by S M Broad
“What if I sing first?” He smiles encouragingly. “I can’t sing very well, but I will if you sing for me.”
Sing for him.
“Okay, I guess.” I blow out a breath and climb out of the truck as Boss jumps out behind me. After some play time for Boss and a cup of frozen yogurt for us, Latham drops me off back at the hotel and tells me he’ll pick me up at eight for karaoke. He gives me a sweet kiss at the door and I fall down on my bed, content for the first time since I can remember. My phone rings and I snatch it up, answering Leila’s ringtone.
“Hi!” I say excitedly.
“Well hello, sunshine.” I hear the smile in her voice. “Whatcha doin’?” she asks curiously.
“Not much, I just got in from…lunch.”
“Oh yeah? Lunch with a date?” she giggles.
“Um…yeah.” I cover my face, even though she can’t see me.
There’s a knock on the door and I jump up, thinking Latham came back to see me. I throw open the door to see a mess of fire red hair and a pair of chocolate brown eyes.
“Surprise!” a high-pitched voice screams.
Chapter Fifteen
“Lei?” I say, staring blankly at my best friend, who’s hopping up and down like a kangaroo on crack.
“Wassup, biotch?!” She jumps at me and I catch her in a hug. I feel immediately overwhelmed and squeeze her, not realizing until this moment how much I’ve needed to see her.
“How did you find me?” I barely form the words as tears trail down my face. She smiles and wipes them away.
“Kai helped me. When I found out you were here, I asked around. People are very friendly.” She twists her lips in a half-smile.
“I missed you so much. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” I sob, and she clicks her tongue at me, waving me off.
“Oh stop. I get it. But the last time we talked, I could tell something was off, so here I am.” She spreads her arms out and shimmies. I have to laugh because it’s so her and I just missed her too damn much. We sit on my bed and I tell her about everything that’s happened, and her smile grows more every time I say Latham’s name. I tell her about karaoke, and I’m about to cancel when she throws herself across my bed and grabs my phone.
“Absolutely not, Aayla Noelle! You really like this guy, I’m not about to ruin your date.”
She rolls over and stuffs my phone behind her back, so I can’t take it. I sit down and put my head in my hands, trying to figure out a way to work this out when I get an idea. I lay back and start tickling Lei and she screeches, rolling away, then lets out a string of curses. I grab my phone and before she can take it back, I’ve got Latham’s number dialing.
“Hello?” he answers, but all I can hear is the sound of tools banging around, and Davis yelling in the background about the music playing.
“It’s Aayla.”
“Who?” he yells into the phone.
“Aayla,” I say louder, hoping it’s enough for him to hear. He curses, and then everything goes quiet.
“Hey. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I just, uh, was wondering if Kohen was busy tonight?”
“Kohen?” He sounds confused, and I smack my forehead, realizing how it sounds.
“Who’s Kohen?” Leila whispers loudly, and I push her face away from mine, mouthing for her to be quiet.
“Um, I just mean, Leila surprised me, and I thought they could meet.”
“Oh.” He exhales, and I can’t help but grin at his obvious relief. “For sure. Let me give him a call.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a little bit?”
“Definitely.” The call disconnects, and I look at Leila, exasperated, but only a little.
“Really, Lei?” I giggle. “Let me finish my call first before you start asking questions. Kohen is Latham’s best friend.”
She starts giggling too, tapping her fingers together like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. A few minutes later, a text from Latham comes in.
Latham: Kohen is on board. Be there at 8. : )
Me: Great! Can’t wait! : )
I turn back to Leila and tell her, and she skips to her duffle bag, plotting her outfit. At seven fifty-five, she strolls out of the bathroom dressed in a sparkly black tank top, jean shorts, and strappy black pumps. Her long red hair is blown out and looks like a fiery sunset, and her makeup is smokey and sexy. She looks like a rock star and I suddenly feel inferior to her. I look down at my sandals, ripped Capris, and flowy white shirt, and frown. I have my hair braided, with simple neutral makeup and now I’m second-guessing it.
Leila walks over, touches my shoulder, and then jerks it back, shaking out her hand like it’s been burned. I can’t help but smile, feeling better. She throws me a wink and peeks out the curtain, then squeaks and runs over to me.
“I see them! At least, I hope it’s those two beautiful pieces of perfection walking up.” She takes a deep breath to calm herself and I walk over to open the door right as the knock sounds. I open it and smile at a casually dressed Latham, in blue jeans and a red t-shirt, standing next to a guy who’s about the same height, with a backwards baseball cap over short sandy blond hair, wearing dark blue jeans and a blue short-sleeved Oxford open over a white t-shirt.
“Aayla. Wow.” He smiles, then gestures to his friend. “This is Kohen.”
I wave, and Leila works her way past me, her eyes bulging as she takes in the two handsome men in front of us.
“This is Latham and Kohen.” I look at Lei as she stares down Kohen. Before I can introduce her, she gives him a dazzling smile.
“Leila. Nice to meet you guys.”
Kohen extends his arm out for her to take, and she gladly slips her hand to his bicep as they stroll away, stopping a few feet away and begin chatting. Glad she’ll have fun tonight. I laugh to myself, then direct my attention to the amazing man in front of me. Feeling brave, I step up to him, slide my hand up his seriously sexy chest to his cheek, and bring myself up on my toes to kiss him. He wraps his arms around my waist and we spend a minute, or three, with our lips pressed together. Kohen finally clears his throat and we break away, laughing.
We make our way to an orange Jeep and I climb into the back with Latham while Leila hops up front with Kohen. Latham reaches across the seat and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. I feel him lean closer to me, so he can speak in my ear.
“You look incredible, by the way. I just wanted to tell you,” he breathes out and I shiver, chills shaking my body.
Well, this ought to be an interesting night.
Chapter Sixteen
Twenty minutes later, we’re shuffling our way through Sweetwater Bar & Grill, looking for an empty table. There’s a big banner hanging on the stage that says, “Karaoke Night,” and I spot a table right by the stairs. I tap Latham and point when he looks back at me. He grabs Kohen by the shoulder and steers him in the direction of the table. Leila, being the tiny ninja she is, ducks through the crowd with no issues and nabs the table for us. After we all sit, she gets our drink preferences, and disappears back through the sea of people, to the bar. Latham leans over to whisper in Kohen’s ear—I’m guessing to tell him his song choice—then he nods and jogs up the short stairs to the DJ. He comes back a short while later and gives Latham a thumbs up, just as Leila reappears, holding all of our drinks.
“Damn, little lady. You sure know how to handle an awful lot," Kohen says, clearly impressed, and I laugh at the smirk she throws his way.
"Oh, you have no idea." She wrinkles her nose at the innuendo that laces her voice. I shake my head because my best friend is absolutely insane, and I love her for it.
I watch them talk for a moment then take a sip of my drink. Latham pulls my chair closer to him and puts a hand on my thigh. He leans over and kisses my temple, and I’m pretty sure I melt into the floor. This man.
I decide I’d better figure out what I’m gonna sing, since Latham promised if I sang for him, he’d sing for me. I run through the short list of songs I�
��d be comfortable singing and decide on “Human” by Christina Perri. I write it down on a piece of paper and hand it to Kohen to give to the DJ, so I don’t have to get up and yell over the music.
We sit through some pretty awful versions of songs I can barely make out before it’s Latham’s turn.
“Next up, we have Latham Reed,” the DJ announces, and the crowd claps.
He gives me a quick grin and slides out of his seat to take the stage. I look up at the huge overhead screen to read “Mean to Me” by Brett Eldredge. As the music starts to play, he taps his hand on his thigh to keep the beat. Then he starts to sing, and everyone but him disappears from my view. I’m struck, and can’t tear my eyes away from his; they're holding me to my seat. He’s looking right at me, singing right into my soul and the feelings building in my chest overwhelm me, nearly consume me. He sings the last note and the crowd goes nuts. He just gives a simple wave and comes back to his seat.
“I thought you said you couldn’t sing?” I rasp out, my mouth suddenly dry as a desert. Kohen bursts out laughing, and I know I’ve been played by him. Again.
Latham shrugs and gives me a coy smile. I shake my head because there’s no way in hell I can sing now. I suck compared to him, and I can't move my feet when the DJ calls me for my turn. Leila hauls me to my feet and pushes me to the stairs. I take a deep breath, climbing the short distance to the microphone and squint into the too-bright lights. The crowd has quieted, and I’m just about to walk off stage when a deep, familiar voice blankets me.
“Come on, baby! You can do this!” Latham yells.
The music starts, and the words run along the screen as I start to sing. I find Latham in the crowd and his smile is the only thing I need to make me brave. My timid voice becomes a little stronger, and I close my eyes. By the time I hit the chorus, I’m belting out the words. When the music fades, I open my eyes back up and Latham, Leila, and Kohen are standing, clapping for me. Then I notice others are clapping too, and I can’t believe I just did that. I’ve never had the courage to sing in front of anyone before and I know I have Latham to thank for it.
I can’t stop the feelings that rush through me when I see him waiting for me at our table. It’s the same thing I feel every time he texts me, calls, and whenever I see his face. I love how patient he’s been with me; he never pushes the conversation if I’m uncomfortable, or pushes me too far physically. I love that he’s attentive and listens when I talk, even if it’s just something silly. I love how beautiful he makes me feel. I’ve never felt anything like this in my life, whatever this is. I smile and launch myself into his outstretched arms.
“I’m so proud of you, baby!” He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight. I pull back, then grab him by the hair and haul him to me for a kiss. He cups my cheeks as his tongue finds mine with long, slow strokes full of passion. What seems like hours later, he pulls back and laughs.
“What was that for?” He brushes a stray hair out of my face.
“I just wanted to say thank you. And I really like when you call me baby.” I giggle at how breathless I sound.
“You’re welcome, baby.” He kisses me again, then pulls my chair out for me to sit. When I look to the stage, Kohen and Leila are up there, singing the worst version of “Footloose” I’ve ever heard, and I bust out laughing. When they’re done, they come back, and we have a few more drinks and so many more laughs. My cheeks hurt from smiling as I watch my best friend having the time of her life, and steal kisses from the most amazing man.
By far, the best night of my life.
Chapter Seventeen
As I’m walking back to the hotel tonight, it’s unusually dark and super creepy. I hoist my bag up my arm and walk a little faster, constantly looking around at the shadows the moon casts on the buildings.
I turn the corner by Boone’s, and hear an eerie, familiar laugh that stops me in my tracks. I swallow the boulder lodged in my throat and turn to see Brant standing behind me with his head cocked to the side, spinning something shiny in his hand. His head dips and when he looks back up, his eyes filled with hatred and a Joker-like grin stretched across his face, I take off running, but my shoes feel like they’re filled with cement.
Panic bubbles in my chest as I hear him approaching from behind, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I’m knocked to the ground. I roll and try to crawl backwards, but he advances on all fours, like some sort of creature from the deepest pits of hell. When he smiles again, his teeth are huge sharp fangs, and his eyes are blood red. When he opens his mouth, a deep, insidious voice comes out.
“I should have killed you that very first night.” His evil cackle bounces off the sky, and he draws back to lunge at me…
A scream jolts me awake and I bolt upright in bed. I wipe my eyes and look around but realize the scream came from me. Tears fill my eyes as I tear the covers off myself and run for the bathroom, narrowly reaching the toilet before the contents of my stomach come back up. When there’s nothing left to heave, I strip my sweat-soaked clothes off and stand under the hot water stream until my breathing evens out. It’s the first nightmare I’ve had in weeks and I haven’t missed them one bit.
I get dressed, then check my phone for the time, and nearly knock Poppy’s bowl off my bedside table when I see it’s nine thirty. I’m half an hour late for work. I throw on my shoes and grab my purse before I’m out the door and sprinting to Abby’s. When I get there, I have to calm myself down again, and I throw open the door to see the place scattered with people. Great! I head to the back to put my bag away and run into Abby on my way back out to the floor.
“I’m so sorry I’m late! It won’t happen again!” I wail.
“Hey, relax. It’s fine.” She rubs my arm soothingly. “Are you okay?” She searches my eyes and must see the remnants of the nightmare. I shift from one foot to the other and look anywhere but at her.
“Yeah.” I nod, but don’t say anything else, hoping she lets it go.
“All right,” she says skeptically, and walks past me to check on a table. Thank God. I grab a pad and pen from the counter and scan the diner for a table to wait on. I see a group of my regulars: Micalea, Emily, Michelina, Margie, Mayra and Jenn. They’re a book club that comes in once a week, and they always leave me the best tips. They’re waiting with no drinks, so I take a deep breath and head to them.
“Morning ladies, what can I get you today?” I ask, plastering on a smile. After taking their orders, I take the ticket back to the kitchen and sit down on a stool to take a little break. I feel so off, and can’t shake off the terror I feel.
I go in search of Abby and ask if I can have the rest of the day off; there’s no way I can concentrate on work. After a short talk with her, she hugs me and tells me to get some rest, but rest is the last thing I need. Not that I could close my eyes if I wanted to anyway. I feel really down; I haven’t seen Latham in two days ’cause he’s been swamped at work, I'm really sad that Leila left yesterday, and I need to do something that will break me out of my solace. I pull out my phone and text Latham.
Me: mind if i take Boss to the park?
I get a message back as I’m walking out the diner door.
Latham: sure, I’ve got him at the shop with me. everything okay, baby?
Me: having a bad day. be there in a minute.
My heart skips a little beat, knowing I get to see him, even if for just a few minutes. My steps feel a bit lighter as I walk to the shop. He and Boss are standing on the sidewalk, waiting for me when I walk up, and I audibly exhale at the sight of my gorgeous man and his black beast of a dog. His arms are crossed over his chest and one hand has a hold of Boss’ red leash. Boss’ tail starts thumping the ground when he sees me, and I can’t help but smile. I push my arms through Latham’s and wrap them around him for a hug. He squeezes me back and for the first time since I woke up this morning, I feel like I can breathe again. He pulls back, cups my cheek, and searches my face. I avert my eyes but can’t seem to stop the tears that start to form.
“What’s going on?” His eyebrows dip when a tear runs down my cheek, and he wipes it away with his thumb. I can’t talk, so I shake my head and wipe my nose. “Please tell me,” he pleads.
I’m not ready for this conversation yet, but I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that the truth will come out sooner than I’d hoped, which was never.
“I just had a bad morning. And I miss you.” I try my best to skate around the real reason and relax a little when his gaze turns soft.
“I miss you too. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.” He caresses my face and drops a light kiss to my lips. “Let me make you dinner tonight. I’ll be done here by six. Okay?”
He smiles with his beautiful teeth on display. I haven’t been to his place yet, and I’m excited to see it but nervous at the same time. Will he expect sex? We’ve been out a lot and haven’t gotten any further than some pretty hot kissing. He hasn’t complained yet, but a man this good looking can only hold out for so long before he ditches the dud and finds a woman who’ll jump him. Am I ready for that next step with him? I want to be—I don’t think there’s anything I’ve ever wanted more—but there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other. Or rather, a lot he doesn’t know about me.
“Okay,” I say quietly, still lost in my own thoughts. He hands me the leash and I walk away before he can say anything else.
I spend the next hour with Boss at the dog park, and I call Lei because she can always make me feel better. She urges me to tell Latham about Brant if I want to keep seeing him, which I do. I know she’s right, but I’m too scared of what he’ll think of me.
She talks about Kohen and the solo date they had before she left, saying she can’t get him out of her head, and how she’s already planning another trip to visit. I’m glad for the distraction and even happier that she likes him, I just can’t get this haunted feeling out of my system. I take Boss back to the shop and drop him off with Davis before Latham has a chance to come out.
