“Daddy, can Jasmine come up so we can practice our dance routine for a little bit?” Sabrina hurried through the door and tugged on his hand. “I know it’s against the rules to have visitors on a weeknight but—”
“Sure, Beenie,” he said looking back at Layla. “As long as her mom doesn’t have a problem with it.”
Layla shook her head. “No, I don’t have a problem with that. The girls both let me know they got their homework done before pageant practice.”
“We sure did,” Jasmine chimed in.
“Even better,” Elijah said. “I’ve got dinner started. You two can practice your song until I finish.”
“Yay!” Sabrina called. She took Jasmine’s hand and they both took off toward the back of the house.
Layla and Elijah stood in the door staring at each other. All her I’ve got nothing to prove to Elijah bravado from earlier evaporating in the light of his gaze.
She took a step backward. “You can call me when Jasmine is ready to come home.”
He stepped forward and reached out as if to take her hand, but stopped before touching her. “Hold up. Do you have a minute?”
“What’s up?”
“I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t think much of him wanting to talk. They often updated the other on what was happening at work or if they needed to do something related to the girls. With Sabrina mentioning he had budget preparations happening at work it probably meant he would need her to handle pick up and pageant prep more. She also had a few upcoming late nights at work, and they needed to get their schedules straight.
“Come on inside.” He stepped back to let her in.
Elijah smiled and she swore her ovaries damn near melted. She straightened her shoulders and pushed away the sexual attraction. Sure, the man was fine. As meticulous as he was about his life and schedule she’d often wondered if he would be just as meticulous in the bedroom. She bet he’d pay close attention to her reactions and ensure her pleasure. She pushed that thought aside. Today was not a day to focus on that.
She followed Elijah into his kitchen. The smell of food immediately made her mouth water. “What are you making?”
“Enchiladas.”
She raised a brow. “I didn’t know you knew how to make those?”
He chuckled, and the low deep rumbling in his chest made her nipples hard. “Don’t sound too impressed. I know processed food is bad, but the pre-packaged kits make weeknight dinners so much easier.”
“Whatever it takes to get food on the table is what matters. Everyone doesn’t have the liberty to say they’ll refuse to eat pre-packaged options.”
“True, but it’s a criticism that stays in the back of my mind. Sabrina’s mom was big on making everything from scratch with natural ingredients. She always made sure the food on the table was fresh and healthy. It is one thing I miss.”
Elijah rarely talked about his ex. Over the years Layla had picked up that she’d left him with Sabrina, but she’d never gotten the reason why. She wanted to know why? What would make a person walk away from their child. She understood leaving a relationship. No one should stay if the relationship wasn’t serving them, but to walk away from the child? Layla’s ex-husband had been a terrible spouse, but even though he’d gone on and adopted a new family he didn’t completely ignore Jasmine. He still called her on birthdays and holidays, even if he didn’t spend as much time with her. Layla had never seen Sabrina’s mother or heard Sabrina talk about speaking to her mom.
“When was the last time you two talked?”
“Last Christmas. She was moving to the west coast and wanted to let me know.”
She was again surprised he’d answered. She wanted to ask more, so she did. “You don’t talk about her much.”
He shrugged as he used a can opener to take the lid off the can of enchilada sauce. “There isn’t much to talk about.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened? You can tell me to mind my business. I’d understand.”
He was quiet as he poured the sauce over the tortillas that looked as if he’d stuffed with seasoned chicken. When he put the can down, he answered. “She just left. One day I got a call that she hadn’t picked up Sabrina from daycare. She’d left a note saying she couldn’t do it anymore. I got divorce papers in the mail a week later.”
Layla sucked in a breath. “Damn.”
He chuckled and tossed the can in the trash. “Damn is right.” He grabbed a bag of cheese from the counter and sprinkled it on the sauce covered tortillas. “But, I also accept maybe I could have done things differently. Not that I forgive her for the way she left, but later, when we finally talked, I understood that we wouldn’t have made it.”
