pink T-shirt, then blew her hair dry. Taylor's car was not in the
driveway, but maybe Ben would know when she planned on returning. She finished her hair, and
headed out the door, strolling across the lawn towards the back door of the main house.
The gril was hot, and Ben came out of the kitchen just as Melanie turned the corner.
"Melanie," he exclaimed, obviously happy to see her. He held up a plate with two hamburger patties. "Join me?"
"Oh, no," Melanie protested. "I'm always interrupting your dinner. I'm sorry. I was actually looking for your daughter."
Ben flicked his eyes quickly over her, careful not to offend her, but pleased by what he saw.
This woman had incredible legs.
"Taylor's been working late on some project. I haven't seen much of her in the past couple
days."
"Hmm."
"Please, Melanie, join me. Taylor mixed this ground beef up the same way she makes her
meatballs... it's delicious. And I've got enough left in the kitchen to make one more patty."
She was about to decline, so he gave her a pout. "You don't want me to eat alone, do you?"
She sighed, defeated. She'd really wanted to talk to Taylor, but she supposed she'd just have
to wait. In the meantime, she really didn't want to eat alone, either. "Oh, all right. On one
condition. You let me buy you dinner next week for a change."
"You've got yourself a deal, young lady." He grinned, hurrying off to flatten another burger.
Chapter Eleven
MELANIE WASN’T QUITE sure why she was so nervous. She twisted the phone cord around
her finger and waited impatiently as the ringing continued in her ear. She was disappointed
that she hadn't been able to talk to Taylor the night before, but she couldn't wait any longer.
She had to find out if this crazy idea was even a possibility. She was about to hang up when a
cheerful, albeit breathless, voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Aunt Dar?"
"Melanie." Her aunt was obviously ecstatic to hear her voice. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm great. Am I interrupting something? You sound out of breath."
"Oh, no, dear. Your uncle and I were working in the yard and forgot to bring the cordless
outside with us. I ran to answer it, and I'm so glad I did. Are you enjoying your stay? Is Sam
being a good hostess?"
Melanie rolled her eyes, deciding to spare her aunt the dose of realism that was ready to
shoot off her tongue. "She's being wonderful. I'm having a great time. Listen, is Uncle Phil
around?"
"Sure is. Hang on, dear." There was a muffled sound, then her aunt's voice shouting, "Phillip!
Melanie's on the phone."
Aunt Darlene was one of the sweetest women in the world. She would do anything for anybody
and wouldn't hurt a fly. Her daughter was her pride and joy. If Uncle Phil had skewed vision
when it came to Samantha, then Aunt Dar was simply blind as a bat.
It used to frustrate Melanie, this false vision of the kind of person Sam was, especially when
she was young and insecure. These were intel igent people. Why were they so oblivious to their
daughter's shenanigans? As she got older and more comfortable in her own skin, she realized
that making her aunt and uncle see the real Samantha would only cause them pain and give
them reason to worry about their child more than they already did. Melanie had made a pact
with herself to keep her mouth shut, and do whatever she could to keep their image of
Samantha intact, preserving the happiness of the couple that had been so good to her while
she was growing up.
"Hey, Red," her uncle's strong voice boomed in her ear. "How goes it in Ro-cha-cha?"
"Not bad, Uncle Phil. Not bad. I'm really starting to like it here."
"Good to hear. Sam's got a nice little place, huh?"
"It's adorable, really." They chatted about Melanie's drive and the weather, before she got down to business.
"Uncle Phil, I want to talk to you about the bookstore."
"Uh oh. Don't like that tone. Bad, is it?"
"Wel , no. Not so bad." She explained to him that the store was in good shape, but
driveway, but maybe Ben would know when she planned on returning. She finished her hair, and
headed out the door, strolling across the lawn towards the back door of the main house.
The gril was hot, and Ben came out of the kitchen just as Melanie turned the corner.
"Melanie," he exclaimed, obviously happy to see her. He held up a plate with two hamburger patties. "Join me?"
"Oh, no," Melanie protested. "I'm always interrupting your dinner. I'm sorry. I was actually looking for your daughter."
Ben flicked his eyes quickly over her, careful not to offend her, but pleased by what he saw.
This woman had incredible legs.
"Taylor's been working late on some project. I haven't seen much of her in the past couple
days."
"Hmm."
"Please, Melanie, join me. Taylor mixed this ground beef up the same way she makes her
meatballs... it's delicious. And I've got enough left in the kitchen to make one more patty."
She was about to decline, so he gave her a pout. "You don't want me to eat alone, do you?"
She sighed, defeated. She'd really wanted to talk to Taylor, but she supposed she'd just have
to wait. In the meantime, she really didn't want to eat alone, either. "Oh, all right. On one
condition. You let me buy you dinner next week for a change."
"You've got yourself a deal, young lady." He grinned, hurrying off to flatten another burger.
Chapter Eleven
MELANIE WASN’T QUITE sure why she was so nervous. She twisted the phone cord around
her finger and waited impatiently as the ringing continued in her ear. She was disappointed
that she hadn't been able to talk to Taylor the night before, but she couldn't wait any longer.
She had to find out if this crazy idea was even a possibility. She was about to hang up when a
cheerful, albeit breathless, voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Aunt Dar?"
"Melanie." Her aunt was obviously ecstatic to hear her voice. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm great. Am I interrupting something? You sound out of breath."
"Oh, no, dear. Your uncle and I were working in the yard and forgot to bring the cordless
outside with us. I ran to answer it, and I'm so glad I did. Are you enjoying your stay? Is Sam
being a good hostess?"
Melanie rolled her eyes, deciding to spare her aunt the dose of realism that was ready to
shoot off her tongue. "She's being wonderful. I'm having a great time. Listen, is Uncle Phil
around?"
"Sure is. Hang on, dear." There was a muffled sound, then her aunt's voice shouting, "Phillip!
Melanie's on the phone."
Aunt Darlene was one of the sweetest women in the world. She would do anything for anybody
and wouldn't hurt a fly. Her daughter was her pride and joy. If Uncle Phil had skewed vision
when it came to Samantha, then Aunt Dar was simply blind as a bat.
It used to frustrate Melanie, this false vision of the kind of person Sam was, especially when
she was young and insecure. These were intel igent people. Why were they so oblivious to their
daughter's shenanigans? As she got older and more comfortable in her own skin, she realized
that making her aunt and uncle see the real Samantha would only cause them pain and give
them reason to worry about their child more than they already did. Melanie had made a pact
with herself to keep her mouth shut, and do whatever she could to keep their image of
Samantha intact, preserving the happiness of the couple that had been so good to her while
she was growing up.
"Hey, Red," her uncle's strong voice boomed in her ear. "How goes it in Ro-cha-cha?"
"Not bad, Uncle Phil. Not bad. I'm really starting to like it here."
"Good to hear. Sam's got a nice little place, huh?"
"It's adorable, really." They chatted about Melanie's drive and the weather, before she got down to business.
"Uncle Phil, I want to talk to you about the bookstore."
"Uh oh. Don't like that tone. Bad, is it?"
"Wel , no. Not so bad." She explained to him that the store was in good shape, but
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