Second Chances: Novella One Read Online Free Page B

hold back a smirk. It had been a standing joke between them that he never bought anything but these sports cars. “Not strictly true. Edward picked you up in a normal car, did he not?”
    “ Okay, so you have one normal car in your fleet of... how many is it these days?” 
    “ Hmm, at the last count ten were sitting in the garage.”
    Layla laughed.
    To Evan, it almost felt like old times, back before all the unpleasantness. For the most part, their relationship had been easy-going and low maintenance. Looking at how her sister behaved, anyone would think that Layla would also be one of those divas who expected attention and lavish gifts all the time, but she wasn’t at all. She was as chilled out as they come. He had never seen her angry, except when Caggie Barker had done or said something offensive.
    Buckling his seatbelt, Evan started the engine, which purred gently into life. He thought of the speech he’d rehearsed earlier and now seemed as good a time as any to say it.
    "I know staying with me might be awkward, but I thought it better than you being alone at their place. We did look into hotel rooms for you, but they were overflowing. Even my private suite at the Carter has been commandeered due to the lack of rooms.” An apologetic smile played on his lips.
    Layla turned and smiled, but her eyes remained inscrutable. "Thank you for at least trying. I genuinely appreciate it," she said softly. "As unplanned as all this is, I’d like to see the house once again"
    Evan looked at her intently for a second, trying to gauge whether she was as nervous as he was.  The word house seemed to catch in her throat for a second and her usually expressive eyes flickered with something, but he couldn’t distinguish it in the dim evening light.
    Casting a silent nod of understanding in her direction, he reversed out of the parking space and soon joined the network of roads beyond the hospital.
    Layla
    Glancing at her watch, Layla noted it was nearly nine. Winster House was over an hour’s drive from the airport and it would be pitch-black outside when they arrived.
    Following her restless flight, she was unable to resist closing her tired eyes and taking a short nap. It was also the perfect excuse to avoid a conversation with Evan, who was sitting so close, and she would probably only make a fool of herself. She needed a good night’s sleep before trusting herself to relax fully in his company.
    Evan’s smooth driving soon lulled her into snooze land. Layla dozed in and out for quite a while before she become aware of a periodical warmth pressing against the side of her right knee. At first she wasn’t sure where the sensation was coming from, but as her brain fog cleared, she sensed the vehicle was still moving. Opening her eyes partially, Layla saw Evan’s hand brush against my knee as he changed gear. Her heart fluttered at this briefest of contact. As dangerous as she knew it was to hope that he still felt something for her, she could not bring herself to move away.
    Layla gave him a sideways glance. Evan’s features were schooled in an emotionless expression. It was a mask she’d seen him wear countless times before when he didn’t want anyone to know what he was thinking. And she had also seen it towards the end of their relationship, mostly due to her pushing him away whenever he tried to offer comfort as she went through the grieving process.
    At that time it wasn’t that Layla missed her parents. If truth be told, they had always treated her badly while she was growing up. By the time she moved to London at seventeen, her self-esteem had hit rock bottom. It was only when a model agency scout told her she had the potential to make it big that Layla gained a well-needed confidence boost.
    Her pain came from not being able to confront them about their treatment, so that she could close that part of her life and move on to the next one. This lack of closure, and the all-too-real grief of losing her baby, had