Melinda knocked on the door and waited for Bree to answer. When she didn't come right away, Melinda knocked again. "It's just me," she called.
The door opened and revealed Bree wearing a bathrobe, her hair in a ponytail. She held a tissue in one hand, her eyes red and puffy. She didn't say anything but motioned for Melinda to enter.
Once the door had shut behind Melinda, Bree started crying again. She sank into the closest couch, her sobs escaping like machine-gun fire. "Apparently Mark has told everyone that I'm sick and unable to make it to the dinner tonight. Mom called to see if I was all right and Grams called to make sure I wasn't planning on ruining the weekend for everyone. She said I better be standing at the altar tomorrow, because she can't come out to my wedding twice."
Daniel held Melinda's hand as they waved goodbye to Bree and their mother. Dinner had been delicious, and despite the initial shock of Bree's appearance, everyone had seemed happy to have her there, with Mark and their grandmother being the exceptions. Even their father's business associates thought it was nice that Mark had found a girl who was so “down to earth.”“I can’t believe she didn’t tell them,” Melinda muttered under her breath as they left the restaurant. “That was the whole point, wasn’t it? She was supposed to show up in her bathrobe and declare the engagement over. After we ate up all the incredible food, of course.”“Do you think she is having second thoughts?” Daniel asked. Maybe the lavish lifestyle that
Daniel raised an eyebrow. He didn't like the sound of that. "You mean like…steal?""I wouldn't call it that," Melinda said. "It's just that we don't really have another option, considering that the office is closed, and we need one of their golf carts."Daniel didn't want to seem like the stiff who didn't do anything adventurous or risky. But he'd been there and done that, and it had only led to trouble. “I’m sure they lock up the keys. Let's just come back in the morning."Melinda laughed and pulled him toward the doors that would lead them toward the golf course. "You’re probably right, but let’s check it out for the fun of it. We would have the cart back before they knew it was gone. B
Melinda woke the next morning with a smile on her face. What had she been dreaming about? It must have been pretty good, because she felt like nothing in the world could bring her down. And then she remembered, it hadn't been a dream. It had been Daniel, lying with her in the sand under a full moon. She snuggled deeper under the covers, wishing it never had to end. But Bree was supposed to get married today. And then tomorrow, Melinda would be back in Amor. If there were only a way to convince her mother to stop listening to Grams and allow Melinda to move on with her life.Except, nothing was how it was supposed to be. The elation Melinda had felt instantly vanished. Bree couldn't marry Mark, which meant there'd be no celebrating. And with everyone in such bad temper, there was no way they would agree to sell the diner. A sense of dread washed over Meli
Daniel couldn't believe this was really happening. He stood in front of a full-length mirror, dressed in a tuxedo. He didn't realize people wore those things anymore."We don't have time to have it tailored," Mr. Garrett said, walking around Daniel as if he were an exhibit. "But for not being custom fit, that tux fits you quite nicely. How does it feel?""Like I'm glad I'm only getting married once," Daniel said, smiling.Mr. Garrett shook his head, apparently not appreciating Daniel's attempt at humor. "If you aren't comfortable, you are going to remember your wedding day by how many times you wished you could rip your tie off and by the number of blisters on your feet. And from the way you were looking at my daughter
“Furious” didn't begin to describe how Melinda felt in that moment. How dare her grandmother pretend that she was stopping her from marrying Daniel because she cared about her. Because she was trying to help Melinda reach her potential. The only thing her grandmother ever did was stop Melinda from living. From being happy."Did you know that before this man moved to Amor, he was a criminal?" Melinda's grandmother asked. Her voice shook, like she found this so shocking that she couldn't control herself."Yes, Grams," Melinda said through gritted teeth. "Can we take this somewhere else? This seems like more of a private conversation.""No, I believe this is the right time and the right place," her grandmother
Daniel pulled into his apartment complex, then sat, staring out the windshield at the brick building in front of him. How could he have been so stupid to think that his past wouldn't matter to people? It didn't matter that he'd been doing everything in his power to make things right. It didn't matter that for the past two years, he had been working as a human resources employee in the mayor's office and volunteering at a nonprofit organization that helped the homeless during his free time. None of that mattered because someone had decided to search his name on the Internet, and for the rest of his life, only the mistakes he'd made would surface. Why even try?His phone rang and he looked down. It was Melinda.
Melinda stared. "If anyone was made a fool of, it was my grandmother, going on like that in front of everyone," she said."Oh, I'm sure they saw it like that," Daniel said, sarcasm dripping from each word. "Yes, everyone feels sorry for the conniving criminal, rather than the poor, sweet grandmother who only wants to protect her family.""Stop calling yourself that," Melinda said, her voice rising in volume."I tried, but I can't seem to get away from it."Melinda narrowed her eyes and glared at Daniel from across the room. This was not the romantic reunion she had envisioned. She’d thought she'd arrive at his door, and he'd stare at her, stunned. Melinda would explain how there had
Melinda looked in the long mirror. Her hair was pulled up off her neck, and she had decided to forgo the veil this time. It had taken a lot of time, and some scissors, to get the last one off.“You look beautiful,” her mother said, walking up behind her.Melinda spun around. “Thank you, Mom.”“From watching you two, I can tell you are perfect for each other. I’m sorry—”“No more of that,” Melinda said. Her mom had spent a lot of time apologizing over the last several months, and it was time they both moved on from their mistakes and on to a happier future. “I’ve had plenty to apol