I stopped as my gaze met Killian’s. He offered me a warm smile.
“Alayah.”
“What are you doing here?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I come in peace. I just need a tune-up. My usual mechanic is swamped, and he referred me here.”
I sighed as I grabbed a work order form and began filling it out. He watched me intently, but remained quiet, only answering the basic questions until I reached for his keys.
“Can we talk?”
“About?”
“You. I just want to know how you’re doing, Layah.”
Him calling me that softened my heart a little. It reminded me of the friendship we’d shared once upon a time.
“I’m fine, Killian. My uncle got me this job. I’m keeping out of trouble—just going through this transition with my head down.”
“I’ll ask again: Do you need anything?”
“No. I have everything I need right now.”
“What about a friend? You could always use one of those, right?”
“I’m sure being friends with me would do more damage than good. You have a reputation now, don’t you? Big-time lawyer. I’m sure you shouldn’t be seen with the likes of me.”
“What do you mean the likes of you?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Killian. You shouldn’t be seen canoodling with a criminal, especially a known murderer.”
He shook his head. “Is that all you see yourself as—a criminal? A murderer? That’s not how I see you at all. You survived something some people wouldn’t have. You protected your sisters from a monster and sacrificed yourself to do so. How many people do you know would have been able to carry a fraction of what you’ve carried for so long? You are strong, resilient, and deserving of a second chance because the first one was taken from you. Maybe I don’t know this version of you, but I see you, Layah.”
I struggled to fight back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. He stepped close to the counter and gently reached for my hand. I jerked back slightly, but he still held his hand out to me. With trembling fingers, I slowly placed my hand in his palm, watching his fingers close around it. He cupped my chin, then slowly lifted my head so my gaze would meet his. We stared at each other for a moment, until the sound of the back door opening broke our trancelike state.
I looked back to see Londyn standing there with a wide-eyed expression. Slowly, I pulled away from him and grabbed his keys.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked “I can come back—”
“You’re fine, Londyn. Did you need something?”
“Yeah. Can you call Mr. Kelton and let him know his car is ready?” She handed over the work order and his keys.
“Sure thing.Um,Mr. Lake is getting a tune-up. Can you take care of that?”
“Yep.”
I slipped the work order and his keys into a plastic cover and handed it to her. Her pretty brown eyes bounced between us before she slipped back out the door she’d come in. I took a step back from the counter.
“You can wait here, or I can call you when it’s done.”
“I have a few errands to run with my Pops, so just call me.”
“Will do.”
“Layah?”
I sighed heavily. “What?”
