Page 77 of Her Filthy Grump

Layla

“Order up.” Charlie Rogers yells out through the opening between the kitchen and the dining area. He grabs the next order and disappears.

The scent of eggs and ham rolls out of the kitchen.Lord.My stomach clenches.That’s disgusting.I shudder. When did I develop an aversion to omelets?

“Thanks.” I grab the plates and line them along my arm, being careful not to overlap them or get them off-center. The last thing I want to do is clean the yellow goo off my shoes.

“No problem, Doll.”

Doll. Kameron calls me doll.Tears sting my eyes.Damn it. Stop getting worked up over Kameron.I straighten my shoulders and growl deep in my throat. It’s not like he said he wanted to break up. Stop putting words in his mouth.

I drop off the order to a couple of regulars who smile and greedily take their food. At least someone’s hungry. When was the last time I ate? As I move across the dining room, I rack my brain–crackers last night before bed. I’m starving. My stomach revolts at the idea. Or, I should be starving.

The door dings as a new customer walks in. I smile at Cole. “Hi.”

His eyes dart outside like he’s considering leaving. What’s up with him? I stop in mid-step. He wanted to leave when he saw me. My pulse accelerates. Kameron’s seeing someone else–that’s the only explanation that makes sense.

“Layla.” He swallows and carefully shuts the door. His movements are sluggish as he ambles across the floor. “I didn’t realize you were working today.”

“I see that.” The rest of the customers continue to chatter as forks clink against porcelain platters. My hands shake, so I clasp them together. My whole world is getting ready to unravel, and no one else is paying attention.

As he marches across the café, his face is flush and sweat beads on his forehead. “Um….”

“Yes?” My voice sounds weak and raspy. I clear my throat. I’m a strong woman, not a weak pansy. I’ve lived without him this long; I can live the rest of my life without him. “Spill it.”

“Well.” He coughs and stares at the floor. “I thought something serious was going on between you and Kameron, but he said his cousin was coming home tomorrow.”

“What?” My breath catches in my throat. Was that what was wrong this morning? Did Roman text him?

No wonder he didn’t want me to see his phone. He wanted to tell me first. That must be it.

“Yeah, he said his cousin texted him last week and was coming back early, but he thought he had another week.”

“Another week?” His words barely penetrate the fog in my brain. His cousin texted him last week. He knew last week. He’s leaving and didn’t tell me. He’s leaving tomorrow.Holy hell.My knees buckle, and I grip the counter. The whites of my knuckles poke out as I clench the wood.

“He was searching for Gavin when I left. I assume it was to tell him he was going back home.” He frowns. “I’m guessing you didn’t know.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I had no idea.”Oh, my God. I’m going to pass out.I inhale deeply to suck in as much air as possible, but the swimming sensation doesn’t ease.

“I’m sorry, Layla. He seemed like a nice guy, but I guess he’s not the long-term type.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Damn it.He told you that from the beginning. Why did you think you were different?

Anger pushes the disbelief and hurt away with one swift shove.Fuck that.How dare he not tell me he’s leaving. It’s one thing to say he doesn’t know what the future holds and another to lie to me for a week. He knew he was leaving and didn’t say a word.

The betrayal is like a punch in the gut. The only other time I’ve been lied to by a guy was the married one, but he hardly counts. Is this what relationships look like? He’s right. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a switchblade knife to the chest. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

I jerk backward and grab Cole’s forearm. “Fuck, no.”

“Layla.” His mouth drops open so wide that if we had flies, he’d end up catching one.

“Sorry.” Heat floods my chest and up my neck. “I shouldn’t have said that. I can’t believe he didn’t say anything to me.”

Cole wraps his arms around me and pats my back. “I’m so sorry. He played us both. I’ve gone to lunch with him twice this week, and he didn’t say a word to me either.”

---