Turning the Page by Georgia Beers

nodded
    politely in Melanie's direction.
    "I think I'd like the fruit and nut salad, please."
    "I'll have the gazpacho and a side salad."
    The waitress took their menus, and Ben looked sheepishly at Melanie. "Since Taylor's been
    home, I've been indulging a bit too much." He patted his belly. "She's a very good cook. I usually try to be a good boy during lunch."
    "Taylor can cook?" Melanie asked, somewhat amused by the fact, but not sure why.
    "Amazingly well."
    "She's been very sweet to me, helping me get to the bookshop, lending me her tapes."
    Ben chuckled. "She trying to make a Xena convert out of you, too? Careful, she'll have you
    doing back flips and battle cries in the middle of the yard." They were both laughing when
    their lunches arrived. Ben looked at Melanie sincerely. "Taylor's a good girl.
    She's been a godsend for me, since Anna died." His voice softened. "Moved right in and took over the household. Refused to let me be alone. Much as I may have acted like I resented it
    then, it was just what I needed. I don't know what I would have done without her." He nodded,
    then spoke as if to himself. "She's a good girl, my Taylor."
    Melanie was touched. It was obvious from his quiet tone and lack of eye contact that Ben
    didn't often talk this personally. "I like her a lot. I'll have to get her to cook for me."
    Ben's face brightened. He was mildly embarrassed that he had strayed into such emotional
    territory so soon, and he was relieved to have the subject shifted away from it. "You'l be
    hooked, I warn you.
    And before long, you'll have one of these." He patted his belly again.
    "And I'll have to order salad and soup for lunch, right?"
    "Every day."
    "That must earn you some harassment from your co-workers."
    "You have no idea."
    They fell into an easy mode of conversation. Melanie felt quite comfortable with Ben,
    considering she hardly knew him. Must run in the family, she thought. He was a broker at
    Merrill Lynch, and had been for the past fifteen years. Stocks and bonds and CDs and mutual
    funds were things that Melanie had a hard time grasping, but Ben didn't go into long and
    boring detail. Instead, he asked about her marketing experiences, and over mouthfuls of
    deliciously fresh food, they traded corporate war stories, laughing over the glaring similarities
    that existed from big business to big business.
    Regrettably, Ben noticed the restaurant had begun to clear out, and he spared a glance at his
    watch.
    "Time to go back to work?"
    "I'm afraid so. Melanie, thank you so much for joining me. I've had a wonderful time." He
    quickly snatched up the bill, ignoring the redhead's protests.
    "Thank you for inviting me. It was very sweet of you, considering my cousin seems to have left
    me to my own devices."
    He shook his head with a chuckle. "That Samantha. She's something else, huh?"
    "That's one way of putting it." Melanie was still a bit stung over her cousin's sudden
    departure.
    "To be that free, that immune to responsibility..." Ben sighed wistfully. "Ah, well. Some of us have to be practical. Shall we?"
    Melanie stood, and they walked to the door. "Thank you again, Ben."
    "It was my pleasure." He squeezed her upper arm gently, then inclined his head toward the
    bookstore. "Don't stay cooped up in there too long. It's a beautiful day, and you're on
    vacation." With a wink, he turned and headed for the parking lot behind Aladdin's.
    She grinned, and carefully crossed Monroe Avenue through the apparently endless traffic.
    When she got to her side of the street she stood, and regarded the storefront with distaste.
    "What a god-awful color," she mumbled to herself. "Why would anybody be drawn to this place?" She stared for several more minutes, before making a decision to find the nearest
    paint store as soon as possible. How could Sam get mad at her if she made the store look
    better? Certainly, once she saw it, she would forgive her cousin for overstepping her bounds,
    right?
    THE SUN WAS just disappearing