Unintended Love: A contemporary romantic novella by Harley O'Riley Page B
Authors: Harley O'Riley
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weeks.”
“No, and you never told me about Alex. I’m telling you now.”
Melanie made plans to visit the next weekend. She wanted to get away and clear her head, and she was very interested to meet this man in her mother’s life. When she hung up she realized that she didn’t even know his name, or anything about him besides that her mother was involved with him many years ago.
CHAPTER 14
––––––––
T he last thing that she needed to do before she could begin the long drive was make out a list of instructions for the neighbors who were taking care of Angel. When she searched through the junk drawer in the kitchen for a pen, she found the envelope that Cary had given her that day at the news station.
Sighing at her own disorganization, she threw the envelope into her purse along with a small box of notecards. She was determined to send every donor a handwritten thank you, and she might as well write them at her mother’s.
Soon after driving past the sign on the highway that read, Leaving Spokane County , Melanie felt herself start to relax. She turned the radio to her favorite oldies rock station and rolled her window down letting the warm breeze blow her hair into a tangle. The drive would be a long one, but there was no way she was going to fly this time. And maybe the long drive would give her the space she needed to work through her feelings for Alex.
One hundred miles later, she took an exit off the highway and stopped at a fast food restaurant. The place was empty, and after taking a few bites of an overdone chicken sandwich and eating a few limp french-fries, she pulled the envelope and notecards out of her purse.
Inside the envelope were four checks made out to Books to Kids. Three of them, were for one hundred dollars each: one from Cary, one from the station’s producer, and one of the news writers, and one check for two thousand dollars.
Melanie almost fell off of her chair when she saw that the last check was from Alex. On the note line he had simply written “good luck”. She stared at the handwriting on the check for a long time before sliding it back into the envelope.
It had been Alex that she’d first told about her idea for Books to Kids, and it was partly his encouragement that had motivated her to begin. And now she felt a passion in her work life, and everything was falling into place like it was meant to be. The days seemed to fly by, and she had an energy she’d never had as a nurse. It reinforced her thoughts that nursing had never been the right career for her.
She called and listened to the sound of his cell phone ringing with her heart in her throat.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hi, it’s me. I mean it’s Melanie.”
“I know who it is. How are you?”
“I’m good, fine... I just got your check,” she said, not knowing how to begin.
“I wanted to give more, but...well it felt awkward, I guess”
“More? No Alex, it was so generous. I called to tell you thank you.”
“I do believe in you,” he said.
There was a pause and Melanie searched for something else to say. It wasn’t easy. She wanted to tell him that she’d changed her mind and that she wanted to see him, but the right words wouldn’t come. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
She took a deep breath and plunged in. “Alex, how are you? I’ve missed you. I’ve wanted to call, but...you know.”
There was another long pause before Alex responded. “I’ve missed you too.”
She breathed out and a sliver of happiness pierced the sadness that she’d been holding inside for weeks. She felt lighter. “Maybe we can get together soon.”
“Maybe very soon,” he said.
––––––––
I t was hot, and the cloudless blue sky accented the sharp, snow-tipped peaks that were everywhere she looked. Driving through the mountains made all the memories of the days out there with Alex come back in full force. How happy she’d been, even though in reality, lost and in
“No, and you never told me about Alex. I’m telling you now.”
Melanie made plans to visit the next weekend. She wanted to get away and clear her head, and she was very interested to meet this man in her mother’s life. When she hung up she realized that she didn’t even know his name, or anything about him besides that her mother was involved with him many years ago.
CHAPTER 14
––––––––
T he last thing that she needed to do before she could begin the long drive was make out a list of instructions for the neighbors who were taking care of Angel. When she searched through the junk drawer in the kitchen for a pen, she found the envelope that Cary had given her that day at the news station.
Sighing at her own disorganization, she threw the envelope into her purse along with a small box of notecards. She was determined to send every donor a handwritten thank you, and she might as well write them at her mother’s.
Soon after driving past the sign on the highway that read, Leaving Spokane County , Melanie felt herself start to relax. She turned the radio to her favorite oldies rock station and rolled her window down letting the warm breeze blow her hair into a tangle. The drive would be a long one, but there was no way she was going to fly this time. And maybe the long drive would give her the space she needed to work through her feelings for Alex.
One hundred miles later, she took an exit off the highway and stopped at a fast food restaurant. The place was empty, and after taking a few bites of an overdone chicken sandwich and eating a few limp french-fries, she pulled the envelope and notecards out of her purse.
Inside the envelope were four checks made out to Books to Kids. Three of them, were for one hundred dollars each: one from Cary, one from the station’s producer, and one of the news writers, and one check for two thousand dollars.
Melanie almost fell off of her chair when she saw that the last check was from Alex. On the note line he had simply written “good luck”. She stared at the handwriting on the check for a long time before sliding it back into the envelope.
It had been Alex that she’d first told about her idea for Books to Kids, and it was partly his encouragement that had motivated her to begin. And now she felt a passion in her work life, and everything was falling into place like it was meant to be. The days seemed to fly by, and she had an energy she’d never had as a nurse. It reinforced her thoughts that nursing had never been the right career for her.
She called and listened to the sound of his cell phone ringing with her heart in her throat.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hi, it’s me. I mean it’s Melanie.”
“I know who it is. How are you?”
“I’m good, fine... I just got your check,” she said, not knowing how to begin.
“I wanted to give more, but...well it felt awkward, I guess”
“More? No Alex, it was so generous. I called to tell you thank you.”
“I do believe in you,” he said.
There was a pause and Melanie searched for something else to say. It wasn’t easy. She wanted to tell him that she’d changed her mind and that she wanted to see him, but the right words wouldn’t come. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
She took a deep breath and plunged in. “Alex, how are you? I’ve missed you. I’ve wanted to call, but...you know.”
There was another long pause before Alex responded. “I’ve missed you too.”
She breathed out and a sliver of happiness pierced the sadness that she’d been holding inside for weeks. She felt lighter. “Maybe we can get together soon.”
“Maybe very soon,” he said.
––––––––
I t was hot, and the cloudless blue sky accented the sharp, snow-tipped peaks that were everywhere she looked. Driving through the mountains made all the memories of the days out there with Alex come back in full force. How happy she’d been, even though in reality, lost and in
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