Layla answered her phone, forcing herself to sound like her world wasn't falling apart. "Hi."
"Yo. I got your favorite today. You coming down or what?"
She could barely hear Gabi over the blare of what she was fairly certain was the guitar solo of "Free Bird," and she smiled despite her shitty mood. "Which favorite? White chocolate raspberry, chocolate hazelnut, or key lime?"
"All of 'em. Get your ass down here, chica."
Shitty mood was an understatement. Svenson had been out all week, so she hadn't had a chance to ask him if what Brody said was true. She wanted to know if all the little budget cuts of the past few years were about to end with the total decimation of her department.
But what made her feel even shittier than potentially losing her job and disappointing her kids was the fact that every time she tried to mentally hash through her options for preventing it from happening, she ended up thinking about Derek instead.
Layla couldn't lie to herself any longer. She actually liked the guy, though she was pretty sure that wasn't reciprocal "like" she saw on his face right before he stormed off into the night.
He was sweet. He was super-talented. He wore red pants.
He punched Brody in the freakin' face, and apparently quite a few people enjoyed it as much as she did.
As if that weren't enough, Derek's passion for his music matched hers, albeit from a different perspective. For the first time ever, she thought maybe she'd met someone who could completely understand her.
She knew without a doubt that Derek wouldn't judge her if she thought forking out the cash to dry clean her kids' uniforms took precedence over buying groceries. He would totally get the excitement of sitting at the piano for hours plodding through the score for The Music Man. So what if he was rich. He'd still get it.
Not to mention that the mere sight of him made her horny as hell, and nothing and no one made her horny as hell. She was too busy for horny. Maybe her lady bits had been so shocked to find themselves front and center for once, they'd scrambled the connectors in her brain that should have kept her from jumping the guy's bones.
Twice.
Without a condom.
She'd thought it was the whole rock star thing that had been responsible for her ramped up sex drive--always wanting what you shouldn't or couldn't have sort of thing--but the more time she spent with him, the more she was beginning to think otherwise.
Last weekend when he'd suggested that there was something more between them than mind blowing orgasms, she'd gone on the defensive, and she'd spent the entire week trying to convince herself not to regret it.
A girl had to protect herself.
Derek could say he wanted more all day long. In the end, there was no way he was going to give up his success and his career to live in a town that couldn't even afford to buy a new Sousaphone. It's not like he was going to be asking her to quit her day job and go with him when he left. As if she would, anyway.
Nope. He was lying to himself and thereby lying to her. Leaving her behind was the only option.
He was the one who said it first. This was a game. There was no changing the rules now.
Layla told herself he was probably gone by now, but she'd told herself that before. He kept proving her wrong. This time was different, though. She'd been a little harsh with him in the car.
Who was she kidding...she was totally unfair. She just didn't know what else to do. It was better to end things how they did than to become attached, to end up wishing for something that could never be.
If Layla knew anything, it was to not grow so close to a person that you couldn't picture your future without them. She thought she and Marissa would be friends forever. She knew it. The fire had other plans.
Now she knew the only person you should picture in your future was yourself.
Layla grabbed a box of candy from the stack in her garage and dropped it in her bike basket. She wheeled her bike outside, then paused to adjust her ponytail, which she'd hurriedly put in to keep her hair out of her face as she rode.
The day was gloriously warm, one of those bright October Saturdays that tried to convince you that snow wasn't just around the corner. It was warm enough for shorts and a tee shirt, and if it weren't for the red and orange leaves creeping up on the green she loved so much, she would have been able to imagine it was still summer.
She wore her beat up college shirt and a pair of cotton shorts that might have been a tad too short, but she decided it was worth it to feel the sun on her legs. The kids were working their asses off to sell candy, but there were only so many people in the town. Which was why Layla ended up buying the majority of the boxes herself, barely cringing at all as her savings dipped below what she liked to think of as her "safety line."
She'd give them all away to the kids eventually. Either that or she'd eat herself into a sugar coma and end her misery once and for all.
That didn't mean she couldn't do her part and try to guilt as many people as she knew into buying more candy than they ever wanted. And what better way to enjoy a day's guilt mongering than by bicycle.
Layla pedaled out into the street, waving at her neighbors as she passed. They smiled and waved back.
None of them knew how fond she was of having unprotected sex with rock stars on her living room floor or in the front seat of her car.
No siree. And they never would. The sunshine and exercise would clear all thoughts of Derek from her mind and help her get her focus back where it belonged.
On work.
Not sex.
Work.
After only a half hour, she'd managed to badger Ed and the crew into buying a couple candy bars each. Plus Jace had been out front of the Rooster receiving a delivery, so she'd convinced him to buy a few.
Or maybe her short shorts had convinced him. Either way, success.
Then she'd hit up Lucy at the dry cleaners, a couple people just passing through for the antiques stores on the main strip, and Marty at the library.
Before she knew it, half the box was gone. She pulled up in front of Azucar Lips, Gabi's cupcake shop and local phenomenon. Layla had to hand it to her friend. The woman knew her way around a batch of frosting, and business was booming.
People drove from as far as the city nearly 45 minutes away for her cupcakes and special order cakes. Gabi was running herself ragged trying to keep up with the work, but she always made sure to have a ready supply for the locals.
Layla hopped off her bike and parked it in front of the storefront window, right under the giant pair of pink, sparkly lips painted on the glass. She grabbed the remaining candy bars and took them inside so they wouldn't melt.
The smell of butter creamy perfection and the sound of the Rolling Stones greeted her, the music loud enough to drive customers away if the cupcakes hadn't earned a reputation for being worth it. Gabi was nowhere to be seen, so Layla set her box down and began dinging the counter top bell in time with the song.
No satisfaction. Yeah, right.
Gabi poked her head through the doorway leading to the kitchen. The top of her short, asymmetrical bob was teased up in a faux hawk as usual, but today the ends of her dark brown hair were died an assortment of greens and blues that reminded Layla of a mermaid's scales.
Gabi disappeared back into the kitchen. "It's about time. What took you so long?" she yelled from behind the wall before reappearing with a fresh tray of cupcakes.
"Pimping out chocolate. As usual. I like the new look." She motioned with her hand to Gabi's hair.
Gabi gave her a sexy pout and jutted a hip. "Of course you do. It's awesome." She tapped a finger on her chin. "If you like the turquoise, I think we could make it work for you, too."
"That's not appropriate for work." At least once a month Layla had to remind Gabi that turquoise, or pink, or purple hair wasn't appropriate for work. Her friend was relentless. One of these days she was going to cave and let her do it.
"Get the fuck outta here. It's not in your dress code. You told me so."
"It's not, but still..."
"Just underneath. Just a little bit. Maybe a streak or two--but I'm still thinking dark purple to go with that whole stubborn and brooding thing you got going on. You'd look so rock star..."
Gabi shut her mouth, a very un-Gabi-like thing to do. Of course she knew Derek and Layla had been spending time together. Layla hadn't told her, and Gabi was a good enough friend to know not to ask...but it didn't matter. After what happened at The Rooster, she was pretty sure everyone in Maybe knew.