Page 51 of What She Deserves
“Then so be it, but I don’t think I can manage anything else right now.” Rashad pushed away from the credenza and picked up the envelope.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I don’t, but I can’t risk losing her again.” Losing Layla would be a nightmare come true.
Rashad exited the office.
* * *
“Layla!”
Hearing her name yelled, Layla almost jumped out of the seat in front of Ethan’s desk. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
She didn’t have much of an attention span and unfortunately had been drifting off during their conversation. A huge no-no for someone like Ethan, who paid a premium for her time and attention.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is there something else you’d rather be doing?” he asked.
“No, I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind.” Of course, that was no excuse.
“Do you think you could set it aside for the next few minutes while we’re talking? After we’re done, you’re welcome to go back to whatever daydreams you’re having.”
The biting comment made heat rise in her cheeks.
“No problem,” Layla muttered. She couldn’t even be mad at him because she was screwing up. She straightened in the chair and poised her stylus pen above the blank page on her iPad.
Ethan continued. “I need you to travel to Miami with me this weekend. You’ll only have to stay Saturday night. Can you make it?”
“Yes, that’s no problem.”
“Good. Coordinate transportation and flights with Daria,” he said.
“Okay. No problem.” She wrote herself a note.
Ethan studied her for a beat. “What’s going on with you?”
Layla pasted a bright smile on her face. “Nothing. Everything is fine.”
“Everything is not fine, but I certainly hope it will be. I need you at 100 percent, Layla. Whatever you’re going through, please fix it before you come to Miami. You know how much I depend on you.”
“I do. Not to worry.”
“Good. That’s all I have. You can leave. I have a dinner meeting, so I’ll leave now too.” He glanced at his watch and stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow on the plane.”
He grabbed his briefcase and exited the office, but Layla remained seated. She had to get her act together. She didn’t think Ethan would fire her, but he had a low tolerance for incompetence. It’s just that she couldn’t think right now. All her brain cells were preoccupied with thoughts of Rashad and that package she picked up yesterday. Then of course, there was his unexpected departure from Dana’s award ceremony and his early morning departure—before she even woke up. He must have left at the crack of dawn.
Something was wrong, and in usual Rashad fashion, he wouldn’t share that with her. Well, if he was going to keep information from her, as well as obviously lie, she had no choice but to do her own investigation. She’d put that off so far because a sixth sense warned if she went poking around in his affairs, she would find something she didn’t want to find. She had no choice, however, because curiosity gnawed at her constantly, and Rashad was not forthcoming with information.
To begin her search, she typed “Deshawn Reddick” into the search field on the Internet. The name was unusual enough that only a single page of results popped up. She scanned the images and halted when she came to one of a dark-skinned young man wearing a football uniform in an old photo.
She froze. She didn’t want to continue because her suspicions were about to be confirmed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before clicking on the link below the photo and was taken to an article from a small paper in Texas. She skimmed the piece, which praised the athleticism of the young running back who’d scored the winning touchdown that won Lee High School the state championship.
The young man smiled happily into the camera, though she detected sadness in his eyes. Her gaze remained glued to the photo. Deshawn Reddick looked exactly like Rashad. In fact, there was no doubt in her mind that he was a younger Rashad. Which meant…
Layla yanked air into her lungs with a deep inhale.
Deshawn Reddick was Rashad Greene. Rashad Greene was Deshawn Reddick.
If all of that was true, why had he never mentioned it? Why had he pretended he didn’t know the name Deshawn Reddick?
Layla’s hand lifted to her mouth in shock.
Who the hell was she sleeping with?
