Their Second-Time Valentine

by Helen Lacey

  “He’s just a friend,” she said instead.

  Maude’s eyes twinkled. “Well, that’s how it starts.”

  Thinking about Kane made her insides quiver. A normal reaction, she thought, after spending time with a man who was so attractive and clearly interested in her. They’d parted companionably the day before, after finishing their coffee. Layla had been disappointed that the afternoon had come to an end, but he had things to attend to at the hotel. He’d walked her to her car and gently taken her hand. She hadn’t expected a kiss goodbye and didn’t want one. It was too soon for her and she suspected he knew it. Kane Fortune was a smart guy and clearly adept at reading signals. He’d lingered holding her hand, though, and had rubbed his thumb over her knuckles before releasing her with the promise of seeing her again the following day.

  Slow is best, she told herself. She wasn’t anywhere near prepared for anything else.

  “Maybe,” she said, and shrugged. “But I don’t think I’m ready for anything more. Frank is still in my heart.”

  “Of course he is. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for someone else.”

  “If there was only myself to think about, then yeah, I probably wouldn’t want to play it so safe. But I have to think of Erin. I have to put her first, Nan. You know why,” she said, and sighed heavily.

  Maude regarded her over her teacup. “I know how it was for you and your mother. Iliana is my daughter and I love her, but I’m not blind to her behavior over the years. I know how disruptive it was for you moving around so much when you were a child.”

  Layla nodded as old feelings quickly surfaced. “I made a promise to Erin when she was born that I would make sure she had a stable home and felt safe. It was easier to promise that when Frank was here, because he was so reliable and sensible. But I don’t have that now...there’s just me. And I have to put her needs above my own and protect her from disappointment and hurt. Even if that means I’m alone.”

  Maude regarded her gently. “Not every relationship with a man is destined to work out like your mother’s did.”

  “Relationships,” Layla corrected. “I was there, Nan, remember? I went through every breakup when she did. I heard the crying, the arguing, the despair and then the anger, and I don’t want that for Erin. I won’t do it.”

  Her grandmother’s eyes glistened. “I understand. But you have a great capacity for love and I’m sure there’s someone special out there for you, Layla.”

  Layla’s chest tightened. “I’ve had my someone special,” she said softly. “I don’t expect to get that lucky again.”

  She stayed with her grandparents for another hour, then got home at eleven and put Erin down for a nap. And the whole time she was making a lasagna and then baking a cake, she figured she should probably text Kane and cancel their lunch date. Because what she’d said to her grandmother lingered in her thoughts. She wasn’t in the market for a relationship. She was nowhere near ready. Yes, he was nice. He was smart and incredibly attractive and made her smile. But experience warned her that all those qualities were sometimes a recipe for disaster. She’d witnessed it firsthand with her mother.

  But she didn’t cancel. Instead, she straightened her spine, changed into jeans and a light green sweater, brushed her hair and added a little makeup, and waited for him to arrive. Thankfully, Erin was in a happy mood and when his truck pulled up outside her house at three minutes to two, her daughter was laughing and waving her hands. Layla watched as Kane walked up to the house. In jeans, blue checkered shirt and leather jacket, he looked like the perfect picture of masculinity and her insides crunched up instantly.

  And he had flowers.

  Flowers.

  A bunch of tiny pale lavender roses mixed with greenery and wrapped in bright pink cellophane. Her crunching morphed into something that resembled swooning and she forgot all about her previous inclination to cancel their date.

  “Hi,” she said, shifting Erin onto her hip.

  “Hello,” he said when he reached the bottom step. “Happy Day-after-Valentine’s-Day,” he said, and held out the bouquet.

  Layla turned hot all over. Boy, he oozed sexy from every pore. “Thank you,” she said, and stepped back to open the door. “Please come in.”

  She took the flowers and he followed her through the door and into the long hallway. Once the door was closed, she made her way through the house and into the kitchen. Erin chatted as they walked and tried to pull a bud from the bouquet. Layla placed the flowers on the countertop and grabbed a vase.

  “Want some help with that?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She shifted Erin on her hip again and held out the vase.

  He moved around the counter and filled it with water, quickly placing the flowers inside. “You have a nice home. How long have you lived here?”

  “Five years,” she replied. “It’s really too big for the two of us. And the upkeep alone is difficult on the purse strings. I’m not good at fixing things, either. But we’re settled here. What about you? Where do you live?”

  He grinned. “I rent a tiny two-bedroom place in town. It’s temporary,” he added. “I shared it with my brother until he got married. It’s okay, but it’s really just a place to sleep. Not a home,” he added, and looked around. “Like this.”

  Layla watched as he placed the vase on the counter and then took off his jacket, quickly hanging it over the back of a chair. He filled the room with his broad shoulders and strong-looking arms. “Do you work out?” she asked bluntly. Instantly she wished she could take back the question. Especially when his gaze intensified.

  “I hit the gym most days. Why?”

  She swallowed hard as heat crawled up her neck. “You look very...fit.”

  He chuckled. “I try to keep in shape. But I’m not a gym rat. I don’t drink alcohol much, don’t smoke, don’t have too many vices and try to eat healthily. Speaking of which, something smells good,” he said, and gestured to the oven.

  “Lasagna,” she said, and laughed. “Erin’s favorite.”

  “Mine, too,” he said.

  “I’ll put her in her high chair while I get things ready.”

  “Want me to take her?” he asked, his hands outstretched a little.

  “Oh, she probably won’t go to you so—” Her words cut off when she felt Erin lean toward him eagerly, her little arms moving. “Well, forget what I said. It looks like she will.”

  Within seconds her daughter was in his arms and digging her fingers into his face. Layla had to admit, he really did know how to handle a young child. She relaxed when it was clear he had it under control and moved around the counter. Despite how casual and easy he was to be around, there was an intense undercurrent floating around the room. She wondered if he felt it, and then figured it was all in her imagination.

  She busied herself with the food and took the jug of iced tea she’d prepared earlier from the refrigerator, keeping a watchful eye on her daughter and the man she seemed so enamored with. Other than her grandfather, he was the first man Erin had spent any real time with since Frank’s death and Layla was amazed at how easily she had taken to him.

  “She likes you,” she said, and smiled.

  “Kid has impeccable taste,” he said with a grin. “So, how long have you been at Paz Spa?” he asked.

  “A few months,” she replied as she prepared her daughter’s food. “I leave early most afternoons, so I can pick up Erin in plenty of time. But if I need to be at work for an afternoon shift, my grandmother picks her up and then I get her from their place on the way home. It would be great if I had a sibling or two,” she said on a sigh. Then she remembered his huge collection of relatives. “I’ll bet it was noisy growing up in your family, huh?”

  He nodded. “Six kids, so yeah. But my parents handled it well.”

  “You’re close to your folks?”

  “Yes,” he
said, and then exhaled heavily. “It’s been a little strained in the last year, since my father found out he was Julius Fortune’s son. I think when Adam and I moved here, my father felt a little betrayed—like we’d chosen a side. But that wasn’t it. We just wanted to find out where we fit. But Dad...” He paused for a moment, his words trailing off. “He’s taken it hard.”

  “The Fortune family is famous in this state,” she remarked, seeing his shoulders drop a little. “And I understand why you’d want to spend some time developing a relationship with your extended family. It would be great having so many cousins.”

  “It’s never dull,” he said, and grinned. “Do you want more kids?”

  Layla’s hand paused midair. She couldn’t tell him that she and Frank had planned to have four kids. It was too personal. “Ah... I guess I don’t think about it. I mean, I’m very grateful for Erin. But more? I’d have to be, you know, sure that it was the right thing for everyone.”

  “Assurances?” he queried. “Makes sense, after everything you’ve been through. Can I ask how your husband died?”

  “In a car accident,” she replied, saying the words she said so many times. “He was on his way home from work and a truck hit him on the highway.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too,” she said sadly, and blinked away the heat in her eyes.

  “Was he a good man?”

  She nodded. “Very good. He adored Erin.”

  “Well,” he said, and looked at her daughter, who seemed very content to be in his arms, “she is pretty adorable.”

  Layla smiled. “So, I know you’ve never been married, but what about engaged?”

  “Nope.”

  “Close?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  “Longest serious relationship?”

  He held up the fingers on one hand.

  “Five years?”

  He shook his head, clearly okay with her questions. “Shocking, I know.”

  “Five months?” she queried, reading his hand signal correctly. “And you’re what...thirtyish?”

  “Thirty-one.”

  She raised a brow. “Are you...afraid of commitment?”

  He inhaled, looking at Erin for a moment, then back to Layla. “Afraid of screwing up,” he said quietly. “Particularly if there are one or two of these involved. If I do it, I want to get it right, like my parents did.”

  She laughed humorlessly. “Whereas I want to do the exact opposite of my parents. That’s why I’ll always put my daughter first.”

  “Book!” Erin said, and grabbed a handful of Kane’s hair. “More!”

  Layla watched as he untangled Erin’s fingers from his hair without so much as a grimace. “You want to read a book?”

  Erin nodded her head. “Book!”

  “She has a favorite book at the moment that I’ve been reading to her,” Layla explained. “It’s one with a talking yellow hippo and a purple giraffe that wears ballet shoes. A classic,” she added, and grinned, and she began bringing the food to the table. “Actually, she’s good at keeping herself entertained with a book. Like me, I suppose.”

  “What else do you like to do?” he asked, and adeptly settled Erin in her high chair.

  “I like music,” she said, and placed a second round of dishes on the table.

  “Let me guess...country music?”

  Layla smiled. “Of course, I’m from Texas. And you? Let me guess...jazz?”

  “Show tunes,” he said, deadpan.

  Layla laughed. “I don’t believe you. I’m thinking classic rock?”

  “You got me,” he replied, and sat down, positioning the high chair near the dining chair Layla had pulled out for herself.

  “What about you?” she asked as she sat. “What do you do in your spare time?”

  “The last few months I haven’t had a whole lot of spare time, but now that the hotel is operating, I can probably relax a little and take some time to do the things I like. I’d like to get a marine fish tank,” he said, and grinned. “You know, for relaxation purposes.”

  “Are fish relaxing?”

  “Sure,” he replied. “They swim around without a care in the world.”

  “I wonder what that’s like,” she mused. “Not having a care in the world.”

  “I’m not sure. If you find out, let me know.”

  Layla laughed softly and realized she did that a lot around Kane. He had a calm, steady way about him. And she liked it. She liked him.

  A lot.

  More than she’d expected.

  Which scared her. Because liking Kane meant opening up her heart. And Layla didn’t know if she’d have room in her heart for anyone, ever again.

  Chapter Four

  At work on Monday morning, around eleven, Layla signed for a package addressed to her. While there was nothing unusual about that, the return address warranted another look. It was from a local bakery. She opened it to find a selection of four cupcakes, decorated with red and white hearts. There was a note inside the box and when she read the words her heart skipped a couple of beats.

  Happy Second-Day-after-Valentine’s-Day. Thanks for lunch yesterday. Kane

  Layla was rereading the note when Hailey stopped by her desk.

  “What’s this?” her boss queried, and peered into the box. “Cupcakes?”

  She looked up and smiled. “From Kane,” she explained, experiencing a silly fluttering in her belly, and showed her the note.

  Hailey’s expressive brows shot up. “I see. It’s romantic, don’t you think?”

  “Er... I’m not sure either of us is in the market for romance.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Hailey queried and grinned. “I mean, little cakes with hearts on them is a pretty romantic gesture, don’t you think?”

  Yes, she did think.

  “I couldn’t, you know, say,” she muttered and avoided the other woman’s gaze.

  “He’s a nice guy,” Hailey said, like she was trying to reassure her. “We should all go out sometime. The four of us, I mean. It would be fun.”

  Layla didn’t comment and quickly got back to work, trying to put the gift—and the giver—out of her mind. The afternoon went by quickly, as they were fully booked, and she maneuvered appointments around to accommodate a couple of walk-ins. She left on time and realized she’d failed in her objective to not think about Kane. Because she was on edge as she pulled up at the day care and hoped she might bump into him. But his truck wasn’t in the parking lot and disappointment set in. It was foolish, she knew, to be so conflicted. But the mind and heart couldn’t be told how to feel. Instead of Kane, she spotted Larkin’s mother coming out of the building as she was walking up the path. The little boy was cooing cheerfully in his mom’s arms and it made Layla smile.

  “Hi,” the other woman said, and stopped walking. “I saw you on Saturday, didn’t I? With Kane. I’m Laurel Fortune, Kane’s sister-in-law. I’m sorry we didn’t get to officially catch up at the party. Larkin had a little sniffle and I didn’t want to keep him out for too long, so we left early. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” she said. “Layla McCarthy.”

  “We should set up a playdate,” she suggested. “I know my son would love it.”

  From playdates to double dates, she had Fortunes coming out of the woodwork trying to mesh into her life. Her usual modus operandi was to put up a wall and come up with one of many excuses. But oddly, she didn’t. Instead, she smiled and replied that it was a great idea before she said goodbye and headed inside.

  Layla had never been very good at making friends and knew it was a hang-up from her childhood. She’d moved around so much, so often, and sometimes so quickly, she was continually dragged from school after one semester and placed in another. It made making real friendships impossible. And the behavio
r stuck as she entered her teenage years. She’d never had a best friend—other than Frank. And certainly never had the experience of a close female friend. She often saw friends come into Paz Spa together, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and at times it made her envious. Silly, she supposed, to be jealous of something she’d never had. Perhaps she should take Hailey up on her offer and arrange for the four of them to go out.

  Except that Kane hadn’t actually said he wanted to see her again.

  And that was what confused her.

  Take care, he’d said. Thanks for lunch, he’d said. It was fun, he’d said.

  And then he sent her a box of cupcakes as a thank-you.

  It was sweet, she supposed. Not romantic, as Hailey had suggested. It was silly thinking along those lines when they’d only just met. But he was clearly a nice guy...easy to like, easy to talk to, easy to be around.

  Except I’m not looking for romance.

  That thought planted firmly in her mind, Layla picked up her daughter and headed home.

  It was past eight o’clock when, with Erin fed, bathed and tucked in bed, Layla settled herself at the kitchen table with her laptop to study for an hour or so. She’d been at it for about twenty minutes when she grabbed her cell phone and sent Kane a quick message.

  Thank you for the cupcakes.

  She added a smiley emoji and waited a minute for a response. She was being polite, that’s all. Saying thank you didn’t mean anything. Five minutes later, her cell pinged.

  My pleasure.

  Layla considered replying with a thumbs-up or something humorous, but her fingers hesitated over the keys. She was just about to place the phone back onto the table when it pinged again.

  Would you like to go out one night this week?

  Layla sucked in a breath. A date. On a school night. She quickly replied.

  I don’t really have a sitter available.

  A couple of minutes later, he replied.

  Of course I meant for you to bring Erin. An early dinner on Wednesday? I could pick you up around 5 and have you both home by 7 so she’s not out too late.