Page 18 of Small Town Secrets

Laila curled her hands into tight fists to keep from slapping a palm to her forehead. She should have known Maureen Cooper, Harlow’s very own walking-talking social media manager, would share the gossip soon enough.

And just to add to the discomfort of Laila’s roiling insides, her mom’s brows drew together, intensifying the depths of her concern. “You let Adrian meet Whitney already?”

“I mean, technically he already met her at the wedding, and he is our neighbor, so...” Laila went back to fidgeting with her keys, the metal clinking a fortunate distraction, though not enough to distract from the hot flush of her cheeks. “And yes, there was a playground date, but Whitney was only introduced to him as our potential friend, so I hope that everyone will be kind enough to leave the story there where it concerns her.”

She lifted her gaze to her ma’s huge smile. “But not where this man concerns you?”

“Ma, no—”

“Oh, my baby’s dating again.” Her mother clapped her hands together, a joyful rosiness coloring her cheeks. “That’s so wonderful to hear.”

Even though a smile tugged at Laila’s lips, she made a point of holding a frown, not wanting to get her or her mom’s hopes up. “It’s been a long while since I was a baby.”

Her mother shook her head and extended her hands to Laila’s face. “Well, you’ll always be my baby.”

“I know, Ma.” She leaned her head forward and tapped her forehead to her mom’s. “Just don’t get too excited, okay? It’s still early days and I haven’t decided what I think of this man.”

“I know. I know.” Her mother pulled back with a hurried series of fluttery hand movements that suggested she didn’t heed much of Laila warning. “But aren’t you glad I intervened with Whit at the wedding? With you so close to finishing your studies, and now this... Laila, you’ve come so far and have so much to look forward to.”

But Laila’s natural instinct was to tuck her mother’s encouragement away where it couldn’t hurt her. She hadn’t forgotten the tension in Ramos’s rich brown eyes as she’d told him about Mike, or the gentle way he’d handled that first kiss. Oh, and his open surprise when she’d chased him down for another…

With her past, and the current danger of a looming syndicate, so much of that date seemed too good to be true. She could hardly remember ever feeling so lighthearted. So impulsive. That she even knew how to flit between vulnerable and having a little plain old fun, and in such a short space in time. Even if she never saw Ramos again, he’d succeeded in awakening parts of her she’d thought long gone. For that alone she could be thankful.

“Anyway.” She cleared her throat and shook her head, bringing her focus back to her mom’s openly optimistic smile. “Whit and I are a two-for-one package and that’s a lot to expect some out-of-towner to take on. Especially since he has no children of his own. So, Ma, don’t get all crushed if things don’t pan out, okay?”

Aggie raised a brow on a look of total skepticism. “That warning really for your mom or is it more for yourself, Dear?”

Laila shrugged, a familiar swell of emotion taking up space in her throat because, in all honesty, she had thought through that same doubtful reasoning about a thousand times since her date with Ramos.

And as much as Aggie liked to cut to the core of most issues, just like always, her stark observations came with a sense of care over idle gossip.

“Yah know, you’re right Aggie. I’ve been holding things together for Whit and I for years and sometimes I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on.” She dropped her attention to the beige carpet at her feet and tried not to gnaw at her lower lip again. “Sometimes it feels like the smallest nudge might make me let go. I like Adrian. I like him a lot. But I can’t afford the disappointment, yah know? So, as tempting as it is to jump all in with him, that wouldn’t be fair on anyone.”

“Yah, I do know.” Aggie gave a steady nod. “Whitney was so young when Mike dipped out, and she had no idea what was happening when he left, but that wouldn’t be the case this time around.”

A dull ache burrowed deeper into her chest and Laila dropped her gaze away from Aggie again, the sincerity in her eyes only adding to the pain. “Not that I see Ramos as any replacement daddy for Whit, but the risk of getting too attached to anyone, then having my heart crushed… while having to parent Whitney… I’m not sure I want to put us both through that again.”

“Well, maybe it’s time to look at things a li’l different, dear.” Aggie’s rough and aged hand landed on Laila’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze, a light smile crinkling the paper-thin skin of her cheeks. “You’re a strong woman, Miss Egan. A great mom, too. But you’re allowed to cut loose and have a little fun, yah know?”

Aggie pressed one eye shut into an exaggerated wink, and Laila gave a small and spluttering kind of laugh. Yes, she felt lighter for Aggie’s cheeky suggestive advice, but perhaps this woman could have delivered it without Laila’s mom standing right at her side.

But even then. Even as she twisted her gaze from Aggie to her mom, and back to Aggie again, the ache in her chest receded by a great degree. As much as Aggie called her a strong woman, as much as she’d carried countless burdens alone, she’d never been truly alone. She’d had other strong women surrounding her with good examples and moral support.

“Thank you.” She leaned in and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek, followed by her mother, before backing away because she really did need to leave for work now. “Let’s just adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to all things relating to Adrian Ramos.”

Twelve

The next morning, Laila once again sat in her driveway with her blank stare pointed through her windscreen. The light out there still held a muted early glow and the back of her eyes ached from her long night at work. As much as she wanted to, there wouldn’t be much more than three hours to nap before her dad dropped Whitney off for the day and he moved onto his own work.

Resigned to not waste more time, Laila let out a sigh and stepped out of her car, trudging up her short pathway and then groaning at the effort of scaling the few stairs leading to her door. Her entire night had been spent standing at a mostly empty register or returning wayward stock to the shelves, and she’d somehow have to follow all that up with cramming in some studying while looking after Whitney. That meant entertaining and reading to her child, cooking, and attempting some kind of neatness in her home littered with toys and unfolded laundry.

“Never enough minutes. Never enough hands.” She grumbled to herself and stepped inside her house. Next, she discarded her uniform in the laundry pile and pulled on a more comfortable set of home clothes.

Her next stop was the kitchen, where she searched the cupboards and fridge for what remaining groceries might provide lunch later, only for the search to end at the sound of someone knocking at the front door.

Bad timing. Super bad timing. She just wanted to crash and enjoy a moment of nobody needing anything from her, and still, she answered the door.

No one stood on her landing, and she scowled out to the quiet and empty street for a while, before peering down to find a rectangular, red ceramic dish waiting on her doorstep. She lifted the foil atop, the dish still warm, and two perfect rows of chicken enchiladas inside.

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