Page 40 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

Shit. I completely forgot about that.

“Yes, can you give me a couple more days to get better?”

“Yeah, sure, but—”

“It’ll just be a couple more days, and then I’ll be back. Think you can hold things down for me? Make sure the project is going smoothly?” I ask.

“Yes. As long as you promise me that you’re going to take care of yourself and let me know if you need help,” she says softly.

My bottom lip trembles, a sob threatening to break out.

I inhale deeply, forcing my voice to stay stoic.

“Thank you, Katie. I will,” I lie.

“Okay. Also, your friend Sue has been calling me. Apparently, she hasn’t been able to get ahold of you either and thought I might know something. You should talk to her. She sounded worried,” Katie says.

“Yeah, I’ll give her a call right now. Thank you, Katie.”

“You’re welcome. Talk to you soon.”

Sue. I’ve been so caught up in my own problems that I forgot about her.

I swipe through my contacts, finally dialing hers.

“You better have a damn good explanation of why you haven’t answered my calls these past couple of days,” she says accusingly as soon as she picks up the phone.

For the first time since leaving the hospital, I crack a small smile.

Chapter 14

Renewed Resolve

Lila

I take a step back from the mirror, staring at my finished look. I’m dressed in fitted blue jeans, a white long sleeve shirt, and a wool scarf to meet up with Sue at our favorite café. I’ve barely seen her these past two weeks as I’ve wallowed in my misery, and I’ve missed her terribly.

I just hope she can forgive me for being an absent friend because if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t leave me to figure it out on my own. If she knew what I’ve had to deal with these past couple of weeks though, maybe she’d understand.

The sound of my Backstreet Boys ringtone suddenly blares through the room. I pick up the phone, knowing the name that would be flashing across my screen before I even see it.Backstreet Boys is the first concert she took me to and will always be our thing.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she says as soon as I pick up the phone, and I can hear the permanent smile in her voice.

“Hi, Mom.”

The sound of her voice never fails to feel like a warm blanket wrapping around me. Comforting.

“How are you doing, baby? Missing me?” she jokes. She always knows how to put a big smile on my face.

“You’re the one who called me, so who’s missing whom?” I laugh.

“Touché.” She chuckles.

“How’s that cold doing, baby? You’ve been having a lot of those lately, that’s not like you. You’re never sick,” she says, concern in her voice.

“So, you’re not calling just because I’m secretly your favorite child?” I tease, feeling guilty for the lie.

“You’re definitely my favorite youngest child,” she responds in a playful tone, and I can’t help but laugh at her silliness.

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