Angelina sighed. “That’s not all you bring to the table, Mel.”
“It was my brightest asset,” Melanie replied. “Looks—they don’t count for much without character. Without some substance to back you up, it’s just a moderately attractive face and figure. What’s that worth?”
Melanie’s gaze moved over the water, the moonlight rippling with the jump of a fish. “I need more. I’ve got to put my own life first, not sacrifice for love all the time. Maybe love needs to sacrifice for me.”
“What about Logan?” Angelina asked. “Things seem to be heating up between you two.”
“He’s got a life in Denver—his son, his business—and I’m not going back to Denver. I’ve got a chance to finally make the life I want, and if I start sacrificing for a guy again, I know I’ll regret it.”
“I found a career I loved,” Angelina said. “I really enjoy running the lodge and planning for the future. A relationship is supposed to bring out the best in you, but you know what? This lodge brings out the best in me, too. I’m more creative, I’m more energized and I’m able to make a difference in the lives of my friends. That’s got to count for something. I don’t think the be all end all of life is romance anymore. Now, I think the point of life is help others in their hard times.”
There was a blip, and Melanie looked at her phone to see an incoming call—this one from Tilly’s cell phone.
“Angelina, I’ve got a call from Tilly,” Melanie said. “I’ve got to go.”
“You bet. We’ll talk soon. Bye.” Angelina hung up and Melanie picked up the call.
“Tilly?” she said.
“Melanie?” there were tears in Tilly’s voice. “You said I should call...”
“Yes!” Melanie said. “Where are you? What’s going on?”
“We’re at a hotel in Brigham—it’s some little town up in the mountains.”
“I know it—that’s about two hours from here,” Melanie replied.
“I need you to come get me.”
“Of course. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just...mad. And you said you’d come, so...”
“I’m on my way. What’s the hotel called?”
“Um...” There was a shuffling sound. “Brigham Hotel. Very creative.”
“Are you alone? Is Simon there?” she pressed.
“I told Simon I’m done with him, and I wanted to come back. He said fine.”
“Is he still there?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. I’m just mad. That’s all. I want to come back.”
Melanie sighed. “Okay, as long as you’re safe. I’m on my way. Call me if you need anything else, but I’ll be there in a couple of hours. Just stay where you are, okay? Don’t leave with him again.”
“You were right, Mel...” There were tears in Tilly’s voice. “I need better than him.”
She shut her eyes. An “I told you so” wouldn’t be right, but she could feel it with every fiber.
“I’m coming. Hold tight, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.”
Melanie hung up. Her heart was hammering. Tilly was up in some tiny logging town—not exactly a safe area for a teenager alone. What on earth were they doing up there?
She looked down at her cell phone. How inconsiderate would it be to call a friend to come with her at midnight? She wasn’t keen on driving up to Brigham on her own. Angelina was still up—but it wasn’t Angelina she wanted to call.
She grimaced, then dialed Logan’s number. She’d let it ring three times and then hang up. But he picked up on the first ring.
“That you, Mel?” he said. He sounded groggy.
“It’s me,” she said. “Sorry to wake you, but would you be willing to come with me on a bit of a road trip tonight? Tilly called—she’s in Brigham, and she needs me to come get her.”
“Yeah...” His voice became clearer. “You bet. I’m up. Do you want me to drive? I could pick you up, or—”
“I’m driving,” she said. She wanted him to come along and be the muscle to protect her on that narrow highway in the middle of the night. And she wanted him to tell her it would be okay. But she didn’t want him to drive. “I’ll be there to pick you up in fifteen minutes, okay?”
“You bet. I’ll be outside.”
And she felt better knowing that she’d be doing this with Logan by her side. He was the kind of guy who made her feel more capable, just with his company. And if she was about to go confront Simon on Tilly’s behalf, Simon might respect a male presence.
Melanie grabbed her keys and headed outside to her SUV. It was time to bring Tilly home.
WHEN LOGAN SETTLED into Melanie’s passenger seat, he looked over to find her face looking pale and drawn.
“I didn’t actually think she’d call,” Melanie said. “I thought she’d call Adam, and I’d hear about it later.”
Logan put on his seat belt. “It’s like when they’re two years old and they fling themselves off a high point and just trust that you’ll catch them. They keep doing that—just in different ways. Before you know it, you’ve got a teenager on your hands who lives with this completely ungrateful belief that Dad—or Mom—can fix anything. They launch themselves out there, and you’re not there to catch them anymore, so all you can do is hold your breath.”
Melanie pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the gravel road that led to the main road. She seemed different tonight—there was a subtle change in her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Is that what this is?” Melanie asked.
“Sure looks like it,” he replied. “But she was right—you were here to catch her.”
“I’m two hours away,” she said with a shake of her head. “And I’m angry.”
“Yeah, well...you’re still driving out there.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder, then pulled back again. “There’s nothing romantic about parenting.”
“I’m pretty type A,” she said. “When the kids were younger, it is was easier to keep everything under control.”
They pulled onto the highway into the mountains. The highway this far west was narrower, and when a semitruck thundered past them from the
