Page 38 of Rejected Heart
“Thank you.” I shifted my attention to Mark. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“Yeah, you, too.” I’d barely taken two steps toward the exit when Mark called, “Layla?”
Stopping, I turned to look back at him. “Yeah?”
“Maybe this is strange, considering we just met, but I was thinking.” My body tensed as I prepared for what I knew was coming. “Is there any chance you might want to meet me for coffee sometime? Maybe we can explore this city together and find some great spots to call our favorites.”
So, perhaps it wasn’t just the need to save money that made me not want to go out for meals often.
It was this, too.
While Mark hadn’t necessarily done anything wrong—he was polite enough—I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. If being with someone had been my priority, I’d have been right back in Landing, engaged to Liam, and preparing to get married.
Sure, there was nothing that indicated Mark was interested in a romantic relationship. It was entirely possible he was just looking for a new friend in a new city. The problem was that I didn’t want to be that friend.
I was here to do one thing and one thing alone. And once I figured that out, once I did what I came here to do, I could return to Landing and try to make things right with Liam.
“While that sounds like it could be a lot of fun, I have to decline. I’m… I’m unavailable.”
Disappointment washed over him. “Aw, man. That’s a bummer. Whoever he is, he’s a lucky guy.”
I hadn’t exactly meant those words the way Mark had taken them, but it worked for me. Though, I felt like the worst kind of human. Because I wasn’t quite sure Liam would consider himself lucky at this point. Heartbroken? Maybe. Lucky? Not yet.
I offered Mark one final smile before I turned and walked out.
Back to work.
Keep going.
If it hadn’t been for my constant need to be moving, working, and searching for that future career, I would have allowed what just happened to break me.
With my luck, it would be long after I settled down for the night that it would hit me. Crawling into bed at night was the one time when thoughts of Liam were unavoidable. With nothing else to distract me, with nothing else to keep my mind and body busy, it was impossible not to think about the day I last saw him, the day I rejected his marriage proposal.
Yep. I was bound to wind up having another sleepless night like last night. One where I wanted to do nothing but curl up in a ball and cry, thinking about how much I missed Liam. How hard it had been to ignore those calls, and how often I needed to replay those messages he left, just to hear his voice.
LIAM - ONE MONTH LATER
"Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up?”
With my phone in one hand, I snatched my keys off the table. “I’m sure, Wyatt. I’m heading out now. I’ll see you guys in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you soon.”
I disconnected the call, tucked my phone in my pocket, and made my way to the exit. And that’s when it caught my eye.
The mail.
Four months had passed since I’d received that first and only letter from Layla. The day I’d received it, I’d updated my mailing address, adding the forwarding service to my mail, so that it’d be sent directly to me at the hotel. Day after day, especially during those first few weeks, I hoped and prayed I’d get another letter. Sure, I’d told my mom I didn’t want the letters, that I wanted Layla instead, but the truth was that I was willing to take anything.
Sadly, the weeks passed. One by one, and not a single letter arrived. After two months had gone by, I’d resolved myself to the fact that one was never going to arrive. And for the last eight weeks or so, I’d stopped racing into the room just to see if she’d sent anything.
But of course, something would show up today.
My birthday.
Another letter, the postmark from Landing. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get many answers today, either. Layla still wasn’t interested in telling me where she was.
My family had planned to take me out for dinner tonight. I hadn’t really been feeling up to celebrating, but I knew it meant everything to them. Since they understood my mindset, they’d willingly offered to keep it small and simple, unlike they did for every other occasion.
