Chapter 48: Chapter 48
The snow from the night before crunched under her feet as Melody carefully climbed the steps to the library, Michael’s hand in hers. Reid was on the other side of him, and even though it wasn’t slippery, the idea of tumbling down the steep flight of stairs did not sound appealing, particularly since there was quite a crowd of people around.
Ever since Reid had picked her up about thirty minutes ago, Michael had not stopped talking, and he continued to chatter all the way to the door. Melody had always loved this building. She wasn’t certain, but she believed it was colonial revival. It crossed her mind that Reid would know for sure, but asking would mean interrupting Michael. He was in the middle of a soliloquy about how Santa takes care of his reindeer, and Melody felt it might be rude to interrupt.
Once they entered, Michael was finally quiet as he gasped in awe. The wide open space where the children usually gathered for story time had been transformed into the North Pole, complete with Christmas trees, polar bears, and dancing penguins. There was even a reindeer—though it wasn’t real—and Michael hopped up and down in excitement.
“Welcome to the North Pole!” one of Santa’s elves said, ushering them toward the line. Santa was sitting on a throne off in the distance, his white beard and red velvety suit looking genuine and his cheeks glistening in the Christmas lights that hung like snowflakes from the ceiling. The elves guiding the children through the process were all wearing green costumes with red tights, their pointy shoes and hats with bells on them. Everywhere she looked, she saw smiling, excited faces, and she couldn’t help but let it lift her spirits.
“Dad! There’s Hailey!” Michael shouted, pointing across the room to where children sat on white beanbag chairs meant to look like giant snowballs. There were several Christmas books on a table, and an elf was reading to them. “Can I go over there?”
The elf that had welcome them said, “If your little one would like to go listen to a story, you can stand in line, and he can join you when you reach the front.”
Reid surveyed the length of the line and said, “Sure. Just pay attention and come back when we get close to the front. Without a word, Michael shot off in Hailey’s direction, and Reid shook his head, joining the line. Melody made her way over also as more people continued to file in the door.
“I think this is one of those amusement park lines, where it winds around, and you really have no idea how long it is,” Reid said as Melody came up behind him.
Laughing, she said, “It can’t be too long. This library isn’t that big.”
“True,” he admitted. “Unless there’s a secret passage, and we have to go into the museum next door and come back.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. And it’s moving,” she said, nudging him forward.
“And I thought I was impatient,” he commented scooting up.
“I’m not impatient. I just like progress, that’s all.”
The path that led to Santa was red with tall peppermint guideposts on either side, a thin line of silver tinsel running between them, and Melody felt slightly trapped, though she knew she could knock the flimsy barricade over if she needed to. As she stood contemplating the setup, Reid brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “Is everything okay, Mel?” he asked.
She’d been trying to hide it ever since she’d spoken to him on the phone earlier that morning, but now that she was standing in front of him, she remembered she didn’t have a good poker face. “It’s my mom,” she mumbled, her hands buried deep in her coat pockets.
“What’s going on?” he asked, sliding up the line a bit.
Melody let out a sigh. They were going into a curve now, and it wouldn’t be as easy to see Michael, so she turned to face Reid instead. “She’s going to lunch with Curtis Haywood today.”
“Curtis Haywood? Are you certain?” he asked. “I mean, I’m not sure you could pick Curtis Haywood out of a line up.”
Melody took her hand out of her coat only long enough to punch him playfully in the arm. “Stop,” she said. “I’m very upset about this.”
He stifled a chuckle and asked, “Why? It’s just a date.”
“Just a date?” she repeated, trying to keep her voice down. “Reid, she’s going out with another man. I mean, how can she do that?”
He placed his hands on her arms just beneath her shoulders. “Mel, I’m sure it is upsetting to think of her moving on. But your father has been gone for two years. Much of that time she spent by herself. She’s probably lonely. Can you really blame her for wanting to share her life with someone again?”
Melody stared at him for a long moment before he had to let go of her to move forward in the line. “It took you forever to date again after….” She just stopped talking, sure he’d get where she was headed.
“That’s true,” Reid said. “But I had a small child to think of. And while I’m sure your mother is considering your feelings, ultimately you’re both adults, and it’s her decision. Did you think she’d spend the rest of her life alone?”
“Yes,” Melody answered quickly. “I mean… I don’t think I ever even thought about it. I just assumed she would.”
“Melody, give it some time, and see how your mom feels about it. If she likes this guy, and he’s good to her, then maybe you’ll start to see things from her perspective. Or who knows—she might go out with him just once. He might turn out to be a jerk, and she’ll never want to see him again.”
Shaking her head, Melody said, “He’s not a jerk. I remember him now. His wife died of breast cancer around the same time as my dad’s car accident. I think my mom even mentioned going through a support group with him. He has a couple of grown children, maybe a grandkid or two. He’s a nice guy.”
“Then… what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know,” Melody admitted, and when she listened to him reason through it, she realized that it really wasn’t her business. Her mother was an adult, and if she felt it was time to date again, then who was Melody to hold her back? She did deserve to be happy. Melody felt a little silly for spending so much time the night before being upset about her mother when she should’ve been happily reflecting on her first date with Reid.
“Come on,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “We’re almost to the first penguin. I think this is a landmark.”