Page 8 of Love, Lies and Mistletoe
Throughout the meal, he couldn’t help but sneak looks at Layla. She, in turn, did a fairly convincing job of ignoring him but was always a second too slow in looking away each time his gaze fell on her. At one point, Darcy asked about the most challenging job he’d taken on in his career, and that started a half-hour Q-and-A session that had everyone laughing. When he mentioned his next job would take him to the top of the Trident Group building to install a twenty-foot stainless steel Christmas tree, Layla frowned.
“Not a fan of heights I take it?” he asked. When everyone turned their attention to her, Layla visibly shrank. She didn’t like attention either apparently. He shouldn’t have called her out.
“I have enough trouble on ladders.” Some unspoken communication passed between her and Darcy until Layla’s gaze dropped to her lap.
Sean brought out a ukulele and played for them. Layla’s eyes were burning embers as she stared at him across the fire circle. The combo effect of her golden features and dark hair spreading in unkempt waves over her quilted vest and the warm, mellow strains of Sean’s instrument was bewitching.
The breeze kicked up. Blankets and the dwindling fire could no longer ward off the cold. The nine of them reconvened inside, scattering around the candlelit living room. Darcy and Sean talked with two guests near the fireplace. Another couple played cards at the small table in front of a wall of bookshelves. He and Jeff made a game plan for when the power came back. Behind them in the corner, Layla curled up in an armchair with a throw around her shoulders and a book in her lap.
Jeff sat up and stretched. He adjusted the headlamp on his forehead. “I’m heading upstairs. ‘Early to bed and early to rise—’”
“—make men healthy, wealthy, and wise,” Brant finished for him. “Ben Franklin, right?”
There was a derisive snort from the armchair. They turned to look at Layla.
“Ben totally stole that from Aristotle. And it’s a little sexist,” Layla said, still focused on her book.
“I had no idea,” Jeff finally said after mumbling a few nonsensical noises.
She propped her book over her knees and looked at them.
Jeff frowned. He silently appealed to Brant for help. Brant knew the look. Jeff turned into potter’s clay when a beautiful woman with a sharp wit confronted him.
“Didn’t mean to offend.” Jeff put his hands up to surrender. “My gramps used to say it. Old habit.” He got up to leave.
“Not offended at all. Just pointing out a fact.” Her focus rested solely on Brant as if she expected him to weigh in. He wasn’t about to touch it. The tilt of her chin signaled a challenge.
“I’m heading upstairs. Good night.” Jeff widened his eyes as he passed Brant. “It was nice knowing you,” he mumbled under his breath, and Brant almost snickered but thought better of it. Layla might take that the wrong way.
“Your friend is a little sensitive, isn’t he?” she asked.
This time he couldn’t help but laugh. Jeff sensitive? That was putting it mildly.
“I’m sorry. I just had that same thought.” He settled back into the chair.
“So I read him right?” She placed the book on the side table and pulled the throw tighter around her shoulders.
“I was talking about you.”
“I’msensitive?” The lighthearted tone was still there, but it had an edge now.
Sometimes he didn’t think before words came out of his mouth. He wasn’t very good at empathizing; it had been pointed out to him by a few people over the years. This was one of those times when he should have paused, counted to ten, whatever. He was so intent on meeting a perceived challenge that his mouth was three steps ahead of his brain sometimes. A few fights in his younger days were testaments to that. Luckily, he’d learned to talk himself out of tense situations. Well, most situations.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” He grinned.
She cocked her head and remained straight-faced. “What did you mean then?”
Layla sat on the edge of the chair. She’d let the throw slip from her shoulders. It was now pooled in a heap behind her. Brant glanced around the room to make sure they weren’t the center of attention. Thankfully everyone else was engrossed in their own worlds.
He cleared his throat and laced his fingers together in front of his stomach. “It seems that you,ah, jump to conclusions. Before you have the whole story.”
“Really.” It wasn’t a question. “It’s amazing you would say that, because there was a scenario a while back which was pretty black and white.”
“You’re talking about—”
“Exactly,” she finished. Her eyes widened, waiting.
“You caught me by surprise.”
