Chapter 8

“What are you thinking?” Lindsey asked her sister once people left the house.

“There are too many emotions flowing through me right now,” Melissa said.

“You’re going to break your fingernails if you clutch your hands any tighter,” Lindsey warned her sister. “How did the talk with Spencer go?”

“Not good. He hates me even if he says he doesn’t. He doesn’t want anything to do with me.” And then, between sobs, Mel told her sister about her conversation with her old boyfriend.

“You tried to pick up your relationship where you left off. That was a mistake,” Lindsey opined.

Mel pondered her sister’s words, “What do you mean?”

“You can’t say ‘I made a mistake, I’m sorry. I still love you, let’s try again.’ You’ll have to start again from the beginning as if you were two strangers. Let him get to know you. Let him see the difference between the teenager you were and the woman you became. With a little luck, he might fall in love with this new you.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to stay in town that long. I bet my manager and my agent are mad at me because I left LA without telling them.”

“When was the last time you had some free time, Mel? I mean real vacations and not just a day at the spa.”

She couldn’t answer that.

“Even if they agree to give me a month off, the problem is still the same. Spence won’t talk with me again much less agree to go on a date with me.”

“I could try to reach out to him for you ... again,” Lindsey felt a rush of enthusiasm run through her. She was truly excited at the opportunity of spending more time with Spencer.

“Would you do that for me?” Mel clutched her sister’s hands. “He needs to understand I still love him and care for him. What I did had nothing to do with him. It gave me the breakthrough I needed in my career. Nothing else. He needs to see things from my perspective.”

“That’s going to take lobotomizing him,” Lindsey thought, being careful not to let her feelings show on her face.

“I’ll do my best. But no promises,” Lindsey conceded. “But Mel...?”

She looked at her sister.

“First, we need to focus on Mom. She comes first. Let’s take some days off to make sure she is okay and settle her business. Then I’ll see what I can do regarding Spence.”

“Thank you, thank you! You’re the best sister and assistant ever!” Melissa said and hugged Lindsey tightly.

Suddenly, Melissa felt all her energy draining. The long day was catching up on her. “I’m exhausted. I’m going up to bed now. Tomorrow we’ll take care of Mom and some things on my agenda.”

“Good night, Mel. Sleep well,” said Lindsey. She was tired herself. It had been an exhausting day full of emotionally draining activities.