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And I’m going to go over and talk to him. Just a little bit. Just to see how his interview went. Nothing more. Nothing less. I think this, but my heart already feels differently. We’ve got some kind of connection, Tommy and me. And it’s nothing less than divinely guided. I feel that as I make my way up to his table.
He looks at me with those big brown eyes and says, “Hi.”
I’m breathless. Never has one word meant so much. “Hi.”
Chapter Twelve
Tommy
There she is. Melissa.
Like I’ve somehow subconsciously summoned her, she’s right there in front of my table. For a moment, all I can do is stare at her. I drink in her curvy figure and slightly sharp features. Her black hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes are like magnets to me. They draw at me, even when all she’s said is, “Hi.”
For a moment, we do nothing but stare at each other. I can’t be sure, but I think I see a little bit of color on her cheeks, a slight tremble to her lips, and a bit of flushing on her neck and chest. I’m not sure what it is, but I get the feeling she’s just as surprised and happy to see me as I am to see her.
I clear my throat, reminding myself that I have other things to do besides stare at her wordlessly, like thank her and before my boss gets back from the bathroom. Serendipitously, she’s come over just as Ms. Vanacore’s stepped away. But my boss won’t be gone long, and from what I know of her already, she’s not going to allow Melissa and I to keep chitchatting with her sitting right there.
In my first few hours with Vanacore, I’ve learned one thing very clearly: when she’s here, you’re here. When she’s giving time to you, you better give yours back. Otherwise, she’s going to get nasty with you.
“Um,” I say, made breathless by how much attention Melissa instantly gives me, “I wanted to thank you, Melissa.”
“Thank me?” Her eyebrows arch. Her eyes widen, and her lips stretch into a bit of a smile. “What for?”
Internally, I smile and blush. I know she knows what I’m thanking her for, but I also know she’s teasing me. She’s acting humble for my benefit. Out loud, I say, “For your help before my interview.”
Knowing — though I have a feeling she already knew — dawns on her face. It spreads across her playfully-beautiful features like a sunrise across the ocean. “Oh, yes! That interview! How did it go?”
This time I can’t suppress my smile. “I got it,” I say.
Melissa squeals. Not as loudly as some women do, but loud enough to get some of the conversations in the room to die down. She claps in a way that matches her squeal. She says, “Wonderful! That’s worth celebrating! Worth going out to eat for!” And I can’t help but think that her mouth forms those words beautifully. Though I think with those lips, how full and luscious they are, anything would sound good coming out of them.
“It probably wouldn’t have happened without your last-minute style and organizational help,” I say, really feeling that way. Part of me knows that I got the job because Vanacore wanted me to have the job. She wanted me to be the one near her, but that doesn’t diminish Melissa’s contribution. It wasn’t just organizational or stylistic. It was emotional as well, but I don’t feel like I can tell her that. That’s too personal. That’s too emotional for me right now, or in this situation, where I’m in a restaurant waiting for my boss.
So instead, I say, “You really helped me get my head on straight. You helped me to relax and keep my nerves down.” I look at her with these words, hoping she reads more in my eyes. The truth. How loved and cared for I felt under her knowledgeable fingers, and artistic eye. I smile. “Thank you. I know it’s not in your job description to help people get ready for their interviews, but I think it really made a big difference. I’m working in a different office today because of you. I’m getting closer to being a practicing lawyer because of you, Melissa.” I clear my throat, watching Melissa blush.
She looks away from me shyly. “It’s nothing. Really,” she says, but I can tell it’s everything. Again, she’s just being modest. For my benefit, probably hers, as well. The way she smiles, it’s filled with nerves as well as excitement. Fear and joy at the same time. “I just did what I would want to be done to me if I was experiencing one of the biggest, most important decisions of my life.” She pauses. “I simply paid forward what was done for me once upon a time.”
