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She winces. “That must have been a stressful job.”
“It was, but also very rewarding.” I catch sight of Reese at the check-out paying for his food. When he’s done, he heads our way, carrying a tray with a mountain of food.
Wonderful. Here we go again.
“Hey, Layla,” Reese says as he stops at our table.
Layla’s face lights up with a shy smile. “Hi, Reese.”
“Is it okay if I join you guys?” He sets his tray on the table, pulls out the empty chair directly across from me, and sits.
“Sure,” Layla says after the fact. She fiddles nervously with a napkin, her gaze going to Charlene and then to me.
I’m having trouble reading her. She seems nervous, but I’m not sure if it’s nervous in a good way or in a bad way. I think we need to establish some code words.
“So,” Reese says to me. “You must be the new guard dog.”
Hell, he knows exactly who I am. It’s simple math—with Sean gone, I’m clearly his replacement. “Yes, I’m Layla’s guard dog.”
Reese laughs, then takes a bite out of a slice of pepperoni pizza. “So you’re not her boyfriend, then,” he says with way too much satisfaction.
His comment bugs the hell out of me, but it’s accurate, so I can’t argue the point. “That’s correct.”
He grins smugly. “I just wanted to be sure.” Then he redirects his attention back to Layla. “So, Layla. It’s too bad we didn’t get a chance to grab coffee this morning. How about dinner tonight instead?”
Layla’s jaw practically drops, and she looks to me, but she doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure what she’s looking for. Permission? Advice? Then she turns back to Reese. “Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can. I’ve got a lot of studying to do this week.”
“Surely you can take a few hours off for dinner. You’ve got to eat, right? Come on. I’ll take you somewhere really nice.”
Layla stares down at her food, then suddenly her gaze snaps toward the window, and she stares out at the flowers. No doubt she’s distracted by the voice.
“Come on, Layla—” Reese says. He loses his train of thought when it’s apparent Layla’s not listening to him. His gaze snaps to me, his blue eyes blazing, as if it’s my fault she’s tuned him out.
Too bad, pal. “You heard her, Reese. She said no.”
“Who asked you?” he snaps. “I was talking to Layla. And for your information, she didn’t say no. She said she didn’t think she had time. There’s a big difference.”
Layla’s attention returns to us, and she looks like she wants to crawl under the table. Probably because we’re sitting here talking about her like she’s not even here.
With a scowl, Reese drops his half-eaten slice of pizza onto his plate, wipes his hands on a napkin, and shoots to his feet. “I’ve got to run to class now.”
I glance at Layla, who’s back to staring out the window. She’s completely checked out. Charlene’s watching her closely.
Reese picks up his tray. “I’ll see you around, Layla.”
I monitor Reese’s retreat, but my main concern is for Layla. I lay my hand gently on her shoulder. “Layla? You okay?”
No response.
I lean forward a bit so I can see her expression. Her eyes are glittering with unshed tears, and I wonder what the voice is saying to her. I nudge her gently. “Come on, honey, talk to me.”
Her gaze suddenly snaps to mine. “What?” She looks from me to Charlene, then to Reese’s empty chair. “He’s gone?” She sounds more than a little relieved.
I nod. “Yeah, he’s gone.”
She glances at her phone screen to check the time. “I’ve got to get to my next class.” She grabs her backpack off the floor and stands. She ate barely a third of her wrap.
“What about your lunch? You need to eat.”
