Okay, I guess we’re doing this, then.
I grabbed my drink and followed her. “This is really beautiful,” I said, looking at the outdoor kitchen area with a pizza oven and a grill. The pergola overhead had Edison lights strung from end to end.
“Yeah, it is. It’s my favorite part of their house.” Her shoulders relaxed as her eyes roamed the darkening sky.
“Do you live nearby?” This was my attempt at small talk, even though my skin felt tight like my heart did at the moment.
“No, I live in a Craftsman bungalow in Banker’s Hill, about fifteen minutes from here,” she answered. “You?”
“Oh, um, Rancho Bernardo. I own a home there. It’s quiet, and I love the area’s Spanish influence.”
This was just painful. Next was probably a riveting conversation about the weather.
“I like that area, too. Almost bought a ranch-style home there but decided on a place close to Balboa Park.”
“It’s one of my favorite places in San Diego, too.” I was excited that we still seemed to have things in common. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I was finally easing into this unexpected conversation when I looked over and saw Sofia and Luke peering through the doors we’d walked through. My brows furrowed as I watched them, faces pressed to the glass, grinning. Disturbing to say the least.
Following my gaze, Leyla scoffed and shook her head. Luke mouthed what looked like ‘payback’ before giving her the thumbs-up and pulling Sofia with him back to the kitchen.
“Do I want to know what that’s about?” I asked.
With a heavy sigh, she answered, “Jaz and I did the same thing to them when Sofia first got here from Italy. They’d met the day before, and Luke pretended not to know her when she turned up at Earth Organix the next morning.” She chuckled as she continued. “Oh, was she livid. A real enemies-to-lovers story. Then it turned out they met as kids back in Italy. Crazy, long story.”
“So, you tricked them into having dinner together?” I asked, smiling.
“Yup. Worked too. Anyway, Jaz and I werewaysmoother than they are, the maniacs.”
“Enemies-to-lovers? That’s from romance novels, right? My sister Defne loves them.”
The air between us became tense again when we realized the topic had veered into dangerous territory. I rubbed the back of my neck, and Leyla coughed lightly into her hand, neither of us making eye contact.
“I’m no expert on these things, setup or not, but I would really like the chance to explain what happened. If you’re amenable to that,” I offered, grateful to change the subject.
She snorted. “Amenable? Wow, sometimes I forget we’re the same age, Lord Demir,” Leyla said with an exaggerated bow and a poorly executed British accent.
“I like big words, and I cannot lie. Science is not the only thing I excel at,” I answered, holding back my laughter. Mike had told me about the silly saying about big butts, something he found quite amusing. How I was able to pull that into this conversation was on the ongoing list of things Leyla brought out in me.
Maybe that should be on my coffee cup. The Leyla thing, not the butt thing.
Leyla choked and looked at me with wide eyes, her smile growing.
“Did, did you just make a joke aboutbutts?” she asked, her voice a few octaves higher.
My face went hot. “Mike is rubbing off on me.”
“I think I need to meet him again.”
Her smile and words settled in my brain. White-hot jealousy replaced the glowing embers of joy at seeing her happy. I was anxious to drive the conversation away from my charismatic, handsome friend. “Should we talk then?”
“That’s a subject I didn’t think I’d be discussing when I got here tonight.” She sat down on a cushioned chair that swallowed her small frame. I set my drink on a nearby table and sat across from her.
“Whatwereyou expecting?”
“A huge plate of pasta that I’d regret later and a couple episodes of a K-drama Sofia and I are obsessed with.”
“You know my family and I are from Turkey, so I’m pretty sure the dramas my mom watches are similar.”
