“Keep my number.”
“Why?”
“In case you ever need me. Maybe I can I take you out for a coffee sometime—just to talk.”
“I’ll think about it. Bye, Killian.”
“Don’t say bye. That’s too final. I’ll see you later.”
“See you later.”
He gave me that million-dollar smile of his as he backed out the door. I watched as he climbed into the car with his father until well after he was gone. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to rekindle my friendship with him. Building a bond with Londyn was enough already. Did I really want to reconnect with someone who knew my dirty secret?
“Did you bring lunch today?” Londyn asked me, popping her head into my office.
True to her word, we’d been eating lunch together every day this week. I had to admit, I liked her a little more every day. I was still getting used to her talking so much, but she was cool people.
“I was just gonna grab some chips or something from the vending machine.”
“No, ma’am. You can come with me to get something. I’m just going to grab my purse. Meet me out front.”
She closed the door, not giving me a chance to protest. Beside me, Charlene giggled.
“Go ahead, girl. Londyn doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ve grown to understand that,” I said, standing. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Take your time. We’ll be here,” she added, rubbing her belly.
I grabbed my crossbody and headed out of the office. As I rounded the corner, I bumped into my uncle.
“You headed to lunch?” he asked.
“Yes. Londyn invited me to go with her.”
He chuckled. “I told you she was going to make you her best friend. Enjoy yourself, baby.”
He kissed my temple, then walked past me. I continued out front. Londyn came prancing out the side door, waving for me to follow her. She headed for this beautiful black-on-black pickup truck with pink accents. Once she unlocked the door, I climbed inside. The inside was decked out in pink as well.
“This is nice,” I complimented. “I didn’t take you for a pick-up truck kind of girl.”
She giggled. “It belonged to my dad. After he passed away, I restored it and made it my own.” She cranked up and pulled out of the parking lot. “I always see you ride with Mr. Clive. You don’t drive?”
“I,uh…I never learned.”
“What? Girl, where the hell have you been? We’re gonna fix that. I wouldn’t be your bestie if I didn’t teach you how to drive.”
“You don’t have to do that—”
“Alayah, please don’t piss me off. Friends help friends. Give me a couple months. You’ll be driving like a pro. I’ll even take you to take the test, and when you pass, we’re going to celebrate.”
I had to admit, her gesture made me smile. I hadn’t had a real friend on the outside since…well, since Killian. I thought back to his visit earlier. He was still the nice boy he was in high school, except now he was a nice man. A nice, handsome, grown-ass man.
I shook that thought from my head because where did it even come from? I refocused my attention back on the road. Londyn turned into this burger spot and parked her truck. We hopped out, and I threw my shades on before we walked inside. I’d been having home-cooked meals since I’d come home, so this was going to be interesting.
I settled on a double cheeseburger basket with fries and a vanilla milkshake. Londyn ended up getting the same, and we grabbed a table while we waited for our order to come out.
“So,” she said with a smile, “that guy from earlier. He was cute, right? He seemed to be into you.”
