Page 20 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked, the shrill sound giving me a slight headache.

“I don’t know,” I told her. “Just tired, I guess.”

She exhaled and answered, “Get a shot of espresso. We are doing this tonight!”

Layla could be such a pull out of a bad mood type of person but also a major pain in the butt at the same time.

“Yeah, yeah,” I agreed.

“We’ll get drunk and dance all night. We are hot, young, and beautiful. Everybody wants to be us.”

I had to laugh despite myself. Maybe a better description was crazy and stupid, but I decided not to rain on her parade.

“Don’t forget smart,” I added, chuckling. “Darn, I can already taste the hangover.” Layla could be irresistible when she wanted to be.

“Ok, you can be the smart one,” she dismissed my comment. “Wear something hot. Otherwise, I’ll make you change into one of my outfits when you and Lena pick me up.”

“Ok, you bully.” We both chuckled. “We’ll swing by and pick you up around nine.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up. Wearing my robe, I jumped off the bed and went in search of a light dinner. Mentally, I went through potential selections on what to wear. I had no doubt Layla would insist on having Lena or I change into something else if we didn’t look hot enough.

I shot a quick text to Lena to warn her to dress hot, otherwise Layla would make us wear her clothes.

Two hours later, Lena was at my door all dolled up.

“You look great,” I exclaimed, looking at her in a striped black and white mini dress, her short blonde hair in a bob, and five inch heels. Lena was beautiful inside out, and her soul shined through her eyes.

“And you look stunning,” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me.

“Is it too much?” I asked her, hesitantly. “I just didn’t want to get stuck wearing Layla’s clothes. You know how crazy she can get. I’d rather wear jeans.”

We both laughed knowing full well that Layla wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of jeans.

“No, you are just stunning,” she replied, her smile soft. I didn’t think we could have ever gotten any closer than what we used to be, but since Mother passed away, we’d gotten even closer. It was kind of ironic how my mom and I were Lena’s only family growing up, and now Brandon, Larry, and her were all I had. “You look so much like Mom.”

We watched each other in silence, never needing the words to express how we felt.

“She would be so proud of you.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “She struggled, but was always there for us.” I nodded and swallowed hard.

Except, I wasn’t there for her when she needed me.

“Livy, I hope you know we could have never seen that coming. You are not to blame. She would be heartbroken to see you blame yourself.”

I wanted to cry, old wounds slowly getting raw again. I thought I’d sealed them all up, but the bleeding kept happening. How could they still be raw?

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror one more time. It was a good thing that my looks didn’t reflect how I felt. Otherwise, no club or bar would let me in.

My eyes were extra smoky, making them appear darker than their natural hazel color. I applied a light blush on my cheekbones, and slightly darker lipstick than my natural color. My hair was in a high ponytail, exposing my skin on the back. I was wearing a black, fitted satin mini dress with a high halter neck, and a low scoop open back, paired with three inch Jimmy Choos. I had never worn them before and would have never been able to afford them. They were a gift from Callen.

Why I kept them after everything that happened, I had no idea. Maybe I was a glutton for punishment. I guess we’d see how they fit tonight.

“You are wearing the shoes,” Lena commented quietly. She knew the history.

I shrugged my shoulder. “If I don’t like them after tonight, I’ll get rid of them.” She continued watching me, as if waiting for me to get to the point. “He texted me yesterday.”

Her sharp inhale was answer enough. “Was it about your text to him? What did he want?”

“No, he never mentioned that. He wanted to know if Eve Bailey would be good for his publishing house,” I told her. I was proud of myself for keeping my voice calm. I felt emotionally beaten, disappointed.

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