Page 18 of Naughty Heart

That wasn’t an option.

Normally, the shoes wouldn’t have been a problem, but considering all the walking and standing I’d done during the day and mixing that with my treks to and from the bus stop, there was no chance of remaining unaffected.

On the bright side, given the salary Malcolm had intended to pay me, it would only be a matter of a few paychecks before I’d be able to get my car fixed and no longer need to take the bus to work. Bringing my rent current was my top priority.

I flipped the quesadilla in the pan, grabbed myself a glass of water, and carried that along with the ice pack into the living room. By the time I returned to the kitchen, my food was ready. I pulled out a plate and slid the quesadilla out of the pan.

With my dinner ready and a desperate need to sit for a while, I returned to the living room, got myself settled on the couch with my ice pack, and sunk my teeth in for my first bite.

My head dropped back toward the armrest.

Heaven.

There was nothing fancy or extravagant about my meal or where I was eating it, but in that moment, it was the best thing I’d ever tasted. And combining that feeling with the relief I felt to have my feet elevated with some ice on them, I was almost willing to say it felt like I was visiting that spa I’d walked into on Saturday.

I was about halfway through my meal when my phone rang. I reached out to the coffee table, fished it out of my purse, and saw a name that made me smile.

“I’ve been wondering when you were going to call,” I said as a greeting.

Cheryl’s laughter came through the line. “If you only knew how excited I’ve been to make this call.”

Oh, I hoped she was calling with special news. Deciding it was best to allow her to share at her own pace, I asked, “So, how was your weekend getaway?”

“Wonderful. We had the best time,” she replied.

“That’s great. What did you guys do?”

There was an extended pause, and it was all I needed to know precisely where this was headed. Finally, she returned, “Oh, you mean, other than getting engaged?”

I let out a squeal of delight. “I knew it! I just had this feeling you were going to tell me it happened. Congratulations! Tell me how he did it.”

For the next few minutes, Cheryl filled me in on the details of her engagement. I listened intently, doing it while finishing up my dinner, and feeling excited for her. I was so happy that she had a wonderful man in her life. Granted, it would have been easy to feel jealous in my position, but that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t my time yet, but I had hope I’d eventually be able to experience that same excitement for myself.

When my friend finished telling me all about her engagement, I said, “Wow, Cheryl. What an incredible story. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Evelyn.”

“Though, if I’m completely honest with you, I’m a little ticked off. I would have thought you would have called me yesterday when you got back, or even first thing this morning,” I playfully scolded her.

“Oh, I would have. Trust me. But we actually didn’t get back until this afternoon. And the first order of business was telling our parents and families,” she explained.

My brows pulled together. “Oh, I thought you two were planning to come back yesterday.”

“We were, but after he learned about what happened at work, Scott decided he wanted to do something to cheer me up. So, he extended our trip another night.”

That news made me smile.

Maybe I hadn’t had any luck just yet in that department, but I was glad my friend had found a guy who looked after her the way Scott did. I loved that he took steps to make her feel better about losing her job, and I was even more delighted to learn that it had worked.

“He really is a wonderful guy, Cheryl. You better hold on to him.”

“I fully intend to. Now, it’s back to reality.” There was a hint of frustration and somberness in her voice.

“Welcome back. You don’t need to look at it as a bad thing, you know? Because now you get to spend your time planning a wedding,” I reasoned.

“I know. I’m so excited about that part, but I think before I can reasonably do any real wedding planning, I’m going to need to find a job. I still can’t believe they let all of us go,” she returned. “Hey, I know, why don’t I call Pam, and the three of us can get together to hunt for jobs this week?”

And here it was—my opportunity to tell one of my closest friends about the good news I had.