Forever Layla: A Time Travel Romance by Melissa Turner Lee Page B

me?” She stepped out of the bathroom wearing my t-shirt and boxers just like at the beach.
    I swallowed and nodded and tried to concentrate on her face and her words. “I thought guys were supposed to take a girl out because he enjoyed her company and to expect no more than a thank you in return.”
    She stepped toward me and put a palm to each of my cheeks. “That right there is why I love you.”
    I sucked in a breath as my eyes grew wide.
    She let go of my cheeks and turned and walked to the couch. “Not that kind of love…not yet anyway.”
    I let the air out with that and followed her. She grabbed the comforter I’d brought and the pillow and started making a bed for herself on the couch.
    “We will get to that though so be prepared.” She plopped on the sofa and pulled the blanket up around her. “Remember, I know things. From what I understand of our future, we are the real thing.”
    I stepped closer and crouched by the couch to be at eye level with her. “But knowing things is a curse too. You said so.”
    Her expression turned melancholy. “Some things. I’ll spend most days pretending I don’t know those things. Or figuring out a way to change them.”
    “If you tell me, I can help you figure it out. I am kind of smart.”
    She smiled at me. “I’ve heard that. Aren’t you that genius who invented time travel?”
    “That’s what I’ve heard.”
    I moved back and sat on the coffee table in front of her. “So, what are your plans for tomorrow? I can come by after school.”
    She smiled. “That’s right. You still have another month.”
    “Yeah” I shrugged at the reminder of my status as a high school kid.
    “I was thinking I’d go job hunting. Are there any insurance agencies within walking distance? I looked through your mom’s trunks , and there are a few suits and things I think I can make work.”
    “Yeah, right down the street is Watson’s. They are a family here in Chesnee —they run it. They’re the only good office in town.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, there’s also Farm National Auto, a chain insurance company. Dad used to have insurance with them when the old guy, Drake Duke Sr., ran it. He died and his son took over. Dad said he was always a joke. His name was on the sign along with his dad’s as a courtesy from his father. He was never actually in the office until his dad died. He’s always passed out at his desk. My folks quit messing with him and moved over to Watson’s. I wouldn’t bother with old Drunk Duke.
    She sighed and took a deep breath. “I’ll keep all that in mind.”
    I stepped toward her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll let myself out and lock the door. Sleep well.”
    “I’ll try.”
    I walked out the door, locked it, and got in my truck. The whole thing with Layla was surreal. The week before spring break, my only thought had been about finishing with a good GPA to get the scholarships I’d applied for. Now I was thinking about how I was supposed to prove to Layla that I was ready to move from being a kid to a man.
    Surreal. Utterly surreal.
     
    Layla
    I FOUND THE FARM NATIONAL Auto office pretty easily. There are only two main streets where businesses were located in Chesnee. I pushed the glass door open. The black heels I’d found in the trunk were a little snug, especially after walking a couple blocks there, but I refused to so much as wince as I stepped into the office.
    “Hello, is anyone here?” I called out.
    No one answered, so I stepped around the front reception desk. “Hello?”
    I walked to the opened door of the one and only office and looked inside. A too thin man with lines on his face and sparse strawberry blond hair lay drooling on the desk calendar underneath him. Beside him was an empty bottle of Jack Daniels and an empty glass.
    “Hello, Mr. Duke?”
    He answered with a loud snore and a snort.
    The door behind me chimed as someone stepped in.
    I spun around and pulled the door closed. “Can I help