AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Honestly, pink roses are my favorite.” She smiled. “They symbolize sweetness and elegance. And they’re the rose of royalty. I think red roses are so overrated. These are perfect.”
Adler placed the bracelet on the counter. “Well then you sold me. I’ll take them both.”
Leila raised her eyes to meet his. “Really?”
He smirked and nodded. “Yeah really.” He pushed them toward her and slid her a card for his payment. “So, I see you close at five-thirty. Would you be able to grab a quick bite to eat before you go home?”
Leila stopped mid receipt tear and pointed to her chest. “Me?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you. There’s no one else around.”
Leila turned to say something to Elizabeth, but at some point, her co-worker must have left. She didn’t even notice. How long had she been here alone with him?
A soft cry reached her ears, and Elizabeth came up front with Skylar in her arms. Leila’s smile reached her ears as she reached for her daughter. “I can’t. I have Skylar.” She laughed, a deep chest laugh. Adler’s eyes were huge and frozen on Skylar. She talked through her laughter. “Adler, meet my baby girl, Skylar. Sky, meet Adler.”
Adler’s eyes traveled over Skylar, and he slowly raked his hands through his hair. “She’s cute. How old is she?”
“Almost four months.” Leila bounced her gently. “So, I won’t be able to go to dinner.”I doubt you still want to eat together anyway.
Adler grabbed his bags from the counter. “Sure you can. I’ll meet you back here at five-thirty. I’ll have sandwiches from the deli, and we can eat quickly out at the picnic table by the parking lot. You can have her in her stroller. It’s going to be a nice night.”
Skylar wasn’t a deal breaker? She snapped her mouth closed. “No, I can’t have you do that.”
“Yeah, you can. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a sandwich and a drink. Then you can go home. I’ll see you at five-thirty.” He winked and left.
Leila was dumbstruck. She passed her eyes over Skylar. Her heart thumped hard against her chest. Why was he so persistent? What did he want? She shook herself as Elizabeth’s laugh made her focus. “I figured once he met Skylar he’d run for the hills, and this weird interest in me would evaporate.” She shrugged. “I guess not. How can I get out of that dinner? He doesn’t take a hint.”
“Seems as if Mr. Cassanova has taken a real interest in you.”
“Yeah, I see that, but why? I’m not his type. He has a thing with Desiree. How can a guy go from her—tattooed, hot, sexy, and loud—to me?” She held her free arm out wide. “I’m a single mom who has zero tattoos, doesn’t party, has never been drunk, doesn’t have one-night stands, and hot isn’t a word anyone would ever use to describe me. I’m just plain and normal.” She sat hard on the stool behind the counter. “All I want to do is be a mom, go to work, go home, and lead a happy life.”
Elizabeth just smiled and shrugged “Sometimes you’d be surprised who could give you a happy life.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure he and I have different definitions of fun.”
“Maybe, but just give him thirty minutes of your time tonight. You never know. He might surprise you.” Elizabeth reached over to wipe some slobber from Skylar’s mouth. “Either way, you’ll get a free meal out of it.”
“I guess, but he’s really wasting his time. I amsonot interested.” Leila shook her head and huffed out a breath as she bounced Skylar on her hip.A free dinner, and thirty minutes of my time. That’s all he’ll get from me, ever.
Chapter 9
When Adler left the boutique, he ran home to clean up and change out of his Warfield Meats polo. He pulled on jeans and a T-shirt before combing his fingers through his hair and brushing his teeth. He leaned on the bathroom sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “I can’t believe she really has a baby. Do you really want to go there Warfield?”
When Desiree told him about Skylar, he wasn’t sure how he would take it, but there was something about Leila that surprisingly overshadowed the fact that she was a mom. She was beautiful in an everyday way. She had a natural beauty which needed no makeup, and her hair lay in waves around her shoulders which made him want to run his fingers through it and see if it was as soft as it looked. And those sun-kissed freckles across her nose . . .
Adler shook his head at his reflection, and his stomach made a weird move. “I don’t know who you are. You’re acting all weird over a woman—with a baby.” He closed his eyes and focused onhis breathing. He needed to get his thoughts straight before he left. His feelings were on fire. She was different. She was special, and he had to make sure she knew it.
Tristan and Stacey were sitting at the kitchen table with a pizza between them when he walked out of his room. “Hey, Ad. Want some?” offered Tristan.
Adler grabbed a Coke from the fridge and popped open the can. “No thanks. I’m heading back to town.”
“Going out with Desiree?” asked Stacey.
“Nope. I haven’t been seeing her, remember?” Adler picked up his leather coat from the chair, ignoring them, but he could feel two pairs of eyes following him as he threw on his coat, then sat down to slip on his boots.
“So, where are you going?” asked Tristan.
Could he be any nosier? Adler slapped his hands on his thighs, and a Cheshire grin covered his face. “I’ve got a dinner date with a sweet and beautiful woman. Not that it’s any of your business.”
