Ch. 6 – Layla
A s soon as Layla walked into Tess’s small, brightly lit home, she bee-lined for the open wine bottles on the breakfast bar. True, alcohol wasn’t the solution to her problems, but it sure as heck worked as a decent Band-Aid in the short term.
Plus, Alanna had driven her to the Crazy Cat Lady meeting. No sense in wasting a good DD.
Layla’s thoughts had been spinning in tangled, anxious circles ever since her encounter with Dr. Dhawan in the morning. Over and over, she’d replayed their convo, always ending with his soul-smashing finale.
We aren’t a family anymore. We’re a business.
In other words, everything was going to change. And not for the better.
Layla remembered Dr. Dhawan’s cold stare. The frown dug into his stern, sharp features.
Nope. Definitely not for the better.
She reached eagerly for an open pinot grigio from The Rose and Thorn.
“I need to talk to you.”
Layla almost dropped the wine glass in her hand.
Jax, the youngest member of the CCLC, had appeared out of nowhere and now stood nervously in front of her.
“What is it?” Layla lowered her voice. The younger woman had recently opened up to the group about a trauma she’d endured several years ago. Jax was now in therapy to help work through the horrible event, but if she needed more emotional support, Layla would do anything to help.
“Um, not now.” Jax glanced down at her large black combat boots. “After the meeting. It’s important.”
“Of course.” Concern rose in Layla’s chest. Jax was usually so self-assured but, at present, the young woman looked almost distraught. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk now?” she pressed. “We could go into another room.”
Jax dug into the pocket of her jeans, pulled out a lollipop, and quickly unwrapped it. “Just, um, I’ll tell you after the meeting.”
“Excuse me, but you’re blocking the wine,” Alanna spoke behind them. “And Everly’s cookies. You really don’t want to know what happens when you get between me and Everly’s cookies.”
“I actually made brownies this time,” Everly called from the couch. “But, yes, people have been murdered for less.”
With one more nervous glance at Layla, Jax quickly retreated to the couch. Frowning, Layla watched her go but quickly filled her wine glass and moved away from the breakfast bar.
“I think everyone’s here,” Tess called, “so let’s get this Crazy Cat Lady meeting started.”
Of course, it took another 20 minutes for the women to complete their pilgrimages to the breakfast bar for snacks and wine and then to settle themselves around the small gray couch in the living room.
Negotiations over seating arrangements were UN-level complex. Eventually, however, Layla found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Alanna while Tess, Jax, and Everly wedged themselves on the couch. Willow sat just outside the circle, hugging her knees. It was progress. Over the past months, the quiet young woman had gone from lingering in the corner of the room to sitting a few feet from the group, to now just at the edge of the circle.
“Okay, I’ll start,” Tess said, clapping her hands around her wine glass. The weekly CCLC meetings had fallen into a familiar rhythm, always beginning with a round-robin personal update typically followed by a mixture of group therapy, heated book club discussions, and unabashed gossip that Layla earnestly tried to abhor but secretly found delightful.
“First of all, ta-da!” Tess beckoned to a teak side table next to the couch, which held a blue-striped lamp. “More furniture.”
“Which, as usual, doesn’t match a single other thing in the room,” Alanna pointed out.
“It’s still progress,” Everly said. “In roughly five years, this house will be fully furnished.”
“I think it’s a lovely side table,” Layla insisted. She still remembered walking into the nearly empty house for the very first Crazy Cat Lady Club meeting six months ago. Tess hadn’t even owned a couch or silverware back then. Now, the living room contained the gray couch, a silver floor lamp, a red bookshelf, and several mismatched paintings on the walls.
“Coffee table, coming soon.” Everly gave Tess a wink.
“Please let me decorate for you,” Alanna begged. “I’d put my entire life on hold for a week. This is an interior decorating emergency.”
Tess shook her head. “I like it just the way it is.”
“Which is all that matters,” Layla piped up, locking gazes with Alanna.
“Anyway, my update is short,” Tess continued. She tucked a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. “Spirit and I have kind of established a routine. She sleeps in bed with me every night, and then we’ll hang out in the morning while I read the news. She does seem to get a little anxious when I leave for work, though.”
As if hearing her name, Spirit slipped into the room on silent steps. The tabby was almost full-grown now and beautiful. Heather gray stripes banded across her silver fur, and she glanced around the room with stunningly blue eyes.
“How’s work at The Rose and Thorn?” Everly asked. “You still glad you traded medical school to pour booze for lushes?”
Tess smiled. “Working at the winery can be a little overwhelming sometimes, especially on the weekends, but I’m learning a lot.”
“Tess is amazing,” Jax spoke up for her fellow server. “She’s picking up everything super quick, and Theo adores her.”
It might have been Layla’s imagination, but a slight blush seemed to rise along Tess’s pale cheeks. “Theo’s, um, a great boss,” she admitted. “And it’s just been really good to get out of the house. I like having the distraction of work.” A veil of wistfulness slid across Tess’s hazel eyes.
The room fell silent. Everyone knew why Tess needed a distraction. Layla glanced at all the intricate model airplanes sitting on the red bookshelf. She tried to imagine Jay, Tess’s husband, carefully assembling each model, piece by tiny piece. She’d never seen a picture of Jay, but she envisioned a man with sandy brown hair and a kind face. Why had God taken him so suddenly and left a broken-hearted widow behind? It was an answer Layla couldn’t know.
“And that’s me,” Tess said to break the awkward silence. “Who’s next?”
“Me!” Everly’s hand shot into the air. With her other, she smoothed down her bright orange t-shirt proclaiming in a bold font, I’d push you in front of zombies to save my cat. Matching orange clips held back her short afro.
“My foster kitties are doing a-mazing,” she sang. “Everyone is healthy and playful. Cap’n Crunch somehow trapped himself in the pantry overnight. Learned his lesson the hard way.” She chuckled. “In another three months, they’ll be ready for adoption. Who wants to volunteer for the adoption fair?”
Suddenly, everyone seemed to find something to look at other than Everly.
“Me!” Layla raised her hand.
“That’a girl.” Everly bent over and high-fived Layla. “I’m so glad at least one person cares about the precious lives and precious futures of my precious kittens.” She threw accusing glares at the other women. “I mean, only a truly terrible garbage person wouldn’t want to help a kitten find its forever home. Did I mention that they’re precious?”
“Fine,” Tess groaned. “Put me down for a shift.”
“I could take one, too,” Willow said softly.
“I’ll have to check my class and work schedules,” Jax hedged.
Everly gave Jax a stare filled with daggers, lasers, and those big clubs full of spikes. “You do that, Jax, and make sure you get back to me.”
Jax gulped.
When it came to her kittens, Everly was unapologetically ruthless. She turned her dagger-laser-spikey club thingy stare onto Alanna. “And you, Ms. Glamorous?”
“Unlike you sissies, I don’t give away my precious time for free,” Alanna answered breezily. “I fully expect a bribe. A good one.”
Everly sighed. “A batch of my raisin cookies.”
Alanna considered. “Make it half a batch of raisin, half a batch of mint chocolate chip, and I’ll be pushing those kittens like they were Florida timeshares.”
“Moving on,” Tess said. “Everything else going good in your life, Everly?”
The other woman frowned. “Yeah, for the most part. Though I’m still waiting for my 6’2, 190-pound, Denzel-Washington-in-Training-Day-lookalike soul mate to show up on my doorstep with roses, condoms, and furry handcuffs. I could also use a better job, a winning lottery ticket, and a kitchen sink that doesn’t clog every other day.” Everly sighed. “I poured three bottles of Drano down that sucker yesterday, and nothing!”
“Have you, um, I don’t know, asked your landlord for help,” Layla softly suggested.
As one, the women turned to stare at her. Someone gasped.
“Are you kidding me?” Everly exploded. “That’s exactly what that lumber jackass wants me to do!”
Layla sighed. Everly was her exact opposite in almost every way—and also one of her best friends in the world. Nothing made cleaning litter boxes at YHAR better than having Everly at her side offering hot takes on celebrity gossip and trading romance book recommendations. But that also meant being bombarded with Everly’s ever-growing litany of complaints against her “evil” landlord.
Yes, Hue Cairn could be surly on his best days, but Layla had gotten to know the large ex-Marine from his frequent visits to All Paws and Claws. Hue was utterly devoted to his elderly basset hound, Janet. Though he might fervently try to hide it, Layla knew the man possessed a kind heart.
“It’s a landlord’s job to fix his properties for his tenants,” she said now.
Everly scoffed. “He’d step one foot in my condo, see my kittens, and tear up my lease. I’d be out on the street in seconds. SECONDS, LAYLA!”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t kick you out,” Layla pressed.
Everly shook her head. “Layla, you beautiful, naive unicorn butterfly, that man is a monster. Swearing to evict me is practically part of his morning routine.” She leaned forward on the couch. “It’s wake up, threaten Everly, brush his teeth, take a shit, then drink the tears of orphan children with his morning bagel.”
“You know, I’ve been accused of drinking orphan tears,” Alanna said, “but, honestly, it’s so hard to source authentic tears it’s almost not even worth trying.”
Everly snorted. “You get my point. I’d rather let that condo fall apart around me than ask that lumber jackass for help.”
“Let’s not let it come to that.” Alanna pursed her scarlet lips. “Sully can take a look at your sink.”
Everly arched an eyebrow. “Your boyfriend is a known associate of the lumber jackass. What if he sees my kittens and narcs on me?”
Alanna’s eyes took on a flinty gleam. “Sully is not a narc, and he’d never put your kittens in danger. Not if he wanted his penis to remain attached to his body. I’ll send him over tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Everly didn’t break Alanna’s gaze. “But I know they have those little weightlifting bro seshes. Sully better not say anything.”
“He won’t.”
Tess laughed. “They keep trying to rope Theo into their weightlifting club. But he always says he’s too busy with the winery.”
“Rico lifts with them now on the weekends,” Jax spoke up. “He won’t admit it, but I know he likes the camaraderie. Apparently, when barbells come out things can get deep, and I’m not just talking the squats.”
“And how are you and Rico doing?” Layla asked Jax, though she already knew the answer. The two practically had hearts dancing around their heads whenever they looked at each other.
Jax quickly avoided Layla’s gaze. She pulled her lollipop from her mouth. “We’re fine.”
Everly rolled her eyes. “Don’t spare my feelings. Just because Rico was too dumb to realize he was supposed to be the love of my life doesn’t mean you can’t be deliriously happy with him. Plus, I officially released him from his cosmic obligation to be my one and only. The universe will find me someone else.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Right, universe? Remember, 6’2, Denzel Washington from Training Day. Ideally a job as a lawyer, doctor, or airline pilot, but I’ll take anything with a six-figure salary.”
Alanna snorted into her wine glass. “I’ll keep my eyes open for any gorgeous, Black airline pilots in Yucca Hills.”
“Much obliged.” Everly raised her glass in Alanna’s direction.
“Annnnyway, Jax.” Tess nodded to her. “You were saying?”
Jax glanced around the room. “If you must know, Rico’s snoring could wake the dead, he owns more hair product than me and Willow combined, and I’ve caught him flexing in the bathroom mirror more times than I feel comfortable sharing.” She smiled faintly. “And he’s kind and hilarious and loves making me dinner. Now that he lives in Yucca Hills, we spend most of our weekends together. Things are going good.”
Everly cleared her throat loudly.
Jax rolled her eyes. “Things are going great! There, are you happy?”
Layla’s throat tightened. Her lower lip wobbled.
“Oh no, you broke Layla,” Alanna groaned.
“I can’t help it,” Layla croaked. “True love is just the most beautiful thing in the world. I’m so happy for you, Jax!”
“Um…thanks.” Jax pulled her knees into her chest, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
“And I see we’ve also steered away from the exhausted-mother-of-five-at-Walmart-in-the-middle-of-the-day wardrobe collection,” Alanna noted wryly to the younger woman.
“Har, har.” Jax looked down at her gray scoop neck t-shirt and red ripped jean shorts. Her legs dangled off the couch, ending in the large, black combat boots she still wore with every outfit.
“As long as you feel beautiful, that’s what matters,” Layla declared, though, secretly, she was thrilled Jax had recently swapped her baggy, dark outfits for more colorful, better-fitting pieces. With her olive complexion, honey eyes, and curvy body, Jax was utterly gorgeous and finally learning not to hide that fact behind layers of loose clothing.
“ANY-WAY,” Jax continued. “My senior year of college starts in a few weeks, and…” She paused, swirled the wine in her glass. “I’m thinking of playing tennis. The school has an intramural team.”
“Yes!” Tess cried.
“Do it!” Everly hollered.
“That’a girl,” Alanna added.
Layla clapped her hands excitedly around her wine glass. Jax had been a competitive collegiate tennis player before giving up the game after her trauma. The fact that she was picking up her racket again signified a huge step in her healing.
“And Styles is great,” Jax concluded.
Layla grinned. Jax had initially been skeptical about caring for the energetic Bengal kitten, but just a few months later, she was filling the CCLC chat group with pics of Styles dangling from the top of his cat tower.
“Except this one keeps giving him too many treats.” Jax jerked a thumb at Willow.
The shy girl smiled. “He’s such a sweet cat.”
“Is spending time with Styles helping you feel more confident about adopting your own cat?” Tess asked Willow.
“Yeah, Styles needs a kitty sister or brother,” Everly added.
Willow ducked her head, averting her dark brown eyes from the stares of the women. “I…I think I’m almost ready.”
Layla remembered her morning vow to get to know Willow better. An idea sprang to her mind. She squeaked a little in excitement.
“Oh my gosh, Willow! What about volunteering with Everly and me at the Yucca Hills Animal Rescue? It’d be a great chance to interact with lots of different cats, and we always need more help.”
“YES!” Everly whooped. “Do it, Willow. Scooping stinky cat litter together forges unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. It’s like what happens when men go to war.”
Willow’s eyes widened, and she gripped her glass of water with both hands. “I’m not sure. Is it…dangerous?”
Layla smiled warmly at the younger girl. “A few of the animals have behavioral difficulties, but we wouldn’t let you work with them until you’re ready. And if you’re never ready, that’s fine, too. Mostly it’s cleaning litter boxes, walking dogs, cleaning cages, and socializing animals.”
“We’ll show you everything!” Everly promised. “Do you watch The Bachelorette ? Because Layla’s always four episodes behind, and I NEED someone to goss with about the show. She won’t even help me rank all the guys by hotness.”
“It’s not about their looks,” Layla chided her friend. “It’s about their souls.”
Alanna groaned.
Everly stage whispered. “It’s not about their souls…it’s about their penises!”
Tess clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from spitting out wine.
Willow looked alarmed, then smiled shyly. Layla noticed that she touched her thumbs lightly on the pads each of her fingers on both hands.
“Yes,” she said so softly that Layla had to crane her head to hear.
“OMG, really?” Everly answered giddily. “You’ve got to tell me what you think of Brad. Because I initially put him at an 8.5, but after they caught him picking his nose, I gotta knock him down to an 8.1. Too harsh? He’s got to have gorgeous boogers, right?”
Willow giggled. “No, I don’t watch The Bachelorette . But, yes.” She glanced at Layla. “I’d like to volunteer at the shelter. But maybe just once a week to start?”
“Yay!” Layla bounced a little, causing her wine to crest out of her glass and splash her hand.
“Yikes. Willow, I think you just gave Layla a happy-gasm,” Alanna said.
Layla stopped bouncing. A hot flush swept up her neck. She tried to laugh with the other women, but the sound came out forced. When she looked up, she locked gazes with Tess. The smaller woman raised her eyebrow as if to ask, You alright?
Layla smiled, looked away. Did Tess suspect the truth? She couldn’t possibly. Layla had never told anyone—not even Alanna—about her shameful secret.
“That’s all for me,” Willow said, thankfully moving the conversation forward.
Alanna stood and turned toward the breakfast bar.
Layla held up her empty glass and shook it.
Alanna raised an eyebrow.
Layla offered her best puppy-dog face with plenty of pouty lower lip.
Smirking, Alanna swiped Layla’s glass and moved to the breakfast bar.
“Alanna, how about you?” Tess said. “Got an update for us?”
“Business is insane,” Alanna sighed as she filled Layla’s glass and then her own. “I brought on two new clients this month and am looking to hire another account lead. Theo keeps whining that he doesn’t have enough money for the big re-launch of The Rose and Thorn next year.”
Everly snorted. “It’s almost like the poor boy thinks he has a choice.”
“He does not,” Alanna concurred.
Layla felt so proud of her sister. After starting all over with a brand new PR firm in Yucca Hills, Alanna wasn’t making nearly the same money as she had in LA, but she seemed happier than ever. Of course, a lot of that happiness had nothing to do with her work.
“And how are things with Sully?” Tess pushed.
“Yeah, give us all the deets on your hunky handyman,” Everly added.
Alanna handed Layla the newly filled wine glass and resumed her seat on the floor, folding her long legs beneath herself. “He’s keeping busy fixing up The Rose and Thorn and lifting weights with his friends.” She tipped her wine glass to her lips and muttered something just before taking a sip. “Andhewantsmetomoveinwithhim.”
“WHAT??!” Layla squawked.
“Uh, yeah, I’m gonna’ need you to repeat that,” Everly said. “Cause I thought you just said Sully wants you to move in with him. Which, if true, should have been the very first thing out of your mouth as soon as you entered these hallowed Cat Lady grounds.”
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Tears pricked Layla’s eyes. She set her wine glass on Tess’s new teak side table, then half-fell into her sister, wrapping her arms around Alanna’s thin frame.
“I’m so happy right now!” she sang.
“Stop, stop, stop!” Alanna grumbled, struggling out of Layla’s grasp. “I can’t do it, of course. And you’re making me spill my wine.”
“What? Why not?” Layla reeled back. “He’s such an amazing person, Alanna. He’s crazy for you. You two are—”
“Don’t you dare say soul mates.” Alanna glared at her, then sighed. “It has nothing to do with Sully. It’s Mom. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.”
“Oh.” Layla reclaimed her wine glass and stuck out her legs, crossing them at the ankles. “But Mom’s doing so much better since she got the cortisone shots. She says her hands are feeling really good.”
Just a few months ago, their mother had barely been able to turn a doorknob due to severe rheumatoid arthritis in both hands. But a round of steroid shots seemed to have relieved a lot of her pain.
“Those shots aren’t a cure,” Alanna reminded her. “We don’t know how long the relief is going to last and if she’ll respond to more shots. What if she falls again and can’t catch herself or can’t turn off the gas on the stove?”
Layla chewed her lip. She had felt a lot more comfortable when Alanna had moved into their mother’s house earlier in the year.
“Couldn’t Sully just move into your house with you and your mom?” Tess asked.
“We talked about that,” Alanna admitted, “but he spent months rehabbing every inch of his house. Even just built an entire outdoor catio for Sheba last month. He’s turned that place into his castle. I’d hate to make him give it up.”
“Well, maybe Mom can move in with us,” Layla said.
Alanna arched a delicate blonde eyebrow. “No offense, but I doubt Cal would go for that. Virtuous acts aren’t exactly his favorite hobby.”
Layla bit back a reply. If she ever discovered a magic lamp, she already knew exactly what three wishes she would ask of her genie.
Wish number one: That every child receive unconditional love and support from their parents.
Wish number two: That every animal in need around the world be adopted by wonderful pet parents.
Wish number three: That Alanna and Cal become friends.
“But Mom doesn’t want to move either,” Alanna continued, breaking through Layla’s daydream. “That house is her soul.”
Layla sighed. Alanna was right. The quirky, blue house on Creosote Ave was the very first property her mother had ever owned. Dede had filled it with colorful knickknacks, spent years turning the back yard into a rose-filled Mecca, and named the three dozen hummingbirds who frequented the multiple feeders on her back porch.
That place wasn’t just a house to her mother. It was a home.
“Sully says he’d be willing to move in with me and Mom,” Alanna admitted, “but I know it’d break his heart to lose his house. I won’t let him do it. We’ve been arguing about it all week.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Tess asked.
“Let’s see, I’m going to finish this glass of wine,” Alanna answered. “And, since I’m driving, this will be my last glass. Which means I’m going to head over to the counter and shove the rest of Everly’s brownies in my face.”
“Brownies and wine, the best temporary solutions to life’s most challenging problems,” Everly agreed.
“I’m sure you and Sully will find an answer,” Willow spoke softly but with conviction. “He really is a good man.”
“Thanks,” Alanna mumbled.
“Well, Layla, that leaves you,” Tess said.
The women all turned to her.
Layla paused before starting her update. Usually, it was so fun to share all the good things happening in her life with her closest friends. This week was different.
She forced a smile. Focus on the positive, she told herself. “Well, my kittens are doing great,” she began. “Garbo is so sweet, and I know Garland will come around eventually. It’s just going to take time with her. And Cactus, my hedgehog, is doing good, though he doesn’t seem to be eating as much as usual.”
Layla took a sip of her wine. Her stomach squirmed. “And, um, I found out that Mrs. Goldman sold the veterinary practice.”
“Reafy?” Everly slurred, her mouth half filled with brownie. She chewed and swallowed. “What do you know about the new vet?”
Layla took another sip of wine, except it wasn’t a sip. It was a gulp. “I actually ran into him today.”
“And?” Everly demanded.
“He’s…” Words tangled on Layla’s tongue. She hated saying negative things about anyone, but what was good about Dr. Dhawan? She pictured him in her mind. Those broody bronze eyes. His lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line. “He’s young,” she finally said.
“Really…” Everly looked intrigued. “Is he hot? And single?”
“Everly.” Layla laughed. Blushed. “I’m engaged. I don’t notice that kind of thing.”
“Come on, Layla.” Everly rolled her eyes. “You’ve still got eyes and a vagina, right? You can look even if you’ve got that rock on your finger. And you’ve got single friends. So, I ask again, is he hot?”
“Yes.” The word popped right out of her mouth. Layla gasped at her own audacity and tried to recover. “I mean, he’s good looking. I guess. I’m not sure.”
“Whoop whoop!” Everly pumped her fist and threw her head back to gaze at the ceiling. “Good work, Universe. A hot vet? Please and thank you!”
Willow giggled. Jax groaned.
Everly refocused on Layla. “Okay, tell me what I’m working with. I want weight and height. How does he compare to Bachelorette Brad? And how big are his hands?”
Layla almost choked on her wine… and she hadn’t even taken a drink.
“You’re giving the girl fits,” Tess chided Everly. She turned to Layla. “What do you think of him?”
“He’s… he’s…” Layla stammered. Mean, her brain supplied. Intimidating. Cold. “Different,” she said out loud. “He has his own ideas about how to run the clinic.”
Everly’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of ideas?”
Layla’s gaze dropped to her lap.
“The friends and family discount?” Everly choked. “He’s going to keep the friends and family discount, right?” The wine glass shook in her hand. “Right?” she whispered hoarsely.
“He’s not happy about the discount,” Layla admitted.
“That sniveling bastard!” Everly hollered. “I’ll punch him in his good-looking doctor kidneys!”
“Well, that epic romance died a swift death,” Alanna muttered from the breakfast bar, where she lifted a brownie from Everly’s cat-themed tin.
Everly slumped against the couch. “My cat, Legend, is a diabetic. I can’t afford his meds without that discount.”
“I don’t know anything yet,” Layla said quickly. “Dr. Dhawan didn’t say anything definitively. I’ll talk to him, try to make him see how important the discount is to our clients.”
She wisely didn’t mention Dr. Dhawan’s new plan to charge the Yucca Hills Animal Rescue for all spays and neuters. Everly might just smash her wine glass, track down Dr. Dhawan, and lacerate his liver.
Layla took a breath. “Dr. Dhawan is a little, um, aloof,” she admitted to the women, “but I just need to find the good in him.” She quickly corrected herself. “I will find the good in him.”
Alanna scoffed. “You know, Layla, one day you’re going to learn that sometimes assholes are just assholes.”
“Speaking of assholes.” Everly pulled herself back into a sitting position.
“Oddest transition of the night so far,” Tess cut in.
“Hey!” Everly pointed a finger at Tess. “I’ve just learned that some hot-but-evil vet is probably going to turn me into a pauper. And my sink is clogged. So, if you please, let me have this.”
Tess grinned and waved her arm in front of Everly. “By all means.”
“Good,” Everly huffed. “I’ve picked the next romance book for our book club.”
Layla grinned.
Alanna groaned. “This again? I was hoping Exit Wounds was a one-time thing.”
Everly gave Alanna a gallon of side-eye. “Don’t even pretend to hate on romance books. You were always in the thick of Exit Wounds discussions on the group thread .”
“Just to point out that the guy never once went to the gym but miraculously had perfect abs,” Alanna answered. “And the woman constantly ate cheeseburgers but was somehow 110 pounds. Give me a break.”
“You loved the book. You’re just not woman enough to admit it,” Everly snapped. “Fact, you probably had Sully recreate those amazing sex scenes.”
Alanna opened her mouth to argue.
“ANYWAY,” Everly continued. “This one is called, The Billionaire's Dilemma, and it’s an asshole-to-angel story.”
“A what?” Tess giggled.
“Asshole-to-angel,” Everly repeated. “The male character starts off as an absolute asshole, but through the restorative powers of love and sizzling sex from the female character, he turns over a new leaf. Think of Scrooge, except hot, young, and extra hot.”
Layla frowned into her nearly empty glass of wine. She enjoyed the escapist fantasy of a billionaire romance as much as the next girl, but she wasn’t a fan of arrogant, mean male protagonists. She much preferred friends-to-lovers, second-chance romances, and sensitive male leads she could imagine herself with.
“Okay, lay this one on us,” Alanna announced glumly.
Everly triumphantly unlocked the screen of her phone, tapped open a page, and began to read.
In order to save her family farm, Josephine Howard heads to the big city but the only job she can find is known as “Hell on Earth.” That would be working as an executive assistant to the genius and eccentric billionaire Edwin Burke. Celebrated for his rags-to-riches story, Edwin is also infamous for his fiery attitude and penchant for firing employees on the slightest whim. But Joey isn’t about to back down from Edwin’s temper. Instead, she challenges the frosty tech entrepreneur, holding her own and intriguing him in the process.
Forced into constant proximity, Joey starts to see the pain and vulnerability behind her boss’s punishing obsession with success. Over time, she’ll realize her true job is to save him from himself. Can she show Edwin that a life well lived is about more than business dominance? And what happens when her feelings for her boss start to threaten the job she needs to save her family from financial ruin?
Everly giggled. “What do we think?”
“What exactly does Edwin Burke’s company do?” Tess asked skeptically.
“Who cares,” Everly snapped.
“Why is everyone so obsessed with billionaires?” Jax grumbled, repositioning herself on the couch.
“Uh, duh,” Everly replied, “because they go to fancy masquerade balls, drive incredibly cool cars with doors that go up, not out…” She raised her arms to demonstrate. “...and they can whisk their women to islands they own at the snap of their fingers.”
“Not sure I wanna read a book about people picnicking on a privately owned island while California is dealing with a homelessness epidemic and half the world is living on less than $10 a day,” Jax answered dryly.
“SHHHH!” Everly pressed her index finger against Jax’s lips. “Billionaire romances are all about the fantasy. You gotta learn to close your eyes and dream.”
Jax batted away Everly’s finger. “Gen Zers don’t dream. We calculate the carbon footprint of flying two people on a private jet to an island in the middle of the ocean. Then we take our anxiety meds and go to therapy.”
“Gawd, you’re all the worst!” Everly grumbled.
“I’ll read it,” Layla said if only to help her floundering friend.
“Me too,” Willow added.
“Why not,” Tess spoke. “I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade ball.”
“Jax?” Everly turned to the woman in question.
Jax rolled her eyes. “Maybe.”
“That’s clearly a yes,” Everly declared. “You’re doing this too, Alanna. You just ate three of my brownies. Payment is due in the form of reading smut.”
“Boo,” Alanna answered with a resigned shrug, then brushed a crumb off her scarlet lips. “But still worth it.”
“Fine, it’s settled,” Tess said, and Everly pumped her fist. “Let’s all get the book by next week.” She turned to Layla. “Were you done with your update?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Layla could have sworn she saw Alanna make a frantic gesture toward Tess, swishing her fingers in front of her throat. But it must have been her imagination.
Layla smiled. “Actually, I have a few wedding updates I wanted to share.”
Tess coughed. Everly grimaced. Alanna turned to Tess and scratched at her face with her middle finger.
Throughout her entire life, Layla Sandoval had made it a point to step away from the spotlight so others, like Alanna and Cal, could shine. She never minded keeping her voice soft, her smile bright in the background. Except for when it came to one thing.
Her wedding.
Layla had begun her wedding preparations at age five after a nice lady at the women’s shelter had played a VHS tape of The Little Mermaid in the children’s play area. Watching Ariel walk down the aisle in her beautiful, poofy white dress at the end of the movie had forever transformed toddler Layla.
She wanted that poofy white dress. She wanted that handsome, grinning prince at the end of the aisle. She wanted that ship full of friends cheering and celebrating. And she wanted true love’s first kiss.
With nubby Crayons fisted in both chubby hands, little Layla had gone through reams of notebook paper, drawing herself as a bride over and over again. She’d started her first wedding binder at age 13, cutting dresses, hair accessories, shoes, rings, and more from old issues of Vogue, People, and World Bride Magazine.
Embarrassing as it was to admit, she’d asked Cal’s mom for his measurements after their third official date and started a secret Macy’s wish list of tuxes. She’d worn a flowing white dress to prom and encouraged (ahem, all but forced) Cal to wear a three-piece suit. In their pictures—she leaning tightly into his side, him with a casual arm around her waist—they looked almost exactly like a bride and groom.
Layla kept that picture in a password-locked folder on every phone Cal brought her. Sometimes at night, especially when Cal was out late at the dealership, she’d open it in bed and stare at it.
Which was all to say that this was her spotlight. These were her closest friends. And her wedding was going to be the most important day of her life.
The Crazy Cat Ladies would listen, even if it killed them.
“So, I’ve whittled the cake-filling options down to 16,” Layla began. “Now, remember, since I’m going to have an eight-tiered cake, we get eight different choices. I’m going to post all 16 options in the group chat, and I’d like you all to rank the flavors.”
Alanna stood abruptly, marched to the breakfast bar, and emptied the second bottle of wine into her glass. “I’ll order an Uber,” she told the women.
Tess gave Layla a wan smile. “I’m sure whichever flavors you pick will be fine.”
“But I need your opinions,” Layla pushed. “This day has to be perfect.” She giggled. “I mean, of course it’ll be perfect. Because it’s really just about me and Cal joining our lives together, but I want every little bit of the day to be magical. And that includes the cake.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Layla noticed Jax scrunching deeper into the couch, almost curling in on herself like she was in pain.
“It will be magical,” Layla said a little too forcefully. Of course, they’d had to change the venue for the ceremony from the small, beautiful church Layla attended. And, then, unfortunately, the guest list had grown too big for the botanical gardens Layla had been dreaming about for the reception since she was a child. But their new venue, The Desert Bloom Winery and Bistro, was also gorgeous in its own cold and modernist way.
Feelings swirled inside Layla. Feelings of disappointment. Feelings of resentment. She forced her smile higher.
“It’s going to be perfect,” she said. No, insisted. “My perfect wedding!”
“Cal is cheating on you!” Jax cried. She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth so forcefully her wine spilled from her glass.
“I’m so sorry,” she screeched from behind her hand. “I was going to wait until after the meeting, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t.”
Silence.
A single snowflake formed in the very center of Layla’s body.
“What?” The word fell from her lips.
Jax sucked in a wavering breath. “Cal is cheating on you. I saw him kissing Breanna.”
“Theo’s ex?” Tess asked.
The snowflake inside Layla wobbled, then split into a second snowflake. They wobbled together. Another division. Like cancer cells, they split again and again inside of her. Tens of snowflakes turned into hundreds, thousands, clumping together into blocks of ice.
“No,” Layla heard herself say, her voice a faraway echo. “That’s silly.”
“I’m going to murder him!” Alanna slammed her wine glass on the breakfast counter. “No, murder is too good. I’m going to cut off his balls and make him eat them.”
“It’s a mistake.” Layla’s voice was high. It wavered. Cal would never. “He must have been comforting Breanna after she broke up with Theo.” Layla’s mind grabbed onto this idea, gripped it with claws even as the snowflakes frosted across her rib cage.
Jax shook her head. “I saw them before Breanna broke up with Theo. I even recorded them kissing on my phone. I wanted to tell you.” Her eyes shone with pain and regret. “But then Dr. Goldman died, and…” her voice choked, and she pulled in a wavering breath.
“Oh no,” Tess groaned.
“Are you absolutely sure, Jax?” Everly demanded.
Jax swallowed. “I’m sure,” she answered. “I heard them talking. It’s been going on for a while.”
“I just need a place to ditch the body,” Alanna growled. “The desert? The ocean? Who do we know who owns a boat?”
“It’s a mistake,” Layla insisted again. A sob racked her body. The ice traveled into her guts, shriveling her stomach. It reached into her spinal cord and inched upward, turning her lungs into frozen glaciers.
He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
“A mistake,” she whimpered again.
“I’m sorry,” Jax whispered. Red rimmed her eyes.
“Oh my God.” Everly breathed. She slumped off the couch and pulled Layla into her arms. “I’m so sorry, my darling. So, so, so sorry.”
“It can’t be true,” Layla managed. Ice seeped into her heart, branching through her arteries, stilling the organ.
More arms wrapped around her. The women were coming to her aid. Holding her up. Trying to keep her warm, but it was impossible. You can’t warm something frozen from the inside.
“No,” Layla whispered before the ice encased her soul.