effect on women.”
She ran her palms up his arms. “I guess you do. The obsessing will come, of course.”
“In the early-morning hours, no doubt.”
“Is that when you obsess?” Layla asked facetiously, as if making a huge discovery. “That’s when I obsess!” He laughed and she added, “I’ll bet I do a lot more of that than you do.”
She might be surprised. He leaned down and gave her one last kiss, their lips clinging for a brief second as he made a wish—that they could explore this unexpected physical connection between them more fully. “It was great breaking into the school with you.”
“I had a good time, too.” She pulled away and then unlocked her car door. “Maybe…” She made a face. “I can’t believe I’m saying this. Maybe we can do something together again.”
“Maybe. And I can’t believe you’re saying that, either.”
She reached up and touched the side of his face lightly, then got into her car and shut the door. He knocked on the window, and she rolled it down. “Text me when you get home.”
She nodded and started the engine.
As she pulled away, Justin stood watching, hoping that she understood he was talking get together in a casual way, not a headed for a relationship way.
But this was Layla, who planned her life to the n th degree. Of course she understood that.
CHAPTER SIX
“DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING about class reunions?” Sam demanded as soon as Layla walked through the front door of Sunshine of Your Love. She was standing behind the purple checkout counter, small hippie glasses perched on her nose, a sheet of creased paper in one hand.
“I helped plan mine,” Layla said. And she’d also broken into a school. Old Layla. New Layla.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t riddled with guilt about last night’s criminal activity. If anything, she was still slightly exhilarated. For once, she’d stood up for herself, albeit in a clandestine way, and she felt vindicated. Empowered.
Moral of the story? She needed to take control of more areas of her life, instead of playing the good, rule-following girl.
Sam looked over the top of the glasses. “Then word must have spread that the Taylors are suckers for organizing public events, because I’ve just gotten an invitation to join the planning committee.” She pushed her geometrically cut red hair away from one cheek. “I believe I will decline.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Layla said. “There were several committees, so the workload was spread out.”
Sam shook the paper at her. “These guys wanted nothing to do with people like me back in high school, and now they want my help?”
“Perhaps some of them have matured past the clique days?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Carlie McCoy was in here the other day and she was pretty damned condescending.”
“Did she buy anything?”
“Loads of fancy underwear and a pair of novelty guy underwear on clearance. The Christmas kind.”
“Rudolph?”
“The elf hat.”
Sam shoved the paper into the folder next to the register, where she kept her special order list. “I just can’t see hanging with those people.” There was the briefest of pauses and then she casually said, “Have you heard from Mom?”
“Not recently.” Their parents were currently living in Hawaii, house-sitting for a friend for several months and enjoying life in paradise. “Is everything all right?” Layla asked, suspecting from her sister’s change in demeanor that something was up.
Sam didn’t quite meet her eyes. Never a good sign. “Well, I may have let the cat out of the bag about your job, so you’ll probably be getting a call from her.”
Layla instantly felt shifty. Not for keeping her mother in the dark, but because she, queen of the overachievers, had lost her job. Walked away from her contract. And now she had to explain this to people. Was she going to
She ran her palms up his arms. “I guess you do. The obsessing will come, of course.”
“In the early-morning hours, no doubt.”
“Is that when you obsess?” Layla asked facetiously, as if making a huge discovery. “That’s when I obsess!” He laughed and she added, “I’ll bet I do a lot more of that than you do.”
She might be surprised. He leaned down and gave her one last kiss, their lips clinging for a brief second as he made a wish—that they could explore this unexpected physical connection between them more fully. “It was great breaking into the school with you.”
“I had a good time, too.” She pulled away and then unlocked her car door. “Maybe…” She made a face. “I can’t believe I’m saying this. Maybe we can do something together again.”
“Maybe. And I can’t believe you’re saying that, either.”
She reached up and touched the side of his face lightly, then got into her car and shut the door. He knocked on the window, and she rolled it down. “Text me when you get home.”
She nodded and started the engine.
As she pulled away, Justin stood watching, hoping that she understood he was talking get together in a casual way, not a headed for a relationship way.
But this was Layla, who planned her life to the n th degree. Of course she understood that.
CHAPTER SIX
“DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING about class reunions?” Sam demanded as soon as Layla walked through the front door of Sunshine of Your Love. She was standing behind the purple checkout counter, small hippie glasses perched on her nose, a sheet of creased paper in one hand.
“I helped plan mine,” Layla said. And she’d also broken into a school. Old Layla. New Layla.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t riddled with guilt about last night’s criminal activity. If anything, she was still slightly exhilarated. For once, she’d stood up for herself, albeit in a clandestine way, and she felt vindicated. Empowered.
Moral of the story? She needed to take control of more areas of her life, instead of playing the good, rule-following girl.
Sam looked over the top of the glasses. “Then word must have spread that the Taylors are suckers for organizing public events, because I’ve just gotten an invitation to join the planning committee.” She pushed her geometrically cut red hair away from one cheek. “I believe I will decline.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Layla said. “There were several committees, so the workload was spread out.”
Sam shook the paper at her. “These guys wanted nothing to do with people like me back in high school, and now they want my help?”
“Perhaps some of them have matured past the clique days?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Carlie McCoy was in here the other day and she was pretty damned condescending.”
“Did she buy anything?”
“Loads of fancy underwear and a pair of novelty guy underwear on clearance. The Christmas kind.”
“Rudolph?”
“The elf hat.”
Sam shoved the paper into the folder next to the register, where she kept her special order list. “I just can’t see hanging with those people.” There was the briefest of pauses and then she casually said, “Have you heard from Mom?”
“Not recently.” Their parents were currently living in Hawaii, house-sitting for a friend for several months and enjoying life in paradise. “Is everything all right?” Layla asked, suspecting from her sister’s change in demeanor that something was up.
Sam didn’t quite meet her eyes. Never a good sign. “Well, I may have let the cat out of the bag about your job, so you’ll probably be getting a call from her.”
Layla instantly felt shifty. Not for keeping her mother in the dark, but because she, queen of the overachievers, had lost her job. Walked away from her contract. And now she had to explain this to people. Was she going to
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