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"Bug—"
"Hi, are you new here? My name is Marcus, and this is Leo." He gestures to me as I slink my way to his side as smoothly as I can, so I don't spook either of the ladies.
"Hello. I'm Rylee." The release of her shoulders doesn't make me feel better. Rylee’s voice is so curt, and her wide smile is nowhere to be seen. "This is Layla."
My eyes narrow on the beach bag hanging from her chair and the thin straps of her dress kissing her collarbone.Are they going to the beach alone?Fuck. If they really are alone... I hope not. Maybe they are just coming back from the beach.
A flash of fear runs through their eyes when Marcus kneels. "Hi, Layla, I love your hair." Confusion is a weak word to describe how I feel when the girl looks at Marcus with a frown of mistrust.
Not allowing him to push her, I step in as he stands beside me. "It's nice to see some new faces. I own this coffee shop." I go for a smile but am completely lost when Rylee also narrows her eyes at me.
"Oh. Is there a problem?"
"What? No! Why would you think that? I'm so sorry. We just wanted to introduce ourselves. Your happiness when you came in was infectious." I think that's the most I've spoken to anyone besides Marcus in years. I can't have her thinking anything negative about this interaction.
"Oh." Rylee's eyes dart down to Layla while gently stroking her back in comfort. Comforting her daughter because we upset her. "Well, it's nice to meet you." The smile she gives us is a polite one, nowhere near the soul-splitting one she had when they walked in.
Running a hand through my platinum locks, I clear my throat. "It was good to meet you too, Rylee and Layla." I hate taking the dismissal for what it is, but we are making them ridiculously uncomfortable.
Snagging Marc's arm, I drag him away as he mumbles his goodbyes, clearly befuddled by their reaction to us.
The ding of the door has my attention flying to the beautiful woman and her little girl walking around the corner of the building. Turning to Marc in complete confusion, I ask what's on both of our minds. "What the hell just happened?"
His frown bothers the shit out of me. "I have no idea... but they both—"
"They were scared of us."
Even if they hid it very well under their masks of determination and coldness, the fear was clear to pick up on to anyone who paid close attention. Marcus and I? Our attention was dialed into Rylee's wary blue eyes and tense shoulders enough to spot a protective momma bear from afar. Little Layla, though? That's a hard pill to swallow.
What happened to those girls?
ChapterThree
RYLEE
"Mommy, look!"
Seeing she has my undivided attention; Layla’s arms go above her head before plopping her booty into the few inches of water. Peals of laughter reach my ears when the water splashes her cheeks.
"Oh my goodness!" Making a split-second decision, I do the same, causing a much larger splash beside Layla.
"Ahh!" Tumbling to her side, she crawls away from me. I snort and splash her again just as she stands and stumbles her way to our set of towels.
With a little pout, she crosses her arms, taking in my shoulders shaking with humor. I sit down beside her and raise one eyebrow in her direction. I watch as her lips twitch, our stare down coming to a close when her sun-screened cheeks widen and her eyes sparkle.
I tickle Bug’s side, content to enjoy this playful afternoon with my daughter on the East Coast.
"No more splashes." Nibbling on her lower lip, she lifts her own eyebrows, a silent demand for me to listen.
I release a loud sigh and tip my head skyward. "No more splashes," I agree, pleased when my dramatics pull more joyful snickers from my little one.
Sipping on my coffee, I watch Layla build sandcastles while chatting away about her plans for the princesses. Princesses, who, in fact, do not need a prince, in her opinion.
This was everything I hoped for when I saw the listing to take over the last portion of someone's lease. A home filled with furniture in a safe neighborhood, the ocean within a twenty-minute drive, and a whole lot of people to disappear into.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened when we stopped at that coffee shop on the way here. I never once thought two men like that would approach us if I'm being honest. It hasn't happened before. I literally go nowhere without Layla, and most guys aren't keen on a woman with a kid.
I’ve noticed how Layla doesn't care for men, but we haven't really tested it out. Swallowing back emotion, I recall the way she shuffled her way closer to my side while also putting herself between me and the approaching guys.
