I was relying on the fact that my mouth was as dry as the Sahara, my tongue was still strangely numb, and the men in overalls in my frontal cortex weren’t helping. Most likely because they were doing cartwheels. There was no way I was going to agree to this.
Come on, brain. Put a stop to this now, I beg you.
And yet, the next words that fell out of my mouth were a whispered, “Sure, I’d like that.”
Never have I ever wanted to slap my hand over my mouth more.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Leyla
It was Saturday evening,and I was enjoying the setting sun in Vicky and Miles’ backyard. Their house was like a fairy-tale cottage nestled in a quiet Coronado neighborhood.
Having my two friends married to brothers was so much fun. I loved our group fiercely and how close we all were. I reminded Luke and Miles every chance I got how lucky they were with Sofia and Vicky. Nights like this reminded me of how lucky I was, too, to have them all in my life.
After a fun game of Dance Off with their daughter MJ, I brought my kombucha out here to wait for the rest of my friends to arrive, at my hosts’ insistence. When I tried to help in the kitchen, they shooed me out.
Alone outside, my thoughts were still raging war inside me. I wasn’t ready yet to delve into the part of the conversation with Niko about God, but it had stirred my heart. I knew I’d have to address these feelings, but there were other things plaguing my mind.
Reeling from my lunch with Niko, I was trying to figure out how to get out of the mess I’d gotten myself into.
Offering to help him improve his dating game was the dumbest idea I’d ever had. My emotions had been all over the place after my lunch confession. That was the only logical reason I could see for doing the unthinkable.
Understanding that he was neurodivergent took the sting out of what I thought he did back in college. While I didn’t know everything that meant, I felt like I understood him at least a little better than before.
Niko wasn’t rude, as I’d thought. He was disciplined. He wasn’t arrogant. He was guarded. All of this had been swirling in my head for days, keeping me up at night. I was trying to reconcile the man I thought he was for all these years with the man I now knew. It was eye-opening to find that some of his prickly behavior had been a cover-up for things he was vulnerable about. Once that layer of anger was lifted, I discovered that the attraction from before all of that resurfaced.
When he said he was awkward around women, I offered myself as tribute. It was still unclear whether my motive was truly to help a friend or to use it as an excuse to spend more time with him. Probably both.
“Thanks for coming a little early,” Vicky said, startling me from my thoughts. Her warm smile reminded me how much I missed her and how much I regretted not making time for her.
“Anytime,” I said, giving her a side hug. “It was an excuse to spend time with your sweet girl.”
Her wide smile grew impossibly bigger. She had married Luke’s older brother, Miles, a few months earlier. Even though MJ’s biological mother was Miles’ ex-wife Katy, Vicky was her mom, too, in every way.
“She’s in there now bargaining for a later bedtime.” We both chuckled. I had no doubt she’d have at least a small victory.
Looking around the yard, it was easy to see that it was well-loved. A firepit had logs stacked nearby, with chairs surrounding it. Strings of twinkle lights strung across the pergola were already glowing in the ebbing daylight. Flowering bushes and a small, raised garden boasted herbs and what looked like a few tomato plants.
“I love this house. This yard,” I said, looking fondly at my friend. She was several years younger than Miles, which had made their story challenging in some ways. But she was an old soul, wise in so many ways, and she loved Miles fiercely. As an interior designer, she came to help with his house and ended up falling in love, then was separated for two years. I teared up every time I thought about their beautiful story.
“Me, too. It’s my favorite place in the whole house,” she said, pulling me down to one of the cushioned seats.
“How are things at work?” Vicky had a special talent as an interior designer, seeing into the hearts of everyone she worked with and creating beautifully unique spaces. Her touches were everywhere in the backyard, from the furniture arrangement that invited conversation to the hurricane lanterns placed throughout, giving the space a fairy-tale look. Which made sense because Miles’ nickname for her was ‘Little Fairy’.
“It’s going great. We’re busier than ever, but I’m trying to balance it all with family time,” she said, straightening a stack of books on a nearby table. “How about you? Miles mentioned a new R&D head.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out dramatically, making her smirk.
“Don’t be coy, girl. You knowexactlywho Luke hired.”
She laughed loudly, making me smile. When she first came to California from Rome, she was shy. Miles was the first to recognize that it was more like a quiet strength. As she and I got to know one another better, I saw a kindred spirit in her.Although I tried to suppress that freer side of me, around her, it came out naturally.
“So tell me about the handsome Turk,” she teased. “Miles filled in some of the backstory from what Luke told him. Can’t imagine how awkward that has been. Sounds, though, that you’re getting along better recently.”
“Wow, sounds like all Luke and Sofia talk about is me and my soap opera at work,” I scoffed, taking a sip of my drink.
Waving her hand, she said, “Forget about that. I want to hear how it’s going from you.”
