“That’s not true, Kyle.”
His face might have gone ashen. She couldn’t tell with the mood lighting in the shop.
“She summarizes our dates so perfectly that she could very well have tagged along.”
“Oh…I—”
She wasn’t finished. “For future reference, it’s weird that you spill so many details about our dates to Marybelle. I don’t blame her for talking to me about it. She’s happy that two people she cares about found common ground.”
“I…I didn’t know she did that.”
“Now you do. So I guess we’re finished here?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. Layla swept up her crumpled napkin and her mug, and left Kyle sitting there, probably wondering how he’d break the news to his dear auntie.
Chapter Seventeen
This job was the last one scheduled until after Thanksgiving, and it was a doozy. The small outdoor mall was one job he’d lobbied for last year, but the management company had already chosen Brant’s competitor. After a scheduling mishap, the Evergreen Plaza people called Light the Night in a panic to book him. It would be a very merry Christmas for his employees now that this job was almost finished. He’d already told everyone they’d be getting a nice holiday bonus because of it.
Brant stepped off the lift truck and onto the roof, lugging the last bin of lights from the platform. He set it next to the others as his phone beeped. At ground level, Jeff positioned the ladder, then slowly extended it toward Brant until he secured it against the fascia of the building.
Jeff gave him the thumbs up. “Hold ’er steady! Coming up!” he shouted.
Brant’s phone beeped again. He unclipped it from his belt and glanced at the screen.
Layla.
The cloudy day suddenly appeared a little brighter. He glanced down at Jeff who was slowly making his way up. He gripped the ladder handle tighter with one hand and answered.
“Brant? It’s Layla.”
Brant sat down cross-legged on the roof, giving her his full attention. Jeff’s head appeared over the roofline at the same moment. He bugged his eyes out at Brant when he saw his boss taking an unscheduled break.
“Hey. How are you?” It was good to hear her voice.
“I’m doing well. I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?” Layla asked.
Jeff crawled up onto the roof and threw his arms wide. “Why didn’t you tell me it’s break time?” he asked. “I would have sat in the truck and finished my coffee.”
Brant waved him off,shushinghim. He wasn’t about to ignore this call.
“No, not at all. I just happened to be on break.”
That earned a mumbled curse from Jeff.
Layla cleared her throat. “I’m calling to let you know that I’d like to go to the Holly Days dinner. If it’s not too late.”
“Of course it isn’t.” The beating in his chest was so loud he wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff heard it. “You won’t regret it.” He gritted his teeth. Maybe those weren’t the most carefully chosen words. “What I mean is, you’ll make some great connections.”
She chuckled softly. “That’s what I’m counting on.”
There was a prolonged pause.
“Your friend Ernie called back.” He stood up to help Jeff unroll the lights.
“Yeah?”
“He said it’s not for sale after all. It’s too rundown. He doesn’t want to get sued.”
