CHAPTER 5
Winter passed into spring. The snow slowly melted, revealing tender shoots of new, pale green grass. Bulbs burst into flowers. Slowly and with many false starts, winter loosened its grip and life began to take hold. And with the spring blossomed new feelings of hope in two hearts for whom winter's grip had been too long embedded. Slowly, the Saturday and Sunday brunches evolved into weekend-long sleepovers. While Mel and Jim never spoke of a long-term relationship, in Mel's heart it felt like one. Lying with Jim's arms around her waist, she could just imagine how it would go; slow and easy. No heavy drama, no intense conversation. Just the gradual admission that we've been a couple for a while. Eventually, I'll move into his house. When people ask, of course, we'll say we live t
