The plane landed—it was perfect. Even Ruby’s instructor looked impressed.
As they stepped out of the plane, he said, “Looks like you haven’t lost your touch. You can officially fly again, with passengers.” He shook her hand.
Ruby felt like she was still flying, and she screamed with excitement, spinning in a circle. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her instructor in a bear hug.
“Um…you’re welcome,” he said, patting her awkwardly on the back.
She stepped back and looked at her phone. Ruby and Parker had driven to northern New Mexico for another balloon festival, but she’d had her o
Melinda swept ceramic shards into her dustpan—at least the ones she could find. What used to be a plate lay scattered across the tile floor, but she knew from experience that she'd be finding small pieces for days to come. She'd seriously considered switching to using plastic plates in the diner, but then had been reprimanded by her mother about the environmental impact."France has banned plastic in their restaurants completely. We could learn a thing or two from them," her mother had said.Melinda had conceded and was now suffering for it. Even though her parents technically owned the diner, she'd been running it for the past nine years, and they hadn't even set foot there in the last four year
Daniel lingered, even after the last customer had left. "Do you need help closing up?"Melinda flipped the 'closed' sign. "No, I got this. Besides, you've already done so much. I feel like I should pay you or something."Daniel shook his head. "Don't you dare.""Well, your dinner is on the house, then. It was probably cold by the time you got around to eating it.""Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in a pot nine days old," he said with a shrug.Melinda laughed, and it lit up her eyes. He wondered how many people got to see that side of her. Most people equated her with a scowl, but she had the most beautiful, genuine smile, when she allowed it to shine through.
Melinda woke with a start. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked out the car window. A large building with pillars greeted her. It was surrounded by palm trees and a man in a valet uniform stood out front."Good morning," Daniel said. "Or afternoon, I guess."Melinda stretched her legs as far as she could, but Daniel's car was a bit cramped. "How long was I asleep?""The last hour." He glanced around. "Is there any self-parking available at this joint, or do we have to hand over the car?"Melinda opened the passenger door. "I'm not sure, but I can ask." As soon as she stepped out, she heard someone calling her name. Her gaze snapped up and sh
Daniel didn't think he’d heard Melinda correctly, but judging by everyone else's expressions, he had. Everyone's heads turned to him. They stared at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to confirm Melinda's announcement. Her hand still lay on top of Daniel's, and he tried not to react to it, as if holding hands was something he and Melinda did all the time.He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry it had to come out this way. It's been difficult to keep it a secret, but really, we don't need to dwell on it. This weekend is about Bree and Mark, and we are here to celebrate them."Bree squealed and jumped from the table. "This was perfect timing," she said, wrapping her arms around Melinda. "Seriously,
Melinda woke to knocking on the door. What time was it? "Go away. You can clean my room later," she mumbled before turning over and snuggling further into the blankets. She’d had the best night's sleep of her life, and she didn't want to cut it short.The knocking continued.Melinda groaned and rolled out of bed. Grabbing her robe and slipping it on, she shuffled to the door. She cracked open the door and said, "I didn't order a wakeup call.""But you did ask me to pick you up for breakfast," Daniel said.It was already seven-thirty? She was used to getting up at six to go to the diner and had figured she would wake up with time to spare. Melinda swung the door open. "I'm so sorry.
Daniel placed the golf clubs that Mr. Garrett had rented for him on the golf cart. Why did there have to be so many to choose from? Couldn't they just play with one all-purpose club? It would certainly be more efficient."When was the last time you were out on a golf range as beautiful as this?" Mr. Garrett asked as they drove out to the first hole."Never," Daniel said, grateful that he could at least be honest about this. He didn't love the idea of lying to Melinda's parents about their relationship, and it seemed he would be able to get a break for at least a few hours."I tell you, there is nothing like getting out on the green, feeling the sunshine, and knowing that somewhere out there, my
Melinda lay in bed, a bag of peanut M&Ms on one side, and a bottle of water on the other. A cheesy romantic comedy played on the TV, but the dialogue was barely audible and she was too comfortable, and lazy, to get up and find the remote.Maid of honor. Melinda had been disappointed, and slightly offended, when she’d found out that her sister hadn't chosen her for the coveted position. Bree had passed up her own sister. Looking back at it, it made sense. They hadn't seen each other in years, and they rarely spoke on the phone. Bree had her own life now, and it didn't include Melinda. All that had been left behind in Amor.But now that Melinda had the job, she wanted to give it back. It turned
Daniel walked down to dinner alone, hands in his pockets, feeling too much like the odd man out. Hanging out with Melinda's father for the day hadn't been half bad—until he had suggested they go back to Daniel's room…and then wouldn't leave. Daniel had a feeling the old man was hiding from his wife. Daniel had been grateful when Melinda showed up and helped rescue him, though she hadn’t known that was what she was doing. She had acted like he had been the hero, but it had been the other way around. Daniel couldn't have Melinda's parents fighting; otherwise, he was afraid his suite would become Mr. Garrett's permanent residence for the weekend.Although Melinda's parents had instructed Danie