“I’ll bet Jack missed you last night,” she said.

Hope grinned. “Of course. He already sent a text this morning, and he and Duke sent their best wishes for swift healing.”

Melissa smiled. “That’s so sweet. Tell them I said thank you.”

“I will,” Hope said. “After you’ve been up and moving about a bit, I’m going to call Dr. Quick with my assessment of how you’re doing and see what he recommends.”

“Thank you, again,” Melissa said. “I rested so much better here than I would have in the hospital.”

“I know. Even when people really need to be there, it’s hard to find comfort in the constant noise and lights, not to mention the repetitive poking and prodding. So, what sounds good for breakfast?” Hope asked. “I saw pancake mix and cereal, and there’s still cold fried chicken and pecan pie.”

Melissa grinned. “You may think this is weird, but I think the cold fried chicken sounds way better than breakfast food this morning. Actually, eating it cold is one of my favorite ways to eat fried chicken.”

“Then when you get dressed, just wander on down to the kitchen. I’ll get out the leftovers, and you can put whatever you want on your plate.”

“Deal,” Melissa said. “I’m going to enjoy this coffee first, and I’ll be there shortly.”

As soon as Hope was gone, Melissa picked up her phone and called the bed-and-breakfast.

“Blessings Bed and Breakfast. This is Bud.”

“Bud, this is Melissa Dean.”

“Melissa! It’s good to hear that you are up and about. How are you this morning?” he asked.

“Beyond being sore all over, not too bad,” she said. “I’m calling because I need you to give Sully Raines my phone number. I owe him a cup of coffee, for sure, so if you would give him my cell number, he can call at his convenience. I’m going to be home all day.”

“Okay, I’m ready to write it down,” Bud said.

Melissa gave him her number and thanked him, then took a sip of her coffee. The warmth going down her throat felt good, and the idea of seeing Sully Raines again was even better. Even if it was just a moment between two old friends.

Bud started to take the message to Sully, when Rachel, who’d overheard the conversation, slipped it out of his hand.

“Let me,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you later.”

Bud shrugged. He loved his wife, but she was a drama queen, and he could only imagine what she was up to now.

Rachel sashayed through the dining room straight to Sully’s table. He was finished with breakfast and reading something on his phone.

“Excuse me, Sully. I have a message for you,” Rachel said.

Sully laid down his phone as she handed him the slip of paper. The moment he saw who it was from, he looked up at her and smiled.

“Thanks a lot,” he said. “And by the way, breakfast was great.”

Rachel beamed. “Thank you,” she said.