Roping Melanie by Melissa Ellen

1

Melanie

Seven Years Later

“Avery Cheyenne Madison, you better be gettin’ your shoes on right now!” I warned as I rushed to gather up all her school books from the cluttered kitchen table and shoved them inside her unicorn sequins backpack. “We can’t be late again!”

I glanced around the room, running through a mental checklist to ensure I wasn’t forgetting anything. The rest of the kitchen was in the same state as the table: in desperate need of a deep cleaning. But like many things, it would have to wait. The only thing I could be concerned about at the moment was getting my daughter to school on time.

Thank goodness there were only a few weeks left of it. By now I should’ve adjusted to my baby girl being in kindergarten. But it seemed as soon as we’d get into the groove with one routine, another thing would come along to throw me off.

Like my new position at Dudley’s.

Not that I was complaining. This was one life adjustment I was excited about. Over the last ten years I’d worked my way from waiting tables to bartending, and now a manager. It gave me the chance to finally put the business degree that I worked hard to earn to use.

My boss, the owner of the bar, recently announced his wife, Conley, was pregnant. This was Tim and Conley’s first baby, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for the two of them.

Like most expecting parents, they were excited and nervous. Tim had asked me if I was willing to take on a few extra shifts during the day while he went with Conley to her doctor appointments. I was happy to, but it also made things a little more hectic for me in the mornings, since I was used to working the closing shifts.

“Comin’, Momma!” Avery hollered back from her bedroom.

A few seconds later, she appeared, wearing only one pink sandal and the other in her hand as she barreled down the narrow hallway of our two-bedroom bungalow. Already she’d managed to make a mess of her blond hair in the last few minutes, her pigtails no longer straight but lopsided. The lower one continued to slip as she hopped on one foot, trying to slip on her other shoe.

As stressed and frustrated as I was, I couldn’t fight the smile working its way on my face. If there was one thing I’d learned in the last six years, it was to cherish every moment. My baby girl was already growing up too fast for my liking.

“Now, hold on,” I ordered as she snatched her backpack from my hand, making a dash for the front door.

Avery froze, stock-still, before spinning slowly to face me.

I knelt in front of her and took my time as I straightened her ponytails out. “There,” I said with a soft smile. “Perfect as a cherry pie on Sunday.” I tapped the tip of her nose with my index finger.

She grinned back at me, and I kissed her forehead.

“All right. Let’s go,” I said, standing upright before grabbing my purse from the hook near the door. I slid it over my head and across my body as Avery stepped outside. After locking up, I took her hand, walking with her to the car.

The old silver Mazda wasn’t much to look at and could benefit from a new paint job, but it got us from A to Z . . . most days, anyway. Avery opened the door and climbed into her car seat, buckling herself in. I checked the straps, making sure it was all secure, then closed the door and climbed behind the steering wheel.

“Are you excited about summer starting soon?” I asked as we drove through the streets of our small town, headed for Billingsley Elementary School.

She gave me a melancholy shrug with both shoulders. Had I not glanced in the rearview mirror, I would’ve missed it.

“What’s that about?” I asked, hoping to pull more out of her. Most kids couldn’t wait for school to be over and the summer to begin.

“I don’t know,” she said, turning her head to stare out the window.

I waited a beat before prying further, giving her a minute to process her thoughts. “You can always tell me anything, peanut. You know that, right?”

She nodded, glancing over at me before dropping her eyes to her lap. She began to pick at a loose thread at the hem of her jean shorts. “I’m gonna miss my friends.”

I bit down on my smile. “You can still see them this summer. We could even invite them over for a slumber party.”

“They’re all gonna be gone. Amber and Charlotte are going to summer camp. And Jody’s parents are taking her to Disney World.” She pouted, her stare still cast downward.

My heart sank. “I see . . .”

It was moments like these I felt like the worst mom in the universe. She didn’t have to say what was really bothering her. It wasn’t so much that her friends would be gone as it was what they were getting to do.

I wished I could give my baby girl all the things her friends had. But I was barely making ends meet, even working nearly every day of the week. With the recent promotion and raise, I’d hoped to save up enough to take us on a trip somewhere special, just the two of us this summer. But something would always come up, forcing me to dip into those funds. A flat tire on my car. A new water heater. An unexpected doctor visit when she ended up with a bad cough last month. Thankfully, Tim was looking into a new health insurance policy for his full-time staff like me, but until then I was left with a high deductible every time.

Besides, the new benefits would only help with one part of the never-ending expenses. Sometimes I wondered if I should’ve just stayed in an apartment. At least then, any home repairs would have been taken care of by my landlord.

Buying our tiny bungalow had been a dream come true, though. Like the car, it wasn’t much, but it was ours. And over time, I hoped to tackle one repair at a time on the house. It was the one thing I could give my daughter that her friends had. A home to call her own with a yard to play in.

After giving everything some thought, I said, “What if we went camping one weekend this summer. How does that sound?”

Camping wouldn’t cost as much as a hotel. We could go to one of the state park lakes, and I could borrow my dad’s tent and gear.

She shrugged again. “Okay, I guess.”

Even though there wasn’t much excitement behind her response, I’d take it as a win and made a mental note to talk to Tim about some time off. The last thing I wanted to do was break a promise to Avery.

I turned left into the drop-off lane of the school, checking the time on the dashboard as I crept along behind the other cars until it was our turn. As soon as the car stopped, Avery was undoing her seat belt. Leighton, or Mrs. Bradley as the kids called her, opened the rear passenger door.

“Morning, Melanie,” she said as she helped Avery out.

I smiled. “Morning, Mrs. Bradley.” It was always funny seeing Leighton in teacher mode. The woman loved to party and frequented Dudley’s with her group of friends. You’d never know it if you only knew her as Mrs. Bradley, elementary teacher of the year. The kids adored her, as did most people in this town. “Did we make it in time?” I asked.

“Just in the nick,” she replied.

Grabbing her backpack, Avery climbed out the car and said, “Bye, Momma.”

“Bye, peanut.” I blew her a kiss and waved. She was gone in a flash, heading toward the front door of the school, eager to find her friends.

“Have a good day, Melanie,” Leighton said with a wave.

“Thanks. You too,” I replied, giving her a quick wave back as she shut the car door.

I checked the time on the clock and breathed a little easier. After barely making it in time to drop Avery at school, I headed for the edge of town where Dudley’s sat just a few miles past the city limit sign. I rolled down my window as I drove to enjoy the early morning breeze. Even if the A/C in my car hadn’t still needed fixing, I’d cruise with the windows down all the same. The fresh morning air against my skin always energized me for the day.

The gravel parking lot was empty, except for Tim’s truck parked near the rear entrance. I pulled in beside it and shifted my car into park. The Texas summer heat wave hadn’t hit yet, but I was still sweating as I gathered my purse and rushed inside the metal building. The smell of bleach and cleaning products mixed with the permanent scent of alcohol hit me as I opened the door. The soles of my shoes squeaked as I trekked down the hallway and past the stock room over the freshly mopped concrete floor. The cleaning crew had already come and gone since my closing shift last night.

“You’re fired,” Tim said blandly as I rounded the corner for the bar.

He hadn’t even bothered to glance up. His gaze was firmly planted on the clipboard in his hand as he scribbled a few final notes from where he stood behind the long wooden counter. Though worn from years of use, the lacquer still shone under the pendants that hung overhead.

“Good luck replacing me,” I cracked back. There was hardly a day that went by Tim Hudson didn’t “fire me.” I’d be more worried if he hadn’t threatened to terminate me at least once during a shift.

When he finally looked up, he grinned and passed me the clipboard. “I already finished taking inventory. Can you place the order?”

“Yes. I know how to do my job. Now, go on,” I demanded and jutted my chin toward the door. If he left now, he’d still have plenty of time to pick up Conley and make their appointment on time.

“If only you were as punctual as you are efficient,” he teased, making his way to leave.

I cracked a smile and lightly shook my head as he strode toward the back exit. “Oh! Wait!” I called out, stopping him short.

He turned to look at me with a raise of his brow.

“Do you think I can have a few weekends off this summer? I’d like to take Avery camping.”

“Sure. Whenever you want. Just put it in the calendar, so I can make arrangements.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” He headed for the door again. “I’ll be back after lunch,” he called over his shoulder. “That should give you enough of a head start to pick up Avery.” His body shook as he chuckled at his own joke.

“Ha-ha,” I said snarkily and then hollered to his retreating figure. “Wait until you have your own kid, then we’ll see who’s laughing and always late.”

Glancing back with a big grin still on his face, he gave me a wave, then disappeared around the corner and through the rear exit.

With a sigh, I quickly looked around the space that had become my second home. I didn’t dawdle for long. There wouldn’t be much time before the first of the morning deliveries arrived. First thing first, though. Music. I switched on the system, turning up the volume until the speakers crooned and filled the silent void. Then, I took the clipboard with me to the back office to place the orders and work on the schedule for the next few weeks.