Love for Beginners: An Under the Hood Novella by Sally Clements Page A

his. She’d tried to deny it, but the feelings weren’t easy to shake off. Despite her protestations to the contrary, something about Heath affected her deeply. He did something for her, but if she said anything, Alice would never let up.
    “I need to call in and see my mother.” Mel flicked the flashlight on, played the beam of light up the wall and then turned it off again. She rooted in the drawer for extra batteries. You could never be too careful.
    “Heath’s going off to visit a friend for the weekend, so Mark and I are heading up to Chesapeake for the day. We can call in and check on her tomorrow night on our way back. I made some jam—I’ll bring her a jar.”
    Mel placed the batteries she was clutching down on the countertop, hand resting on them for a moment as emotion welled up. “That would be really great.”
    “Hey, anytime. I wanted to anyway.” Alice’s casual tone couldn’t hide the intent behind her words. She’d pretend it was nothing, but the fact that she’d call in and check on Mel’s mother—shouldering a responsibility that wasn’t hers—warmed Mel’s heart.
    Friends like Mel and Betty were worth their weight in gold. She felt sort of bad, keeping them in the dark. “I haven’t been out in the wilderness for such a long time,” she said. “In a few months the weather will turn again, and I’ll have missed my chance. A long hike through the mountains, some fishing in the river, and fresh-caught fish for dinner cooked over a campfire—I couldn’t resist.”
    Alice laughed. “You don’t have to cook on a campfire. The last time we were there we brought up a couple of new cylinders of gas. Or if you want to be really rustic and have the time, you can fire up the wood-burning stove.”
    “That’s great. Thank Mark for letting me steal his haven.”
    “Will do. See you Monday.” With that, Alice hung up.
    It took longer than Mel’d expected to gather all of the things that she might need for a weekend in the mountains, but eventually she was ready to go. She called Heath, arranged a time for him to pick her up, then set off on foot to her mother’s house. The leafy street was mostly deserted, and the air was clean and crisp. The distant mountains were painted swallow blue, and not for the first time, her heart filled with joy at living so close to nature. The pace in Meadowsweet was slow, like the meandering river that flowed near the Jamesons’ cabin—but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
    Mel breathed in deeply as her arms swung out, tips of her fingers combing the breeze. Hopefully Mom would have woken up in a good mood this morning, feeling some relief from the black well she’d been drowning in recently. All Mel’s life, her mother had been plagued with depression. Medication helped, but on occasion she was overwhelmed. When the company employing her as a secretary went out of business, Marcia had buried her head in the sand and missed the mortgage payments. Mel did her best, but she’d plowed her savings into Under the Hood, and business wasn’t generating enough money to cover the extra financial burden of her mother’s mortgage on top of paying off the garage earlier than they had originally intended.
    Lost in thought, Mel covered the mile between their homes. With luck, her house would sell quickly. She’d economize by moving back home for a while, then hopefully find something cheap to rent. She pressed her lips together and rang the doorbell. They’d survive. They always had without anyone’s help, and they always would.
    “Hey.” Marcia pulled the front door open. She was dressed, which was a good sign. So often these days she didn’t bother with that until after lunchtime. She clutched a cup of steaming red liquid. Mel breathed in—raspberry leaf, by the smell of it. “You’re up early. Come on in.”
    Mel followed her mother through the cluttered house to the kitchen. The back door was open. “Do you want a cup?” Marcia held up her