Saving Mel

Then, I heard a small voice coming from around the corner.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G…”

I walked down the hallway and peered into Liam’s room and watched as he curled up next to Melanie. She was singing his favorite song lightly in his ear while her hands ran through his hair. His eyes were already drooping as his hands pulled the covers up to his chin, content with the scenario he’d found himself in. It was interesting, the way we worked together as a team. The kids enjoyed her, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and I started wondering how long I could get her to stay.

Would she stay if I asked?

“Goodnight, sweet boy,” Melanie said. “Get some rest.”

She bent down to kiss his forehead before she tucked him in tightly beneath the covers. I ushered her out of the room and shut off Liam’s light, then I escorted her down the hallway and she sat back down on the couch.

“Thanks for helping,” I said.

“It’s not a problem. They’re such sweet kids.”

I opened the fridge and grabbed us some beers before I walked back over to her. I set them down on the table before I cracked one open for her, and she took it with a smile on her face. We drank our first one in relative silence, with nothing but the fire crackling in front of us but, once we got halfway through our second round of beers, she finally piped up.

“Do you think you’ll always live out here?” Melanie asked.

“For a time, I thought so,” I said.

“But you don’t think that now?” she asked.

“There are just—some things that are up in the air. Depends on where they take me.”

“Well, your niece and nephew are beautiful kids. Their parents must be really proud.”

I wasn’t ready to open up about any of that. Not even to Melanie. The wound was still too raw.

“So, you grew up here?” I asked her, trying to change the subject.

She nodded. “Yep. My mom left us when I was just a baby and my dad bought our house up here and raised me in it. He wanted to get away from town and all the gossip.”

I looked over at her. “How was that? Growing up without a mother, I mean?” I was curious to have her take on it as I thought about the two children sleeping down the hall.

She thought for a moment before answering. “I mean, I guess it was fine. I don’t have any memories of it being any different. My dad is amazing and always did everything he could to make my life a good one. My best friend Layla’s mom stepped in whenever I had girl questions that my dad couldn’t answer. All in all, I don’t think I’m any worse for it,” she said.

I nodded, somewhat heartened by her answer. If Hadley could have a strong female figure to help with the things I didn’t have a clue about, she would be fine. I found myself wondering if Melanie could be that figure.

“So, you haven’t mentioned having a job you need to call since you’ve been stuck here. Are you working?” I asked, curious to know more about this beautiful creature.

She shook her head. “No. Not right now. I graduated from U of Montana last spring with a degree in Early Childhood Development. I want to be a preschool teacher. Problem is, there are no jobs in town here and I can’t really move at the moment.”

That explained her ease with the children. “Why can’t you move?”

Her brow furrowed ever so slightly. “My dad had a massive heart attack over the summer and I’m the only one he has to take care of him. He’s pretty weak still and needs to take his meds regularly. He keeps telling me to go, but I can’t just leave him. He would never leave me,” she said.

The more she talked, the more I was starting to admire this woman. Not only did she have a natural love for children, but she was giving up her own life to take care of her father.

“You’ve mentioned calling your dad a few times since you’ve been here. Is he okay? I can take the snowmobile over to your house if you need me to check in on him,” I heard myself offer.

Melanie smiled and it warmed my heart. “Thank you, Evan, but no. He’s actually doing okay. There’s plenty of food in the house and he’s figured out how to set the alarm to remind him to take his meds. It’s looking like he doesn’t need me as much as I thought he did.”

There was a tinge of sadness in her voice as I listened to her talk. I studied her face in profile as she stared into the fire and recognized the look almost immediately. Loneliness.