the guy was homeless. One thing Arlie was certain of was Laylah’s embarrassment. Her deeply reddened cheeks were a dead giveaway.
Feeling skittish, Laylah backed up toward the front door. “Glad you made it here safely, Chance. I have to go now. I hope you get a good night’s rest. Good night, Arlie.”
Raising his hand in a farewell gesture, Arlie smiled sympathetically at Laylah, wishing he could say something to make her feel better. She looked so down. If nothing else, she should feel really good about helping out others. She was known around the community for trying to make life easier for folks. However, he thought there might be something else going on with her regarding this man. A more personal interest, perhaps.
Laylah hit the car’s remote button to open the door. Just before she got into the driver’s seat, she heard her name drifting softly on the air. Chancellor had called out to her—the last thing she needed right now, especially since she had only made a total fool of herself. She was embarrassed enough already, yet she waited on him to reach her.
Chancellor stopped a few inches away from Laylah, careful not to step into her personal space. “I want to thank you again. Your generosity means a lot to me. If you have any odd jobs you’d like me to do or any errands you need run, please let me know. It’d make me feel better if I can pay you back somehow. I’ll be around for a while.”
“Payback is not necessary. However, if I hear of any decent jobs, I’ll try to let you know.” She laughed softly. “I guess the only way I can do that is when you stop by the shelter. Just remember what I said about getting there early to land a bed.”
“I won’t forget it, Laylah. Take care and drive safely.”
She quickly turned around and called out, asking him to wait a minute. As Chancellor faced her, he smiled beautifully. Laylah’s breath caught at the sight of healthy white teeth and pink gums. Why was his smile so familiar? His good dental hygiene was further evidence that he may have recently gotten down on his luck.
Laylah smiled back. “How are you at gardening? I have some yard work you could do at my place. I haven’t had the opportunity to hire a permanent gardener yet. Interested in the job?”
“Definitely! When do you want me to come by?”
“How’s tomorrow morning? Early, say, around seven?”
“Works for me, Laylah,” he said, sounding nearly out of breath.
Loving the way Chancellor had breathlessly said her name, Laylah wrote her address down on the back of one of the shelter’s business cards. Without further comment, she got into her car and fired the engine, waving to him as she drove off.
Chancellor Kingston was pleased that Laylah had been right about the motel. It was very clean and well tended. The bed was comfortable but nothing to write home about. He often missed his extremely comfortable digs, but this was his lifestyle now. Drifting from pillar to post wasn’t as easy as he had imagined.
Chancellor’s twin brother, Chandler, had made drifting sound glamorous when it was anything but. Tears came to his eyes as he thought about his twin, who he hadn’t seen in a couple of months. He’d give anything to find Chandler. He wouldn’t allow himself to even think that some harm may have come to him. If his brother was still in southern California, he’d locate him. He had to find him. Chandler was all the meaningful family Chancellor had left in the world and he just couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life without his very best friend at his side.
The ageless photographs were more than compelling, darn near tangible. The greatest memories of their lives were all through the pages of the photo album he’d pulled out. Tears were hard to hold back. The pain in his heart was searing.
Chancellor and Chandler Kingston had accomplished so much in their thirty years of life. One had rarely been seen without the other. When had so many things changed…and so drastically? If he took the time to do so, Chancellor was sure he could chronicle all the weird changes, since they hadn’t been very subtle ones.
As Chancellor forced his thoughts to a brighter spot, the effervescent Laylah, he couldn’t help smiling. He had never met anyone quite like her. As beautiful as she was, it wasn’t just her outward appearance he was so darn attracted to. This woman had a pure, selfless heart. She didn’t know him from Adam, yet she had had a desire to help him out.
The fact that Laylah hadn’t asked him a lot of personal questions was astounding to him. He wasn’t used to being so readily accepted for who he was. Not in this world or the fictitious world he’d just arrived from. Living as a homeless person was so new to him, as was his meeting with a perfect angel of mercy. Laylah was every bit that.
After he stretched out on the bed, he looked up at the cracking ceiling, wondering how he had gotten from there to here. Where would his journey take him next? How far would he have to travel down this rocky path before he got the answers?
He had no clue about the future, which was unusual for someone who had always had a solid plan for his life. However, he was pretty certain about one thing. Knowing he’d see the lovely Laylah tomorrow helped him close his eyes and relax just enough to give his soul a break from all the terrible sorrow he felt.
Dressed in jade-green silk pajamas trimmed with pink satin piping, Laylah was stretched out across her king-size brass bed watching the ten o’clock news, dismayed that there still hadn’t been any clues or the least bit of news about little Ashley.
It was so disheartening for her to think of that precious little girl somewhere out there in the world desperately wanting to be at home with her loving mommy. Since everyone around the country was also praying for Ashley, she was filled with the hope that she’d soon be found. Prayer worked, lots of it worked even better.
Once the news was over, she surfed through the channels. When she didn’t find anything interesting to view, she turned off the television. Rarely did she go to sleep this early, but her body felt completely worn down after putting in serious hours at both her jobs. She wasn’t complaining. Working long hours kept her from being too lonely and helped to keep her mind off the fact she hadn’t a decent relationship in a long while.
Laylah wanted nothing more than to find Mr. Right and settle down in a nice cozy home, one a bit bigger than her current town house, and then eventually start a family. All the men she’d met over the past year had been totally into self. These guys could’ve cared less about her, let alone about her dreams and future aspirations.
When had guys stopped opening doors for women? Not to mention their refusal to occasionally spring for dinner and a movie. She had met some real pieces of work in the dating world. Some of these modern-day men seemed to be looking for a woman to take care of them and to enhance their lifestyle through monetary and material gifts.
Many of the guys Laylah had gone out with had been kind of disrespectful in general. Pulling out a chair for her to be seated in had rarely occurred. Most of her dates had been blind ones arranged by mutual friends. Never again would she go on a blind date. The last one had turned out to be a date straight from hell.
Maybe it was her, Laylah thought as she pulled the white and deep lavender comforter under her chin. Perhaps she simply didn’t fit the bill as Miss Right.
As the alarm clock crowed annoyingly, right at 6:00 a.m., Laylah moaned and groaned with displeasure. A couple more hours of sleep would work wonders for her fatigued body, but it was an impossible desire. Her schedule was full. Another hour of rest might have been doable
