she felt with Jordan. They had only known each other for eight weeks, but it was all the time they needed to fall completely, madly, and stupidly in love.
What was she thinking? She was only seventeen. What the hell did she know about love at that age? Melody let out a long, deep breath, trying to escape the swirling memories, feelings, and utter confusion. Her head was about to explode, tiny pieces of her teenage thoughts splattering across the windshield of her car and all over her mom who was sitting next to her singing along with the latest pop tune.
She pulled into the driveway of their home and tapped on her steering wheel, her car sounding a short honk. Luna appeared quickly, and just seeing her made Melody feel better already. She had always been able to push a wave of calm over her.
Luna locked the door to the house, then hopped into the backseat in no time at all. “No call, no nothing?” she said as she closed the passenger door. “I’ve been waiting for an update. I knew I should have gone with you. How did it go?”
“Take a breath, would ya?” Melody said with a bit of a laugh, thinking to herself that she wished she had the same calming effect over her daughter, but that child was always talking a mile a minute. She lived a much faster paced life, definitely one of FOMO—which translated to fast-talking and fast-walking. Luna wasn’t going to miss a thing.
“It went well,” Mama Annie said. She nudged her daughter, elbow to elbow. “Didn’t it, honey?” She could almost feel the wink-wink in Mama’s tone.
Melody peered in her rear-view mirror at her only child who gazed back at her with a raised brow.
“Mom!”
“Mom?”
Melody and Luna both spoke at the same time. Melody was cautioning her own mother, while Luna was questioning her. She needed to prepare for the third degree from a fifteen-year-old.
It wasn’t until they were seated for lunch before Melody’s mom and daughter got back to the subject she was trying to avoid.
“He was hot as hell,” Mama Annie said before taking a bite of her sushi.
“Mother!”
“I’m not dead yet,” she countered.
Melody shook her head. “So not funny.”
Luna high-fived her grandma, “I thought it was.” She looked over at her mom. “Lighten up, woman. You just saw the great love of your life. You think you’d be all doe-eyed and giddy.”
Melody wondered how her daughter had such great insight. If only she had seen her in Jordan’s office earlier. That’s exactly how she looked and felt—doe-eyed and giddy… until she was reminded of the pain he had caused her.
The only thing that came out of him abandoning her for another girl was that she had met Luna’s father, and he gave her the next love of her life. She wouldn’t trade Luna for any happily ever after she could have had with Jordan.
“That’s ancient history,” Melody said, remembering the moment she found out about Jordan’s girlfriend. Bile rose in her throat. No, he wasn’t going to do this to her again. It was heartburn. Not him. Not again. All she needed was an antacid, not her pillow to cry on. “That chapter of my life is over.”
“Well, maybe there’s a sequel.” Luna always had a comeback.
“Or maybe the first was as good as it’s going to get.”
Luna wasn’t going to stop. “Or maybe the second part is even better than the first.”
“Or maybe it’s time for a new book, or movie, or whatever analogy we’re talking about here.” Melody took a sip of her iced tea. “It’s definitely time for a detour. We need a new doctor, Mama.”
“I’m sorry, mi’jita, but it’s not going to happen,” she said, softening Melody’s hardened shell with Spanish endearments. “We fought to get into SoCal, so I could get answers. Dr. Aria has a solid plan. And while we were driving over here, I did the Google thing on him, and he’s the best. People would die to see him.” Melody winced. “Okay, bad choice of words. But, honey, he’s the best at what he does, and I’m not taking a chance with any second-string docs. I already had the back-up to the back-up, and it’s time I had the best care. You’re not going to let a little teenage crush get in the way of that, are you?”
“No, Mama.” She’d never get in the way of her mother receiving the best healthcare possible, even if it meant that she had to