Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Ashlyn
Ihold my breath, waiting for Laney to respond.
Maybe it's because Wyatt's here, but she feels different from the girl I met a few weeks ago at Eden. Sure, she’d been drinking that night, but I was expecting at least some attitude when I came to pick her up tonight, especially after what happened with her cancelling my and Ben’s date.
I'm not one to hold grudges, though. We've all made mistakes when we were younger.
I can tell she’s torn. She’s been clear about not wanting to build any kind of relationship with me, and I understand why.
Hell, she didn’t even want me over for dinner, but it feels like we’ve taken a small step forward tonight.
As inconvenient as her breakdown was, maybe it’s exactly what needed to happen to give us a chance at starting a friendship.
“Okay,” she says at last. “If you’re sure, then yeah… that sounds good. Thanks.”
I smile. “Perfect. I’ll drop Wyatt off first, then we can head to mine.”
“No pizza for me then?” Wyatt teases from the back seat, but his tone is playful.
“Not a chance,” I reply with a laugh. “Girls’ night only.”
“Figured as much,” he mutters with a grin.
Laney chuckles. “I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than hang out with us anyway.”
“Actually,” Wyatt says, leaning forward slightly. “Mind dropping me at Eden? I’ll see if Seb’s working.”
“Sure,” I reply.
A few minutes later, we pass the Welcome to Hope Creek sign, and soon after, I’m pulling up outside Eden. Wyatt’s already unbuckling his seatbelt when Laney turns to him.
“Thanks for coming out with Ash to rescue me,” she says, and a small smile tugs at my lips when she calls me Ash for the first time.
“No problem,” Wyatt replies. “Wish I could’ve fixed it.”
He gets out and shuts the door behind him. A moment later, he steps over to my side, leans down to the open window, and kisses me on the cheek.
“See you soon, Ash. And it was nice meeting you, Laney.”
Laney’s cheeks flush a soft pink as she gives him a quick wave. “You too, Wyatt.”
He flashes her a grin, raises his hand in farewell, and then strolls toward Eden, disappearing inside.
As I pull away from the curb, Laney lets out a breathy laugh. “Did that really just happen?”
“Sure did,” I reply, smiling over at her.
“I should’ve asked for a photo or something,” she says, shaking her head. “But that would’ve been weird, right?”
I laugh. “Wyatt probably wouldn’t have minded. Next time.”
A little while later, we’re riding the elevator up to my apartment. Laney’s gone quiet, and I’m hoping once she’s inside and rummaging through my wardrobe, she’ll relax a little.
“This is me,” I say as we stop outside my door. I unlock it and gesture for her to go in first. She steps inside, glancing around while I drop my bag by the door and kick off my sneakers. Laney does the same, then stands there looking a little unsure.
“Make yourself at home,” I tell her. “Want a drink?”
“Sure,” she says, moving over to sit on the sofa. “What’ve you got?”
“Let me check.”
I head into the kitchen and open the fridge. There’s an open bottle of wine staring at me, but remembering how Ben reacted to her drinking at Eden, I figure I better not risk it.
“There’s water, soda, or orange juice,” I call out.
“Soda, please.”
I grab two cans then join her on the sofa, handing her one. “What kind of pizza do you like? I’ll order and then we can raid my closet.”
“I’m easy,” she says, taking a sip. “I like everything.”
“How about pepperoni?”
She nods, and I grab my phone to call in the order. Once they promise it’ll be here in thirty minutes, I hang up and grin at her. “Come on. I’ll show you my closet. Bring your drink.”
She follows me down the hall to my room. As I step inside, I notice the pile of clothes I tossed on the bed earlier and quickly scoop them up, stuffing them into the laundry basket.
“Sorry for the mess.” I chuckle. “Didn’t get a chance to tidy up.”
She laughs. “This isn’t messy. You should see my room. Drives my dad nuts.”
I grin and swing open the double doors to my closet. “Go wild,” I tell her, dropping onto the edge of the bed.
Her eyes widen as she takes in the sheer amount of clothes crammed inside. “Wow, Ash. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many clothes in one place.”
I laugh. “Yeah, it’s a problem.”
She pulls out a sleek black bodycon dress, the tag still hanging from it. “This is gorgeous.”
“That one’s from the boutique on Main Street. They’ve got some great stuff.”
“I’ve never even been in there.”
“You should. Try it on,” I encourage. “I’ll wait in the living room.”
Before she can argue, I slip out and grab my phone from my bag in the entryway. I promised Ben I’d call once I picked up Laney, and I didn’t. I scroll to his name and hit dial. He answers almost instantly.
“Hey, baby. You home?”
“Yeah, I’m home,” I say, keeping my voice low.
“Did Laney behave?” There’s an edge of uncertainty in his tone.
“She did. I think Wyatt helped,” I add with a soft laugh.
Ben exhales a breath. “Good.”
“Actually,” I say, lowering my voice further. “She’s here with me. At my place. We’re having pizza and she’s going through my closet. She’s trying on a dress right now. I’ll drop her home later.”
There’s a pause. “Really?” He sounds surprised.
I smile. “Yeah. We’re getting along.”
“That’s great, baby.”
I hear the bedroom door open and glance up. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. Talk soon.”
I end the call just as Laney steps out of the bedroom. She’s wearing the dress, and it fits her perfectly. Her face is lit up with a huge smile.
“That looks amazing, Laney.”
“I love it,” she says, turning slowly in a circle. “I just wish I still had a date to wear it to.”
“Did you cancel already?”
“Not yet,” she admits. “But without a car, my only option is an Uber, and if I need to make a quick exit…” She trails off, leaving the thought unfinished.
I offer her a sympathetic smile. “Take it anyway. You’ll have another chance to wear it.”
“You sure?” she asks, hesitation clear in her voice. “It still has the tags on.”
“I’m sure,” I reassure her. “Let’s see if anything else catches your eye.”
I lead her back into my bedroom and pull a few more dresses from the closet.
One of them is a deep red pencil dress that falls just past the knee, with an exposed gold zipper running all the way from the neckline to the hem.
Taylor wore one in a different color to Paisley and Nash’s engagement party, and she looked so incredible in it that I just had to get one for myself.
“Wow, that’s gorgeous.”
“Try it on,” I urge her, practically bouncing with excitement.
She laughs. “Okay, okay.”
I leave her in the bedroom and wander into the kitchen.
I lean against the breakfast bar, thinking about what she said earlier.
The idea of her cancelling her date lingers in my mind, and while I wait for her to come out and model the next dress, a plan starts to take shape.
One that might actually get her to that date, even without a car.
I try not to dwell on how furious Ben would be if he found out I was helping her sneak around while she’s grounded.
But maybe he’ll understand if it means Laney and I are finally getting somewhere.
I fire off a quick message to Ivy, hoping she’s free tomorrow night to help pull off my plan. She replies almost immediately with an enthusiastic yes, and a wave of nerves hits me. Laney might not even want my help, but I’m really hoping she does.
When Laney steps out in the next dress, I can’t help but smile. She could probably pull off anything, but this color against her blonde hair and sun-kissed skin looks absolutely stunning.
“What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous,” she replies, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric of the dress.
“You should take that one too,” I encourage.
She shakes her head. “I can’t. It’s too much, and I don’t even have anywhere to wear it.”
I dismiss her protest with a wave of my hand. “There’ll be other dates, Laney. Trust me.”
Before she can respond, the intercom buzzes.
“That’ll be the pizza,” I say, heading across the room to buzz open the downstairs door.
“I’ll go and change,” Laney says, slipping back into my bedroom.
I head to the door and grab the pizza as soon as the delivery guy knocks.
A moment later, Laney comes back into the room and drops onto the sofa beside me. I flip open the pizza box and hold it out toward her. She takes a slice of pizza with a grateful smile and settles back into the cushions.
“I’m really sorry for sending that text,” she says quietly, her gaze fixed on the slice in her hand. “I’m so embarrassed, especially with how kind you’re being now. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me.”
I frown. “I don’t hate you, Laney. Of course not.”
She whispers, “You should.”
My heart aches for her, and I shake my head. “No, you don’t deserve that. I understand why you wouldn’t want me with your dad, but you need to know, I’d never come between you two. You’re his daughter. You’ll always come first. That’s how it should be.”
She lets out a soft, sad sigh. “I guess twelve-year-old me always hoped things would go back to the way they were. I wanted us to be a family again.”
“Laney–” I start, but she holds up her hand, stopping me.
“I know it’s not going to happen,” she says, her voice tight. “Even if she’d woken up, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Seems neither of them wanted that, no matter how much I wanted it.”
“I’m sorry.”
She looks at me, her eyes softening. “I know I haven’t exactly shown it, but I love my dad, and I want him to be happy.”
“He’s been really worried about you.”
“I’ll talk to him and apologize. I know I’ve been difficult the past few months.”
I smile. “I think he’d appreciate that.”