I blushed at the insinuation. “Oh, I wasn’t…. I mean, I didn’t….”
She smiled knowingly. “I don’t blame you, he’s gorgeous. Knows it too, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, my gaze on Riley. She was my priority; it wasn’t like I had the time for men anyway. But I had to admit, Cash Walker could take up a fantasy or twenty. No harm in that.
“Are we doing dinner soon?” Emmie wanted to know.
The friends of Emmie’s I’d met so far had been friendly and kind to Riley. Truth be told, I was a bit intimidated. They were obviously a tight bunch, and I didn’t exactly have a roaring social life, being a single mom.
“If you want,” I agreed. “We’re just still settling in a bit.”
She nodded. “We’ll come over when you’re ready, just name the date.”
I nodded.
“It’ll be fun, promise.”
“Fun. I think I know how to do that,” I mused dryly.
She laughed before turning eyes to Riley, who was clearly growing restless after finishing her breakfast. “RiRi, are we doing manicures soon?”
“Yay!” she replied exuberantly.
I laughed. “I think that’s a yes.”
She stood, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing gently. “I’ll text you.”
I nodded, beyond grateful for this woman who’d decided to take me and my girl under her wing.
I’d always been fiercely independent, but now? I’d take all the help I could get.
Chapter 3
LAYLA
“Do you want chocolate with vanilla frosting or vanilla with chocolate frosting?” I asked Riley as she stared at me expectantly from the shopping cart. I could still get her to sit in one on occasion.
After needing to pick her up late from aftercare on only her third day of school, I was having a serious case of mom guilt, and Riley was cashing in. Hence our visit to the grocery store so close to bedtime.
I’d been working under a deadline for the past week and was beyond ready to wrap up my latest project.
She deliberated for a moment. “Chocolate with banilla.”
“Good choice.” I nodded, throwing the ingredients we needed into the cart.
It was only in the checkout lane that I realized how deserted the store and parking lot were. After years living in San Francisco, with its bustling streets and shops, the quiet of Hawthorne was still an adjustment. For some inexplicable reason, my heartbeat thumped double time at the idea of walking with Riley to our car by ourselves.
“Quiet night, huh?” I commented to the young woman ringing up my groceries.
The woman shrugged, a bored expression on her face. “It’s a small town.”
My reply caught in my throat as the Viking, or Cash Walker as most people referred to him, strode lithely through the door. It was really the only way to describe how he moved, with a masculine grace—a sense of ownership underneath each boot as he strode through the store.
He was dressed in blue jeans and a black tee that molded to his chiseled frame, his blond hair down tonight, falling in messy disarray close to his shoulders. If it was possible, he was more handsome than the first time I’d seen him.
“Damn,” the cashier breathed in appreciation, her gaze tracking him with a hunger I could relate to but hoped I didn’t display so blatantly.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, my mind had moved to other things. Mainly, the dark parking lot I had to get across.
“Is there someone who could help us out with our groceries?” I asked as her eyes remained trained on the aisle the Viking had disappeared down. “Excuse me?” I pressed. If there was one thing I’d learned, it was never to deny my instincts. No matter how ridiculous they may seem.
Her gaze snapped to mine. “What?” she asked in confusion, eyeing my single bag of groceries in confusion.
Riley squirmed in the cart, obviously ready to wrap up our grocery store adventure.
“Is there someone who could walk me to my car?” I asked more directly, knowing I needed to get to the point and get my daughter home.
“Oh, um, I can page the manager,” she replied as though I was crazy.
And hell, asking for an escort in a town like Hawthorne, I probably was.
Her eyes moved once again to Cash, who had emerged from the liquor aisle, placing a six-pack on the belt. I wondered if the poor girl would be able to remain standing long enough to check him out.
I thought of how Emmie had talked about the club, how they were like a family. How they looked out for each other. Cash was part of that.
“Thanks.” I moved toward the door, pulled Riley from the cart, and held her hand in mine.
“What’re we waiting for, Mama?” she asked impatiently.
“Just a second, baby,” I told her gently, watching as Cash nodded in parting to the blushing cashier and strode toward the door—where we were standing.
“Um, hi.” I intercepted him feeling awkward and yet resolved in what I needed. If Emmie trusted him, I knew I could too.
He looked at Riley and then up at me with a smirk. “No thanks, darlin’.”
I blinked once. “Um, what?”
“Not interested.” His smirk had turned to a sneer.
I felt as though he’d slapped me across the face as I stared at him, baffled. “Why do I always confuse assholes for gentlemen?” I muttered to myself, not even caring I’d cursed in front of Riley, such was my state.
“Miss, did you still need an escort to your car?” a man I assumed was the store manager asked, interrupting one of the most maddening and embarrassing encounters of my life. “I’m sorry, I was in back checking inventory.”
Cash’s brow furrowed in confusion as I turned my attention toward the only gentleman in the vicinity. “Yes, thank you,” I murmured, my cheeks flaming with anger and embarrassment. “Let’s go, baby,” I coaxed Riley, gripping her hand in one hand and the grocery bag in the other.
I didn’t spare a glance toward Cash as I shot a stiff smile toward the manager, following him out to the parking lot.
Emmie had alluded to him being full of himself; she’d skipped the part about him being a total asshole.
“Are we still making cupcakes?” Riley wanted to know as I strapped her into her booster.
“Of course,” I assured her, determined to focus on what really mattered—what had always mattered. Riley.
****
I pulled into the parking lot of the local gym the next day, eyeing the building with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
After another sleepless night and the humiliating encounter with Cash, I was ready to work out some of my tension despite my exhaustion. I’d dropped Riley off at school and headed here, to a gym Emmie had recommended.
At first glance, the gym itself was nothing fancy, a large open-concept space made up mostly of weight training equipment with cardio machines lining the walls. A quick look online had made it clear that it didn’t have any of the on-trend studio workouts that lined every block in San Francisco. But it was clean and close to the house.
I’d been in excellent shape once upon a time, following professional athletes around the world as an outdoor photographer. But after everything happened with my brother and adopting Riley, prioritizing myself had fallen to the wayside. With this fresh start in Hawthorne, I planned to change that.