Page 37 of When the Storm Breaks
I looked at the bag in her hand and the coral flowers she was holding in the other, a diamond and wedding band shimmering on her ring finger. “The peonies are from my garden. Coral charm,” she said with a smile. “Not sure if Brody told you about this barbecue place yet but they have the best tacos you’ll ever eat.”
“Thank you.” She handed me the bag and I peeked inside. The scent alone had me drooling. “Oh god, that smells so good. I love tacos. And now I’m starving.”
She handed me the flowers tied with string. “Good. I hope you love them.” She looked over her shoulder at her SUV. The back windows were open. “Well... my son is in the car, so I’d better get going. I just wanted to say hi.”
“Okay. Thanks for the tacos.”
“Anytime. See you around.” She hesitated a moment but then turned and started walking away. I nearly had the door closed but stopped myself from shutting it.
“Hey. Lila.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“No.”
“There’s enough here for both of us. Join me for lunch?”
She didn’t even hesitate for a second. Her face lit up with a smile. “I would love to. Let me get Levi and I’ll be right in.”
I carried the food into the kitchen and set the breakfast bar for our cozy lunch, my mind going a mile a minute. What had happened between Brody and Lila? A few minutes later, after I’d swapped out the wildflowers in the mason jar for the fresh flowers she’d brought, she came in with her baby in the car seat and set it on the floor, dropping a diaper bag on the leather sofa.
“He’s gorgeous.” I leaned over for a better view of the sleeping baby with chubby cheeks, dark hair and full pink lips that were pursed.
“Thank you. He looks so much like his daddy.” She sighed. “Isn’t that always the way?”
I laughed a little. “Yeah, I guess it is. Noah looks exactly like Brody.”
“Yup. I’m hoping for a girl next time. Way too much testosterone in my life.”
“I hear you. I’ve been surrounded by boys all my life.”
“Same.”
I poured two glasses of water and set them on the breakfast counter then pulled up a stool across from her. She slid one of the tacos in front of me and a plastic container of sauce. “Try this one. It’s the brisket taco. Be liberal with the pico de gallo. It’s amazing.”
She watched me take my first bite. She wasn’t joking. I might have moaned. The taco was delicious, and I told her so. I’d eaten half of it when I caught her staring at me. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin, thinking I’d gotten sauce on it. Her cheeks flushed. She adjusted the sleeves of her blousy off-the-shoulder top then took a drink of water.
“Okay, look, I need to get this out of the way because I suck at keeping things to myself.” She took a deep breath and let it out like she was gearing up to tell me the world was ending, and we only had twenty-four hours to live.
“I know who you are. Nobody told me. And don’t worry I won’t fangirl all over you,” she hastened to add. “Well, maybe just a little because I’m a huge fan. Huge. And I swear I’m not the type to fangirl over anyone. But I’ve been listening to your solo album non-stop. Just ask my husband. No offense but he’s sick of listening to it. I love every single song on it. I don’t even think I could choose a favorite but if I had to, it would be “Fragile.” I can’t believe I’m sitting across from Shiloh Leroux right now.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Phew. Okay. I’ve got that out of my system. I’m good now. Let’s carry on like I never said anything.” She picked up her taco and took a huge bite.
I sat back on my stool and laughed. I was laughing so hard I was snorting. Oh my god. This girl was the best. I already adored her and could understand why Brody would have loved her. When I finally pulled myself together, she gave me a rueful grin. “I sounded like a crazy woman, didn’t I?”
I shook my head. “No. Not all. And thank you. It means a lot to me that you love that album.” I hoped my words sounded sincere because I truly meant them. I’d poured my heart and soul, my blood, sweat and tears into that album. It had been my therapy at one of the lowest points in my life. Everything had been broken, including me. Bastian told me to put it all into my music, every ounce of pain and heartache and anger and sadness.
“Fuck ‘em. Rise from the ashes of the motherfucking house they burnt down around you. This album is going to blow them the fuck away.”
Beautiful Bastian. He’d been so right. And once again, music had saved me.
“So you and Brody...” I waved my hand in the air to erase the words. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “It’s a crazy story, actually, and we don’t really have that kind of time. But I’ll give you the Cliff Notes. We’ve been best friends for most of our lives. Me, Brody, and Jude. Jude is Brody’s cousin but they’re more like brothers. And I’ve been in love with Jude since I was nine years old. He enlisted in the Marines right out of high school. Five years later, he came back a different man.” She looked over at Levi who was still asleep then returned her gaze to me. “He was messed up when he got back from Afghanistan and we went through so much. And then one day he just up and left me. A year after he left, Brody and I got drunk. Drunker than I’d ever been in my life. And I ended up pregnant.”
“Wow. I didn’t see that coming.”
“That’s life. You never do.”
