Page 7 of Naughty Heart

I loved that Cheryl had Scott in her life. They’d been together for nearly two years now, and he made her so happy. But I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t just a bit envious.

“I think he’s going to propose,” Pam chimed in.

Snapping my head in her direction, my eyes darting back and forth between my friends, I asked, “Do you really think so?”

Pam nodded, the look on her face indicating she was giddy at the possibility.

“I won’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, because it has. Scott is a romantic by nature, so it’s certainly a possibility, but I don’t want to get my hopes up to be disappointed,” Cheryl answered.

“It would be so fun. We could plan our weddings together,” Pam bubbled.

A pang of jealousy hit me, washing over me in a way my friends couldn’t miss.

“Shit. Sorry, Evelyn. I wasn’t thinking,” Pam lamented.

I shook my head, dismissing it. “It’s okay. Honestly, I’m better off now. Really.”

While there was truth in the sense that I was much better off now without my ex-boyfriend, Darryl, because he was lying, cheating scum, I was certainly in a worse financial position because of our breakup.

Four years ago, I’d been working for a different company in a position that paid more than I was currently making. It was at that time when I’d gotten my apartment and could easily afford the payments. Five months after I’d signed the lease, I met Darryl. Three months after that, I lost my job.

I was fortunate enough to find my current job reasonably quickly, but I still didn’t make enough to be able to pay the rent, plus all of my other expenses. So, when Darryl suggested we move in together and that he’d cover all the living expenses while I covered rent, that’s what I did.

And it worked.

Until about four months ago.

I’d gotten sick in the middle of the workday and went home early. I was shocked to find Darryl on the couch in the throes of passion with his side piece. Everything blew up, and I learned he’d been cheating for the better part of a year.

He was out of the apartment that same day, and I’d been struggling ever since—both financially and personally. That betrayal and learning I’d been deceived for so long hit me hard.

Luckily, I had Pam and Cheryl. They’d seen me through those first few weeks, and it was safe to say I was better off now, even if my finances were still a mess.

“Your guy is out there, Evelyn,” Cheryl insisted.

I sent a genuine smile her way and nodded. “I know he is. I’m just waiting for him to find me.”

“Maybe Santa will bring him to you this year,” Pam suggested.

Laughing, I replied, “I have been a good girl all year, so maybe I’ll get lucky.”

My friends laughed along with me, and when Cheryl glanced down at her watch, she noted, “We better head inside.”

“Yeah, the sooner we get this day started, the sooner you’ll be able to head home and get your wonderful weekend started.”

A moment later, the three of us were heading into work.

And before I knew it, we were in the thick of it. With the holiday season upon us, we were still busy packing what were known at “Santa Sacks.” Essentially, as the seasons changed, so did the marketing efforts. While there were times when I worked on the assembly line putting labels on crayons or packing the markers in their boxes—jobs that never stopped no matter what time of year it was—there were unique projects that often came up.

Every summer, we’d work on producing whatever the marketing department came up with for back-to-school shoppers. This past year, several of my coworkers and I stuffed backpacks with necessary school supplies for kids. They were apparently a big hit with parents.

Now that we’d switched gears to Christmas, everything was all about that. So, we were filling mini red sacks with fun art supplies kids could use over their holiday break from school. Though it was tedious work, I liked knowing it would be here for a period of time before something else took its place.

The morning hours passed quickly, and the next thing I knew, it was time to break for lunch.

Today had been going just like every other day at work, so when I walked into the cafeteria to meet up with Pam and Cheryl, noting the looks on their faces, along with a large majority of others there, I grew concerned.

I quickly made my way to the table I’d sat at for years with my friends and asked, “What’s going on? Why does everyone look like you two look right now?”