It was one of those soggy Tuesday afternoons when the city seems to sag under the weight of its own gray skies. I was huddled in my favorite coffee shop, nursing a lukewarm latte and trying to kick-start my brain into writing mode.

That's when Kia blew in, all wild hair and frantic energy. She spotted me and made a beeline, nearly knocking over some poor guy's laptop in the process.

"You will not believe what just happened," she said, collapsing into the chair across from me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Try me."

"So, remember that jerk Ryan from work? Mr. I'm-Always-Right?" She didn't wait for my nod before plowing on. "He had the nerve to call me out in the meeting today for 'not being a team player.' Can you believe that?"

I snorted. "That's rich, coming from the guy who takes credit for everyone else's ideas."

"Right?" Kia's eyes were blazing now. "I swear, the irony was so thick you could cut it with a knife. And get this - he said it right after shooting down every single suggestion I made."

"Sounds like Ryan being Ryan," I said, shaking my head. "What did you do?"

A slow, wicked grin spread across Kia's face. "Oh, nothing much. Just reminded everyone about the Thompson project and how his 'lone wolf' approach nearly tanked the whole thing."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh man, I bet that went over like a lead balloon."

"You have no idea," Kia said, finally relaxing into her chair. "The look on his face was priceless. Talk about a taste of his own medicine."

As Kia launched into a blow-by-blow account of the meeting aftermath, I couldn't help but think that sometimes, karma really does come through. And on a dreary day like this, that thought was enough to warm me better than any latte ever could.