Chapter 23
Mel sat in the diner, only providing absentminded answers when Ruth and Al spoke to her. Thankfully, the two were in a heated debate about possible changes to the diner’s menu and only looked to her for an occasional grunt or nod that she was still listening.
“We need to diversify, Al! We’ve been serving the same thing for the last ten years. Tastes change. People want fancier food with sauces and exotic names; isn’t that right, Mel?”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded while wondering why Ryne would want to pretend that there wasn’t a wolf, or at least a wild dog present, when there really was. It made no sense.
“Our customers are the same ones we’ve always had, Ruth. They like the food, they know what we have to offer, and that’s why they keep coming back. You like what we serve, don’t you, Mel?”
“Yep.” Mel gave Al a smile and then returned to her musings. Was Ryne hiding something, beyond his ‘I didn’t exist before photography’ background? Or had he somehow arranged something that looked a bit like a wolf and set it there to scare her? But why would he do that? And what had he used? And where had he hidden it afterwards because there hadn’t been anything there when she got up out of the water. Maybe he was some type of witch and had conjured up a wolf. Mel snorted at the idea. There was no such thing a magic. She rubbed her forehead, trying to massage away the beginnings of a headache, while ignoring the great menu debate that was going on around her.
Thankfully, Ruth and Al finally moved their argument into the kitchen and she no longer had to feign interest in what they were saying. Unfortunately, Lucy arrived to take their place. Apparently, the waitress was more observant than her employers for she plunked down beside Mel and looked at her earnestly.
“So what’s wrong with you, hon? You look like you’re miles away. Not still brooding over me and Ryne, are you? ‘Cause if you are, there’s really no need.”
“No. It’s not that, at least not much.” Mel glanced up at Lucy. “Even though you say you don’t care, I still feel sort of weird about it.”
Lucy scrunched her forehead as if thinking hard for a moment. Then her face cleared and she smiled. “Have you ever found pair of jeans or shoes that you really liked?”
“Yes.” Mel answered slowly, not at all sure where this was going.
“Well, you like them and try them on, only they’re a bit tight, but you like them so much you buy them anyways. Then, when you get home, what do you do with them?”
“Um...I put them in the closet.”
“And?”
“Well, sometimes I try them on at home, just to see if, by some miracle, they finally fit.” Mel gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Of course, they never do, so I just stick them in the back of the closet.”
“So, what happens eventually?”
Mel thought of her jam-packed closet at home and the annual spring purge that she always performed. Items that were too worn were discarded while clothes that she didn’t like or that no longer fit were given to friends or charities. “Eventually, I admit they’ll never fit and give them away to someone.”
“Exactly!” Lucy leaned back in her seat, folded her arms, and smiled in a smug, self-satisfied way.
Blinking, Mel pondered what her friend had just said, but finally admitted defeat. “Lucy, I have absolutely no idea what my bad shopping habits have to do with you and Ryne, or me feeling guilty.”
An exasperated look passed over the waitress’s face. “But don’t you see? Ryne is my pair of shoes that don’t fit! He’s gorgeous and I like having him, but he’s not really made for me. So rather than hanging on, I’m giving him to a friend so she can see if he’s right for her or not. Understand?”
Mel stared at the other woman and then chuckled. "You know Lucy, that’s a very good analogy.”
Lucy made a show of buffing her nails against her chest, nose in the air while attempting to look superior. “I thought so.”
Gently nudging the waitress with her shoulder, Mel smiled at her. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better.”
“And did it work?”
She considered the situation she was in. Yes, she felt more secure in the fact that being involved with Ryne would not hurt her friend’s feelings. However, Ryne and his behaviour still had her in knots. She forced a smile though, not wanting Lucy to think her efforts were wasted. “Yeah, I guess I feel a bit better.”
Lucy gave her an assessing look. “You feel a bit better, but not great. So, what’s still bugging you? Maybe I can help with that, too.”