Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nash
I ’d worked on the song all evening. It was nice to have quiet time, away from work and the band and all the other distractions, so I could focus. The song was finished, and I had to admit, it sounded good. But then I had some incredible inspiration for this one. Headlights swung past the house. I glanced out the kitchen window. Layla’s car pulled into the driveway.
I picked up my phone and before I could stop myself, I sent off a text. “Nightcap?”
The answer was sweet and simple. “Sure.” We were both obviously tiptoeing through this thing. There was nothing solid enough yet to go barreling into it all-cylinders-firing. I didn’t want to make a misstep and blow it before it even got started, and I knew she was still feeling the frailness of the whole idea because of her best friend. I didn’t want to mess that up either. I just didn’t think it was fair to avoid trying this just to keep her friend happy.
The knock on my door caused a breath to catch in my chest. Admittedly, it happened every time I saw Layla. She was that stunning and not just on the outside. Rocky heard the knock and reacted with his usual “fierce guy” growl but started wagging his tail before I even opened the door.
“Rocky knew it was you,” I said. My dog was very useful for breaking the ice.
“Rocky, my buddy.” She hugged him, then with a moment of awkwardness that quickly melted, she hugged me.
“Second in line,” I quipped. “I’ll take it. After all, I don’t have big brown eyes and a fuzzy muzzle and a smile that could melt a scoop of ice cream off the top of Everest.”
Layla was wearing a light green sundress and sandals, and she was breathtaking. I was sure she’d look just as amazing in a heavy winter coat and beanie.
She placed her purse on the side table. “What exactly is a nightcap? I’ve heard the term, but I wasn’t entirely sure. I assume it has nothing to do with an actual cap.”
“It’s an old-fashioned term for one last drink before bedtime.”
“I thought that might be the case. I’ll just have a glass of water, if you don’t mind. I know that seems boring, but my sisters and I just finished two blenders full of margaritas and a load of spicy food.”
“Lucky you.” I walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with ice water and grabbed myself a beer.
We sat on the couch. Rocky walked over and stared up at me to let me know he was going to climb up on the couch between us. I shook my head. “No chance, buddy. Tonight, she’s my guest.”
Rocky released a loud dog sigh, turned away and lumbered to his bed. Layla watched him walk away, head and tail down. “Aww, he looks so sad.”
“He’s really good at the poor, neglected dog act.”
Rocky climbed onto his plush pillow, turned several circles to find the exact right spot and plopped down with another sigh.
“As you can see, his life is just one hardship after another.”
Layla laughed. “That pillow does look far more luxurious than my bed.” She turned back to face me, and I had to give myself a second to catch my breath. “So, Nash Ledger, now that we’ve opened this Pandora’s Box, tell me about yourself. I know you sing in a band, you have thousands of fans, you work construction during the day, you’re helping to support your sister and mom and you have the world’s coolest dog, but fill in the missing pieces.”
“Man, after that list, I wish I had something good and intriguing to add. Hmm, one time I won an apple pie at the school fair because I managed to dunk the principal in the dunk tank. One throw and down he went. I was really determined because the guy always found reasons to suspend me.”
Layla looked at me skeptically. “ Found reasons?”
“I guess he didn’t have to look too hard because I sort of handed him the reasons. In my defense, I didn’t cause the minor explosion in the chem lab. That was Bosco, only I took the blame because his dad …” I decided not to finish the sentence.
Layla predicted the ending. She crinkled up her nose. “Did Bosco have a strict dad?”
“You could say that. He was always looking for some way to put Bosco down. Never the opposite.”
“I can’t imagine growing up with that kind of parent,” Layla said. “Nonna could be strict, stuck in her old country ways, but she knew how to keep control without being harsh.”
“My mom was great, but she didn’t have control over me. I look back on those times now and wish I’d been a better son.”
Layla put her hand on mine. “But you’re making up for it now.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Layla glanced over at Rocky. He’d started up his usual chorus of snores. “Have you always had a dog?”
“Off and on. After my dad left, I was pretty out of control. One day, my mom came home with this big dog, a collie mix. Angus was from a rescue, and frankly, he still holds the ‘Coolest Dog in the World’ title.”
Layla looked quickly over at Rocky.
“It’s all right. He’s asleep. Angus went everywhere with me. Not to school, of course, but boy, I would have loved that. I probably would have behaved better just so I wouldn’t disappoint Angus. He was so smart. I was sure he could understand everything I told him. When he was thirteen, we had to put him down because of cancer. It took me a long time to recover. Nothing felt right or the same after he was gone. My mom told me I missed that dog far more than I’d ever missed my dad, and she was right. Angus had been a far better friend and protector than him.”
Layla was turned slightly toward me. She rested her head against the couch and gazed at me in a way that made me want to pull her right into my arms. “Even though it must have been devastating to lose him, I’m glad you had Angus,” she said softly.
“Me, too. What about you? What should I know about you other than you have four sisters, you grew up in Whisper Cove, you adore my dog and you often have the faintest aroma around you—sugar and vanilla—I think.”
“Ugh, that’s from working in the bakery.”
“Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“I guess it’s better than smelling like garlic or fish. I went to school with a girl whose dad owned a fish and chips kiosk down by the beach. I swear the neighborhood cats used to follow her to school.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that might be bad. So, what should I know about you?”
“Gosh, let me think. I’m kind of a dull bird, really.”
“Not true at all.”
“Well, if you grew up with Isla, a master baker whose personal beauty outshines even her gorgeous baked creations; Aria, a master businesswoman and all-around expert advice-giver; Ava, who has seen most of the world and can name any plant or animal by its Latin name and who also is so gorgeous—I’ve seen drivers stop in the middle of the road to look at her. Seriously. Not kidding. There’s smart Ella who writes and knows facts and vocabulary that would put the toughest SAT test to shame, and then there’s me, Layla. I will be the first to admit I was babied and coddled and adored by my four older sisters, and I’ll be the first to admit that I lapped it up like a hungry kitten at a bowl of milk. By the way, milk is bad for cats. Just adding that in case you decide to get a cat.” She lifted her head, and her brown eyes rounded. “Do you think you might get a cat?”
“Not in my near future and if I did, I’d have to get full approval from you-know-who.” I nodded toward the sleeping dog.
“That’s right. I did see Rocky grow still as a statue when he saw a cat out on the road. I expected him to bark and pull ahead like he did with the squirrel, but it was a much more dignified response.”
“That’s because he’s scared to death of cats. At least that’s my theory. I got him from a rescue when he was two, and they mentioned something about him not working out in a household that had three cats, so I think there’s some heavy history there.”
“Oh, poor baby, maybe he could see a therapist. So, what else about me? I’m not a master baker, but I’m pretty skilled at eating cookies and cupcakes. My advice is often best taken with the proverbial grain of salt. I haven’t been farther than two hundred miles in either direction from Whisper Cove, and my SAT scores were nothing to brag about. Hmm, I don’t like olives. Seriously do not like them. Nonna would always put them out in a bowl at Christmas, and Ella would stick them on each finger and then eat one at a time right in front of me. It was traumatizing, really.”
“Remind me not to take you to an Italian restaurant or a deli, for that matter.”
“Well, I do love pasta, as long as there are no olives in the sauce. I used to be a pretty decent baton twirler, but I’ve since retired from the sport because I look ridiculous in the colorfully sequined little dresses that went with baton twirling.”
“I bet you’d still look hot in sequins.”
“Maybe I should have left that life detail in the old memory box. Here’s something interesting—I once found a diamond ring down on the cove. Turned out to be fake but my ten-year-old self was sure I’d found some lost pirate treasure.”
“Don’t know if they were plundering fake diamond rings.”
Layla laughed and then covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Excuse me. Guess the workday and those margaritas are getting to me.”
I sat up. “You’re right. I forgot you worked all day, and you start early. I suppose tomorrow will be a busy day at the bakery, being the weekend.”
She groaned. “Yes, the weekenders will pile into the shop for their treats. I told Isla to start baking less delicious stuff, but she wasn’t buying my suggestion. Again, my advice is not usually stellar.” Layla yawned again.
“C’mon sleepyhead, I’ll walk you home.” I stood up and offered her my hand. She dropped her small hand in mine, and I closed my fingers around it and helped her to her feet.
For a second, we stood close together, so close I could have counted the freckles on her nose. Then her forehead bunched in worry. “No, you can’t kiss me,” she said.
I stepped back as if she’d slapped me. The truth was I’d been thinking about it, but she obviously didn’t want the kiss. “I’m sorry. I won’t.” I wasn’t sure how to take the rejection, but it had sure put a kink in an otherwise fun visit.
Layla shook her head. “Jeez, I am tired. I meant don’t kiss me, not tonight. I just spent an evening eating salsa and tamales.” She covered her mouth with her fingers. “When we—if we kiss, I don’t want you to think about onions and jalapenos.”
I chuckled and pulled her into my arms for a hug. “Even onions and jalapenos would taste good on those lips, but we’ll wait until the timing is right.”
Layla smiled shyly and then snuggled against me. Her soft hair tickled my chin.
“Hmm, I don’t know about onions and jalapenos but your hair smells like flowers.”
“It’s the shampoo I use, and I’m now going to start following the influencer who suggested it.” She stepped back, and her heel tapped the guitar leaning against the sofa. “Oops, sorry about that.”
“Not a problem.” I took her hand to lead her out.
“How’s the song going?” Her question was followed by another sleepy yawn.
“I think it’s done.”
“I’d like to hear it sometime.”
“Soon.”
A salty haze had drifted in to whitewash an otherwise dark night. There was a single porch light on at her cottage and a light on inside. We stopped at the door.
“I guess living next door to the girl I like has its advantages. That was the shortest walk home ever. When I was fifteen, I was dating this girl, Megan, and she lived three blocks away, which wasn’t bad, only to get to her house we had to pass by the Arnolds’ house, and they had two of the meanest Rottweilers. There was a fence around the yard, but when those two massive dogs raced toward you and threw themselves at the fence, it didn’t seem like a good enough barrier.”
“That would be scary.” She reached up and picked a dog hair off my shirt. “It’s sweet that you walked her home. The boy I liked when I was fifteen used to come by and stick rocks in our mailbox. Don’t ask me why, but apparently, he thought that would win me over.”
“Yeah, at fifteen most of us guys aren’t thinking too straight through the hurricane of hormones. And, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t my idea to walk her home. It was an order from my mom. It wasn’t a big deal, and I always managed to get a kiss, which was at least some compensation for having to walk by those dogs, not once, but twice.”
Her brown eyes glittered under the porch light. “Well, I owe you a kiss, then. After your invitation, I was congratulating myself on my earlier decision to wear a cute sundress for dinner with my sisters instead of my usual shorts and T-shirt. But I’d forgotten all about my salsa breath.”
“I have high praise for the dress, and I’ve always been a big fan of salsa. Now go in and get to bed.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. I turned to leave.
“I know tomorrow is Saturday, but I can still walk Rocky … if you don’t mind.”
“We’ll both be waiting for you. Goodnight, Layla.”
“Goodnight, Nash.”