have an idea for where Terri might do hair until her salon is repaired. There’s a—”
The crunch of tires on gravel drew both of their gazes toward the parking lot. A cloud of dust settled as the driver and passenger doors opened, releasing Angie Hunter and Lyssa Sampson.
Mel swallowed his disappointment. He’d looked forward to seeing Terri this afternoon.
“Hello, Miss Hart,” Lyssa called. “You gonna watch the practice?”
“I thought I might.”
Mel said, “I could use your help, Lyssa.”
“Okay.” She seemed a little reluctant as she walked toward him, her cap pulled low on her forehead. “What d’you want me to do?”
“Let’s get these out.” He handed her one of the white rubber bases. “You take third. I’ll take first and second.”
“Sure.” She turned and ran down the baseline toward third.
Mel took the other two bases and strode toward first. By the time he reached second, Lyssa was there.
She met his gaze briefly, then look up and studied the sky. “So how was the movie last night?”
Mel knelt to fasten the base in place. “Pretty good.”
“I heard it’s kind of creepy. Were you scared?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t scared.” He smiled to himself. “But I think your mom was a few times.”
Lyssa was silent awhile before saying, “Most of Mom’s boyfriends take her dancing and to dress-up places like that. She likes doin’ that kind of fancy stuff better than going to the Apollo.”
Most of her boyfriends? Dancing? He’d gotten the impression Terri didn’t go out much.
“She thinks scary movies like War of the Worlds are dumb.”
Mel sat back on his heels and looked at Lyssa. “She seemed to enjoy herself last night.”
“Yeah, well.” Lyssa shrugged. “Mom was trying to be nice to you. You know. She didn’t want to hurt your feelings. Do unto others and stuff like that.” A touch of pink painted her cheeks as she lowered her gaze to the ground. “I’ll go get the bats out.” She took off at a run, straight across the pitcher’s mound.
“She was being nice to me?”
Had he misread Terri? He’d thought she enjoyed herself last night. He’d believed something good was happening between them. Sure, the sci-fi movies were just okay, but the dinner had gone great. At least, he’d thought so. He’d liked listening to her talk about her life and about Lyssa. When she spoke of her ex-husband, there hadn’t been any signs of bitterness. Even in her concern about her beauty salon, she’d carried a spirit of hope in her voice and in her eyes. He suspected her faith ran deep, as Till Hart said.
He looked toward the bleachers where Angie sat beside Till, the two of them engrossed in conversation.
Why had Angie brought Lyssa to baseball practice? Was Terri avoiding him? He hadn’t dated in a long time, but he’d thought he could read women better than that.
A cloud seemed to fall across the sunny day as Mel stood and walked across the baseball field toward home plate.
* * *
Terri placed a hand in the small of her spine and arched backward, a groan escaping her lips. It surprised her, how much damage rainwater and wind could do. But she was done with her salvaging. When the contractor showed up on Monday, she would be ready for him. God willing, he wouldn’t be tied up with another job that would delay him starting on hers soon.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She grabbed it, saw Angie’s number in the ID, and flipped it open. “Hey, Ang.”
“What happened to you? Don’t tell me you’re still at the salon.”
“I just finished up. I should be over to the field in five minutes. Ten tops.”
“Don’t bother. Practice is over. The kids are clearing out.”
Terri looked at the wall, but the clock was no longer there. It had fallen victim to the storm. Her gaze dropped to her wristwatch. “I didn’t know it was this late. I’m sorry, Angie. I never meant for you to stay with Lyssa the whole day.”
“To tell the truth, I enjoyed it. Who’d have thought I’d become a fan of Little League baseball?”
Terri laughed, remembering the first Cavalier game Angie attended, shortly after her return to Hart’s Crossing. She hadn’t liked the cold weather or the noise made by the spectators, and she definitely hadn’t understood how a Little League team’s victory over their arch rivals could cause an entire town to celebrate.
Angie’s voice lowered almost to a whisper. “There’s something you should know, Terri. I think Lyssa’s had a falling out with Mel.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a feeling I’ve got.” There was a moment of silence, then she added, “Here comes Lyssa. Looks like she’s ready to go. Want me to bring her to the shop or take her home?”
“Home, thanks. I’ll lock up now and meet you there.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
Terri frowned as she closed the cell phone. Why would Angie think Lyssa and Mel were at odds? Had he criticized her pitching? Had he left her off the play roster for opening day? Lyssa wasn’t prone to pouting, but she could be stubborn, especially when it came to baseball.
Well, Terri wouldn’t know if a problem existed until she talked to Lyssa. It was probably nothing. Angie didn’t have children of her own, so she most likely misread something in Lyssa’s behavior.
Terri slipped the phone into her pocket and headed for the rear door of the salon.
* * *
Most of her boyfriends… She’d rather go dancing… Just being nice to him…
Mel sat in his truck in the empty parking lot and dialed Terri’s number. The phone rang numerous times before the answering machine finally picked up. As soon as the beep sounded, he said, “Terri, it’s Mel. Sorry you didn’t make it to Lyssa’s practice. Hope nothing’s wrong. I’ll… ah… I’ll give you a call later.”
After flipping the cell phone closed, he stared at it. Maybe he should have asked her to call him back when she had time. Then the ball would have been in her court, not his. If she wasn’t interested, she should say so. Right?
He felt stupid. How could he have misread her that way? But maybe he hadn’t. Maybe Lyssa was the one who was wrong. Still, Lyssa didn’t seem like the kind of kid to misunderstand what her mom had said, and Terri must have said something or where else would Lyssa have gotten the notion she was only being nice to him. Whatever Terri had said couldn’t have been good.
“Do unto others and stuff like that.” Lyssa’s words still stung. A ten year old didn’t think up that phrase on her own. Either Terri had said it to her or Lyssa had overheard her mom saying it to someone else. No matter which, he felt like an idiot.
What had he been thinking, wanting to get involved in a relationship again? Especially with a divorced woman and her daughter. It was safer to keep to himself.
* * *
It was suppertime before Terri broached the subject of the coach with Lyssa. One reason she waited was because Lyssa had homework to finish, but she also waited because she’d hoped Mel would call again as he’d said he would in the message left on her answering machine.
But he didn’t call again.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make your practice game,” Terri said as she passed the bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes to Lyssa.
“It’s okay.” Her daughter shrugged. “It was only a practice.”
“Did Mr. Jenkins have you pitch?”
Lyssa hooked a loose strand of str
awberry-blond hair behind her ear before putting two scoops of potatoes on her plate. “Yeah, I pitched a couple of innings.”
“Was the coach pleased with your game?”
“I guess.” She sounded listless, very unlike herself.
“Lyssa, is something wrong between you and Mr. Jenkins?”
“Me and the coach?” Lyssa shook her head, her gaze fastened to her supper plate. “No,” she mumbled.
“Honey?” Terri was getting concerned now. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t know. It just feels…weird. You know. To have you and the coach…you know.” Her daughter wrinkled her nose. “Dating.”
“But I thought you liked him. I thought you wanted me to go out with him.”
“I do like him, Mom. But—” Lyssa looked up at last. “I don’t think he oughta be your boyfriend. Do you?” Her question rose on an anxious note, as if the idea caused her pain.
Terri lifted the bowl of corn and passed it to her daughter. “I suppose not.” Not if it makes you unhappy. She swallowed a sigh. Not if he doesn’t call and ask me out again.
“I didn’t think so.”
Neither one of them said much more as they ate their supper.
Chapter 9
TERRI DIDN’T SLEEP WELL that night. She tossed and turned, tossed and turned, her thoughts racing.
It shouldn’t bother her this much, that Lyssa didn’t want her to see Mel Jenkins socially. After all, they’d only had one date, and he hadn’t even kissed her.
Besides, Terri had seen the sort of problems that came with step-parenting. Blended families were no piece of cake. Mel was good with the kids on the team, but was he the right kind of man for a step dad?
Step dad? What was she thinking? Why worry about blended families after one date? Besides, maybe she was wrong to want to marry again. She hadn’t exactly chosen well the first time around. How could she know she would choose better if given another chance?
Yet there was something about Mel that drew her to him. She wanted to know him more, better. He was gentle, yet strong. Nice looking, but not full of himself. Sometimes he was funny, other times serious. He was intelligent and had a responsible position with the bank. The kids he coached liked him. Lyssa liked him. Terri had witnessed his caring patience with them. He was a man of faith, a faith that had been tested by the loss of his fiancée and come out stronger on the other side.
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