The Secret Admirer Next Door (Love Next Door Series Book 1) *Editing*

Chapter 34

"Melanie, I can't focus with you doing that."

"I'm sorry, it's what I do when I'm nervous." She started the next verse of 'Memories'. Not that Melanie didn't have a nice singing voice, but to wake up with her singing loud in the shower every morning growing up and now just left her on edge with a head ache. She needed to think, and she couldn't do it with a Broadway show tune in the background, or foreground. Melanie sang loud enough

"Can you call him or something." Valerie spoke up.

"I'm calling...and I'm singing in the moooonlight!!!" Melanie sang.

Valerie shut her eyes shaking her head suddenly regretting bringing Melanie at all, but she seemed to be the closest to this mystery man, for some strange reason. This person knew her through Christian, and that thought just left her mind going every which way.

Melanie's opera voice shook her out of her thoughts "Oh Sweet mystery of life at last I found you!" "Oh..um.. I mean, hi M-um...Hi, you..." She stammered.

Valerie cradled her head in her fingertips shaking her head and snickering.

Melanie peeked over at Valerie suspiciously and looked back at the window, "Yeah, the cat is in the alleyway, requesting further instruction...yeah..." She peaked over at again and tilted toward the window, "Yeah...when you say that do you mean" Melanie shifted,"well you know that weird thing she does with her lips when she's thinking really hard...yeah,that look, She peeked over again "now she's looking at me with that other look...you know that one where her lips are to the side...yeah, that 'oh hell naw' look" She rolled her head, "and an eye roll...Yes?" She nodded," M...um...guy," She peeked over at Valerie again, "that's not a psycho..." She winced with a smile. "Sure okay."

Melanie pushed her screen and put the phone down,"He wants to talk."

"To me?" Valerie cocked an eyebrow.

"No to me." She she shrugged and winced again.

"Yeah, I think you need to return to mother ship." Valerie giggled thankful her sister never became a detective. She would have been horrible on a steak out.

Melanie unfastened her seat belt and pulled open the door and sliding out of the car she relished in the feel of the snow crunching under her feet but that didn't keep her from her nerves at bay, the only thing that distracted her from her nerves was the song she got stuck in her head. She belted out Memories as she crossed the bridge. This was just like playing the part in a big Broadway number. The moon was her spotlight as she sung into it.

It was like a romantic scene in a play and she was the fairy god mother. She didn't care if it made her a Disney princess. This was better than a Disney movie. She'd even pressed herself against a light post like they did in old movies.

"Melanie!" Mr. Abe called out pulling her out of her musical dream,

"I'm sorry to interrupt your musical number" He chuckled, " but I am having a bit of emergency."

Melanie's face burned.

"Melanie, I can't do this." Mr. Abe said his dark eyes wide with panic.

"Come on," Melanie took Mr. Abe's arm, " she's just as nervous as you." She huffed, "I'm nervous."

"Just tell her something happened, something came up." He closed his eyes and nodded, "Tell her that I had to leave town for a family emergency or something."

Melanie pushed her lips together, "Mr. Abe, come on you've gone this far already."

He leaned his back against his to truck running his fingers though his dark locks, "Melanie I'm too old for this. I had my great love, and I'm okay that."