Читать книгу Indiscriminate Attraction - Linda Hudson-Smith - Страница 12

No longer interested in eating her breakfast, Laylah absently stirred her soggy cereal over and over again. Wondering if Chancellor was going to show up to take her to the lighting-fixture place had her wishing once again that things hadn’t turned out so badly last night. He had left in such a hurry that she had lost the opportunity to confirm with him their shopping outing. She knew he had her address, but she couldn’t recall if she’d also written down her phone number.

If Chancellor couldn’t call Laylah, he’d just have to show up if it was his intent.

Laylah twirled around and around in front of the full-length cheval mirror, checking out how well the cute white shorts defined her firm, perfectly round derriere. A stretchy, sleeveless top in mint green, boasting a scooped neck, was a great fit, fully outlining her perky twin mounds. Pleased with her breezy-summer-day appearance, she smiled, her eyes filled with love and satisfaction over her mirrored reflection.

Just as Laylah sat down to tackle an easy style for her long hair, the doorbell rang. The first person who had popped into her mind was Chancellor. Perhaps he’d had a change of heart. She sure hoped so. As much as she wished she didn’t, she missed having him around something awful. Maybe her day would turn out to be okay after all, she thought, dashing out of the room and rushing up the hallway.

It was obvious to her that Chancellor had received nice, neatly pressed, clean clothing from Benjamin. He had on light-colored lightweight slacks, perhaps Dockers, and a gently used, royal-blue Izod polo. The designer shirt was a surprise, but wealthy people donated all the time. The white tennis shoes on his feet looked fairly new.

Laylah couldn’t be sure, but it looked as if Chancellor had gotten a haircut. He had beautiful wavy hair, a rich sable brown. He was also clean shaven, but she had liked the slightly shaven look. After getting an eyeful of his clean-cut appearance, she finally opened the door wide. “Come on in. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it or not.”

“I always keep my word, kiddo. Ready to hit the place I told you about?” If only she knew how close he’d come to not making it there, he thought. His deep desire to see her had won out over his numerous arguments for not getting himself involved with her.

Beyond excited over the shopping trip with Chancellor, Laylah nodded. “Light Up Your World awaits us.”

Chancellor was impressed and extremely pleased that Laylah had remembered the name of the lighting establishment. “That’s the place.” He momentarily looked uncomfortable. “Would it be too much trouble for me to use the bathroom?”

Laylah pointed out the full guest bathroom. “Right in there.”

She took a seat on the bottom step of the winding staircase to wait for Chancellor to come out of the bathroom. She was thrilled that he had decided to show up for their prearranged outing. When she thought about the picture of a lighting fixture she’d torn out of a home style catalog, she jumped up to retrieve it from her bedroom.

As Laylah dashed to the back of the house, she heard Chancellor come out into the hallway. “I’ll be back in a second,” she yelled out. “Make yourself right at home.”

Chancellor had only gotten a brief glimpse of Laylah’s home on his first visit. He liked the colors of her decor. Soft greens and light beiges were warming, especially when complemented by darker shades of the same hues. Sky-blue throw pillows tossed against the beige-and-white sectional sofa lent the room a burst of brightness. Stark-white plantation shutters also made a nice contrast, as did the smoked-glass and burnished-brass coffee and end tables. The room was very comfortable and homey.

From where Chancellor stood he could see into the formal dining room. He took a few steps closer so he could get a glimpse of where the old chandelier was and to see how it looked. Dark hardwoods had been her choice for the formal dining room suite. Eight matching chairs and a buffet completed the set. In the center of the table was a beautiful six-candle centerpiece. An Asian rug covered the center portion of the hardwood flooring.

He was familiar with the kitchen but he hadn’t yet seen the upstairs rooms.

Just as Chancellor had told Laylah, the store was filled with all sorts of amazing lighting fixtures. She had never seen so many chandeliers under one roof. Moving from style to style, she closely examined the brilliant chandeliers she was absolutely taken with.

As Laylah came upon a dazzling fixture, one perfectly fit for her dining room decor, the sparkle in her eyes darn near matched its shimmering crystals. While there were countless chandeliers for her to choose from, she had already fallen in love with this particular teardrop style. She was actually able to envision it in her house. “This is the one,” she told him. “It’s perfect.”

Chancellor was totally surprised by how quickly she had made up her mind. He had thought it would have taken her a lot longer to choose, especially with so many options to pick from. He’d never met a woman who didn’t like to continue shopping until they dropped, even after they’d already picked out their choice. The girl obviously knew her own mind, knew exactly what she wanted. Once again, he was extremely impressed.

Laylah bit into her juicy BLT, happy they’d taken time out for lunch. Chancellor had ordered a corn-beef sandwich on rye and a side salad. The shopping trip was over, but she hoped they’d hang out together for a while longer. Even if they didn’t do anything else, he was coming back to her place to put up the chandelier. She had offered to pay for their lunch at Friday’s, but he had said he’d take care of it. She couldn’t accept that, so he had agreed to her suggestion of Dutch treat.

His mention of finally getting steady work had pleased her, but she wouldn’t let him spend his hard-earned money on her, not when he didn’t have a permanent place to lay his head.

“Where will you be working?”

Chancellor chuckled. “Home Depot. Grabbed hold of an employment application when we were there for the plant spray. When I took it back to the store, they’d just received an interview cancellation so they interviewed me instead. I got the job.”

“Congratulations! Permanent?”

“Part-time, with the possibility of lots of overtime. I’ve never worked a blue-collar job before. Should be very interesting.”

Laylah saw Chancellor’s comment as an opening to the dozens of questions she wanted to ask him. She wanted to know exactly who he was and what kind of stuff he was made of. He was obviously a tough nut to crack if he could make it while living from pillar to post. Still, she felt she shouldn’t pry into his private life, wanting Chancellor to open up to her of his own accord. Laylah only expected that to happen after they had really gotten to know each other. They were still pretty much strangers. If she had her way, they wouldn’t be strangers too much longer.

“When do you start working?”