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“Please don’t sing,” I said. “It’s creepy.
“Why? Because it’s a love song from a man to another man’s wife?”
“Yeah, and you’re my dad.”
“And don’t you forget it. Listen, the reason I was calling–”
I felt my ears go numb as my dad began describing his concerns about Blake Morten. My heart was beating an uneven rhythm. There was fury sparking up in the synapses of my brain. “How did you hear about it?” I asked when he was done.
“Aiden told me.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. I hadn’t really needed to hear him say it, but the confirmation sealed it. The anger I’d tried to manage, to reason with, broke through the floodgates. “I have to go, Dad.”
He let me go with a cautious, “bye, honey. Love you.” He knew I was pissed. He didn’t know how pissed, though, and he didn’t realize that the weight of it was aimed at Aiden rather than him. Sliding my phone in my back pocket, I stood on the sidewalk and stared back at the building. If I bothered to count, I could locate Aiden’s exact window.
I didn’t bother though. And the idea of working half a floor away from him for the rest of the day was suddenly gallingly incomprehensible. I went back in just long enough to grab my laptop off my desk and stop by Maureen’s office.
“I think I’m coming down with something.” I coughed into the crook of my elbow and made a face. “Can I work from home today?”
“Yes, of course.” Maureen tilted her head, concerned. “You can take a sick day, too, Layla. Don’t feel like you have to push through if you don’t feel well.”
“No, I can definitely work. I just don’t want to get anyone sick,” I assured her. No way was I taking the day off and giving Aiden the space he needed to take me off the Blake Morten account entirely. I wouldn’t put it past him. Not only was he sending Joe as my babysitter, he had told my dad.
Anger and embarrassment fueled me all the way home.
“Hey,” Liv said, startled when I came through the door. She spotted my pale face, the burning spots of color on my cheek. “What’s wrong?
I threw my laptop down on the couch beside her and went into the kitchen. I’d initially lost my appetite, but keeping up this level of anger was hungry work. I made a snack while I told her.
“Easy on the cabinets,” Liv said at one point. Then, when I was done. “Jesus. That is… bad.”
“It’s really bad.” I threw myself down on the couch with my sandwich.
Liv eyed it but didn’t say anything about crumbs. “What are you going to do?” she asked instead.
I made a broad gesture with my hand that was meant to indicatehow the hell should I know?
Liv got up and got a plate. Sitting back down, she slid it under my sandwich. “Are you going to talk to him about it?”
I took a bite and chewed aggressively. “I have to, don’t I?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Either that or quit.”
“I’m not quitting.”
“Then yeah, you’ll have to talk to him.” She pulled an apologetic face. “You think you can do it without yelling?”
My eyebrows drew down. I took another bite and chewed viciously.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Liv sighed and turned back to her computer. “Good luck.”
CHAPTER22
AIDEN
When I heard that Layla had gone home sick, I texted her.
Are you going to my place? I’ll try to leave, too.
