Page 18 of Layla Meets Her Match

CHAPTER 11

LAYLA

Since the food truck is closed for another day, I get my new apartment in order. Margot and I don’t have a lot of stuff. The closet is filled with my clothes, and Margot’s are all piled into a little dresser in the bottom of the closet. She has almost as much as me thanks to a doting grandma and three honorary aunts in Mila, Court, and Court’s aunt Sophie. I don’t have any of my own furniture, besides the rocker recliner Landon insisted I take. But it’s not here yet, so the apartment looks bare. I’ve been scouring Facebook sale groups and found a small kitchen table that will be perfect for the space, and the seller is even willing to drop it by the apartment tomorrow for an extra ten dollars since he’ll be in the neighborhood for work.

I sit on my bed and stare happily at the space around me while Margot naps in the little corner I’ve created for her small crib. It’s a foldable one that my mom bought me when she was born. It packs up and had a bassinet attachment, so it’s perfect for the small space we live in. She doesn’t need a crib, but I have kept my eye out on the sale groups for the kind that can turn into a toddler bed once she’s bigger. I have a couple of pretty floral screens that I found before we moved here to create a “room” for her.

But it’s our space, and small as it is, and as devoid of furniture as it is right now, I’m proud of it. When I had Margot, I promised myself I was going to make sure she never missed out on the fact that her father is a movie star and yet she’s not growing up with the privileges she should have. I could ask for child support, but a part of me is scared he’ll want custody. He has a much better job than me. He makes so much more, and he could provide for her so much better.

I shove the thoughts away. I don’t like them ruining my little celebration of what I’ve accomplished for us.

The thoughts do remind me of Lincoln and how he gently prodded about why I’m not acting. I’m a better actor than the Unmentionable. He got the Phantom Hex because he’s charming and has that classic Hollywood leading guy look. Yeah, he has millions of fans swooning over him on social media, but I have hundreds of TikToks shipping my TV show character with Detective Leclair, and I only appeared in four episodes. That’s something.

But being an actor means hustling in a way I don’t have time for. It means spending days on auditions and then not getting parts and not getting paid. And I can’t haul Margot around with me to those. I know that any number of my family and friends would be happy to help with her if acting is what I want to pursue, but I just can’t bring myself to ask them for that.

The videos I make will have to be enough.

For now …?

Maybe. Maybe when Margot’s in school or something I can think about trying acting again. But still, when I am successful, I could end up on sets across the country. In different countries! I’ll have to choose between hauling my child all over the place for my job or missing out on her life for weeks and months at a time. That’s not the life I promised I would give her, but trying to put away that dream forever doesn’t feel doable either.

Since I’m unpacked, I get ready for the big double date at my house. I feel like celebrating my independence day a little bit more, so I go all out with my hair and makeup, using all the tips and tricks I learned on sets. I keep my outfit simple, since the restaurant we’re going to is casual—burgers and stuff but a little more upscale—but I make sure it’s still striking. Comfy but still sleek-looking faux leather leggings and a fitted black lace top that hits me mid-thigh. I throw the heels I want to wear in Margot’s diaper bag and put on a pair of tennis shoes, then we set out for Landon’s apartment, where he and Mila are going to watch Margot while I’m out tonight. I grin as we walk. This friend date with Lincoln is the perfect way to celebrate my independence day.

“Ooooo, gimme gimme.” Mila makes grabby hands as soon as she opens the door of Landon’s apartment. I barely have the stroller through the door before she unbuckles Margot and assaults my daughter with kisses on her cheek.

To be fair, they are adorable chubby cheeks that deserve kissing at every opportunity. I had to wash her face off and redo my lipstick right before we left the house.

“You have an addiction,” I say.

She has her face pressed against Margot’s cheek, and Margot is giggling over it. “There are worse things to be addicted to,” Mila sighs.

Landon has come over to join Mila and Margot now, making faces at Margot. These two are not going to wait very long to have kids. That’s obvious.

“Any word on the cookie?” I ask.

Landon shakes his head. “Dillon said he should have some results for us in the morning.”

“Your fans,” I say to Mila, “while supportive of the ‘personal’ time you need to take, are bordering on riots.”

She smiles. “I guess that’s nice to hear. I already threw out all the perishable stuff anyway. We could probably open tomorrow, but I want to be sure it’s not the flour or sugar or something either.” The way she bites her lip says she hopes she doesn’t have to throw out everything. She has a lot invested in even the little things like extracts. And even though she’s already paid Eli back most of his initial investment, I know she hates the idea of wasting any of the money that he gave her to start her business.

“I don’t blame you.” I pat her on the shoulder and move to sit on Landon’s couch while I wait for Lincoln.

“Are you doing okay?” Landon asks, turning away from Margot long enough to eye me. “I know you use your tips for extra groceries?—”

I hold up a hand. “I’m fine. I picked up a few extra online jobs,” I assure him. It’s funny—since telling Lincoln that I do the videos, it feels weird to lie to Mila and Landon about them. But there’s something holding me back from admitting I’m making videos. Data entry just seems more normal.

There’s a knock on the door, and my heart skips a beat. That’s dumb. This isn’t an actual date. It’s just me and Lincoln meeting up with Astrid and Zane Dalton to make sure they don’t feel stupid on their first date.

I must be excited to get out and do something fun. Landon and Mila make sure I’m invited to pretty much everything they do, so I do barbecues and dinner with them and stuff. That’s almost always family-type stuff. This is different. It’s a date, but then again, it’s not. I wave all of that away and hop up to answer the door.

“Hey,” I say, smiling when I see Lincoln. He looks good. My smile grows. He’s wearing a pair of dark gray pants and a lightweight navy sweater. He has on tennis shoes with the outfit, but they’re nice Nikes and somehow the whole thing just works well. Also, he smells amazing. It’s an orange and vanilla scent but more woodsy. I catch myself leaning a little toward him and straighten up. I clear my throat. “Come on in.”

He steps inside, hands in his pockets. “You look great,” he says. His voice sounds tight, like it did that night at Eli’s, when I could tell talking with me wasn’t easy. “Well, you always look great. I don’t want to imply that if you don’t dress up?—”

“Hey, Linc!” Landon says, coming up behind me. “Good to see you.” He holds out a hand, which Lincoln shakes, and I swallow a laugh at how Landon saved Lincoln from himself.

“Hey,” Lincoln says. He greets Landon and then clears his throat and looks back at me. “Are you ready? Dalton just texted me that he’s at Astrid’s, picking her up, so we should get to the restaurant about the same time.”

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