Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Layla
T he summer weekenders had poured into the bakery all morning. The trays and shelves were almost bare by the time we shut down for the day. I’d ridden my bike to work, and now I regretted that choice. I was exhausted. Isla looked even worse than I felt as I was leaving, and she still had to do prep for tomorrow. Saturday would be even busier than Friday. I told Isla that perhaps her baking was just a little too good.
Even after the bike ride home I was still looking forward to walking Rocky. The heat wave we’d been enduring all week had finally broken, and there was a nice, salty breeze to cool the temperature even more.
Ella was sitting on the sofa with her laptop as I walked inside. She looked up and laughed. “You look as if you just ran a marathon, and not in a good way.”
“Says the woman who literally leaves her bed, crosses a ten-foot floor and plops down on a lumpy sofa to start her workday. Believe me, you’d look this way too if you’d been on your feet all day, racing up and down the counter and piling sticky treats into boxes. Poor Isla looked as if she might fall asleep on her feet. I sure hope she can find a good baking assistant soon. It’s a lot of work for one person.”
“How’s that been going?”
“It’s hard to find people who want to relocate to a small town for work.” I poured myself a glass of ice water.
“Yes, but it’s such a brilliant small town.”
“Well, we think it is, but I suppose it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.” And that statement led me to think about Dustin. I hadn’t given him even one minute of thought during my busy day, but now he was back, looming like a great, cold shadow. “I think Dustin has been hanging around the house,” I said it quickly, like it wasn’t all that important.
Ella closed her laptop. She only did that if there was something serious to discuss. “You mean he’s stalking you?”
“No,” I said briskly. “I mean, what is stalking, exactly? I found a red rose on my bicycle seat yesterday when it was parked outside the cottage. I don’t think that qualifies as stalking. I can’t believe he’s still holding out hope that we’ll get back together.”
“It happens. He obviously has some issues he’s dealing with because you made it clear. Are you sure it was him?”
I shrugged. “Who else would it be?”
“What about our hot new neighbor? Maybe he’s got a thing for you.”
“Nash was at work at the time. And he doesn’t have a thing for me, not really, anyhow.” I finished my water and headed to the bedroom to change.
“‘Not really, anyhow’ is definitely not a ‘no,’” Ella called to me.
“Word nerd,” I called back to her. I took a quick shower to get un-sticky and changed into shorts. Rocky would be wondering where I was. Hopefully, today’s walk would be better.
I crossed the yard and checked my phone for the first time all day. It had been so crazy at work, I hadn’t had time to look at it. There was a text from Nash that he was home early, which would explain why his truck was in the driveway. He wanted to walk with us. That notion sent a case of nerves through me, the good kind of nerves. After we spoke last night, I came to the conclusion that I really liked Nash, and if Emily hadn’t been in the center of us like a big, brick wall, I would have taken him up on the idea of getting to know him better. On the other hand, it was for the best. A guy like Nash would have a lot of female friends, and he was only here temporarily. It would be hard to fall for a guy, only to have him pack up his truck and wonderful dog and leave town a few months later. This whole episode had taught me one thing—I needed a dog in my life. Since all the sisters had their significant others, it was time for me to find one, too. Only mine would have four paws and a wagging tail.
I found myself a little breathless as I reached the door, and I was certain it wasn’t from the short walk across to the cottage. I could hear that same melody from the night before coasting out the open windows. I knocked and that breathlessness turned into a slight tremble as I heard his footsteps cross the entry.
Nash pulled open the door. He was wearing a white T-shirt that contrasted nicely with his tan. “Layla, I wasn’t sure if you were coming. I texted you, but I never heard back.” Rocky came shooting past him to greet me with an exuberant bark.
I was glad to have Rocky as a buffer because I was still feeling shaky. It was a sure sign that I liked Nash more than I would let myself admit.
I crouched down to talk to the dog. “Hey, buddy, sorry I’m late.” I stood up, and suddenly, Nash and I were just inches apart. “The bakery was busy, and I didn’t get a chance to check my phone. Am I too late for a walk?”
“No way, and Rocky is expecting it. I’m so well-mannered that I’ve left you standing on the stoop. Come inside, so I can put his leash on.” Nash seemed kind of nervous, too, but I wouldn’t allow myself to believe that the lead singer of a rock band ever got a case of jitters, and especially not over me.
Nash walked over to the leash. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”
“Well, you will be a bit of a third wheel,” I said with a chuckle. “But after yesterday’s walk, I welcome the company.”
“Do you think Dustin will be out there again, waiting for you?”
“I know he works on Fridays, so I don’t expect him.”
Nash looked disappointed. He handed me the leash. “I’ll let you have the honor. Plus, I think Rocky prefers it. The weather today is such a change from last week,” Nash said. “Of course, this would be the day the jobsite was shut down.”
“For good?” I asked abruptly. “Is the job over?” I didn’t want him to leave. That much was clear by my frantic reaction.
“No, just for today. There was a problem with the inspection, so the electricians had to come in and fix things before we can continue. You won’t be rid of your new neighbor that fast.” His gray eyes looked blue in the sunlight. They were unusually light and amazing.
Rocky stopped at his favorite shrub. “He likes to clear the bushes of any of those pesky birds.” As I said it, two sparrows flew out. “There. Mission accomplished. I heard you practicing the song again. I like it. If your band is breaking up, then—never mind. Not my business. Or did you guys change your minds?”
“No, I think Moonstone’s demise is inevitable. It’s just that occasionally something or someone inspires me to pick up my guitar and start composing.”
“There’s no reason for you to stop playing guitar. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find another band to play with.”
“It would be far in the future if I do decide that. I’ve got too much on my plate right now to even think about it.”
I looked over at him and caught him in a pensive moment. He looked undeniably sad.
Rocky led us across the patch of green to the “squirrel tree.” “I’m sure you’ll be back at work on Monday,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m not too worried about that. But I count on money from our shows. I’m supporting my mom and sister, and there’s this really expensive operation, and they’re both expecting me to come up with the money.” He shook his head. “Wow, did not expect all that to come rolling out. Sorry about that.”
We stopped under the tree for some shade and to let Rocky do his nasal inspection.
The look on Nash’s face made me instinctively reach for his hand. Despair was rolling off him in waves.
“I don’t mind. Really. You mentioned an operation? I know you said your mom was recuperating from an accident. Is this something that will help her?”
Rocky concluded that there were no squirrels in the area, so he forged ahead.
“The specialist seems convinced he can help her, but the insurance company has decided a surgery that will help her is an unnecessary, elective surgery.”
I stopped. “They won’t pay for it?”
He raked his fingers through his dark hair. “Not surprising, unfortunately. And then I did something really stupid. I told my mom and Becky that I’d try and find a way to get the money. I didn’t want to disappoint them, and the specialist had an opening. But the more I think about it, I want to kick myself for giving them hope.”
I wrapped my free arm around his. It was just a gesture of support, but as I did it something profound went through me, the crazy notion that having my arm entwined with his felt really right. “I wish I could help. I have about five hundred dollars saved, and it’s yours if you want it. I know it’s not much, but I’m not a good saver. I’m very good at spending, however. My grandmother would give me my allowance and then say, ‘try to make it last a few days, my angel.’”
“Thank you, but I couldn’t take your money. You lived in the cottage with your sisters and grandmother?” he asked. He seemed happy to lift the focus off his problems. I couldn’t blame him. They were big, far bigger than I would have imagined for someone like him.
“Yes, our mom died when we were in grade school. She got sick, and the doctors just couldn’t figure out how to save her. I was the youngest, so I have the least memories of her, but when I think about her, my whole body aches with not having her in my life.”
“Wow, I’m sorry, Layla. That must have been so hard. My dad left when I was a kid, but my mom was so amazing. She stepped in, and we hardly noticed him missing. She never let us see how badly she was hurt by what he’d done.”
“That’s what it was like with my grandmother, Nonna, as we called her. My dad had to travel for work, and he was more than happy to send us to Nonna. And as sad as we all were, lost little girls without a mother, we were also content and happy with Nonna. She helped us see past our grief to the magic that still surrounded us every day. That’s why we’ve never sold the cottage. It means too much to all of us.”
We stopped at the end of the road where I usually turned Rocky around. He busied himself with the grass along the sidewalk. Nash and I stopped. He seemed better than a few minutes earlier, so I reluctantly released my hold on his arm.
We both looked up from Rocky at the same time, and our gazes smacked together and stayed that way. “Layla, I’ve already laid myself bare once, so I’m going to do it again. I’d really like to get to know you better. Maybe we could just not tell Emily … at least at first and then we could see which way it goes. I know you just had a rough end to a relationship, but I’m not that guy.”
“No, you’re the guy who has women piling into a crowded bar, dressed in band shirts and screaming at the sight of you.”
“That’s just a band thing. When I’m not on stage, I could walk through that same crowd, and barely anyone would look my way or even recognize me.”
I squinted an eye at him. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s true.”
“Look, if it’s reassurances you want—I already started my day with a giant promise I knew I couldn’t fulfill, so I won’t do it again. I’m sort of floating right now, and I will be even less anchored once the band is through. My track record with women hasn’t been great, but you’re different, Layla. I can’t remember the last time I felt nervous about seeing a woman, but I heard you coming up the front steps, and I swear my heart started racing. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
I sighed in surrender. “Me, too. And this time it wasn’t about the dog. Well, maybe a little of it was about the dog.” Rocky seemed to know we were talking about him. He nudged my hand, so that I’d stroke his head. “Maybe more than a little.”
Nash laughed. “Yeah, I get it. I’m second in line, but as long as I can get into that line—I’ll be happy.” He took hold of my hand and gazed down at me in a way that seemed to indicate the possibility of a kiss. It wouldn’t be unwelcome. The kiss didn’t come, and that was because he was waiting for a more definitive answer from little, ole reluctant me. Only it wasn’t reluctance that kept me from giving an answer. It was good old-fashioned fear. And this time—it was two-pronged. I feared destroying my friendship with Emily, and I feared that if I gave this whole thing a whirl, I’d end up heartbroken.
Nash took my hesitation as no . “It’s all right.” He dropped my hand. “I understand. Just thought I’d give it one more try.”
“You’re leaving in October,” I said before he could walk away. “Am I supposed to fall in love with you and then just as easily say goodbye as soon as your construction job is over?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. I just thought it’d be nice to see where this goes.”
I nodded. “All right,” I said quickly.
Nash looked at me as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard it. “All right?” he asked.
“All right. But I warn you, if you break my heart, I’m never going to forgive you.”
Nash reached up, and his finger grazed my face as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “That makes two of us.”
Rocky was the first to trot off toward home. He knew he had a treat and water waiting at the end of the walk. Nash and I held hands as we walked his dog back to the cottage. We didn’t say another word about it, about us. It felt really tenuous right now and knowing that I’d eventually have to bring it up to Emily had formed a lump in my stomach, but something about it, something about his big hand wrapped around mine felt incredibly right.