Page 8 of Broken By Her Mate

Her surprising reaction comforted him a bit. He assumed she’d quickly move on with her life to be happy. She’d finished school and accomplished her dream, so he thought she was.

“Uh… no…” He answered in a tone that was barely above a whisper.

Cora stared at him a moment longer before she went through the door.

Tolliver combed his fingers through his hair and glanced outside. The streetlights illuminated the front of the shop, and the number of people walking through town dwindled. He bet that shifter was lurking in a corner, waiting for the moment Laila was alone. He might have even planned to break into her apartment upstairs to take her away in the middle of the night. Thinking about it got Tolliver riled up, and he needed to stay calm, so he blew out a slow hiss of breath and waited for Cora to work her magic.

Chapter 4 - Laila

She frantically wiped the enormous block counter in the middle of the kitchen as she muttered. “The nerve of him to show up here.” It irked her to the bone that Tolliver waltzed back into her life as if he hadn’t ripped out her heart and stepped on it.

“That bastard.” Thathandsomebastard. Why did he still look so amazing?Damn him.

It figured that her ex-boyfriend would show up out of the blue on a night when she looked like a hot mess. She’d spent the entire day in the kitchen, and her curls, which she’d piled on top of her head, resembled a bird’s nest. She didn’t have a stitch of makeup on, and her clothes were stained with food coloring. There were probably dustings of flour and confectionery sugar all over her.

Why couldn’t ex-lovers have the decency to show up when a girl looked well put together, smelled great, and had a new boyfriend to give the illusion of living afabulouslife? That was the reunion she’d hoped to have with Tolliver if she ever saw him again.

Instead, how had he found her after five years? Drab, sweaty, smelling like this morning’s breakfast, andsingle.“Argh…”She scrubbed the counter harder. It was an unspoken rule never to let exes know how miserable your life had been without them.

“Uh-oh, you’re violently cleaning. You’rereallyupset.”

Laila’s head snapped up at the sound of Cora’s voice. “Oh, good. You’re done making friends with the enemy,” she accused. “Now you can do your job. Get over here and help me so wecan close up, and I can go upstairs to take a bath and drown my resurfaced sorrows with a bottle of wine.”

“Now, Laila. There’s norealsolace in alcohol.”

“You’ll be singing a different tune when you reach twenty-eight and have man trouble, kiddo.”

Cora rolled her eyes and walked over to take the dishcloth from Laila. “Speaking of trouble…”

“Is the trouble gone?”

“Erm… no.”

Laila scoffed and folded her arms over her chest to glare at the closed door. “What the hell is he still doing here?”

“Actually, he has a surprise for you,” Cora announced.

“Excuse me?”

“And you’re going to let me close up so you can leave with him.”

“Excuse me?”Laila gawked at Cora, too stunned to even move.

“I think he-who-should-not-be… I mean,Tolliverisn’t so bad after all.”

“And you’ve deduced that in five minutes in his presence?”

“Uh-huh. He seems sweet.”

“Unbelievable.” It seemed the Tolliver charm was still working well. That man could charm the habit off a nun if given a chance. “What do you mean so I can leave with him?”

Cora ignored the question. “You know, Laila, you could have told me you were back together.”

Laila’s jaw nearly brushed the floor. She was so shocked that she had no words.

“I’ve learned that he’s been calling you non-stop, trying to get you to talk to him, and you won’t give him a chance. Give the man a chance, Laila.”

“Cora, I have no idea what you’re talking—”

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