Page 37 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

LAYLA

“I might have to go job hunting when I get back.”

Even as I said the words, a wave of frustration washed over me. This was not what I needed right now.

“What? What do you mean?”

I’d just gotten off the phone with my employer, and I was so discouraged by the conversation, I decided to reach out to Frankie. If I told my mom about the call, she’d wind up feeling guiltier than she already did.

“My employer called me. I just got off the phone with them a few minutes ago,” I shared. “They had reached out to me to ask about my return to work.”

“So, you haven’t actually lost your job, then?”

“Well, I guess if I called them back and told them I can get be back on Monday, they might take me back. The truth is that they were looking to get a better idea of my anticipated return to the city and, subsequently, work. ”

“Oh. Well, how’s your mom doing? She’s getting better, right?”

She was getting better, but there was still a long road of healing and recovery ahead of her. In all fairness to my former employer, it was now the middle of August, and I’d been here in Landing just shy of two months now.

“My mom is healing, but it’s been a slow process, and she’s not ready to be left alone yet.

She’s been back to see her doctor, and she’s started physical therapy.

Unfortunately, she still hasn’t been cleared to bear any weight on her leg, and it’s probably going to be another week or two before that happens.

I can’t leave her alone all day long right now, and they can’t hold my job forever. ”

Though I’d had a feeling when I saw the incoming call from them where the conversation was going to end up, I could admit it hurt. With everything I’d been dealing with lately, the last thing I needed was to add being unemployed to the list.

“I’m so sorry, Layla.”

“It’s okay, Frankie. I’m where I need to be.”

As soon as I said those words, I wondered if that applied to more than just my mom’s situation. It certainly didn’t feel that way. At least, not for the last couple of weeks.

I hadn’t seen or heard from Liam since he’d taken me out for that sunset picnic weeks ago. I’d have been lying if I said he hadn’t been on my mind nearly every waking moment since.

There’d been such a heavy silence between us from the moment he’d asked me to have that last meal with him.

I’d been left feeling such an overwhelming sense of dread as I honored his request that night.

And now I couldn’t stop thinking about him, wondering how he was doing.

This new version of Liam—the quiet, introverted one—simply broke my heart.

Had I really been the one to do that to him?

“But it’s not like you planned for any of this to happen,” Frankie argued, her voice cutting into my thoughts. “You had a family emergency.”

I smiled, feeling grateful I had her in my life. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

“Of course, I do. I love you, too. But that doesn’t have anything to do with this. They shouldn’t have taken your job away from you.”

“It’s been almost two months, and I don’t have a clue when I’m going to be able to return,” I reasoned. “I think they’ve been more than fair and as accommodating as they could be. To be honest, family emergency or not, I’m surprised they waited this long.”

Frankie let out a frustrated groan. “It really has been so long since you left. When you finally do get back here, I’ll do whatever I can to help you find something. Heck, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for anything that pops up between now and then.”

“I appreciate that. Now, distract me from the fact that I’m officially unemployed. Tell me what’s been going on in your life these last couple of weeks.”

It was better for me to do that and pretend like I had nothing to share.

While she didn’t know everything about him, I had shared bits and pieces with Frankie about Liam over the years.

I didn’t want to have to share any of that now, so I was glad she believed my life was completely consumed with caring for my mom, running the consignment shop, and fretting about what I’d do for income.

Frankie, once again, proved just how lucky I was to have her for a friend, because she didn’t hesitate to fill me in on what had been happening in her life since I’d returned to Landing and last spoke with her.

Though it left me longing for some quality time with her, it had been the perfect distraction from all that was weighing on my heart.

We ended our call, and I noted the time.

It was approaching closing time at the store. The new closing time, anyway.

Though the shop was usually open for another hour or so, I wasn’t going to stay that late today. My mom and I had been easing into this new routine ever since she’d had her first post-op doctor’s visit and started physical therapy.

She still had her moments that were challenging, but her pain had subsided tremendously since she’d first left the hospital. And even though she didn’t like the idea of me having to come here to work at the store, we both knew it was a necessity.

So, with each day and week that passed, we increased the time I spent here. For now, I showed up late morning and stayed until lunch. Then I went home, got her sorted with food and anything else she needed, and returned for a few additional hours in the afternoon .

Before heading out, I’d decided to catch up on some administrative paperwork that had been pushed to the side over the last couple of weeks.

I was just about finished with that, when the front door opened, and a customer walked in.

Only, I’d been mistaken, because it wasn’t a customer.

From where I was standing, I hadn’t had a direct line of sight to the store’s entrance, but within seconds, the visitor appeared.

That’s when I knew nothing was going to be purchased.

“Cooper?” I gasped. “Is that you?”

I didn’t know why I asked if it was him. It might have been eight years since I last saw him, but I’d recognize him just as I had Liam and Jules when I saw them. What threw me off was the baby he was holding against his chest.

Cooper Westwood was carrying a baby. Was he a dad?

If seeing Liam and Jules and the hotel that Ivy was now responsible for hadn’t been enough to prove to me how long I’d been gone and how much things had changed, seeing a baby being held in Cooper’s arms like that would have done it.

Exchanging pleasantries didn’t seem to be at the top of Cooper’s list. In fact, the expression on his face, along with his commanding physical presence, rivaled that of Liam’s when Liam had shown up here in the store weeks ago.

And I got the distinct feeling Cooper was holding back now. If there wasn’t a baby with him, the fury he felt would have been fully on display. As of now, it appeared that I was nothing more than a minor annoyance to him.

Ignoring my greeting, Cooper finally asked, “Do you understand what you’re giving up?”

The question caught me off guard. “Pardon?”

“With Liam. Do you understand what you’re giving up? Years ago, when you were young, it made sense you might not have understood. But now, more than halfway through your twenties, I figure you have to grasp just how foolish you’re being.”

Was Liam’s brother truly here in my mom’s store, insulting me to my face? “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” he retorted.

I couldn’t get a read on him. Beyond knowing that he was pissed at me and here to defend his brother in some way, I wasn’t sure if he was hoping for some sort of positive outcome. I mean, he’d all but called me stupid.

“I’ve known since the day Liam was down on one knee in front of me that I’d regret walking away from him,” I finally confessed.

Following a beat of silence, he asked, “Do you love him?”

“What?”

“Do you love him?”

“Of course, I do. But I’m not sure how any of that concerns you.”

His brows shot up, but they did so in a way that it was obvious he hadn’t expected me to respond to him the way I had. For what it was worth, I’d always found Cooper to be a bit intimidating. He hadn’t ever done anything to me to make me feel that way; it was merely the way he carried himself.

Despite his surprise at my response, Cooper wasn’t deterred. “No? Well, let me tell you why I think you’re wrong, and it does concern me.”

I licked my lips, my eyes momentarily darting to the little girl in Cooper’s arms. She was utterly adorable and entirely oblivious to the turmoil I was experiencing.

When Cooper started speaking again, I shifted my attention back to him.

“I’ve spent eight years watching my brother disappear.

The guy you might remember him being is gone.

He’s still around in the physical sense, and he puts forth tremendous effort to celebrate the big moments in the lives of his family members, of the people he loves, but he’s a shell of himself. ”

My hand flew to my twisting stomach. Why was he telling me this? Surely, if he was here now, Liam had to have told him about what happened between us, about what I’d shared. Was Cooper trying to make me feel worse than I already did?

“A few weeks ago, my brother came to me and asked for me to cover for him at work, because he believed he was getting a shot at a second chance with you. He was going to do whatever it took to grab hold of that opportunity and make every effort to ensure things didn’t go south.

I remember him coming back to work not long after and seeing an immeasurable change in him.

For the first time in eight years, there was a spark there.

Hope. And I thought it was possible he was finally going to get the one thing that’s mattered most to him.

I don’t know what happened that night when you two got together, but whatever it was, it destroyed him worse than it did the day you rejected his proposal.

So, I can only assume that you really don’t know what it is that you’re giving up? ”

Cooper’s words hit me like a blow to the face.