Page 92 of Totally Off Limits

“I don’t know about that.”

They ate for a little bit in silence before Layne asked, “Did Mickey ever call you back?”

“No.” Sierra set the sandwich down. It hadn’t been setting well on her stomach anyway, but talking about Mickey completely ruined it. “I don’t know if I really expected him to. I just wanted him to know how I felt since I’d never had the guts to tell him before.”

“Well, he does. So now you can move on. Nothing’s really changed, has it?”

Oh, but it had. Before she’d allowed herself the recent dalliance with Mickey, she’d convinced herself that she was happy enough with her life. After all, she had Mia, the light of her entire existence, and she had a job using skills she enjoyed using, even if she didn’t exactly like her employer. And having her own place helped her feel like her extended family was removed from her day-to-day.

But none of what she’d told herself was true. Having Mickey around and being thrust into Austin’s arms had had the effect of having a veil removed from her eyes. Although she felt stronger than she ever had in terms of where she stood with her parents, having Mickey gone now emphasized the void in her life she’d never known existed.

And it hurt.

And even though she now had a personal policy to always be honest, whether it hurt or not, she lied to Layne. There was no sense burdening him with her luggage. “I guess not.”

More so, she lied to herself.

Layne put down the fries in his fingers. “Oh, shit. I forgot to tell you about Austin.”

More guilt. Jesus. How many lives had she ruined on Independence Day? But she said nothing, merely making eye contact with her brother.

“I think mom’s trying to set him up with one of the triplets.”

“Hmm. That could maybe work. I know all three of them swoon whenever he walks into a room. Faith could be his personal cheerleader.”

“It’s the money combined with expensive cologne.” Layne laughed at his own joke. Then Sierra threw her food back on the tray, prompting Layne to raise an eyebrow. “Done already?”

“Yeah. I’m not hungry anymore. Besides, I need to get back to work.”

“Just five more minutes. It’s nice having company for a change.”

Itwasnice bonding with the brother she should have bonded with years ago. With their common background, they shared so much—and maybe he, too, could break free.

Softly, Sierra tilted her head to the right, using it like a subtle pointer. Her voice soft, she said, “Her name’s Brittany?” When Layne gave her a nod and followed where she’d pointed, she added, “I think you’re about to have some company in a minute—meaning it’s my cue to leave. Want me to throw away the trash?”

“Nah. I’ll get it. Same time next week?”

“Yeah…but can we eat somewhere else?”

“Maybe.”

With a grin, Sierra picked up her purse. “It’ll bemytreat next time. See ya.” As she walked past the pretty cashier wiping down a table, she told her goodbye, but she noticed the girl was already making eye contact with Layne.

Good for him. Hopefully, he wouldn’t fuck up his love life like his big sis. At least he was starting from the right place.

When she got to her car, she checked her phone to find a text from Cami.So I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to jinx it, but I’m moving in with my boyfriend next week!

She was happy for her friend and hoped her text only communicated that.I’m so happy for you, Cam! Sounds pretty serious!

And she letit go at that. Sierra was not going to let that be a reason to feel sorry for herself, because she was lying in the bed she’d made.

She simply had to try to get comfortable in it.

CHAPTER30

That Friday night, Sierra left work and drove to her parents’ house to pick up Mia. She absolutely dreaded it, because they had hardly interacted since she’d stormed off that night. Actually, she hadn’t even seen her dad, but her mother wasn’t speaking with her, and twice this week, the housekeeper had been the one to see her off with Mia.

How long would this last?

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