They settled into a routine over the next two weeks, Melissa wrote on Tuesday nights while Jack was at hockey and the two days that she left early and had Anna close. They went to trivia on Thursday nights and out with friends Friday or Saturday night, sometimes both nights depending on what was going on. Lily often knew of where there were good bands playing. When the two weeks were up and Jack's renovation was done, they were planning to go see it that Saturday afternoon, and then go out to dinner and to see Lily sing with her brother's band that night in downtown Riston.

* * *

Melissa decided to dress up a little more than usual since they were going to have a nice dinner and then see Lily sing. She was looking forward to that. She'd heard that she was a gifted songwriter and had a beautiful voice but she hadn't heard her sing yet. She didn't perform as often as she used to as her main love was writing the songs, but every now and then, her brother Tyler talked her into playing with them.

She chose one of her favorite long dresses. It had an artsy look to it with a deep purple scoop neck and along flowy skirt in various shades of purple with flowers. She pulled on her purple boots, which matched it perfectly. She curled random pieces of her long hair so that it gave a pretty, slightly tousled, look. A slick of pink lipstick and inky black mascara and she was ready to go.

Jack smiled appreciatively as she came down the stairs and met him in the living room.

"You look pretty."

"Thank you. You look good yourself." He looked better than good, in a hunter green button-down shirt, and his best jeans. The shirt brought out the green in his eyes, which were ordinarily more hazel.

Figs, the restaurant on Main Street where Lily was playing, was very busy when they arrived. But they had a reservation and were seated quickly. The menu was upscale American, and had a bit of everything. Melissa decided on a piece of salmon with a glass of red wine and Jack got the steak and a draft beer.

They split a rich piece of fudge flourless chocolate cake with a drizzle of raspberry sauce and then paid their bill and brought their leftover wine with them into the other room to watch Lily. Cody was already there, sitting at a round table near the front, while Lily was helping Tyler and Mark check their equipment. She came over briefly to say hello, then went back to what she'd been doing. Melissa and Jack sat with Cody.

Ten minutes later, Bernie and David joined them as well. Quite a few people stopped by the table to say hello to Jack. He seemed to know everyone in Riston. Melissa supposed that went with being a police officer. She couldn't help notice that several of the people who stopped to chat were very pretty women who openly flirted with him and he flirted right back. Jack flirted with everyone, though, no matter their age. It was part of his charm.

The room filled up quickly and people were still coming in as the music started. The band was really good. They played a mix of covers and original tunes written by Lily. She was surprised by how good Lily was and that she even recognized several of the original tunes. She looked at Cody in confusion and he laughed.

"Those are her originals that she's sold and that others have made famous. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Very." Melissa was impressed, and told Lily as much when she went on break and joined them at the table. She introduced her to her brother Tyler and Mark, and they wandered off to visit friends at another table.

"So, if you think I'm good, you should hear my friend Laura. It's just a matter of time before you hear her on the radio. Mark my words."

"Really? That's exciting."

"She's better than I am. At singing, anyway. Her voice is really distinctive and her songwriting is just as good. We're going to go to Nashville soon to visit her. She's making her big debut at one of the well-known clubs. It's very exciting and I want to be there to support her."

"That sounds like fun."

A few minutes later, Lily went back for another set and once they were finished playing, they all stayed for another two hours, almost until closing time. Jack and Melissa had another glass of wine each and Clark showed up and joined them. Between Clark and Jack they had everyone laughing non-stop. Melissa couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Finally, it was time to call it a night and they all said their goodbyes.

When they got back to the house, after walking Roger, Jack joined Melissa on the sofa where she was lounging happily as Misty bounced around behind her head, playing with her hair.

"You'd never know she was six years old," Jack said as he sat next to her, close enough that his leg lightly touched hers. He reached over and pushed a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. His touch was soft and gentle and Melissa found herself leaning in toward him.

"That was fun tonight," she said softly.

"It was, wasn't it?"

"And your place looks amazing. You must be so pleased with how it turned out." They'd gone to his house in the afternoon and Jack proudly showed off his new kitchen, which was stunning. It looked like it belonged in a magazine, with the creamy white cupboards, elegant blue-gray island and the breathtaking counters that really did look so much like the marble that he wanted.

"It's beautiful," Jack agreed. "And so are you." He took her hand and pulled her towards him, and then his lips came down on hers and Melissa sighed. She'd dreamed of this more than once and the reality of it was better than she'd imagined. Kissing Jack felt so right and so wonderful, and confusing at the same time. She gave in to the sensation of the kiss and the moment, and didn't want to stop. They kissed and kissed until they were out of breath and finally it came to an end.

"Well, that was pretty amazing," Jack said. He smiled and went to kiss her again, but Melissa stood up instead. "It was, but it's late. We should go to sleep."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Jack. Thanks for a wonderful night."

Jack stayed downstairs as Melissa made her way upstairs, undressed and fell into bed, feeling a mixture of joy and sadness. It had been a perfect night but a confusing one, too.

"So, will you be moving out today?" Melissa asked Jack the next morning over coffee. He set his cup down and looked at her in confusion.

"I wasn't planning to. But I could, if you want me to. Do you want me to?" he asked quietly.

Melissa felt like screaming, "No, I don't want to you to go!" But instead, she said, "I think that probably would be best. Your place is ready now and Cooper is back in Boston."

"Okay. But what about last night?"

Melissa smiled. "Last night was fun."

"It was more than fun. It was really special. I love spending time with you, Melissa."

"I don't want to hold you back, Jack. You could be with anyone. I saw all those women last night, flirting with you."

Jack smiled sadly. "Just because I flirt with someone doesn't mean I want to be with them. I'd rather be here, with you."

Melissa's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to believe him but she knew his history and she didn't want to tie him down either. More importantly, she didn't want to be devastated when he tired of her and was on to the next girl who flirted with him. It was easier and less painful, maybe, to just end whatever this was now before it turned into something real. Something she wouldn't be able to recover from if it ended.

"I think we could both use the time apart. I need to really be alone before I can be with someone else. Now that Cooper is back in Boston, I can finally move on."

Jack's expression reflected how she was feeling. He looked crushed.

"If that's what you're sure you want. We can move out today. I just have a suitcase to pack and then we'll be on our way. If you're sure." He met her eyes and she could almost feel him willing her to change her mind. But Melissa was tired of people trying to change her mind, even Jack.

"I'm sure. I'm going to go jump in the shower."

"All right. We'll pack up and I should be ready to say goodbye when you're out of the shower."

A half hour later, Melissa hugged Jack goodbye and Roger, too, as they left. She watched them drive off and once they were on the main road, she went back inside and made herself a cup of tea, feeling numb and empty. She brought the tea to the sofa, and she snuggled into a corner of it and drew a soft blanket over her. Misty joined her and pressed herself against Melissa's neck, purring loudly. Melissa reached up to pet her.

"Thank goodness you're here. Jack's idea to get you when we did was a good one."

Melissa closed her eyes then and let the tears come, hard and fast, as she wondered if she'd just made the worst mistake of her life.

* * *

An hour later, she called her sister. Melanie picked up on the first ring.

"What's wrong?"

"How did you know?" Melissa asked.

"I was just about to call you. Had the strangest feeling that you were upset or sad. Are you?"

Melissa was quiet for a minute and then sniffled loudly.

"Oh, honey, what's wrong? Tell me everything."

She did, and Melanie assured her that she'd done the right thing by listening to her gut. She'd done what she needed to do in that moment.

"Listen, if it's meant to be, it will work out. It happened fast, maybe too fast, and that is scary. Especially after what you went through with Cooper. A break is a good idea and you're in luck—I'm approved to take vacation as soon as this Friday. I can be on a plane Friday afternoon and stay for a week, if that works for you?"

"That would be so perfect. I can't wait to see you. We'll go to Seattle and I'll show you the ranch, maybe even give Anna a few days off and put you to work in the store."

"I'll text you the flight information. Hang in there till Friday."