Page 80 of Landon & Shay: Part Two

Hank turned to me and nudged me in the arm. “You best believe that his middle name would’ve been Shay if he was a girl.”

I smiled. “I call dibs on the next little rascal.”

“That will be a long, long time away,” Raine sighed. She looked exhausted, but I assumed that was what happened when you gave birth. I was pretty sure she’d be exhausted for the next eighteen years. “But of course, you are the godmother. You have no say in turning down that role. It’s yours, so deal with it.”

“I wouldn’t turn it down if my life depended on it.”

“Do you want to hold him?” Hank asked Landon.

“Can I?” A big smile fell against Landon’s lips, and I accidentally let a smile slip from my lips just from seeing his.

I couldn’t help it, though. He looked so overwhelmingly happy.

“Of course, here.” Hank lifted his baby up into his arms and placed him into Landon’s. There was something so genuine about the way Landon stared down at Jameson. It was the same way he stared at Karla—as if he were looking at the brightest star in the world.

“You’ll never know a day of loneliness,” Landon whispered, placing his lips against Jameson’s forehead.

In that moment, Jameson opened his crystal blue eyes for the first time since we’d arrived, and it officially became the most beautiful moment in the history of ever.

There was something so wonderful about seeing a large man hold a tiny child in his arms.

The beautiful moment was ruined seconds later when Raine scrunched up her nose and made a face. “Is it just me or does it smell like nasty sex in here?” she questioned. Then, her eyes moved between Landon and me. A small smirk fell against her lips and she looked pleased as my cheeks heated up more and more. “Oh. Never mind.”

I wasn’t certain whose face was redder in that moment—Landon’s or mine.

* * *

The next fewdays were hard for me.

It turned out the crazed coffee girl fiasco hadn’t settled down over the past week, and I was lucky enough to go into the new year with people still tagging me online in their tacky humor.

Yup, that was right. The internet was so good at their stalking skills, they’d found out exactly who I was, and where I lived. That was scarier than one would think. I found coffee beans spread across the porch of my apartment building, along with a slew of iced latte cups. I was sure it was done by immature kids and was supposed to be seen as some kind of joke, but it didn’t make me laugh.

I ended up staying a few nights at Mima’s place.

I was left with such a feeling of unease with people knowing who I was and thinking they had the right to access me whenever they pleased.

That was why I always thought I’d want to go into screenwriting over acting. There seemed to be a bit of mystery that came with being a writer. You were in the shadows instead of the limelight, and I truly loved that idea. It turned out that I wasn’t made for the limelight, and the small fifteen minutes of fame I’d been getting couldn’t have passed any sooner.

I had three job interviews under my belt, and I was feeling pretty hopeless going into the fourth one that week. Each position brought up the fact that I’d been an internet meme and concluded that it wouldn’t be a good fit. They couldn’t work with unstable employees. One employer even went as far to say that I should’ve had more pride than to be fighting over Landon Pace. “He sleeps with everyone, sweetheart. Not worth losing a job.”

Last time I checked, I was applying for a job, not to be scolded for fake news.

As I sat in the fourth interview at a cute coffee shop called, Beans & Things, I was pretty relieved when fifteen minutes had passed during the interview, and the manager hadn’t brought up my dramatic claim to fame.

“It looks like you have quite a few years in the barista career,” Matt exclaimed, scanning my resume. “Is this a passion of yours?”

Serving coffee to people? No. Not a passion. But paying my rent was a passion, so I did what most people did during interviews—I lied. “Oh, yes. I love interacting with individuals on a daily basis. Plus, I know that people are much happier with a great cup of joe in their hands, and I like being able to give them that joy. Nothing feels better than seeing a smile on their face as they walk away with their order made perfectly. Plus, I’m fast, too. I can make drinks in my sleep, and I can memorize your specialties in a heartbeat. This would be an amazing opportunity to work for your business.”

Matt smiled, pleased by my answer. “Good, good. I’m glad to hear it. Now, there’s just one last thing. A test, if you will.”

I nodded. “Sure, okay.”

He looked up to the counter where an employee was standing, and he called him over.

The employee walked over with a smirk on his face and an iced latte in his hand.

Oh, no.

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