Page 26 of The Interception
He chuckles and pulls me back. “Just peanuts. I’ll be more careful and everything will be fine, I promise. Want to tell methe verdict? Did we at least make the cut after all that drama?” He winces in actual worry that we didn’t make it past the second round.
“Well, the awesome thing is that we not only made the cut, but we scored enough points to tie for second.”
“What? Are you serious?” His warm eyes alight and he wraps his arms around my waist, tugging me closer.
I nod and grin ear to ear. We’re one step closer to my dreams, one step closer to his sister having the funds she needs to go back out on her own, and we’ve only just gotten started.
Ender pulls me up and lowers his head into another, deeper hug. “Thank you for being an amazing partner and friend, Layne. I’m not sure I could have done it this year without you.”
And he kisses my cheek, lingering for a moment before standing and releasing me.
Time slows as my brain works to decode what this means, but Lula doesn’t give me much time. She squeals and runs to her uncle, ready to get out of this hospital. I’ll try to figure it out later. For now, I’m going to enjoy some time with the Langley family.
Chapter Twelve
Ender
Kissing Layne’s cheek wasan impulsive move, but I don’t regret it. In fact, I’m pretty sure if my sister hadn’t been watching us, I would have full-on kissed her. I’m supposed to be clearing my head, but I can’t seem to stop thinking about whatcouldbe with Layne.
“Okay, what will it be? A movie and popcorn, ice cream, or…well, that’s all we have.” Sarah Beth stands with her head in the cabinet, no doubt searching for something else to snack on. “I wish we had cookies. Why don’t we ever have cookies in this house?”
“Because you eat them all.” I flop on the sofa, completely spent. Layne sits beside me, close but nottooclose, and Lula climbs in her lap to play with her hair.
“Miss Layne’s hair is soooo pretty.” Lula giggles when Layne tickles her.
“I think Miss Lula’s hair is prettier.” Layne ruffles my niece’s hair.
She’ll be an amazing mother. When that thought enters my mind, it makes me smile despite the intensity of it. There isno reason I should be thinking about the kind of mother Layne might be, but once my mind is on that track, there is no derailing it. She’s gentle and kind, seems to genuinely listen when Lula talks to her, and doesn’t wince when her hair gets tugged into a hundred knots.
“Okay, I found some stale biscotti. It’ll do.” Sarah Beth offers the container to Layne, who turns up her nose.
“No offense, but offering that to me is like asking me if I’d like to nibble on a dirty sock. If you ever had my Nonnie’s biscotti, you’d understand.”
“I would love to have your Nonnie’s biscotti. If it’s anywhere near as good as her spaghetti sauce, then I’d alsoloveit if you invited her down here to cook for us all the time.” Sarah Beth bites into the stale cookie and grumbles because it’s not what she really wanted.
“She’d probably do it. The woman loves to cook, and she’s the biggest extrovert God ever made. She can make friends with anyone in five seconds flat.” Layne glances down at Lula, who must be as exhausted as I am. She’s laid her head on Layne’s shoulder and her eyelids are droopy.
“It’s past naptime. Here, I’ll take her to her bed.”
At that, Lula’s head pops up and she frowns. “Miss Layne can tuck me in.”
“I think she might be as extroverted as your Nonnie,” Sarah Beth says.
Layne rocks Lula a little, encouraging her to lay her head back down. “I don’t mind tucking her in if you’re okay with it.”
I’m not sure how my sister will react to the thought of another woman tucking her child in for a nap. Lula has been her only distraction these past months, but much to my surprise, Sarah Beth nods down the hall. “I don’t mind at all. You know which room is hers. You can just drape the princess blanket over her.”
Layne rocks her a little more before slowly standing with a completely spent toddler in her arms. I can’t help staring at her as she shimmies down the hallway and disappears into the bedroom. My heart feels…light…at ease. I’m not sure I know what it means, but I know I like it.
“She’s really the sweetest,” Sarah Beth says.
“Yeah, she’s a great kid.”
My sister chuckles and flops on the sofa beside me. “I meant Layne. I like her. We should keep her around even after the competition.”
“You two made friends fast,” I tease.
She throws a biscotti at me then snatches it back before I have a chance to eat it. I wouldn’t want to. They’re so stale they look chewy. “She’s easy to talk to. I like that about her, and she seems like a person who says what she means and means what she says.”
