Choices

"Yes, Mom, it's us," Mel said, getting out of the car and walking around to where her mother was standing.

"I'm happy you're home. Thanks for coming girls. I wasn't sure you would."

"Of course we were coming, Mom! Didn't Lindsey tell you we were on our way?" Melissa looked at her sister fighting back the tears.

"Yes, she did. I talk with Lindsey more than I talk with you. You never seem to have time for your mother. When was the last time you visited us? It was two, three years ago?"

"Four," said Lindsey, standing, as usual, a few steps behind her sister.

Her mother's words caused Melissa a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Mom. You know I lead a busy life," her words sounded like a weak excuse even to herself. "I offered you and Dad to come to live with us."

"And do what, Milly? Our life is here in Middletown. All our friends are here. We could never live in a big city. Please, give me a hug, girls. I need you so badly."

Both girls hugged their mother and they cried together on each other's shoulders. Once the floodgates opened, they cried more than they could ever remember crying in their whole life.

"He's gone girls. Your father is gone. What am I going to do now without him?" their mother exclaimed between sobs. "I can't believe he's really gone. It just doesn't seem real."

"Let's go inside, Mom," said Lindsey wrapping her arm around her mother's shoulders. "We can make tea and talk about the service."

Some hours ago, Melissa's life had been about reading scripts for her next movie and attending social events to hang with the right people.

Some hours ago, she was Mel Dawn, the famous actress.

Now, she was again Melissa Carpenter, daughter of Evelyn and Morgan. And the girl who cheated on her boyfriend.

Minutes later, they were all sitting at the kitchen table. Evelyn lowered her cup without taking a drink. "I keep thinking your father is going to walk through the front door at any minute. I have to keep reminding myself that he's never going to walk through that door again." The girls' mother swallowed hard and turned her attention to the garden beyond the window. She looked sad and tired and so very small. "What am I going to do without him?"

None of her daughters had an answer for that question so they just hugged their mother tight and cried in her shoulders letting go of the pain again.

"Things are not going to be the same without your father," the girls' mother said letting out of deep sigh, and left the room, leaving Melissa and Lindsey surrounded by nothing but memories.

CHAPTER 5

During the service, the three women cried so hard their eyes hurt. Melissa and Lindsey were heartbroken. Her father had encouraged his daughters to pursue every dream they ever had, and none of them got a chance to say goodbye to him, or tell him one last time how much they loved him.

The funeral procession drove through the town. Melissa's mother played with her wedding ring all the way to the graveside service. Mel looked down at her bare finger and wondered if someone who really loved her would slip a ring on it.

She didn't lack proposals. Brandon Allen himself had proposed to her when the show ended, looking for an obvious publicity stunt. In the last episode, their characters got married. She rejected him, of course. He was far from being the man of her dreams.

Even so, they had an on-and-off relationship through the years.

Lindsey was doing her best to hide her grief over her father's death and keep Mel's local fans out of the way. She realized that the decision of leaving Mel's bodyguard behind wasn't the best idea.

When they pulled into the cemetery, some people had already gathered. Melissa tried not to look around for Spencer when she got out of the car, but even so, her eyes wandered.

She spotted him easily. He was seated with his own parents in the second row of chairs. He looked back at her with an expression on his face she couldn't read.

Every time Melissa recalled what she had done to Spencer, she could hardly breathe past the pain and guilt slashing her heart.

She gulped and reminded herself that she was there for her mother, not her old boyfriend.

Spencer recognized Melissa immediately even when it had been almost ten years since he'd last seen her. She was hard to miss with the group of idiots circling her like sharks. Head down, dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. She looked different, mature, and womanly. Somehow when he pictured her in his head, she'd remained eighteen and innocently sweet.

Spencer's mind wandered back to the night he discovered Mel had cheated on him. The year that followed was one of the hardest he had ever had. Pain was his love, and hurt became his best friend.

Lindsey was sitting at her side, holding her mother's hand. She was doing her best to comfort her. Spencer couldn't help but admire her strength. She was all grown up too and she looked cuter than he remembered. When Lindsey peered in his direction and their gazes locked, she gave him a shy smile. He waved at her.

He felt a crazy twinge of hope in his chest. He hadn't felt it in so long, it was slightly shocking that it had reappeared with only a simple glance.

He shook the memory from his thoughts and focused on the people around him.

Paul Olson and his wife Mary were sitting at Spencer's side with their two daughters, Maggie and Sabrina.

"Mom, why are all those men bothering that girl?" Sabrina, the older daughter, asked her mom.

Spencer couldn't help but look over at Melissa again. A group of males was clustered around her like flies about a honey pot. Lindsey was having a hard time keeping them away until Bert Thomas, the local sheriff, came to her aid.

"She's a famous actress. I guess they want her autograph," was her mother's explanation.

"Well, that's dumb. If I was famous and my dad died I wouldn't want to give out autographs. I would like to be left alone."

"I bet Melissa is thinking the same thing, Sabrina," her mother said.

CHAPTER 6

Melissa, Lindsey, and her mother went back to the family residence for the wake.

As Lindsey greeted people who came to pay their respects, she asked everyone not to bombard Melissa with questions or ask for autographs or photos. Even now, despite her own pain, she was putting her job and her sister before herself. Most of the people respected her wishes and gave her space.

They were well into the gathering after the funeral when Spencer and his parents walked into the house to pay his respects.

Mel was sitting at her mother's side doing her best to comfort her.

Spencer approached them, hugged Lindsey, and said, "It's good to see you again, Linds. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

Lindsey accepted his condolences with trembling lips and downcast eyes.

"Nobody could match your dad for making people feel special. I'll always remember being the smallest kid on the peewee baseball team he coached, but feeling big, because he made me team captain, Linds," Spencer said.

Then, Spencer hugged Melissa's mother and kissed her on the cheek.

"Such a tragedy what happened to Morgan, Evelyn. He was such a wonderful man. Call me if you need anything. I'll always be there for you."

"She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it," Melissa added a bit annoyed Spencer was ignoring her.

"I suppose with all your Hollywood money you can step up and take care of a lot of things. For the rest, she'll have me," Spencer's voice was as cold as liquid nitrogen."

Evelyn let pass her daughter's rude comment and gave Spencer a soft smile. "I know, Spence. Morgan loved you as a son, you know that. You were very important in his life, you must feel as much pain as I do at his death."

Finally, Spencer faced Melissa and squinted his eyes at her. "Sorry for your loss, Ms. Carpenter. Your father was a great man. He will be missed." Then he extended his hand.

Melissa stiffened at 'miss'. In fact, she hated it. She shook Spencer's hand looking at him through her shades.

He turned around and walked away.

Lindsey could tell Melissa was hurt from Spencer's cold treatment. She knew what every one of her sister's facial features meant. Lindsey knew her sister was dying to have a talk with Spencer and rekindle their lost love. All these years, every time one of her Hollywood romances failed, Mel talked about Spencer, thinking about the 'what if's'.

"We were able to keep Dad's death out of the press for now," Lindsey whispered into her sister's ear. "I think we can keep Middletown out of the media circus and buy us some free time with Mom."

Melissa just nodded, her eyes still fixed on Spencer who was standing across the room.

"You need to talk with Janice Cooper. She is the editor of The Middletown Gazette. Make sure that 'The Queen of Mean' doesn't mention me when she writes our father's obituary," Melissa said to her sister.

Lindsey nodded, "I haven't heard that name since I was in high school."

Melissa grimaced, "I've been told she is still the same bitch she was in the past. Promise her an exclusive interview if she leaves me out of the news."

Paul Olson's family approached to pay their respects. Sabrina looked at Melissa and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sabrina, this is not the moment," her father warned his daughter.

"It's alright," Melissa smiled and bent down so that she was level with the girl.

"Are these guys who follow you everywhere your friends?"

Melissa couldn't help but laugh. Sabrina's mother opened her mouth to tell her daughter to leave the poor woman alone, but Mel stopped her with a gesture of her hand. She looked at the guys around her and grimaced.

"No, I don't know them. They follow me because I work on TV and I'm famous. Are they friends of yours?"

Sabrina looked at the group and shook her head. Then she turned around and pointed to Spencer. "He is my friend. He makes wooden furniture. We have a table that he built for us. Now, Mom is pushing Dad to buy the chairs. Do you know Spencer?"

The look on Melissa's face was so uncomfortable that Lindsey felt sorry for her. "We used to be friends a long time ago," Mel answered with a sigh.

Melissa raised her eyes to look at Spencer, her face full of remorse.

Lindsey took Sabrina's hand and told her, "Why don't we go to say hi to Spencer?"

Lindsey and Sabrina walked hand in hand to the corner of the room where Spencer was standing, chatting with a group of people. Sabrina, Lindsey, and Spencer made small talk for a while and then, Sabrina went back to her family and Lindsey asked Spencer if they could talk outside.

They sat down on a bench on the porch. Spencer could confirm that Lindsey had grown up into a beautiful young woman. She was not as beautiful as her sister, but certainly pretty in her own right.

"How have things been, Lindsey? I hope Hollywood treats you well."

"Things have been great for us. Mel's been busy with interviews, social events, photoshoots, and she's reading some scripts for her next movie."

"I didn't ask you about your sister, I asked about you," Spencer corrected her softly.

"I'm fine," Lindsey could go on for hours talking about Mel, but when it came to talking about herself, she was fond of two-word sentences. "Well, till Mom called us..." she gulped hard. Spencer nodded, placing his hand on hers and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry about your Dad. I'm here for you if you need me. I don't forget you were there for me when your sister betrayed me. It meant a lot to me." He placed his hand under her chin and lift to meet her eyes. "Now tell me the truth. You don't need to hide from me."

Lindsey shrugged. "Dad's death came as a shock. He was still young. I'm worried about Mom. Mel was pretty shaken by the news too. We're hoping the news doesn't filter out to the press so we can mourn in peace. But other than that I'm as well as I can be."

"Always thinking of the others before yourself," Spencer mumbled giving Lindsey a soft smile.

As answer, Lindsey just shrugged.

"When was the last time you had some time off. Even now, instead of grieving the loss of your dad, you're still doing your job keeping those idiots away from your sister."

She waved his concerns aside. "I hardly notice what I'm doing. After all these years it comes naturally to take care of her."

"I missed you, Lindy."

"I missed you too, Spence. You know, ever since I left Middletown, I had always felt something was missing. It took me months to figure that out. But now I know that I missed you. Your friendship is very important to me."

"To me too. You helped me to heal from my broken heart."

"Mel still cares about you, you know," Lindsey said in a low voice bringing her sister again to the conversation.

Spencer snorted, "Yeah, right. Caring for me didn't stop her from cheating with that weasel. Tell her she can come to pick up the knife she left stuck in my back."

Lindsey flashed Spencer a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes when she's down and drinks a bit too much, she talks about you... about the old days here in Middletown before she was famous."

"Strange considering she couldn't get out of town fast enough to fall into the arms of Brandon Shithead."

Lindsey laughed at that. Brandon wasn't her favorite person either. He was an arrogant bastard. Almost as many people hated him as loved him. That was probably the reason why he always played the bad boy role.

"Mel never failed to send you a card for your birthday or Christmas. You always returned them unopened."

"Because, I knew it was you who was sending them, Linds. That's why I always answered your cards and not hers."

"Even a 'thank you' card would have meant the world to her."

"I didn't mean to be rude. I just didn't want to give Mel the impression that I wanted to open lines of communication with her. You know we were done the moment she went to bed with Shithead. You know how much it hurt me. You were still in town when it happened. You were there for me."

Lindsey moved her head up and down, "Cheating is inexcusable, Spence. But there were extenuating circumstances. She was a small-town girl, alone in the big city. She was easy prey. I understood things better when I went to work for her and knew firsthand what the business is like."

"Sound like a load of bullcrap to me, Linds. If your love someone, you don't cheat on him. Period."

"She never told anyone about you to protect you from the press."

Spencer chuckled, "To protect me or herself? 'Small town girl falls in love with famous actor' sounds much better than 'Small town girl cheats on her hometown boyfriend with a famous teen actor.'"

Lindsey realized that Spencer still carried the scars of what Mel did to him.

"Tell me, Lindsey, how many relationships did Melissa have during the last ten years?"

Lindsey pressed her lips together and muttered, "Not as many as the tabloids report..."

"But certainly more than her fair share," Spencer pressed.

"She never had a long-term relationship..."

"Except with Shithead. I heard the news about him cheating on her," Spencer interrupted her.

"Brandon and Mel have had an on-and-off relationship since the show's first season. Nothing serious. She doesn't love him. You need to talk with her, Spencer. Get some closure."

"Get some closure," he repeated. "Where did you get that? Oprah? Cosmo? The people who need closure are the ones who have unanswered questions. I don't. Why did Mel cheat? Because Brandon was a means to get what she wanted. Did she love me? Did she care for me? Till a certain point, I think she did, but in her priorities, her acting career came before me. Does she regret what she did? Probably, but not enough to show remorse and come back to town to try to make things right or at least apologize to me in person."

"Do it for her then," Lindsey pleaded. "She really wants to talk with you."

"I bet she's dying to paint her actions in a more favorable light."

"She's dying for a second chance."

Spencer snorted.

"That's why she sent you instead of coming herself?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not that I'm complaining. You've become a beauty. I wish we were talking about you instead of your sister. I'd have preferred to talk with the friend who helped me in my darkest hour instead of Mel's assistant."

Lindsey tried to hide her blush behind her hand.

When Lindsey looked into Spencer's blue eyes, they were definitely smiling, accompanied by a quick quirk of his mouth.

"Note to self: Don't make him smile again. He looks too attractive when he smiles," Lindsey thought.

She placed her hand on his arm. "She hurt you. I get it. Tell her how you feel. Call her every name in the book. She can handle it."

Spencer studied Lindsey's features making her heart melt.

"Choices, Lindy. We make them hundreds of times a day. Our entire lives are an accumulation of choices that we've made. I've made mistakes, but all in all, I'm happy with the choices I took. Do you think Melissa is happy with hers?"

"I can't answer that. Why don't you ask her?"

Spencer's lips curved up in a smile. Her quick wit was as attractive as her. "Tell me, Lindsey. What would you have done in my place?"

"Me? My personal life has been on hold for so long I can't put myself in your shoes. I don't have time to date, or go out with friends. Being Mel's assistant is a full-time job."

"You sacrificed love and happiness for your sister."

"Yes, I did. The job pays too well. I'm financially independent and I'm saving a lot of money for my future. You can't have it all, you know. Life isn't quite so simple."

"What about love? Family? Friends? Don't you want that?"

"I'll have that eventually when I get tired of this work."

"You must feel very lonely," he placed his hand on hers.

Lindsey sighed and let down her guard for a few seconds. "You have no idea... there are lots of people around you, and you are often working by yourself without anyone to bounce ideas off, or delegate tasks to..." She shook her head. "And talking about work, I should go back to Mel. What do you want me to tell her?"

"If she needs closure I can spare a few minutes to talk with her as a favor to you," Spencer smiled at her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "It was nice talking with you again, Lindy. We have to meet before you go back to LA."

Spencer couldn't help realize that Lindsey was completely devoted to her sister. Instead of giving herself time to mourn the death of her father, she was still running errands for Mel.

It bothered Spencer that Mel didn't seem to appreciate how Lindsey's kind and thoughtful behavior went above and beyond the role of a personal assistant.

If only he could convince her to leave Mel... Lindsey had more to offer the world than just being her famous sister's flunkey.

CHAPTER 7

Melissa walked slowly towards Spencer. She had pictured this reunion thousands of times. She'd be full of remorse and grief, and she'd tell him what a huge mistake she'd made sleeping with Brandon. She'd let him know that she'd thought of him every day, and never stopped loving him. He was the one and only man in her life that mattered.

Now that the moment was finally upon her, Mel wasn't sure what to say.

For the first time since she got back in town, Mel was able to take a close look at her ex-boyfriend. He looked different, more mature, yet so much the same boy that she fell in love with all those years ago. He looked even better than she remembered, dressed in a black suit, his face freshly shaved.

"Lindsey told me you want to talk with me..." Mel started to say.

Spencer interrupted her, crossing his arms on his chest, "Nope. I told Linds that if YOU wanted to talk with me I would listen."

His face was serious and there was a sharp aura in his voice. "I'm only doing this for her. I owe Linds a lot, she was there for me when you betrayed me."