Second Chances: Novella One

by Jo Briggs

  “Hmm, at the last count ten were sitting in the garage.”

  Layla laughed.

  To Evan, it almost felt like old times, back before all the unpleasantness. For the most part, their relationship had been easy-going and low maintenance. Looking at how her sister behaved, anyone would think that Layla would also be one of those divas who expected attention and lavish gifts all the time, but she wasn’t at all. She was as chilled out as they come. He had never seen her angry, except when Caggie Barker had done or said something offensive.

  Buckling his seatbelt, Evan started the engine, which purred gently into life. He thought of the speech he’d rehearsed earlier and now seemed as good a time as any to say it.

  "I know staying with me might be awkward, but I thought it better than you being alone at their place. We did look into hotel rooms for you, but they were overflowing. Even my private suite at the Carter has been commandeered due to the lack of rooms.” An apologetic smile played on his lips.

  Layla turned and smiled, but her eyes remained inscrutable. "Thank you for at least trying. I genuinely appreciate it," she said softly. "As unplanned as all this is, I’d like to see the house once again"

  Evan looked at her intently for a second, trying to gauge whether she was as nervous as he was. The word house seemed to catch in her throat for a second and her usually expressive eyes flickered with something, but he couldn’t distinguish it in the dim evening light.

  Casting a silent nod of understanding in her direction, he reversed out of the parking space and soon joined the network of roads beyond the hospital.

  Layla

  Glancing at her watch, Layla noted it was nearly nine. Winster House was over an hour’s drive from the airport and it would be pitch-black outside when they arrived.

  Following her restless flight, she was unable to resist closing her tired eyes and taking a short nap. It was also the perfect excuse to avoid a conversation with Evan, who was sitting so close, and she would probably only make a fool of herself. She needed a good night’s sleep before trusting herself to relax fully in his company.

  Evan’s smooth driving soon lulled her into snooze land. Layla dozed in and out for quite a while before she become aware of a periodical warmth pressing against the side of her right knee. At first she wasn’t sure where the sensation was coming from, but as her brain fog cleared, she sensed the vehicle was still moving. Opening her eyes partially, Layla saw Evan’s hand brush against my knee as he changed gear. Her heart fluttered at this briefest of contact. As dangerous as she knew it was to hope that he still felt something for her, she could not bring herself to move away.

  Layla gave him a sideways glance. Evan’s features were schooled in an emotionless expression. It was a mask she’d seen him wear countless times before when he didn’t want anyone to know what he was thinking. And she had also seen it towards the end of their relationship, mostly due to her pushing him away whenever he tried to offer comfort as she went through the grieving process.

  At that time it wasn’t that Layla missed her parents. If truth be told, they had always treated her badly while she was growing up. By the time she moved to London at seventeen, her self-esteem had hit rock bottom. It was only when a model agency scout told her she had the potential to make it big that Layla gained a well-needed confidence boost.

  Her pain came from not being able to confront them about their treatment, so that she could close that part of her life and move on to the next one. This lack of closure, and the all-too-real grief of losing her baby, had rocked her and Evan’s relationship to its foundations.

  Layla had taken it out on Evan and then deserted him for a new life in New York. Even now she still feel mortified by her past behaviour towards him, the worst part being her behaviour at her niece’s christening eighteen months earlier. Back then she had countered his every effort of polite civility with cold contempt.

  She remembered it all as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be at your side for support,” Keely added as they exited the cab and made their way into the large entrance hall, where Ava and Cameron were greeting their long stream of guests. They had just arrived from the christening ceremony, where Layla had successfully evaded talking to Evan, but she knew this after-party would be a different scenario altogether.

  Wrapped up in the moment, Ava embraced both girls in unison, her usually cool exterior replaced by one of warmth. “I was starting to think you’d disappeared after the ceremony!” she told them.

  The tension between the sisters, which had existed for the last few years, had only just begun to thaw when Layla received the surprising request to be a godmother to her new niece.

  Layla smiled at Ava’s words, but resist commenting. She had thought long and hard about being godmother to her sister’s daughter, but once she said yes, she couldn’t back out, even after discovering that Evan was going to be standing by the font beside her.

  “The place looks stunning,” she said at last, glancing further into the house. The large, sweeping staircase had been transformed with garlands of flowers wrapped around the banisters. Above, white and silver streamers criss-crossed the hallway ceiling and followed into the rooms beyond.

  The venue of the christening party had been changed at the last minute to Evan’s country estate. An ancient church on the grounds still served the local parish, so it had been possible to move the ceremony there at the last minute.

  “Yes, the party planning company has done an exceptional job,” Cameron joined in. “But, I think Jenny will be relieved when we’re finished.”

  Keely and Layla chuckled as they caught sight of Jenny Reynolds, Evan’s ever-dependable housekeeper based in Yorkshire, shaking her head at several of the waiters milling around the room that was already heaving with guests. Noticing that they were holding up the queue of guests behind them, who were waiting to talk to the couple, the girls moved on to find the rest of their party - Keely’s boyfriend, Zak, and his sidekick, Dylan.

  Zak and Keely had been getting steadily serious since meeting at a photo shoot six months earlier. He was well versed in the merchandising side of fashion and Layla had asked him to join her fashion label as a result.

  Wherever Zak went, his partner in crime, Dylan, could be found. He and Layla had a dating history prior to her relationship with Evan. The guy was fun and a welcome distraction from the loneliness that sometimes came with being a single mother. Now Layla simply enjoyed his company as a friend, but that didn’t stop rumours circulating in the tabloids that they were an item again. Even though she knew the truth, she was kind of glad of the stories as she knew it would get up Evan’s nose to see her moving on with someone else.

  Grabbing Keely’s hand, Layla hurried in the direction of some waiters carrying flutes of champagne, who she’d spied drifting through the throng of people. Not paying much attention as she chatted away to her friend, Layla grabbed two flutes from the nearest waiter. It was only upon hearing a familiar clearing of the throat that she looked up to find a sparkly, cobalt pair of eyes looking at her. Swallowing hard, the girl realised her error of taking the glasses that Evan had been carrying personally. “Oh,” was the only sound omitted from her mouth, as she felt herself growing warmer by the second.

  “Sorry, Evan, have those back and we’ll find our own,” said Keely intervening to place the two untouched glasses back on the tray he was still holding while shooting Layla a warning glance. Keely was frightened that her friend might follow through with her earlier threat of chucking the contents of her glass all over him if he dared to speak to her.

  Evan muttered his thanks, before turning on his heels and moving back into the crowd, but not without casting a long, lingering look in Layla’s direction.

  “Oh, shit, so much for avoiding him! I can’t believe I mistook him for a waiter,” Layla whined.

  Keely smirked. “I’m sure he’ll get over it. I think it was the shock that caused him to be silent. You must’
ve seen how he looked at you – he certainly didn’t seem like a man who wanted to be avoided.”

  Pulling a face, Layla was about to reply when she was stopped by the appearance of Evan in front of her, minus his drinks’ tray.

  “Sorry,” he started, “that I had to rush off. I didn’t mean to appear rude, but I had a table of people claiming they were dying of thirst!” he tried to joke.

  “That’s fine,” she replied.

  “So, how have you been?”

  “Good, I guess.”

  “I hear you’ve moved back to England,” Evan said shyly, his eyes searching hers, as though he wanted to say something more.

  Layla nodded silently, trying her best to discourage the conversation from continuing.

  Evan’s brow furrowed as he gave her a quizzical stare. If she didn’t know better, he seemed genuinely surprised by her coldness, but surely he knew things would never be the same after he had ignored all her messages?

  “Ava seems ecstatic that this day has finally arrived. She was showing off Jess’ christening gown earlier,” Evan continued. “It’s beautifully designed.”

  “What are sisters for?” Layla replied with a shrug, still determined to give him nothing to work with that could extend the chit-chat any longer than necessary.

  Dylan suddenly appeared at her side and said, “Sorry to interrupt, but this gorgeous woman promised me a dance.”

  Scowling at the other man, Evan nodded and turned to walk away without another word.

  With him gone, Layla relaxed, and exhaled the deep breath she’d been holding in to stop herself trembling in front of him. “Keely suggested I come and rescue you. So that’s the infamous Evan?”

  Layla gave him a tight smile and nodded. Dylan had been there for her when she first moved to New York, during which Evan had been the subject of many a late night talk. Dylan was the only person who knew the true extent to which she regretted leaving Evan when the emotional cloud of grief began to lessen. And Evan’s rejection of her olive branch months later was why she couldn’t bear to talk to him.

  “I don’t think he appreciated me interrupting,” Dylan mused as they observed her ex staring in their direction with a frown upon his face.

  “I guess he isn’t as proficient at receiving the cold shoulder as he is at dishing out,” Layla remarked.

  “He doesn’t strike me as the type that is used to being ignored.”

  Layla couldn’t help but snigger at this comment. “I agree. Perhaps we should give him something to really frown about?"

  With that the two friends spent the next half hour grinding against each other’s bodies on the dance floor. Perhaps not the most appropriate behaviour for a christening party, but it sure made Layla feel a whole lot better to give Evan something to truly scowl about.

  At the time, Layla had been so mad at Evan over the previous three years that she just could not bear to pretend things were fine between them. Her pride at his rebuff took centre stage over any inclination toward politeness. But it was a rejection, she later discovered, that hadn’t quite happened the way she thought; yet another example of Caggie’s interfering ways causing misunderstandings.

  Layla was haunted by flashbacks of Evan’s staring eyes, locking with hers repeatedly, throughout the day of the christening, seeming to be full of unspoken questions, but she was too full of pride to offer any answers. The bright glow of affection that once burned for her within his eyes was replaced by dark emptiness.

  It was not until the party was winding down that Layla discovered for the first time that Caggie might have played a role in her being kept apart from Evan. Layla would have had it out with her there and then if it had not been for her overhearing them discuss having a baby and getting married. Those were the things that should have happened between herself and Evan, not between him and Caggie.

  After hearing that, Layla couldn’t stand to be at the party for another minute, and she soon found an excuse to leave. Ava had been surprisingly understanding about her desertion that day. Although Layla’s break-up with Evan had caused an estrangement with Ava for a couple of years, they had started to become close again. Ava understood why it was too hard for her sister to remain at the same event as Evan, knowing he was planning to marry someone else. It was not until almost a year later that Layla discovered there hadn’t been a wedding after all.

  Ava and Cameron were always careful not to mention Evan in front of Layla, so it was not until she started planning a permanent move back to England that she ran into Caggie on a night out and found out a lot more than she’d bargained for.

  It seemed that after the christening, Evan had handed over all his business decisions to his brother, Felix, and left the country for an indefinite sabbatical in Chile, where he did some volunteer work and re-evaluated his life.

  In one of her usual drunken stupors, Caggie had got into a jealous rage over Evan leaving her, and blamed it solely on Layla. In her emotional state, she could not accept it was her own fault that she was now living on hand-outs from Evan to support their child, rather than being married to him.

  Layla couldn’t help wondering if the child was even Evan’s. There had always been rumours surrounding Caggie and her reputation for sleeping with more than one man at a time. Now that Layla knew the true depths of the woman’s manipulation in her own life, she wouldn’t be surprised if Caggie had lied about the child’s paternity in an attempt to remain connected with Evan.

  Caggie also let slip a few other things that made Layla view Evan in a new light; things she now wanted to discuss with him. Layla was not sure what the woman had told him, but something must have caused him to call off the wedding and disappear halfway around the world to discover himself.

  Layla hoped the next few days, staying at his house, would give her a chance to begin repairing the damage that her own pride and Caggie’s deceit had caused to her relationship with Evan, if it could ever be rekindled.

  Evan

  Unknown to Layla, the man sitting beside her was fighting a similar internal conflict.

  Evan’s hands clung tightly to the steering wheel as if his life depended on it. Just having his ex in his car, and knowing she would be sleeping under the same roof as him, was causing a relatively warm build-up in his groin. With every touch of her knee when he had to change gear, the pressure built slightly and his slacks felt tighter.

  He breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the effect the woman still had on him and praying it would subside by the time he turned into his driveway. That was only a few minutes away. Evan tried to think of something else; a business deal he had been mulling over came to mind and that helped at first, but as Layla stirred in the seat beside him, it sent a waft of her perfume in his direction. He took another deep breath. This is going to be harder than I ever imagined!

  Evan slowly pulled into the drive, and was thankful for the dark as he stepped out of the car and proceeding to retrieve her luggage from the boot. Layla stayed by the bonnet. He guessed she was waiting for him to lead the way up to the large manor house that had once been their home together.

  Opening the large wooden door, Evan invited her to enter first, her footsteps echoing down the marble-floored hallway as she did so. He placed their baggage there and started going through the nearby rooms one by one, putting on certain lamps as he went. Finally, he turned to her and asked, "I know it’s late, but did you eat on the plane? Do you want me to prepare you something before we retire?"

  Layla smiled, appreciatively, "Actually, no, I haven’t eaten anything since I left for the airport. Could I impose, and get some toast?"

  He shot her a mischievous smile. "My cooking skills have greatly improved since you were last here, so I can manage something better than toast!"

  She relaxed slightly, and rewarded him with a brilliant smile that astounded him. "This I’ve got to see! And thank you."

  They made their way into the large kitchen. "I have some ravioli that I made with my own bare hands, if you would
like?"

  "That sounds perfect." Layla pulled one of the white, padded chairs out from under the oak kitchen table, sat down and crossed her legs.

  Meanwhile, Evan grabbed the bowl of leftover pasta that he had cooked earlier in the afternoon and turned his back to warm it up on the range cooker. Minutes later, he caught Layla smiling to herself as he turned around from the hob. With the saucepan in one hand and a bowl in the other, he carefully poured out the contents, and with a wide grin he handed her a spoon. "Dig in!"

  Evan felt a swell of pride as he watched Layla’s face show her obvious delight at how his cooking had improved a hundredfold.

  "Mmm, this is delicious," she mumbled in between mouthfuls.

  Layla finished the rest of the meal quickly, avoiding his watchful stare, until she placed the dirty spoon back in the bowl. Meeting his gaze finally, she breathed a warm “thank you” at him.

  "You’re most welcome," he returned.

  Leaning in slightly, Evan tucked an unruly, chocolate-caramel curl that had fallen into Layla’s eyes back behind her ear. Caught in the moment, his action was so spontaneous that it took them both a moment to realise what had happened, and to notice the jolt of electricity that shuddered between them. A slight gasp escaped her mouth as their eyes locked, perceiving flickers of longing on each other’s faces, before they both came to their senses.

  Evan rose from the table abruptly. "Let me show you to your room," he said. His voice had returned to its more business-like state.

  Nodding silently, Layla stood up and followed him. He grabbed her case from the hall and led her up the familiar, wide staircase.

  The manor house boasted about fifteen suites, each with its own bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. The second floor was used primarily for visiting family members while the first one was for friends. The master suite was a separate wing altogether, and consisted of two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom, a sitting room, two large dressing rooms and a nursery.

  Although Evan normally put friends on the floor below his suite, he wanted Layla to be nearer than that, so without thinking twice he showed her into the room across the hallway from his own. No, their room; the room he would gladly take her to now, if only he dared.