The bus pulled to a stop at the terminal in Charleston. Mel was home and couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She exited the bus and grabbed her suitcase as the driver unloaded the lower compartment. With the suitcase wheels spinning behind her and the backpack slung over her shoulder, Mel flagged the first available cab waiting at the curb. The cabbie popped the trunk and tossed Mel’s suitcase inside.
“Where to, ma’am?” the cabbie asked. He clicked his blinker and pulled into traffic.
“South Battery, please, right across from the park.”
“You got it. We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Do you live here, or are you just visiting our charming city?”
“I live here. I don’t think I’d ever want to live anywhere else,” she admitted with a grin.
“Well, I totally understand that and have to agree. I was born and raised in Charleston, and so were my folks. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather call home. This city is paradise to me,” he said as he drove.
Mel gave that comment some thought as she looked out the cab window at everything familiar to her. “I know what you mean. Charleston is my paradise, too.”
“Here we are, ma’am. Which house am I looking for?”
“The huge pink one, right there,” Mel replied, pointing to Melrose Mansion. “Thank you, sir.” She reached in her purse and pulled out thirty dollars.
The driver carried her suitcase up to the gate, thanked her for the generous tip, and drove away. Mel punched in the code and entered through the creaky gate. As she opened the front door, she wanted to yell out that she was home, but she didn’t in case Maili was napping. The clicking nails against the hardwood floor told Mel Lucy was approaching. The pup wagged her tail with delight as Mel laid her suitcase and backpack in the foyer and knelt to pet the dog.
“Lucy, baby, mommy is home. I’m so happy to see you again.”
“I thought I heard a voice.” Betsy came down the hallway and embraced Melanie with a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re back and in one piece. You’ll have to tell us everything. Erik, Abby, Maili, and Adam are on the patio. Come and sit. I’ll get you a glass of tea.”
“I’m glad to be home.” Mel picked up Lucy and snuggled the pup in her arms as she opened the screen door. “I’m back!”
“Yay, you’re home!” Abby jumped off her chair and kissed Mel’s cheek. “We missed you so much and worried about you and John. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine and weathered the storm like a pro. Slowly but surely, the island is coming around.” Mel sat at the table with Lucy on her lap.
“Well, thank God for that,” Betsy said. She placed a glass of sweet tea in front of Mel and hugged her again from behind the chair.
“It looks like Lucy was well cared for. Thank you all for tending to her while I was gone. I have to admit, that vacation in paradise was a real nightmare. I’m glad to be in Charleston again.”
Erik laughed. “And we’re glad you’re back. Now I don’t have to walk the dog anymore.”
Abby punched him in the arm. “Liar… you walked her once in two weeks.”
***
It feels good to have a full day to relax before I have to go back to work. I should get a new cell phone today while I have the time. Mel lay in bed Sunday morning with nothing urgent on her schedule for the day. She thought about the trip and everything that had gone wrong. I’ll have plenty of water-fountain gossip when I go back to work tomorrow. Nothing beats a good hurricane story. She chuckled at the thought. It’s such a beautiful day, I should take Lucy for a good run somewhere. Maybe I ought to check out the park on James Island. Cell phone first though. That takes priority. Mel reluctantly made herself get out of bed. She clicked the start button on the coffeepot as she passed the dresser, heading to the shower.
Familiar laughter and chatter coming from the dining room echoed up the stairway as Mel took the back staircase down. She’d stop in the kitchen to fill her coffee cup, then join the group for breakfast. Sunday mornings were her favorite. With everyone home, the dining room buzzed with cross conversations and clinking silverware.
“There’s our girl,” Charles said, clearly delighted that Mel was back. “I’ve missed our daily banter.”
“Me, too.” She planted a firm kiss on his cheek, which caused an uproar of laughter. “What the hell, I don’t want anyone to feel left out.” Mel walked around the table and gave everyone else a kiss, too. “I’ll admit, I’m relieved to be home.”
“We all missed you, especially Lucy,” Ellie said. She passed the scrambled eggs and bacon down to Melanie.
“Speaking of Lucy, have any of you ever been to the county park on James Island?”
“Adam and I have,” Gina said. “We met up with some friends that have two black labs. I guess that breed needs a lot of exercise, plus they naturally love to swim. Anyway, it was really nice. It’s a great park. Why? Are you going?”
“I was thinking about it. Lucy should actually get a chance to run now and then. There’s too much traffic around here to take her leash off and let her go. I think I’m going to the park, but first I have to buy a new phone.”
Another round of laughter echoed through the sun-filled dining room. “We heard that story, too,” Lucille admitted.
Mel shot a glaring look at Abby. “Big mouth. I’ll admit, I wasn’t on my best behavior while I was in St. Thomas, but in my defense, I’ll blame it on the Painkillers.”
“What the heck is a Painkiller, other than the obvious?” Betsy asked.
“I’ll show you how to make them, but we have to buy the ingredients first. We have rum already, so all we need is pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut. A maraschino cherry tops it off, and I’m telling you, they’re to die for. You can choose weak, medium, or strong Painkillers, depending on how much rum you want. It’s either two, three, or four ounces of rum per drink, but it’s really easy to get drunk on them because they’re so yummy. Obviously, I would know, since my phone and binos fell into the Caribbean after I drank too many.”
Abby laughed as she got up. Maili’s wailing echoed through the baby monitor. “Leave it to you, Mel. I’m sure you have a few embarrassing stories to share.”
“Yeah… if I don’t share them, I’m sure you will. Mr. Blabbermouth John must have told you all of my transgressions.”
“Yes, he certainly did. According to him, you were totally out of control.” Abby laughed as she headed upstairs.
Mel looked around the table at everyone staring at her. “What? I’m not saying a word. Pass the toast, please.”
***
Mel found the cell phone store on King Street, just a few blocks from Mane Attraction. She took her old, dead phone along, knowing they couldn’t breathe life back into it, but she wanted the same model again. Luckily, she had purchased insurance just six months earlier when she bought her latest phone. She wasn’t as concerned about her contact list as she was about the photos she’d most likely lost forever. The salesclerk apologized for her misfortune but told her the phone was absolutely shot, especially since it had fallen into salt water, and her vacation photos were gone for good. Mel reminded herself to contact John and ask him to email her any pictures he’d taken on her behalf. With a new cell phone in hand, Mel strolled King Street for a half hour before going back to her car. She appreciated the fact that hurricanes hadn’t done any devastating damage to South Carolina since Hugo in 1989, but she was too young to remember that. She said a silent prayer for the Leeward Islands as she entered Bea’s Bakery and bought two dozen chocolate chip cookies to take home.
Mel dropped off the box of cookies in the kitchen for Betsy to set out. They each ate one in advance, just in case there weren’t any left later.
“I’m going to get Lucy ready to go. Do you want to come along, Betsy? It’s Sunday. You should be taking it easy.”
“Sure, why not? I’ll grab some bottled water, plastic bags for Lucy, and let Abby know we’ll be gone for a few hours.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll get the car.”
***
As she drove, Mel turned her head toward the snoring coming from Betsy’s lap. They both chuckled.
“Seriously? We aren’t even two blocks from home, and she’s sound asleep,” Mel said.
“I know… I think she likes that warm sunshine coming through the windshield. It will be funny to see how she reacts to being off leash and running around in the water. So, tell me the vacation details. I don’t want the ordinary stuff, just the juice.”
Mel laughed at Betsy’s hope of hearing something salacious, but there really wasn’t anything to tell. “I’m not going to invent something just to make your loins quiver with lust.”
“Are you actually saying nothing happened for two weeks with that hot hunk of a man?”
“Yeah, unfortunately, that’s exactly what I’m saying. There was more heat between us here than when we were in St. Thomas. I’ll admit, everything was my fault. I swear in my head I pictured this vacation paradise as a tropical Las Vegas. Aren’t mountains supposed to have escalators going up them instead of ninety-nine flippin’ stairs that are actually one hundred three? And when I was drowning while trying to get back on the catamaran and dropped my phone and binos into the water, shouldn’t there have been a hot, muscular beach boy carrying me to the boat?” She laughed at her own audacity. “I can’t believe the things I imagined it should have been like but wasn’t. I was actually pissed off. Poor John had to put up with my diva-ness.”
Betsy huffed, clearly disappointed. Her ears weren’t going to be burning up today with X-rated details. “Is diva-ness even a word?”
“Probably not. Anyway, now that it’s all said and done, I went on vacation, I have crazy stories to tell everyone at work, and unfortunately, I eliminated another potential love interest. There might have been a chance between John and me if the distance hadn’t been a factor. That’s one more thing I have to keep in mind if I’m ever going to have a serious relationship. I don’t want a man-child, and the guy has to preferably live in the same zip code.”
***
They found James Island County Park after using the navigation on Mel’s new phone. “Here we are. This looks like a cool place. Lucy’s going to love it.”
With the entrance fee paid and their necessities in hand, Betsy, Mel, and Lucy headed for the dog park area.
“Wow, this place is great, and it’s even fenced in so Lucy can go nuts. Crap, I didn’t think to grab towels. She’s going to be a wet fur ball after she goes swimming.”
Mel shrugged. “I didn’t think of it either. We may have to hang out until she’s dry. I’d hate to keep her out of the water if she really wants to swim.”
They found a bench to sit on, and Mel unclipped Lucy’s leash. “Have at it, babe. Let’s see what kind of mischief you can get into.”
Lucy took off like a rocket. She jumped and played, sniffed and barked when she met up with other furry critters, and selected which ones would be her new playmates. Mel and Betsy followed behind, letting Lucy lead the way.
“Obviously, we didn’t need to bring poop bags. This place has everything already. Hey, check it out. She’s heading for the lake. This is going to be interesting.”
Lucy was only two feet out, and the water was already up to her neck. Large dogs frolicked, fetched sticks, and shook water on their owners.
Mel laughed but kept her eye on the small dog. With only Lucy’s head above water, it could be easy to lose track of the pup as she dog-paddled toward two large dogs playing with each other in knee-deep water.
“Yeah, right now would be a good time to have my binos,” Mel groaned. “Guess I need to put a new pair on my ‘to buy’ list. What the hell?” Mel blocked the sun with her hand as she peered out into the water.
“What’s wrong?” Betsy turned to look in the same direction Mel was. “What do you see?”
“Just those two dogs playing near Lucy.” A grin spread across Mel’s face.
“They are pretty large. Maybe we should call her back.”
“Nope, it’s all good. Come on.” Mel trotted over to the water’s edge and called out to the dogs, “Dixie, Dotty, Lucy, come on.”
All three dogs ran to Mel and shook themselves off at her feet. Water sprayed everywhere. Mel screeched with laughter and bent down to pet the wet dogs.
“Whose dogs are these? How do you know their names?”
“Hi, Mel, hi, Lucy! Wow… you actually showed up. I’ll admit, I’m impressed with her swimming skills. She’s coming along just fine.”
Mel stared at the gorgeous man who happened to be wearing only cargo shorts and flip-flops. His deep bronze tan glistened in the sun, accentuating his rock-hard six-pack. Betsy’s mouth dangled open as if the hinges had broken.
Mel whispered, “Close your damn mouth before you swallow a fly.”
Dan extended his hand to Betsy. “Hi. I’m Dan DeLong, Lucy’s vet. This is Dixie and Dotty, my girls. It’s great to meet you, and your name is…?”
Mel gave Betsy a gentle nudge. “Oh, sorry, I’m Betsy, Melanie’s friend. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Weren’t you just in St. Thomas, Melanie? I heard there was a hurricane going through the Leeward Islands last week.”
“Yeah, there was, but other than a lot of damage to buildings and trees, everything turned out okay, considering. I guess that will teach me not to go to the Caribbean during hurricane season again. I didn’t even get a tan,” she said jokingly as she stared at his golden six-pack.
“Come on up to the picnic table. Let’s sit and catch up.” Dan led the way with Mel and Betsy panting behind him.
Betsy whispered to Mel, “Now I understand why you said Lucy’s new vet could give you a wellness exam anytime. I wonder if he takes human appointments. Do I need to make myself scarce?”
“No, you’re fine. Just stop gawking.”
“Yeah, I will… right after you.”
Dan picked up Lucy and dried her off with one of his towels. “I want to give her a quick visual once-over.”
I wish you’d give me a slow visual once-over. “Oh, thanks. Does that mean I’m supposed to skip her next appointment?”
“No, not at all. She needs her nails trimmed. Do you have a groomer for Lucy?”
“No, I guess I haven’t thought of that yet.”
“Yeah, check with our receptionist the next time you’re in. We have a groomer that comes to the clinic twice a week. Don’t forget, your next visit is on the house.”
They both chuckled, and Mel thought back to the grocery store disaster.
“Wow… that just made me think. I bet the grocery store mess was my fault after all. I screwed up plenty of times from the minute I left for St. Thomas, too.”
“So, are you admitting you’re a klutz?” he asked with a playful grin.
“Humph… I guess I am. Betsy, aren’t Dan’s dogs gorgeous? I don’t want to play favorites, but Dotty is so amazing with those blue eyes.”
“She is unusual. I’ve never seen a dog, other than a husky, with blue eyes. What is she?”
“She’s a Catahoula Leopard Dog, and Dixie is a Mountain Cur. Come here, girls.” Dan wiped both dogs down with the bath towels he’d brought.
“They’re both beautiful.”
“Thanks. I like them, too. They’re very loyal dogs, but they do have a lot of energy. I’m here a few times a week and at least once a week at Folly Beach, but they have stricter rules. Have either of you ladies been there yet?”
“Unfortunately not,” Mel said, speaking up for both of them.
“Do you want to check it out sometime? I mean without the dogs. It’s a great place to kayak, bike ride, or enjoy a picnic. Actually, there are a lot of cool restaurants in Folly Beach, too, and of course the pier is great.”
Mel blushed. “Um… sure, that sounds awesome. I’ve never kayaked in my life.” She remembered that when she had done a Google search of Dan, she had learned that kayaking was one of his favorite activities. “It sounds safer than zip-lining, which I don’t actually have any desire to do again.”
“I like to keep my feet on the ground, too, or in the water. They rent paddleboards at Folly Beach. That’s one thing I really like about the place, you don’t have to bring your own equipment if you don’t want to. The rental shop has everything, including bicycles. Well, I better run these hounds for a while. I’d like them to be a bit dryer before I take them home. I guess the wet-dog smell in a vehicle isn’t quite the same as pine-scented air freshener. It was great seeing you again, Mel, and nice to meet you, Betsy.” He gave Melanie a long look and smiled. “Call my office tomorrow. Let’s set something up for Folly Beach and a grooming appointment for Lucy.” He winked, clipped the leashes on the dogs, and left.
Betsy dug her fingertips into Mel’s arm. “What the hell? How long have you been keeping him a secret?”
“I haven’t been. I told you Lucy’s vet was hot.”
“Yeah, but it sounds like there’s more than just a vet-and-patient connection. You guys had a clandestine meeting in a grocery store?”
Mel brushed her off. “Let go of my arm already. No, we didn’t have a clandestine meeting. We ran into each other entirely by accident the night before I left for St. Thomas. Remember, I brought champagne and sparkling cider home?”
“Yeah, and you got home late if I recall.”
“Well, that’s because we literally ran into each other at the grocery store. I bumped into him as I turned into the next aisle. He dropped three bottles of wine on the floor, and they all broke into smithereens. I paid for the broken bottles of wine, and he said Lucy’s next visit would be on the house. I would have loved hanging out with him, but John was also on my mind. Now I know John and I don’t have a future, so Dr. Dan is fair game. He isn’t married, he doesn’t live on an island in the middle of hurricane alley, and he isn’t a man-child. Everything about him seems perfect to me.”
“Damn it, maybe I should look for a man, too.”