“It’s top secret, but I’ll tell you.” She hesitated, her excitement barely contained.
“Okay…” I said, trying to sound interested. Melony was a delight, but I wasn’t in the mood. The smallest distraction from work brought Kevin back to mind. I shut my eyes briefly, trying to push thoughts of him away.
“Are you okay?” Melony asked, her tone softening.
“Yeah, I’m good. What were you going to say?”
She seemed skeptical but decided to drop it. “I have a date with Corbin. We’re kind of a thing now.” Her voice was full of excitement.
“Corbin?” I repeated, trying to place the name. “Which Corbin?”
“How many Corbins work here? Corbin from PT.”
“Wow, Melony.” I clapped my hands together, genuinely surprised. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since that breakfast celebrating your promotion.”
“You two used that as an opportunity to get closer? Smart move.” I laughed.
“Anyway, you can’t tell anyone. Promise?”
“Of course,” I said, trying to stifle a laugh. Melony couldn’t stay serious for more than five minutes, and I loved her for it.
“I’m really happy for you, Melony. Corbin seems like a great guy.”
“He is. He’s so intentional and a really good listener,” she gushed.
“Well, you need someone to listen to all the stories you dish out uninvited.”
“Are you calling me a chatterbox?”
“I didn’t need to. You just did.”
“Admit it, you’ve benefited from my stories.”
“I never said otherwise, but that doesn’t mean you don’t talk too much.”
“At least you didn’t lie about getting good intel from me.”
“So, do you love him?” I asked, partly out of curiosity and partly because I wanted to distract myself from my own love life, which was in shambles.
“Kind of… sort of. It’s too early to say, but we’re good.”
“Alright, go do your thing. I’ll cover for you.” I tilted my head toward the door.
Melony’s smile grew wider. “I knew I could count on you. Thanks a lot.”
“Go before I change my mind,” I teased, but she wasn’t fooled.
“See you tomorrow, Licia.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I was genuinely happy for Melony and her newfound love. If only I could be that happy. With a sigh, I returned to my work.I needed to prepare my report for the meeting, so there wasn’t time to dwell on my wistful thoughts.
***
After the meeting, I drove to a fruit stall near the city center to grab supplies for the house. Joey was visiting later, and I needed to restock. She’d nag me endlessly if I didn’t.
