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His eyes travel through the store, and when they land on Samantha, his face lights up. "Hey, Sam."
Samantha flies through the room and stops in front of him.
"Hello, Leo," she chirps.
Adrenaline rushes through my veins when Amanda stops next to me, articulating my inner thoughts.
"Oh. That isn't a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy."
They come our way, and when they're in front of us, Samantha introduces him.
"Alisha, this is Leo. Leo, this is Alisha and Amanda."
Leo sends Amanda and me a sunny smile while his hazel irises take me in. When he holds out his hand, I shake it as he introduces himself.
"Hello Alisha, it's nice to meet you. Samantha speaks highly of you. She told me you're worried about my intentions. But you can relax. I just love to hang out with her. She's cool and a talented young lady."
I give him an intense stare, and when I let go of his hand, I cross my arms in front of me and fire my burning question. "Leo. How old are you?"
Samantha gasps and shakes her head. "Alisha!"
"Don't worry, beautiful. They're just protective of you," Leo notes while giving Samantha a wink before returning his eyes to mine and answering.
"I'm twenty."
Amanda clears her throat as I narrow my eyes at Samantha, who is now looking at the floor.
"Would you excuse Samantha and me for a moment, Leo? I need to talk with her in private," I add in a straight, clear voice.
Without looking back, I walk straight into Amanda's office and turn to wait for the teenager to enter. She shuffles in—looking at the floor—fumbling with the hem of her shirt, and I wait for her to say something.
After a few moments, she slowly tilts her head up and mumbles, "I'm sorry."
"You lied to me, Samantha. Why?"
Her eyes skim mine before they go back to the ground as she answers. "Because I knew that if I'd told you I'm hanging out with a guy who's twenty, you wouldn't agree." When her eyes meet mine, I see they're glassy with upcoming tears. "I'm sorry that I lied, Alisha, but I like him. He's the only genuine friend I’ve made in Boston."
"But what about the friends from school you were hanging out with this week?" When her eyes avoid mine, I have my answer. "So there are no other friends," I conclude. "You've been hanging out with Leo this entire week."
She nods. When I want to say something, her clear blue irises pierce mine.
"I'm sorry, but making new friends here in Boston is hard, and when I hang out with him, I feel less alone."
My heart constricts, hearing she's been dealing with loneliness. This girl has experienced so much change in her life these last few months that I understand it must feel wonderful to meet someone that she feels she has a connection with.
Who am I to judge that?
"Alisha, can I please get a drink with him? I'll take him to the diner across the street," she begs with the cute, pouting face of hers.
I let out another deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Sam. But it's a no. First I want you to tell Cole about Leo when he returns from his business trip."
She takes a step back, and when her mouth opens to say something, I cut in. "He needs to know, Samantha. He's your father, and this isn't something you can hide from him. If he finds out before you tell him yourself, I doubt he'll be very understanding. Tell Leo you'll be in contact with him after you tell your father."
She lets out an exorbitant long huff. "Can I go now?"
I nod. She turns and hurries out. Trudging after her, I see her and Leo standing outside by the door.
Amanda whistles when I stop beside her. "Oh, boy. That girl is head over heels, and can you blame her? He is a good-looking twenty-year-old. If I were fifteen, he would tick my boxes." She chuckles, sending me a teasing wink.
