AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shrugged. “I can’t imagine anyone thinking it’s a bad idea.”
“Me either, but you never know. Someone might have a different perspective.” Cody polished off the other half of his burger. “I’m glad you decided to eat out tonight.”
“So am I.” I grinned. If nothing else, it was much more productive to think about Cody and Noah getting places of their own than whatever was up with Megan. Or the fact that Kayla was going to date the youth pastor. I frowned.
“Luke, huh.” Cody’s eyes glinted with humor. “You want me to help you beat him up?”
“Kayla can date who she wants. She’s a big girl.” I stabbed a fry into the mayo then looked up and met Cody’s gaze. “But yeah, if he hurts her? I might take you up on that.”
4
KAYLA
Ipulled open the door to Megan’s bookstore, smiling as the bells jingled cheerily overhead.
“Be right with you.” Megan’s voice called from somewhere amongst the bookshelves.
“It’s just me.” I shrugged out of my coat and wandered toward the cozy seating area. The store was desolate. That was how it was most Fridays. They’d get some walk-in traffic after the dinner hour when people on dates went for a stroll along King Street. Except that it was edging toward freezing out there and the sky was clouded over. The weather people were arguing about whether or not we’d get snow out of those clouds in the early morning hours.
“Hi.” Megan, arms full of books, appeared from behind the row of shelves on the far side of the chairs. “Is it snowing yet?”
I laughed. “You know we won’t get any.”
“Hope springs.” She grinned. “Anyway, never say never. Sometimes we get hammered.”
She was right. Once every ten years or so we’d get “the storm of the century” and the whole metro area would shut down for a week. Or two.
“I’m not excited about them extending school into July, so let’s keep the number of snow days down to whatever they budgeted for in the schedule, all right? I really need summer vacation this year.”
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” Megan slid the stack of books she carried onto the top of a half-height bookshelf and pointed to the chairs. “Sit and spill.”
I sat. But I didn’t know how to spill. Or what. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Megan made a sympathetic noise. She started to speak when the bells jingled again.
I turned to look and couldn’t stop a smile when I spotted Whitney. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Is that good or bad?” Whitney took off her coat and crossed the store to join us. She flopped into a chair with a dramatic sigh. “Gosh, I love sitting down.”
I laughed. “Long day with Beckett?”
“Yeah. He was not having anything that was calm today. We walked. We ran. He rode his bike. We went to the park twice.” Whitney shook her head. “Now he’s Scott’s problem. I got kicked out of the house for poker night.”
“Austin mentioned that was on. You okay with it?” I studied Whitney. Marriage looked like it suited her to the ground.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” She waved a hand. “I’m just glad Beckett insisted on staying to play. Scott said he’d get him to bed on time.”
Megan scowled. “I think it’s dumb having guys’ night when someone’s married.”
Whitney arched a brow. “And girls’ night? Those are dumb, too?”
“Oh, fine. Be rational. You don’t live with a moron like I do.” Megan pointed at me. “Kayla here was about to spill what’s going on in her life.”
“Yeah?” Whitney shifted in her seat to look at me. “Let’s have it.”
I frowned at Megan. “Didn’t I just say I didn’t know what was wrong?”
“Trouble at school? We might get snow, then you’d get a few days off.” Whitney grinned. “That would be good, right?”
