Layla – Present
After I said a long goodbye to Clark, I arrived back at my shift at Harry’s a few hours late. Brody had covered for me while I was away, and I’ve tried in the hours since to do as much as I can to make it up to him.
It’s the Friday night rush. I’m taking a customer’s order while Brody sets their drinks down on the table.
The couple’s kid starts to order by himself, and I smile at how his little voice sounds as he pronounces the words.
When he finishes, I clap along with Brody and his parents.
The boy beams, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
I pick up their menus, and when I look up, I notice Rhett sitting a few tables over by the beams overlooking the water. He’s with two people, one I unfortunately recognize as Alex, and the other I can’t quite place.
“When did they come in?” I ask Brody.
He shrugs.
“That’s your brother, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to take their order so I can take my break?”
I really don’t want to go over there. But I also don’t want to say no to Brody, considering I owe him for still having a job. And even if I was tempted to refuse, he’d want to know why I don’t want to serve my brother, and that opens up a whole lot of family drama I’d like to keep to myself.
“Sure. Take as long as you need.”
I grab a new pen and head to their table, walking a little slower than I normally do, silently hoping I’ll be waved down by another customer in the meantime.
When I reach the table, recognition flashes across both Rhett’s and Alex’s faces.
The other man with them is still talking.
He stops when he realizes he has company, but not before I hear Jacob and Keith’s names being tossed around.
This must be the guy Jacob told me about.
“Can I get you anything?” I flip open my notepad, ready to write.
“I didn’t know you worked here.” Rhett sounds irritated.
“I’ve worked here for a almost a year, Rhett.”
He clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth, then makes a frown with his bottom lip and shakes his head.
“I can’t remember, but if you say you did, then….” He does this annoying laugh and looks at Alex and his friend.
He lets it hang in the air until the silence between us stretches out and becomes awkward.
Alex clears his throat. “I’ll have the house beer, sweetheart.” His eyes travel up and down my body. It makes my skin crawl. I look over my shoulder, hoping Brody ignores what I said and comes back.
“Make that two.” Rhett finally speaks.
The man sitting across from them looks tense at first, then relaxes back into his chair. He’s a little older than Rhett, probably closer to his thirties, or not far past them. He has a web tattoo that goes all the way up his arm. I don’t like it any more than I like being at this table.
“I’ll have a scotch.” He winks at me, then looks to both Rhett and Alex and says, “So, how do you all know each other?”
“She’s my sister,” Rhett answers. There’s a bit of a bite to his tone that surprises me.
“She’s my ex,” Alex says, looking me dead in the eye.
“We never dated,” I correct him. “I was never your girlfriend.”
Alex’s cheeks starts to redden, and the man makes a low whistling sound.
“I tell you what,” he says, pausing to read my name tag. “Layla, why don’t you go get us our drinks, and then you can come back and work out this little disagreement with my brother?”
I look between Alex and him. They have the same square set to their shoulders, the same gray eyes, and blond hair that’s cut too short to suit either of them. The same smirk that twists my stomach. Brothers. Of course.
“I don’t get off until one.” And I could think of about a thousand things I’d rather do.
“We’ll wait,” he says, and it sounds more like a threat than an invitation.
I give a tight lipped smile that I hope conveys all the disgust I’m feeling, then leave.
I step behind the bar and make a start on their drinks. Brody ducks under the counter, takes a look at the list of orders, then begins helping me.
“What’s wrong with you? You were happy after that guy left, and now…” he gestures from my head to my toes.
“What?”
“You’re like a little rain cloud of sadness.”
I laugh. “What does that even mean?”
He shrugs. “Are you going to tell me who your visitor was earlier? Has he anything to do with the lack of times you’ve mentioned Jacob’s name in the last month?”
I roll up the dish cloth and swat his arm with it. “No,” I laugh. “He’s a friend from college.”
He nods, grinning. “Will this friend be stopping by often?”
“Stop that.” I laugh again, but my laughter dies when Alex approaches the bar. He glances at Brody, then his eyes land on me.
I feel my body stiffen under his stare, and everything inside me is telling me to put as much distance between us as possible. I move backward until I bump into the counter behind me.
“How long does it take to make a drink?”
Brody looks at me and taps his forehead, his signal for when a customer is being a jerk.
Alex reaches into the bowl of peanuts and takes a handful. I could tell him the gross statistics of eating peanuts from a bar, but I’d rather not engage in any sort of conversation with him.
“What time do you get off, Layla?”
“I already told you, I’m working until close.”
He nods. “Stop taking so long and come join us.”
He pauses, glances down, then licks his lips and smirks at me before heading back to his table.
“What the hell is his problem?” Brody says.
“Can you serve my brothers table?”
I must look how I feel, because Brody answers quickly.
“Yeah. Yeah of course.”
He adds ice to the scotch while I pull the tops off the beer bottles. I must be even more rattled than I thought, because one of the bottles slips from my hand and shatters across the tiles.
I drop down and start picking up the pieces of broken glass.
Brody brings the trash can over and kneels beside me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, I’m just not having a good day.”
It’s not exactly a lie.
“Why don’t you work on getting the food orders out, and I’ll take care of this.”
I thank him, then wipe my sticky hands on the bottom of my apron. I grab a few pizzas and take them to a large table surrounded by birthday balloons. I set some of the pizzas down, then head back to grab the rest.
I spend the rest of the night on edge.
Rhett and Alex stay the entire time, and when one a.m. rolls around, I notice Alex looking for me.
Brody is ringing up their bill. My eyes widen at the total, and there wasn’t a single food order. I wouldn’t be so shocked if I didn’t know the likelihood of Rhett getting in his car and driving.
“You can go, Layla. I’ve got this,” Brody tells me, eyeing them like he knows they’re a problem. “Text me once you’re home safe, okay?”
I grab my jacket off the hook, letting my hair down, and thank him as I feel around in my pocket for my keys.
I’m near the car when I hear my name.
I pick up my pace.
“Layla, wait up!”
Alex has caught up with me. His shoulder bumps into mine.
“You’re going to leave without saying goodbye?”
He slurs the words.
I keep walking, and he holds pace. I glance over my shoulder a few times, checking for Brody.
I reach my car and stop.
Maybe Alex is too drunk to hold in any confidential information.“What was your meeting about?”
“My brother has big plans to bring down Keith’s company.”
“Keith and Jacob’s company,” I correct him.
“Right.” He doesn’t sound as drunk anymore.
“How would he do that?”
He steps closer.
I step back.
He lifts his hands and taps my nose with his finger. “Being nosy doesn’t suit you, Layla.”
I go to open my door, and he slams it closed.
“Not so fast.”
My whole body tenses. I glance past him toward the pier. The lights are still on in Harry’s, Brody’s still inside.
“What do you want, Alex?”
I blink.
The way he smirks back at me makes me feel nauseous.
His hand is still pressed to the door. He forces my body against it, pinning me there between his arms.
He lifts a hand and I flinch.
“Relax.” He whispers. His breath smells like beer.
He touches my cheek with the back of his fingers, then presses them to my neck.
“Let me go, Alex.”
He starts to lower his head like he’s about to kiss me.
“Alex!” Rhett shouts.
He stills.
His body is still pressed against mine.
I look at the same time he does and see Rhett, unsteady on his feet, walking toward us.
He doesn’t move away from me immediately.
He drops the arm that was against my neck, then steps back.
Not far enough for me to open the door.
“Move, Alex.”
My voice sounds shaky.
He laughs. “So bossy, Lay-la.”
When he takes another step back, I yank open the door and don’t even bother with my seat belt until I’m out of the parking lot and away from him.
I stop outside Mabel’s shop and rest my head on the steering wheel, taking a few deep breaths. My hands are shaking.
I want to go home.
I click my seat belt into place and pull away from the curb.
I drive myself home.
At least, that’s where I thought I was going.
I stop outside Jacob’s gates. It’s one thirty in the morning.
I sit gripping the steering wheel.
Why did I come here?
I know I need to see him. I need to tell him how I feel. I need to apologize. But that doesn’t have to happen tonight. I’m still shaking from what happened with Alex. I need to go home, go to bed, and start over tomorrow.
I make up my mind to leave when the gates buzz open.
I run my hands through my hair and sigh.
He’s already outside when I kill the engine.
“Layla, what’s wrong?”
He’s stands in front of me, holding my arms, looking me over.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
He looks at me, his eyes full of concern. He glances down at my hands.
“Why are you shaking?”
“Nothing. I…” I pause.
“Did Rhett do something? Did he hurt you?”
He takes my face in his hands, then slides them down to mine. I don’t know what comes over me, but I wrap my arms around him. He holds me. One hand cradling the back of my head.
“Please talk to me.”
“I’m okay,” I say. “I just got off work. Alex scared me, that’s all.”