Chapter 34
“Could Stephen have made some new friends recently? Lucy wondered aloud.
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Layla said while shading her head. “Even if he did make new friends, why would he mention you to her? You two don’t know each other.”
The two women thought hard, but couldn’t figure out the connection.
Meanwhile, Dylan had fallen asleep again in his mother’s arms.
Seeing how tired he was and how long they hadn’t seen each other, Layla decided not to wake him. “I’m going out to meet some friends. I’ll come back to pick up Dylan at 5:00 pm.”
“Thank you, Layla,” Lucy said gratefully.
Layla rolled her eyes. “All you ever do is say thank you.
Lucy smiled. She knew Layla was tough on the outside but had a soft heart. “Stephen knows you really well.”
Layla frowned. “What does that mean?
Lucy chuckled, “You seem tough, but you’re actually land and honest.”
Layla didn’t take it as a compliment and tumed to leave without saying more.
The weather was just right–neither too hot not too cold. Layla got to Jethro Restaurant, which was on the goth floor of the Hamilton Building. The outdoor terrace was busy with people having afternoon tea.
“Layla! You’re finally here!” one friend said excitedly. “It feels like forever since we’ve seen you!”
“Yeah, I know! Every time we hang out without you, it just doesn’t feel the same. I even canceled my nall appointment because I wasn’t in the mood,” friend added.
Layla sat down and shrugged. “You guys enjoy yourselves. I’m broke now and can’t join your fancy parties.”
“Oh, come on! It’s not like we can’t help you. Why didn’t you accept the one hundred thousand dollars I sent you?” another friend asked.
“another
They all knew what happened–Layla’s credit cards had been frozen after she had a wild time on her wedding night. The next day, everyone tried to send her money to help, but she turned it down.
“If you’d eamed that money yourself, I’d take it without any problem. But since it’s your dad’s money, I can’t take money from my friends, and especially not from their parents,” Layla said firmly. She knew some things were just not okay to accept,
Layla looked at her friend Skyler and gave her a happy pinch on the cheek “Skyler, you’re amazing! I told you not to work with Regina Islington, and by the next day, your family canceled the deal with her. You really must like me a lot!”
The short–haired skyler playfully pinched Layla back “Of course! Anyone who tries to mess with my friend’s love life is lucky I didn’t completely cut her off.”
When Regina Islington came up, everyone was curious. “Layla, what do you think about her statement? Is it true that there’s nothing going on between her and Mr. Yates?
Layla shook her head. “I’m still not sure about Regina. Does anyone know someone in the entertainment industry? I could use some inside info.”
Skyler grinned and asked, “So, what does Mr. Yates think about all this? And Layla, didn’t you kiss him yesterday?”
Another friend jumped in, “Yeah, we all saw the photos of you two kissing!”
A new friend added, “Shouldn’t we be congratulating Layla for her first kiss?”
“Exactly!” Skyler laughed. “Today’s occasion is Layla finally having her first diss at 23! Congrats!”
Layla gave her teasing friends a playful look. “Skyler, are we still friends or what?”
“Melissa, do you want me to tell your mom to set you up on a blind date?” she teased.
Sean! Why are you even joining in on this gossip?”
