Elijah opened his mouth to reply, but realized he had no good reply. Instead he picked up the printed-out budget spreadsheet on his desk. “I’m good.”
Adam nodded slowly. “Alright, I’m done.” That was the good thing about Adam, he also realized when to remain silent after making a point instead of doubling down. “If you’re going to stay and work on that then I’m going to head home. Have a good night, Elijah.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Adam hesitated a second before standing and leaving Elijah’s office. As soon as the door closed behind him Elijah sighed and fell back in his chair. After two years in the role of finance director, Elijah still didn’t know of the best way to interact with his team. They worked hard, and responded to his rules about how he liked the office run, but they were also the embodiment of “we’re like a family.” Celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and having endless office potlucks. Adam said it was because they spent so much time together that they might as well make work enjoyable. Something Elijah hadn’t experienced at his job in corporate finance before. Adam was just trying to be helpful, but Elijah didn’t need the reminder that he didn’t have much of a social life. Not when he was trying hard to ignore the fact that he was starting to realize he was beginning to feel stagnant. He couldn’t think of that because those thoughts made him feel guilty for feeling that way. What did it look likefor him to go out and have a good time and leave Sabrina behind? He couldn’t do that after his ex-wife had left them so abruptly. If having no social life made Sabrina feel secure, then his loneliness was worth it.
His cell phone rang. He picked it up from his desk and smiled at Layla Townsend’s face showing on his screen. She’d updated her profile on her end with a picture she’d taken at a friend’s wedding. Her cinnamon brown skin looked radiant in the russet-colored dress she wore that clung to her curves. Her big welcoming smile spread full lips he’d had inappropriate thoughts about more than once, and her eyes, the color of new pennies, sparkled with joy. He could update her contact on his end to get rid of her new profile picture, but he wouldn’t. He liked seeing her smiling face when she called. If he were being honest, he liked her. But they were friends, and he had a rule about never crossing the line with a friend.
He cleared his throat and sat up straight before answering the phone. “Hey, Layla, what’s up?”
“Hey, Elijah, I was checking to see if things were okay? The afterschool program called and said no one picked up the girls.”
Elijah’s stomach dropped. He had a momentary flashback to six years ago when his life changed forever. “Weren’t you getting them?”
“No, tonight is your night, remember?”
He drew a blank, then cursed. Shit, it was Thursday. He picked up the girls, his daughter and her best friend, Jasmine, on Thursdays. When Layla and Jasmine moved in next door, Sabrina and Jasmine had immediately become friends. Their friendship had grown even more when the two were both in the same second grade class. The girls’ friendship had thrown Elijahand Layla together. He and Layla were both single parents, and the friendship of their daughters had evolved from the occasional sleep over and play dates to him and Layla helping each other out by alternating the days they dropped the girls off at school and picked them up afterwards.
“Damn, my bad Layla,” Elijah said taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I got caught up at work today and I’m supposed to go to a meet up for my fraternity tonight. I didn’t say anything about that?”
“No you didn’t,” she said lightly. She didn’t sound annoyed, but Elijah felt like he was being judged all the same.
“It’s my bad, truly. It’s been a crazy week. I can leave now and get them.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can get the girls tonight. You go on to your meet up.”
“I don’t have to go. I’m already going to be late if I leave now. I messed up and didn’t check with you, so I should get the girls.”
“Yeah, you forgot to keep me in the loop, but it’s not that big of a deal today. It’ll give me a chance to help the girls with their costumes for the pageant.”
“You don’t have to do that. I told Sabrina that I’d take her shopping this weekend.”
The girls’ elementary school was holding a pageant in two months and both had signed up. Sabrina had nearly burst with excitement telling him about the duet she planned to sing with Jasmine. It was a song by a new pop group whose latest single they listened to non-stop.
“Well, this morning Jasmine told me that she and Sabrina were going to wear matching costumes and they wanted me toadd sparkles to them. If you’re going to the meet up, I can take them to the dress shop.”
“That’s asking you to do too much, Layla.”
Layla’s easy laughter caused a weird feeling in Elijah’s chest. Not the first time. He liked her laugh and being the person who made her laugh. “Elijah, you know I love bedazzling anything I can get my hands on. Plus, it’s for the girls. And, you haven’t been out in a long time. In fact, have you ever been out since I’ve known you? I didn’t realize you were in a fraternity?” Her voice rose on the last sentence making it a question. As if she couldn’t imagine him in a fraternity.
“I’m sure I said something before.”
“No, you didn’t. I would have remembered that. It’s a surprise.”
“Why?”
“Mmmm, I don’t know. You seem like such a lone wolf. I wouldn’t have imagined you joining anything. I’m not in a sorority, but I loved going to the parties the frats would throw on campus when I was in college.” She sighed and he could imagine a nostalgic smile on her pretty face. “Those were some good times. I used to go crazy for a guy stepping with his line brothers.”
“Really?” He winced at the eagerness in his voice. So what if she used to love that? It wasn’t like he was about to step for her.
“Really,” she sighed again. “The stories I could tell. But anyway, go on and enjoy the meet up. I had a meet up with some of my college girlfriends the other weekend and it was so much fun. Go out and have fun with your friends.”
Elijah immediately wanted to know the stories she could tell before his imagination ran wild picturing her hips shaking as she danced at a fraternity party. He also didn’t like that Layla was the second person in less than fifteen minutes to say he needed to go out and have fun. Was it that obvious that he had no social life?
“If you’re sure—”
“I’m positive. The girls will have fun, and you’ll get a chance to relax.
