Asking For A Friend

by Parker, Ali

  “Well.” Denise smiled. “It’s not hard to be amazing with her because she’s so darn amazing. I’m glad to hear they got along well though, I know how nervous you were about introducing the two of them.”

  I nodded. “I’m relieved their first meeting is over. I was super anxious on Saturday morning. So anxious, I nearly canceled a couple of times.”

  “But you didn’t.” She said. “I’m glad you didn’t. You deserve to be happy and Layton makes you happy. He made Annie happy too, so that’s a definite plus.”

  “A very definite one.” I agreed, chewing the inside of my lip. “We had such a good day with him. You should see the place where he took us, it’s beautiful and so peaceful. I read under a tree and watched them, but he was so good with her.”

  “She mentioned earlier you guys had a picnic, too,” she commented. I smiled at the memory. On our way to the fishing spot, I nearly asked him about lunch but I hadn’t. I decided to see what he had in mind. I was glad I waited, because he outdid himself.

  “It was a good picnic. He packed sandwiches, fruit and nuts. He even brought juice boxes for Annie.” I told her. “And he took us for ice cream after the fishing.”

  “Ice cream this time of year?” She asked, before putting up a finger, realization dawning. “Wait. Don’t tell me. You drove past the shop and she was suddenly desperate for some ice cream.”

  I laughed and nodded just as Annie came out of the changing room again. We repeated the process of deciding whether to get the outfit she was trying and decided against this one. It was too short in the arms and too big around her waist.

  “What do you think about Layton now?” Denise asked when Annie disappeared into the changing room for round number three. “I know you were worried about him meeting Annie and everything.”

  “Honestly?” I started, then took a deep breath as I paused to consider my answer. “He’s so much more than I was ever expecting him to be. You should have seen him with her.”

  “I would have loved to.” Denise said. “Maybe next time, if you think there will be a next time.”

  “I think there will be,” I answered, hoping I was right. I would only get to talk to Layton about what his thoughts of the day had been once I got to the office on Monday, but I was feeling optimistic. Unless I had been completely wrong, he had enjoyed the day as much as we had. “I wasn’t sure he was going to enjoy having a child around, but he did.”

  “Gushy much?” Denise teased.

  I felt my cheeks heating, but I nodded. “I am gushy, because he made me this way. I really never imagined he could be as perfect with her as he was. I’m so surprised, but I guess I shouldn’t have been. He’s just—I don’t know, there’s so much more to him than meets the eye.”

  “And you say you’re not in love with him?” She said it with a wide smile. “Because it sounds to me like you are.”

  Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and chuckled. “Nope. Sorry. It is way too soon for the ‘L’ word, but I do enjoy spending time with him. I really liked seeing him that way with Annie. But that’s all I’m willing to admit to for right now. It’s going to take me a while before I even start thinking in terms of love. Not after everything Annie and I have been through.”

  Denise hesitated, speaking softly when she said, “I understand. I know all that happened was rough on you.” Denise had been completely understanding after I finally told her the story of my past.

  A deep sigh came out as I nodded. “Yeah, it was. It’s not Layton’s fault, but I’m not ready to start thinking about something serious again.”

  “I get it,” she said, then paused again. After a moment, she asked, “Have you told him what happened?”

  “No.” I knew I had to tell him about my past, but we hadn’t quite gotten there yet. Layton and I were still getting to know each other and something like that wasn’t among the first things you told the person you were entering into a relationship with. “There hasn’t really been time.”

  Denise arched a manicured eyebrow. “It’s none of my business, but don’t you think you should make time to tell him?”

  At that moment, Annie came out again. She had changed into a sweater dress with black boots. Holding her arms out to her sides she proclaimed loudly, “I love it. I love the hedgehog. I’ve already named him.”

  I squinted at the little hedgehog design on the back of the dress when Annie turned. “What did you name him?”

  “Andy,” she answered, without hesitating. “Please, can I have this one?”

  Denise and I examined the fit before I nodded. It wasn’t a beautiful outfit by any means, a navy blue sweater dress with a slightly misshapen hedgehog on the back. But it looked warm and comfortable. Annie liked it and it fit well enough. “Sure, sweetie. What about the boots?”

  She stuck out her foot so I could feel where her toes were. After we decided it was a yes on the dress and the boots, Annie told us, “I’m going to change into my own clothes again so we can do another sweep of the shop. Those other two pairs of pants were so small on me I couldn’t close them and I can’t get my feet into the other shoes I have in there.”

  “We’ll wait for you here,” I told her. She nodded and shut the door behind her again. Denise frowned at me, clearly still bothered by the conversation we’d been having about Annie’s father. “I don’t mean to push, but Layton deserves to know about ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’ before this goes any further.”

  “I know,” I sighed again, but how the hell was I supposed to tell Layton what happened? The ‘I-got-left-at-the-altar’ conversation was a total downer. Not to mention, sure to make Layton take pity on me because of what happened and think I was permanently emotionally scarred as a result.

  “I’ll tell him. Soon, I promise. For now I just want to enjoy the time I have with him.” The time before he started looking at me differently once he knew I’d gotten knocked up and the guy promised to marry me—only to not show up at the wedding. I hated people pitying me and that story was a whopper.

  Denise nodded sympathetically. “Okay. Just don’t put it off for too much longer, okay? I know it is super personal, but it’s important for him to know.”

  “It is,” I agreed, just as my phone started ringing. Annie came out of the changing room at the same time and Denise took her hand when she saw Layton’s name coming up on my screen, mouthing that I should catch up with them when I was done.

  “Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling shy when I answered the call. I watched which direction Denise and Annie were headed so I would know where to start looking, then walked to the far corner of the changing rooms for some privacy. “How are you?”

  “I’m great,” he replied. “You?”

  “Shopping with the girls,” I told him, though I had no idea why I was telling him where I was. “What’s up?”

  “I was just calling to find out if you wanted to have coffee with me in the morning, he said. It sounded like he was smiling as he spoke.

  The thought brought a smile to my own lips. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  We chatted for a few minutes before ending the call. I caught sight of my flushed cheeks in one of the mirrors at the end of the row of stalls, a happy grin on my face. I knew right then that I looked exactly as I felt. I looked like a girl who had just spoken to the guy she liked, and I really liked that he had called. It meant that he was thinking about me already, just like I was thinking about him.

  That had to be a good sign, right?

  Chapter 40

  Layton

  At the office early on Monday morning, I pulled out the project folder for the site I visited the day before with Craig. I knew Marissa had built in that buffer in case of unforeseen expenses and this morning I wanted to make sure we would be able to afford to offer the workers the increases they had asked for.

  I was interrupted by a soft knock and knew before looking up that it was Marissa. I got a whiff of her perfume as soon as she opened the door and I smiled as I looked up. “Good morning.�
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  “Happy Monday,” she said, striding into my office. It didn’t bother me anymore that she just came in without waiting for me to invite her. It was a sign of familiarity appreciated now.

  She smiled at me, looking fucking gorgeous in a plain pair of blue jeans with a white blouse and a black suit jacket. She looked relaxed, professional and sophisticated all at the same time. I didn’t know how she did it, but she always looked damn good to me.

  Knee high black boots with a low heel made her slightly taller than usual. Her hair was taken up into a ponytail high up on her head and her eyes were shining with excitement. Fucking stunning.

  “Happy Monday?” I asked, lifting a brow. “Isn’t that an oxymoron?”

  She shrugged, still smiling. “Not to me. Every day can be happy. It depends on what you make of it.”

  “True,” I said, though it definitely wasn’t an outlook I’d had before. “How is Annie?”

  Marissa’s smile grew wider. “You’ve got yourself a fan in her. She hasn’t stopped talking about you?”

  “Yeah?” I met her smile with one of my own. I was so relieved that Annie liked me. The stakes for meeting her had been high and it meant something to me that it went well. “She’s a good kid.”

  “She is,” Marissa agreed, carefully surveying me before she asked, “Did you have fun on Saturday?”

  I nodded. “It was a blast. I’d like to take you guys there again. I enjoyed spending time with you two.”

  “We’d like that very much.” She lowered herself into one of the chairs across from my desk and crossed her legs. “In fact, I was wondering if you would want to come have dinner with us sometime. Like tonight, if you wanted to?”

  Tonight? Hell yeah. I hadn’t been expecting to get to see Annie again so soon. I would also take spending time with Marissa any day. I already knew our coffee date this morning was going to end too soon. “I’ll see you then. What time?”

  “Around six?” She asked, pleased with my answer. “Denise will be there too.”

  “Perfect.” Ah. The best friend and babysitter. Meeting Denise officially was another test I would have to pass, but I didn’t mind. I could handle whatever she threw at me. Meeting her and being invited to their house for dinner was progress I wanted to be making. “You ready for a cup of coffee?”

  “Am I ever?” She replied, walking with me to the break room. We each got a cup of coffee out of the machine before heading back to my office, where we spent the next hour talking.

  The rest of my day after Marissa had left my office dragged on forever. I was looking forward to dinner and while I managed to get a lot of work done, I also spent a lot of time wondering about Denise. I knew she was an important part of Annie and Marissa’s lives.

  Deciding to stack the odds for this next meeting in my favor, I stopped on my way to Marissa’s and picked up dessert. The woman who worked in the shop assured me I couldn’t go wrong with her baked chocolate sponge cake with berries and a rich dark chocolate sauce.

  When I arrived at Marissa’s house, I was met at the door by the redheaded girl who had come to my office with Annie that day. I stuck my hand out and shook her smaller one. “Denise, I presume. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

  “You might not think that anymore by the end of the night,” she joked, or at least I hoped she was, and ushered me in. “Annie and Marissa are in the kitchen. I was walking past the window when I saw your car. Hang up your coat and meet us in there.”

  I did as I was told, hanging my coat on a wooden stand near the front door. The inside of Marissa’s house was warm and homey. It was a little less cluttered than her office, but not much. It was obvious a child lived there, with smaller jackets hanging on the stand and a toy lying in the entrance area.

  Voices coming from down the hall alerted me to where the kitchen was. The walls were painted warm colors and there were framed pictures of Annie everywhere. I kept an eye out for any trace of a man, curious after what Craig told me on Sunday about his mother never letting another man in again after his dad.

  There was no evidence of Annie’s father anywhere. The only man in the pictures was an older guy I assumed was Marissa’s dad since they shared the same hair and eye color and facial structure. There were some drawings Annie had done up on the wall and at least three more on the refrigerator.

  Annie leaped off the stool she was sitting on when she saw me walking into the kitchen. “Layton! I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “So am I, kiddo.” I bent down to hug her, noticing both Denise and Marissa watching me do it. “What?”

  Marissa shook her head, her ever present smile relieved. “Nothing. How was your day? Thanks for coming.”

  It clearly wasn’t nothing, but I wasn’t going to push her. I assumed it was weird for her to see me in her house with her daughter and friend. Lord knew it would be strange for me to have her in my apartment with Craig around. If Annie was there too, I would think I was dreaming.

  I would probably have to childproof my apartment before Annie ever got there, though. If you needed to child proof when a kid was six. I was going to have to look into that. I was drawn out of my thoughts when I realized Marissa and Denise were both looking at me expectantly.

  And then I realized I hadn’t answered her yet. “My day was you know, day-ish. Nothing exciting to report, I’m afraid. I doubt these two want to listen to us talk about work anyway.”

  “I don’t mind,” Annie said immediately, but Denise didn’t look too excited about the prospect.

  “I’m much more interested in other things,” she said vaguely, sliding her eyes down to Annie. I took her comment to mean I was in for twenty questions and half an hour later, I realized how very right I was.

  Marissa was busy with dinner and everyone stayed in the kitchen with her. Despite the good old American Inquisition Denise was conducting, I found myself having fun with all of them. Annie sat beside me, stopping Denise’s questioning every so often to add a comment of her own.

  “So what did you do after high school?” Denise was asking, having exhausted her questions about my formative years.

  “College,” I told her. “I knew from a young age that I wanted to study architecture, so by the time I could start applying for college, it was a no brainer for me. I couldn’t wait to get started.”

  “Why architecture?” Luckily, this was a question I was more than prepared for.

  “Well Denise, it is one of the most viscerally satisfying jobs in the modern marketplace, as far as I’m concerned. Architects have a very real effect on communities and the people who live in them. We design leisure centers, schools, housing estates—everything people need to live and learn, and we enjoy doing it. At least I do. It’s genuinely and unambiguously, really important work.”

  Denise snorted in a very unladylike, yet totally endearing why. “You sound like you’re reading from a college brochure.”

  “A ‘Why Study Journalism’ website, actually,” I teased. “But seriously, I just always wanted to do it. I read a quote by a novelist called Victor Hugo once. He wrote that architecture has recorded the great ideas of the human race, and I remember thinking that he was right.”

  “That’s a very good way of describing it,” Marissa said, pulling on oven gloves to take a tray out of the oven. “Walk down any street and the architecture tells you about the neighborhood and the era in which the building was erected. It’s kind of amazing.”

  “Exactly,” I said, once again surprised that she got me the way that she did. I would never get used to that, but I also didn’t want to. I liked that she got me, but I also enjoyed it every time she surprised me by showing me that she really did understand what I was saying and not just saying she did. “It’s the most satisfying feeling to see the skyline and know that you contributed in some way, big or small, to the city you love living in.”

  Denise nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to imagine it. “I guess it would be, but it also sounds kind of
vain. Don’t you think?”

  “Denise,” Marissa admonished, shooting me an apologetic look. I waved her off.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard it all before. I don’t agree, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be construed that way. Truth be told, I don’t give a damn if anyone knows a particular building is mine. I don’t build them as monuments to myself. I just want to make a difference to the city I live in. I want people to be happy when they’re in one of my buildings.”

  “That’s actually kind of sweet,” Denise said. She was as much as a firecracker as Marissa was. It was easy to see why they got along so well. They were both smart, witty ballbusters who weren’t afraid to speak their minds, but who also really listened when people talked and were opened minded enough to admit when they’d gotten something wrong.

  For a brief second, I thought about Craig. He was very similar to them in his own ways. I wondered if he and Denise might hit it off. I thought they might, but I stowed the thought away for later.

  Marissa set the tray she extracted from the oven on a cooling rack and motioned to the cutlery and crockery she had on the kitchen counter. “Come and get it while it’s hot guys. I hope it’s good.”

  “It’s your chicken curry,” Denise said, rolling her eyes like the thought of Marissa’s curry not being good was utterly ridiculous. “It’s always amazing.”

  “Well,” Marissa said. “Let’s hope it’s as amazing as always. I didn’t have some of the spices I usually add.”

  “I look forward to trying it, even spice-less,” I told her, giving her a smile. Annie and Denise dished up before Marissa and I did. We took our places at the dining room table a few minutes later, with me seated between Annie and Marissa.