CHAPTER 4
Daniel
Even in her work clothes, I still couldn’t keep my gaze off Layla. Her long legs strode toward me with a cup of coffee in hand, and I thought about what they would feel like wrapped around my waist. I offered her my arm and she took it, her body heat reaching out for me like tentacles off an octopus. Her gravitational pull was strong, and I found myself circling closer and closer toward the center of her.
We got into my car and she directed me to the place. I parked us on the side of the road, and I helped her out of her car, the cup of coffee she’d made me fading into the background. She smelled like freshly ground coffee beans and whipped cream, and I started wondering what it would be like to lick the creamy substance off her stomach.
Would she jump for me? Maybe giggle? Would she let me fill her pussy with it so I could eat it out of her?
My body shivered at the thought as she led the way into the sandwich shop.
“See? Told you it can’t be found,” she said.
“Yet it’s packed. Must be a hell of a sandwich shop,” I said.
“Oh, you have no idea. Come on. Let’s go get a seat.”
We sat ourselves down, and a woman was promptly at our side. We gave her our drink orders before Layla tossed me a menu, and the sheer quantity of sandwich combinations was astounding. They had their specialty sandwiches and lunch special sandwiches; then they had a menu where anyone could create their own sandwich and pick out their own side dish.
“What do you recommend?” I asked.
“Anything that comes on their asiago bread. They make all their breads in-house, but that one is the best. I usually put grilled chicken, lettuce, pickles, and their sun-dried tomato aioli on it. And fries because you can get them double-fried, so they’re extra crispy.”
“That sounds phenomenal. I’ll have what you’re having,” I said.
“Copycat,” she said, grinning.
And boy, did I enjoy it when she flashed that smile.
We ordered our food and settled into a conversation that seemed easy. She told me a little bit about what it was like growing up in the area, and I told her a little bit about how I got started in my business. But things eventually took a turn, and I found that I could talk with her easily about things I didn’t normally bring up.
“When did you move out to Seattle?” she asked.
“For college. I graduated and stuck around, really. I started my publishing company while I was still in school, then I dedicated myself to it full-time once I graduated.”
“Did you always know you wanted to own your own company?” she asked.
I nodded. “I did. I was never very good at taking orders from other people, so it only made sense I’d be my own boss.”
She nodded her understanding.
“How long are you in town for?” she asked.
“Just for the winter. My mom asked me to come stay and look after my grandmother through the winter months. To see if we can get her doing better.”
“So Gerdie isn’t doing well?” she said.
“It’s well, getting worse, yes. She has Alzheimer’s, which makes it hard for her to remember her medication, and every time she forgets it, she gets a little worse. She’s had a cough now for four months, and her congestive heart failure is worsening. My mom doesn’t want to think about it, but it’s only a matter of time,” I said.
“Daniel, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“No, nothing you haven’t already done, which is make her happy and comfortable. She loves Bozeman, and I visited her often while I was off at school. Mom drops in whenever she can, but I have the greater ability to travel with the type of work I do.”
“What about your father? Does he get in to see her much?” I asked.
“He actually passed away ten years ago. Multiple sclerosis.”
I watched her reach out her hand for mine and I took it willingly. Her skin was soft and her touch was warm. I closed my eyes and let myself drink it in for just a moment. Our food was growing cold, but it was one of those moments where I didn’t care. I was in the presence of a rare woman, and I wasn’t going to let something like my empty stomach spoil it.
When our hands finally disconnected, we got busy eating our food. I couldn’t believe how wonderful the sandwiches were, and I made a mental note to bring my grandma here on one of her good days. She would love a place like this, especially with them having Reuben sandwiches. We ate our food in relative silence, just enjoying each other’s presence as we took in the good food we’d ordered. But when it came time to pay, she did something I’d never experienced.
She tried to pick up the tab.
“You got it last time, I’ll get it this time,” she said.
“No, no, no. I appreciate it. Really. But that’s not how it works with me.”
“I can pick it up. I promise,” she said.
“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m just saying you won’t.”
I held the check at one end as her eyes connected with mine. Then finally, after a few moments of staring into those aquamarine eyes, she relented. I took the check up to the register and paid while she finished up the last of her food, then I went back and helped her from her seat.
“So. Do you need to get back to work?” I asked.
“Nope. Done for the day,” she said.
“Care for some company a little longer?”
“I’d love that,” she said, smiling.
“What would you like to do?”
“Oh, no. You’re the guest in our town. What do you want to see?” she asked.
“Honestly? The park I played at when I was a kid. I loved that place.”
“Where did you go?” she asked.
“Bogert Park,” I said. “Ever heard of it?”
“Heard of it? I spent most of my childhood there. I’m surprised we never ran into each other. It’s only a few miles away from here.”
“I might not know this sandwich shop, but I’ll always know where that park is. Come on. I’ll drive.”
We got back into my car and I drove us straight to the park. The ride was nostalgic, and it brought up memories of my father.
“My father used to drive this exact path to get to the park. There was always an easier or faster way, but he was a man of routine,” I said.
“Nope, not me. I like spontaneity and surprises,” Layla said.
“Doesn’t surprise me a bit,” I said, grinning.
“Did you ever ice skate here in the winter?” she asked.
“Every Friday night. It was our family thing. We’d come and skate, then we’d get hot chocolate at the vendor that always set up outside of the rink, then we’d go home and warm up by the fire.”
“I love family memories like that,” she said. “There aren’t too many of them because both of my parents are very quiet people, but we have a few of them.”
“Your parents are quiet?” I asked.
“I know. Surprising, right? I got my gift of gab from my grandmother. You should ask Gerdie,” she said.
I smiled and took her hand.
“Did you do a lot of this in college?” I asked.
“A lot of what?”
“Dating. Walking in the woods with strange men you don’t know.”
“Not as much as people think,” she said, giggling.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, I’m known as loud. Boisterous. Very friendly with everyone. Men, included. And that friendliness in towns like this sometimes strikes up conversations about reputations and stuff like that. I dated a lot in college, but most never made it past the first date. I wasn’t a woman who would entertain a guy simply because he was there.”
“You weren’t looking for the attention, but going on so many of them, it made people think that,” I said.
“Yep. So I’m known as a serial dater, yes. But it’s simply because I’m looking for something specific and I’m not willing to settle. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, there’s not,” I said. “In fact, it shows a strength within you that not many women have. At least not the women I’ve dated.”
“What kinds of women do you usually date?” she asked.
“Skinny airheads who giggle at all my jokes.”
“And sleep with you after the first date?” she asked.
“I never said I was perfect.”
“It’s refreshing to hear a man be honest about that part of his life. Most players try to just shrug something like that off.”
“You think I’m a player?” I asked.
“If you serially date women then cast them aside after you sleep with them, then yes,” she said.
“Well, it’s hard after having your heart broken to keep investing yourself like that.”
“What happened?” she asked. “Whose ass am I kicking?”
“No one’s,” I said, chuckling. “Having the money I do comes with certain perks, but also many downfalls. I’ve fallen in love with women who only wanted my money, and I’ve fallen in love with women who thought they could keep me on their string while dangling their hooks into other streams, if you catch my drift.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s such bullshit. I don’t know why women do that to all the nice guys.”
“You think I’m a nice guy?” I asked.
“You’re on a second date. You’ve officially gotten further than eighty percent of the men I’ve ever dated,” she said.
“I’ll consider myself lucky, then. So what about you? Any terrible heartaches for you?”
“Not really, fortunately. I mean, I dated a guy through high school and we broke up once we went to college, but it wasn’t a big thing. I was here in Montana, and he was at NYU. That’s some serious long distance, so the decision was logical.”
“It makes sense for sure.”
“My parents do bug me about it, though. They were horrified when I told them I wanted to go to college.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Well, I’m the youngest of four girls, and my three older sisters were all married before they were twenty-one, and all mothers before they were twenty-three. That was just their legacy as daughters in my family.”
“Wow. That’s pretty old fashioned,” I said.
“My family’s been in Bozeman for five generations. We’re steeped in old fashioned. When I was younger, I wanted to move to LA and become an actress, but that was practically forbidden. I did theater in high school and participated in community performances as often as I could, but they wouldn’t relent. So I kicked that dream and decided to go to college. I wanted the option to be able to support myself and not have to rely on anyone else to do it for me.”
“Well, for the little it’s worth, I think you’re an amazing woman who has an amazing life ahead of her with all you’ve accomplished and seen,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling. “That actually means a lot.”
It was getting a bit cold and Layla was starting to shiver. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into me, feeling her thread her arms around me. But even though the sun was just beginning to dip down beyond the trees, the air was growing frigid in a hurry.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m freezing, but I’ve really enjoyed my time with you.”
“Oh, I’m not giving you up just yet. I was going to see if I could interest you in a movie,” I said.
“Then yes, I’m definitely done with the park,” she said breathlessly. “If you don’t want to sit in a movie theater, we can watch a movie at my place. And I have a fireplace, so we can get warm by the fire.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said. “Lead the way, beautiful.”