You Belong With Me (15 page)

              Max snorted and grabbed her purse. “I saw the announcement in the paper this morning. Are you sure you want to give everyone fifty percent off everything the first day you’re open? You’ll run out and barely cover your costs,” she said frowning at Jane.

              Jane smiled and patted Max on the shoulder. “Business 101 Max. Pull them in, get them hooked and then raise the prices,” she said with a grin.

              Max shrugged, smiling almost against her will. “Fine, but it’s a good thing you’ll be the one paying the suppliers.”

              Layla stopped smiling and stared at Max with a sad frown. “Max, are you sure we can’t convince you to stay even one more month?” she asked, hating the pleading tone in her voice.

              Max shook her head and grinned. “Put those pouty eyes away. Sorry girls, but I’m out of here the day after the grand opening. If it makes you feel any better, I think you’ll be fine,” she said, sounding surprised to be saying it.

              Layla sighed in disappointment. Jane looked at Max and walked over to her. “Max, if things don’t work out in San Antonio, you can always come back here.”

              “Thanks Jane, but I’ll be fine. My daughter needs me now. Her husband has a lot of health problems and they’re not doing so well financially. I’m actually thinking of getting a small business loan and opening up my own bakery.”

              Layla and Jane smiled as Max blushed. “You’ll be great Max,” Layla assured her.

              Max ran her hand through her short black hair and shook her head. “Well, I don’t have a choice now, I have to be. I’ve got three grandkids depending on me.”

              Layla leaned up against the counter and smiled as Max left without another word. Sometimes when people depended on you, you didn’t have a choice. You did whatever you had to do to survive. She was glad there were people like Max in the world.

              Kit breezed through the door, wearing a long summery chevron style skirt and a white lacey top. Her make up looked light and pretty and her earrings looked new. Layla narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Hold up Kit. Yesterday you didn’t even want to be here when Rob showed up. Now you’re pulling out all the stops. What’s going on inside your head?” she demanded standing in front of the bread Kit was trying to grab.

              Kit sighed and frowned at her sisters. “For your information, this
isn’t
pulling out all the stops. And let’s just say I had a change of heart.”

              Layla shook her head not budging. Jane smiled at Kit though and put her hands on her waist. “It’s the dream isn’t it?”

              Kit closed her eyes and Layla smiled as she could practically see steam pouring out of her sister’s ears. “It’s
not
the dream, Jane! It’s Layla.”

              Layla blinked in surprise and stood up straight. “
What?
What do I have to do with you and Rob?”

              Kit looked away for a moment before answering. “You actually put yourself out there. You don’t trust men, I’m not even sure you like them, but you still tried. I mean, you had no idea Ashley was going to show up. What a
disaster
, but still, you did it. I just figured if you can be brave, then so can I,” she said, wincing and looking back at Layla.

              Layla blinked and looked down at her feet.
Whoa
. “Um, okay Kit. Well, good for you,” she said lamely and moved out of the way so she could grab her loaves. Kit hugged her quickly and then left with her bread.

              Jane winced at Layla’s expression. “Hey, she meant it as a compliment. I mean, it sucks that you finally try and then his model ex-wife shows up, but she’s right. You put your heart on the line. That shows you still have a little faith in love.”

              Layla nodded, still looking at her feet. Jane cleared her throat and tried again. “And you never know, maybe he’ll be able to withstand all that history and beauty and mother of his child stuff. Of course you only just met, so probably not. But
still
, there’s a chance,” she said heartily, rubbing her shoulder.

              Layla nodded again and stood up. “I think I’m going to walk Bubba,” she said softly, walking out of the kitchen as quickly as she could. She ran upstairs, grabbed the leash, put up with a slobbery kiss from Bubba and hurried back down the stairs and out the door.

              She had to get away. Seeing her sisters’ pity and hearing Jane break it down as bluntly as she had forced the facts in her face. Michael was most likely going to get back together with Ashley. She groaned softly in pain and quickened her pace, wanting to run, but knowing Bubba would be against the idea. He immediately pulled on the leash and stopped, finding something he wanted to sniff.

              Layla leaned up against a tree and waiting impatiently until Bubba was done. Two runners passed by and waved at her. Layla smiled and lifted her hand in greeting, but let her smile fall as she continued her walk. How could he go back to Ashley after kissing her the way he had? After saying the things he’d said? After making her feel the things she’d felt? Could he really turn his feelings on and off like that?

              Layla kicked a stray rock on the side walk, baring her teeth in anger.
Simple.
Michael was a man. Was there ever another answer? She let her anger seethe and churn inside of her as she walked away from the main street and down toward the city park. As she came into view of the park and all the families there, playing and throwing Frisbees and laying on blankets, she felt her anger calm and disappear. Would she really deny Stella her chance at having a family?

              She walked slowly around the park, studying the families as Bubba howled, wanting to chase a stray ball. A lot of society’s problems stemmed from divorce and dysfunction. Stella needed a mother. That was a fact. The other fact was that Layla had already been dreaming of being that mother for her.

              Layla made it back home slowly, walking up the front porch, hoping Kit was back so she could ask her how her meeting with Rob went.

              “Hey.”

              Layla stopped in surprise, just then noticing the man sitting quietly in a rocking chair.
Michael
.

              “Hi there,” she said, looking at him with serious sad eyes.

              Michael stood up and walked to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the other chair. “We need to talk,” he said, reaching down to pet Bubba.

              Bubba wheezed and moaned in happiness, flopping on his back. Layla ignored him and stared at Michael. No good conversation had ever begun with those four words.
Ever
.

              “What is it Michael?” she said, prompting him to just get it over with.

              Michael swallowed and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. “Ashley and I stayed up late last night talking. About everything. That’s why I never got around to calling you last night. She’s been seeing a new therapist for the last year and she’s doing really well now. She um . . . , she wants to start over. She’s moving to Fircrest next week. Her parents have friends who own a condo down by the park. She says she wants to be a part of Stella’s life again.
And mine too
,” he said in a low voice, staring at her face, his eyes solemn and dark.

              Layla nodded her head and looked away. “Is that what you want Michael?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

              Michael sighed and stared at his hands. “She seems so different now. She’s like her old self. I’ve always wanted Ashley to be a part of Stella’s life. I don’t know if I want to be together with her though. I was positive I didn’t. “

              Layla looked back at Michael, sensing how upset he was. “But you’re willing to try. Is that right?”

              Michael ran a hand through his hair before looking up at her. “Not for me. But I’m willing to try for Stella. Layla . . .,
I’m so sorry
. Especially after the time we’ve spent together. You have to know that I was hoping . . ., that I was already seeing the two of us together. I had no idea this was coming. None,” he swore, shaking his head back and forth.

              Layla sighed and closed her eyes, sitting back in the rocking chair as she let the pain wrap around her heart. She accepted it and let it in. It was a familiar presence after all.

              “I hope everything turns out well for you and Stella, Michael. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said and stood up.

              Michael stood up quickly, grabbing her arms before she could turn away. “Layla, if things don’t work out with Ashley, would you be willing to see me again? I know it’s unfair to ask that of you, but my feelings for you are so strong. It’s killing me to do this,” he admitted, his voice raspy and strained.

              Layla stared down at Michael’s strong hands on her arms and frowned, willing the tears behind her eyes to back down. “No Michael. I don’t want to be anybody’s second choice,” she said and pulled out of Michael’s hands, ignoring the agony on his face.

              “Layla! It’s not like that. You know it’s not,” he said, rushing to the door and holding it shut so she couldn’t walk through.

              “Isn’t it?” she asked softly, as she turned to look at him. Their faces were so close together, she could have leaned in just a couple inches and kissed him. She no longer had that right now. “Good bye Michael. Please tell Stella, that. . . ,that I’ll miss her,” she said and pushed through the door just as the tears escaped her eyes and wet her cheeks.

              She shut the door firmly, locking it before wiping the tears from her face as she heard the pounding on the door. “Open up Layla! We need to talk this out.
Layla!
” she heard Michael yelling from the other side of the door.

              Jane came out of the kitchen, took one look at her face and stared wide eyed at the door and Michael looking through the glass at them, pounding his fist over and over on the wood.

              “Ignore him,” Layla said on a sob and pushed past her sister, running upstairs with Bubba at her feet.

              She spent an hour in a hot bubble bath and then another hour on the front upper deck of the house, staring at the water on the horizon. When she finally came down, she was calm. It had taken her a while, but she’d finally done it. She’d locked her heart away again.

Chapter 13 – Men trouble

              Kit and Jane stared at Layla across the counter as she bit into a large croissant filled with turkey, spinach, avocado and bacon with pesto sauce.

              “
Mmmm
, this is amazing. We should offer sandwiches and soups at lunch time,” she said, smiling at her bright idea.

              Jane nodded. “That’s actually kind of brilliant. We could do croissant sandwiches with all the left over croissants that don’t sell for breakfast and have maybe some potato salad or soup to go with it,” she said thoughtfully before Kit bumped her hard in the hip.

              Kit glared at Jane and shook her head. “Layla, honey, are you okay? Jane told me kind of what happened this afternoon. Does this mean that Michael went back to Ashley?” she asked softly.

              Layla licked some pesto off her thumb and nodded her head. “Yep. Kicked me to the curb and went running back to his ex-wife. So you see, all that faith and hope I let out to play was all for nothing. I have decided that it’s just safer to do without romance. Really,
who needs it?
Jane went for it and look where it got her. A police officer who probably wants to charge her with assault and battery.”

              Jane groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “Thanks Layla,” she mumbled.

              Kit frowned at Layla and leaned forward. “Layla, it might not work out between him and his ex. You know he’s just doing this for Stella. Michael is crazy about you. He might come back, you never know,” she said, frowning doubtfully.

              Layla’s eyes snapped with anger and she stood up. “So I can be second choice? No Kit, it’s over.”

              Kit frowned at her older sister and shook her head. “So you’re going to punish him for trying to do the right thing? Michael’s the only man who has ever cracked open your heart and you’re just going to let him walk away?”

              Layla glared at Kit, her hands clenched at her sides. “Do you know what it took for me to put myself out there like that? It took every last ounce of hope I had left Kit. If you’d seen the things I’ve seen and seen the pain I’ve seen, you would understand how hard it was for me to let Michael in. And then I did! And almost immediately he runs back to his ex-wife. No, I won’t hate Michael, but I’ll never give him the chance to hurt me again,” she said and stomped out of the kitchen, slamming the front door as hard as she could. It felt so good she opened it and did it one more time. It wasn’t as peaceful as staring at the water for an hour, but she did feel better.

              She sat down in the rocker she’d just been dumped in a few short hours earlier and felt like crying again. Why couldn’t Kit and Jane just leave her alone and let her deal with her life the way she saw fit? Sisters were so. Stinking. Annoying.

              She leaned her head back and saw a paper taped to the white porch railing. She stopped rocking and stared at it, knowing somehow it had to be from Michael. She considered grabbing it and ripping it to shreds, but that would be immature. Not that slamming the front door hadn’t been completely immature, but still. She stood up and grabbed the note, looking over her shoulder to make sure her nosy sisters weren’t staring at her from the door.

                                                       Layla, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

                                                        Watching you walk away from me

                                                        and shutting the door on not only