8. Lila

8

LILA

"Okay, so this is good," Ally said, her head bobbing with a little too much enthusiasm on-screen.

"What's good? That I freaked out in a crowded bar in front of half of Kelly Lakes, so much so that Mike had to escort me home, or that I told him what happened with Ted?"

I shook my head and let it fall back against my kitchen chair.

"Having a friend close by who happens to be a cop is good, and one who knows the situation and can watch out for it is smart. The cop being hot is just a bonus." She leaned closer and popped her brows.

I rolled my eyes and nodded. Yes, the cop being hot was another issue I was too exhausted to get into.

"And as far as yelling at that asshole, someone made you uncomfortable, and you told him to back off. That's nothing to be embarrassed about or anything you would have thought twice about before all this bullshit with Ted…" She grimaced as she trailed off.

"But…"

"But," she repeated slowly. "I worry about how Ted is still screwing with your head. Nothing weird has happened since you've been there, right?"

"No. As far as I know, he doesn't know I'm here."

"No crazy emails or texts from a weird number?"

"He doesn't have my new cell number. Very few do, and maybe my parents will do me this one favor and keep it from Doug."

"I hope so too." She snorted. "But talking to someone may help. Besides me. I'm always here to listen, but I don't have any real expertise in trauma from an obsessive ex. You can talk to a therapist online if you don't want to seek one out where you are."

"No, that's a good idea, and I've been thinking about it. I thought last night would be a good way to push myself, and while it was a little uncomfortable at first, before my blow-up at the bar, it was actually fun."

Last night had been fun because I was with Mike. I'd even managed to relax a little before we stepped into the bar. He was a nice guy who didn't judge, and being easy on the eyes was a bonus that I had to learn to ignore.

"That's good. I'm glad Mike was there to help put your mind at ease and help you get out of your head for a few hours."

"Yeah, he was great," I said, darting my eyes from the screen for a minute.

"You like him, don't you?" Ally's smile was wide as she rested her chin on her hand.

"Of course I like him. He's sweet and helpful and a pretty decent guy not to judge the crazy I've let out almost every time I've seen him."

"Denial never looked good on you." Ally tsked .

"Whatever. Listen, I will let you get back to your Saturday. Thank you for listening."

"What I'm here for. Now, get out of the apartment. Be the mysterious new girl who has lunch alone somewhere."

"Right." I laughed and ended the call.

I peeked out my window at the gray sky and light drizzle dotting the glass. I wondered if Mike was still taking his sister to the festival in the rain today.

Grabbing my phone off my table, I pulled up Mike's name in my contacts and stared at the screen for a while. I wanted to thank him for last night, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

"Fuck it," I murmured to myself and typed out a text.

Me: Thank you again for last night. For seeing me home and for listening.

That wasn't so hard. Putting myself out there, as long as I didn't put too much of myself out there with Mike, was fine and healthy.

I was about to put the phone down when three dots popped up.

Mike: Thanks aren't needed. I'm glad I was there.

Mike: And I'm glad you came out last night.

Me: Thanks for being a good tour guide.

Mike: It's supposed to storm today, so instead of going to the festival in the rain, I'm bringing my sister here. I promised her we'd make pizza, so if you want to come by around noon and be part of the mess, feel free.

I didn't know of many men Mike's age who would go out of their way to spend time with their nine-year-old sister, but he seemed like one of a kind, even that day I almost fainted on top of him.

There should've been a line of women around the block trying to date him, and yet he was content with spending his Saturday making pizza with his little sister.

It was commendable and adorable and something I shouldn't get myself involved with, no matter how it intrigued me.

But I liked pizza.

And what was the harm in getting to know my boss's family? At least there was less risk with a kid around.

Me: You know what, you're on. Can I bring anything?

Three dots popped up almost immediately.

Mike: Just yourself. We have cookie dough to pop in after the pizza.

Again, how was this guy single? Did too many green flags make up one big red one?

I shook my head and stumbled into the shower. Guys like Ted and my brother had left me skeptical of most men. I'd never been close with my father, but that was for the same reason my mother was always at an emotional arm's length.

This was just an afternoon of pizza and cookies and nothing more, even if I already had to keep reminding myself of that.

I headed over to Mike's apartment at twelve-fifteen, my attempt at not looking overly anxious. I could barely hold on to my umbrella as the wind kicked up along with the sheets of rain as I rang Mike's outside doorbell of the two-family house.

"Hey," Mike said, a blinding smile spreading his mouth as he held the front door open. "Come in," he said, pulling me inside by my wrist after I wrestled with my now-broken umbrella.

"Wow, it got so awful so fast." I shook off the damp ends of my hair. "I'm guessing the festival is a bust."

Mike took the umbrella from me and dropped it into the bucket by the door.

"Everyone is probably at the bar or one of the restaurants. My sister wouldn't have been interested."

"She doesn't mind having someone crash her day with you?"

"Nah," he said, his gaze traveling up the stairs behind him. "Since my cousin Emma started high school, she's too busy to see Keely like she used to. She's excited to have a girl to hang out with today."

I spotted a white dot on his cheek when he nodded up the stairs.

"Wait," I said, smothering a laugh as I came closer. "I think you have some flour on your face," I said, reaching up to brush it off with my finger on instinct.

A shy smile danced across his mouth. His skin was smooth even with the prickle of short stubble. He wrapped his hand around my wrist and glanced at my finger, a laugh rumbling through his chest. Tingles from where his callused finger grazed my skin rushed up my arm.

"I'm sure there's some in my hair too. I should have warned you before you came that you'll be covered in flour when you leave. Keely and I are very messy chefs."

Sure enough, I spied flour on his temple and the edge of his sleeve. I'd thought Mike in uniform was too attractive to handle. The sight of him in a threadbare white T-shirt and sweat shorts with flour all over him was as adorable as it was disarmingly sexy.

My body lit up again after I'd spent the last two hours talking it down. My eyes fell to where he kept hold of my wrist. He let it go after an awkward second and motioned for me to go in front of him.

I exhaled a relieved breath at not having to stare at his perfect ass for a flight of stairs.

"Hi, Layla!" Keely waved from Mike's open apartment door.

"Lila," Mike corrected. "And this is Keely." Mike shook his head as he tugged on her ponytail.

"Is your name Delilah? I have a friend we call Lila, but her full name is Delilah."

"Yep, but no one calls me Delilah unless I'm in trouble." Keely giggled when I pressed my finger to my lips.

She had her brother's blue eyes, but her petite features and chestnut hair reminded me of Jake's wife, Peyton. Peyton had stopped by the office a few times to see Jake, but this was the first time I'd ever met Keely.

"We only made the dough, but now we can get into the fun stuff," she said, rubbing her flour-covered hands together before grabbing my hand. "Come in," she said and dragged me behind her.

I glanced back at Mike's smirk as he followed us inside. One white-coated lock of hair fell in front of his eyes as he shut the door behind him.

I had the urge to run out into the rain to cool off.

"Mike and I made station bowls. We have mozzarella, sauce, pepperoni, and mushrooms. But you know that's not the order." I held in a laugh when she lifted a brow at me.

"I'll follow your lead if that's okay."

I took a seat at Mike's kitchen table, taking a quick scan of the space. The kitchen was a decent size for such a small apartment. He had a futon that I assumed doubled as a couch and bed, with a dresser against the wall and a small bathroom in the corner.

"It's pretty bad outside," Keely said, kneeling on the chair on the opposite side of the table. "I'm probably going to have to sleep over."

"We'll see, K," Mike said, settling in the chair next to me.

"Mommy and Daddy have to smiggle with Daddy's customers today."

"They have to mingle ," Mike said, holding back a laugh.

"Whatever. They'll be too tired to drive in the rain to get me, and you'll be tired from all the baking." Keely took a spoonful of marinara sauce and gingerly spread it over one of the circles of dough.

"She's always pushing to sleep over. I have no idea why she loves the blow-up mattress so much."

"Because that way, our day is longer," she told him with a little eye roll.

"If I'm not careful, she'll try to move in," Mike whispered to me. "Come on." He tapped my knee. "If you want to eat, you have to help."

"That's the deal," Keely said with a slow nod.

"Well, okay then." I moved one of the dough balls in front of me, sprinkling a little flour and flattening it out before I reached for the spoon of sauce.

"You work for my dad, right?" Keely asked.

"Yes, I'm his new office manager. Your dad is really nice."

She nodded as she strategically placed slices of pepperoni over the mountain of cheese. "He is, and my mom is too. But Mike's my favorite."

My hand flew to my chest as I glanced at Mike. He shook his head and lifted a shoulder when he found my gaze.

"You're my favorite too, K." He stood and gave her hand a gentle slap. "But leave some pepperoni for us."

"Oh, sorry." She scrunched her nose. "Here you go." She pushed the bowl of pepperoni toward me. "I like a lot of pepperoni, so sometimes I can't help myself."

"I can totally understand that. Do you guys make a lot of pizza together?" I asked Keely as I spread some sauce over my pizza.

"On the Saturdays Mike doesn't have to be a cop. Where did you live before you came here?"

"Philadelphia. It's a big city, very different from Kelly Lakes."

Her mouth twisted as if she was mulling it over. "Like Mom and Aunt Claudia used to live in Brooklyn. That's a big city too."

"Yes. Brooklyn is a big city too." I looked over at Mike, gazing at his sister with so much love I wasn't sure if my heart or my ovaries ached more.

"Do you have a brother or sister?"

Keely's innocent question was like a knife to my gut.

"A brother. He's a few years older than me."

"And he lives in Philadelphia, where you used to live?"

Mike popped out of his seat and took Keely's finished pie to the oven.

"He does. My parents too."

"That's so sad." Her bow lips pulled into a frown. "I know if I moved away, I'd miss Mike. Mommy and Daddy, too."

I stilled a minute, pushing a smile across my lips as my nose burned. I couldn't explain to this sweet little girl why the thought of my family did make me sad, but I didn't really miss them.

Especially since I couldn't explain it to myself.

Mike squeezed my shoulder before he sat back down, shooting me a tiny smile that flooded my chest with enough warmth to ward off the usual sting.

I helped Mike clean up the table as the pizzas cooked and Keely was engrossed in a movie.

"I love how she adores you," I whispered as I put the last dish in the drying rack by the sink.

"It's always been that way. Even when she was a baby, she'd only want me when I was around. My dad would get pissed."

"That's really adorable. And foreign to me. My father wasn't a bad guy, but both of my parents focused more on not riling up my brother rather than ever checking to see if I was okay or had what I needed. It's nice to see a father and brother compete over who a little girl loves more."

I leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's not a competition since I always win," Mike said with a wry grin. "I'm sorry it was like that for you," he said in a soft rasp. "You deserved so much better than that."

"Happens, right?" I lifted a shoulder. "Keely is an awesome kid. I'm happy for her."

"She is." He looked back to where she was sprawled out on his futon with a wistful smile. "She'd still be chewing your ear off if this weren't her favorite movie."

"This is fun. I wouldn't mind intruding again when you make pizza the next time."

He shook his head. "You aren't intruding." He held my eyes and grazed my jaw with his thumb. "Flour," he whispered, turning his thumb around to show me. "Told you that you'd go home with it somewhere."

I nodded, lost in his kind, gorgeous eyes and the sizzle on my skin from his touch.

"And you could come back anytime." His smile faded as his gaze dropped to my mouth.

Maybe when I did see a therapist, they could help me make sense of all these feelings blossoming for someone I'd only known for a matter of weeks. Was it the genuine kindness that exuded from Mike every time I saw him, a kindness I'd realized I'd only experienced a little of in my thirty-two years, aside from my cousin and a few friends?

Or was it something deeper? Something about Mike that called to me in a way no one had, the same as he seemed to understand me in a way most didn't.

We stood there, eyes locked, neither of us saying anything until the ding of the oven timer made us both jump.

"Yay, it's ready!" Keely scampered into the kitchen. "Now we can eat and get the cookies in the oven. You're staying for that too, right?" Keely hugged my waist and peered up at me. I spied her brother's sweetness in her smile.

"Of course she is," Mike answered for me, those beautiful eyes still boring into mine. "We're going to give her the whole experience." The corner of his mouth tilted up as he reached for his oven mitt.

As it turned out, I could get into trouble here with a kid around. Watching Mike with his sister gave me another glimpse into who he was, and how, if I wasn't careful, if I saw any more, I wouldn't be able to resist.