Page 15 of The Playboy’s Playbook

As soon as I got back to the construction site, Luke was getting ready to head out.

Once he left, I made sure the crew finished their daily tasks before closing everything down.

As much as I wanted to rush everyone off the site, I didn’t.

The last thing Luke needs is for me to rush through the closing protocol and get hit with a lawsuit.

The drive home wasn’t too bad, but traffic was a bit more hectic than normal with all of the beach goers on the road. As soon as I got home, I took a brisk shower because I don’t want to waste another second not being on the phone with Laila.

I throw on a t-shirt and pajama pants before looking at the time on my phone and figure that Luke is getting the boys ready for bed, so I decide to call him first.

“Where do I sit for this call with Laila?” I ask as soon as his face appears on the screen.

“Huh?” His deep voice bellows in confusion. “The fuck are you talking about?”

“I don’t know if I should sit in my room, like on my bed. She’ll more than likely be doing homework, so I don’t want to seem too lax. But my living room seems too formal, like I don’t want to let her see my space,” I ramble nervously.

Luke looks at me with a blank expression for a moment. “You called me because you don’t know where to sit on a phone call with a girl?

“Luke,” I groan. “I really need your help here, man. I want to impress her.”

“I don’t think she’s going to care, Matty. Just keep it cool, let the conversation flow naturally,” Luke says, his voice reassuring.

I nod in agreement. “Okay. Uh, before I go, how was lunch with the boys?”

Luke smiles and shifts. “It was great. Apparently, according to Jen, I’m a superhero who can lift really heavy rocks. Oh, and one of the teachers slipped me her phone number.”

I look at Luke with a shocked look on my face. “Really? So, you’re finally considering getting back out there, then?”

“I took the number and told her I wouldn’t make promises to reach out to her. But if I find myself not busy, I’ll see if she’s free to meet up for dinner or something.”

He only said that to be nice because he and I both know he won’t reach out to her. He just didn’t want to be rude.

“Call Laila and tell me how it goes later. I’m about to go tuck the boys in and read them their bedtime story,” Luke says before ending the call.

I take a few deep breaths and realize that I didn’t settle my seating dilemma. I settle for my bed and ball up a blanket to prop the phone against. I open the messaging app and press the camera next to Laila’s name and wait for her to answer.

When she does, I swear I stop breathing.

She’s in her mom’s kitchen and she’s moving so effortlessly.

Her hair is down instead of up like this afternoon, but she still has her glasses on and she’s in a long sleeve Oakridge Tornadoes shirt and black shorts.

She’s talking but I can’t even focus on what she’s saying because I’m awestruck at her.

“Matthew, are you alright? It’s either my phone or you look flushed,” Laila says, eyeing me carefully, concern on her face.

I shake my head, waking up from my trance. “Yeah, yeah. All good. I’m sorry, I zoned out for a second. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that if I fall asleep, shout at me to make sure I put Nola to bed so she won’t tear apart my mom’s house,” she says, chuckling lightly.

“Is Nola that much of a troublemaker?” I ask.

“She’s small and has the biggest, most innocent looking eyes, but don’t let her fool you. She’s spoiled rotten and is a master manipulator,” Laila says, a bright smile reaching her eyes.

“Was she a gift from you mom?”

If Laila’s smile gets any bigger, her face may break. “You know about the cat distribution system?”

I nod. “Vaguely.”

“Well, the puppy distribution system claimed me. I had just moved into my apartment after I started working for the senator and needed to do some shopping for basics, so I went to the shopping center. I was walking past the rescue center and she was in the window.

“It’s rare to see her breed in a shelter. I figured she belonged to one of the workers and kept walking. When I came back, she was still sitting there and she started pawing at the window, like she wanted me to come in and get her.”

Laila stops talking and looks down at her feet, bending down to pick up the puppy in question.

“She was found abandoned near a dumpster on the Fourth of July and some nice people brought her to the rescue thinking she’d be claimed.

Nobody claimed her or adopted her. Fifteen minutes after I walked in, I was walking out of the shelter with the best puppy a girl could have. ”

As if Nola understands Laila, she sniffs her face before giving her a little kiss on the cheek, earning another smile from Laila.

“I’m glad you found each other.”

Laila sighs, her eyes still trained on Nola. “Yeah, me, too.”

“Does Nola have a…dad?” I ask meekly, making Laila laugh.

“If that’s your way of asking if I have a boyfriend, the answer is no.”

I nod and keep my voice low. “Noted.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you how Prancer is doing,” Laila says, picking up her phone and walking through the house.

“Uh,” I hesitate, not sure how to explain to Laila that I haven’t seen my childhood dog in years. “He’s good.” I think.

“That’s good. How’s Hannah and Ms. Maren? You didn’t talk about them the other day.” I’m thankful that Laila is preoccupied trying to get herself and Nola ready for bed to notice how awkward I look.

“They’re good. Busy,” I say my typical answer that I use to cut the conversation short about my mom and sister.

“I know the feeling. My mom usually sees Ms. Maren when she goes shopping at the boutique, but that’s been a while.”

I don’t say anything, just nod in reply. I have so much baggage to unpack, but I don’t want to do it right now, so I change the subject. “How was the rest of your day? Did you finish your term paper?”

Laila groans and leans back in her chair. “Ugh, I wish. Thankfully, it’s not due for another week.”

“Anything I could help you with?” I offer, knowing that my associates degree doesn’t hold a candle to her university degree.

Laila smiles sweetly at me. “If you have any insight into how public administration is actually a valuable asset to federal governance and decisions concerning certain issues should remain with the agencies and their experts, I’m all ears.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I think that might be out of my range of knowledge, Lala. If it was about construction, I’m your man.”

I look at the screen and see that Laila’s demeanor has changed. Her eyes are void of emotion and the sparkle in her eyes are gone. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, fine. Uh, I’m actually gonna head to bed now. I’m a bit tired. Goodnight, Matthew.”

I don’t get a chance to say goodnight before she ends the call. I fall back onto my bed and bring my pillow to my face, letting out a frustrated scream.

And here I thought I was making waves with her.