Now and Again (2 page)

His desk was neat, with paperwork sorted into orderly stacks. A long shelving unit behind the desk was organized with textbooks, a few binders and two framed pictures. Layla’s gaze was drawn to the one of a pretty woman with long blonde hair sitting under a tree with her arms around two young boys. They both had Ben’s blue eyes, and Layla pursed her lips.

Of course he’s married. All the good ones are.

“I’ll need a day or two to work on this,” Ben said, looking up as he finished reading the report. “Can you come back Friday?”

“I can,” she said. “But there’s a hearing on this case next Tuesday.”

“Just give me til Friday, okay?”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll look into your complaint, and update you when you come in Friday.”

“That’s probably best since phone calls don’t seem to be your strong suit,” Layla said, an edge in her tone. The corners of Ben’s mouth turned up slightly.

“Is 1:00 okay?” he asked. Layla pulled her phone from her purse and scrolled through her schedule.

“That’s fine,” she said, rising from her seat.

“Miss Carson, is there something else I can help with?” Ben asked, looking amused as he raised his brows.

“No, why?” Layla looked back at him, confused.

“It’s just … you’re sweaty and barefoot. Did you drive here like that?”

“No, I walked, actually, and my heel broke on the way and some asshole stole my cab. I’m not pointing fingers, but none of that would’ve happened if you would’ve called me back.” She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder.

“Hmm,” he said, not looking sorry at all. “I can have one of my guys drive you home to get some shoes, would that help?”

“I don’t have time. I have court at two with a judge who’ll find me in contempt if I’m ten seconds late.”

“Are you going like that?” he asked, smirking.

“What choice do I have?”

“Let me see your shoes.” He reached a hand over his desk and Layla glared at him as she pulled her expensive black strappy heels out of her bag and handed them over.

Ben took the unbroken shoe and carried it to a beaten up wooden filing cabinet in the corner, which he cracked the shoe against. Layla stared, shocked, as the heel flew off. He handed it back.

“Now you at least have a matching set to wear for court,” he said coolly. “And I’ll have one of my guys meet you out front and drive you.”

“I might have been able to get that shoe fixed!”  She shot him a dirty look. “Now you ruined both of them.”

“I doubt you could’ve gotten it fixed. They look pretty cheap,” Ben said.

“Those shoes cost $300! Are you crazy?”

“It’s 1:40.” He pointed at the clock on his wall. “Better get moving.”

Layla narrowed her eyes at him as she stomped toward the door.

“See you Friday,” he said, grinning. She walked through the door and pulled it closed behind her.

***

In was close to seven that evening when Layla opened the door to her apartment and was greeted by a wave of cool air. Her brown and white beagle Prince ran to the door to greet her with a sloppy kiss and a wagging tail.

“Sorry I’m late, baby,” she said. “Mommy had a long day at work. I’ll change and we can take a walk.”

The t-shirt and shorts she changed into were a welcome break from her skirt and broken heels. She grabbed her sunglasses and Prince’s leash and they set out for their usual trek around the busy urban block.

Layla scrolled through messages on her phone, pausing when she saw one from her sister.

Call me.

A little more information would have been nice. Things had been tense between Layla and Emma since Christmas last year. Layla found out right before then that Emma had been seeing Cole Marlowe, their hot neighbor from high school, behind Layla’s back for months.

Layla called Emma back as she walked past a deli, the scent of baking bread escaping and making her realize she was hungry.

“Hi,” Emma said, sounding breathless.

Awesome. She’s probably having sex with Cole right now.

“Hey, just calling you back, are you busy?”

“No, I’m walking home with groceries,” Emma said. “These sacks are heavy, if I sound weird.”

“How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. I just wondered if you’re coming to dinner at Mom and Dad’s this weekend. We’d like to see you.”

Hearing her say ‘we’ still rankled Layla, and she chided herself. Despite having every intention of being half of a ‘we’ by now herself, it hadn’t worked out for Layla. She knew it was petty to resent Emma’s happiness, though.

“I don’t know,” Layla said. “I might.”

“I hope you can make it. Or maybe we could do something together sometime? I’d just like to see you.”

“Me, too. I’ll call you, okay?” Layla said.

She was disgusted with herself as she hung up. Emma didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Why did Layla resent her happiness? She was a strong, independent woman who had a full life of her own. She resolved to go to dinner at her parents’ house and catch up with her sister. So she had a boyfriend, and so it was Cole Marlowe. Layla could be mature about it.

***

Ben dropped the dead lift bar and wiped beads of sweat away from his forehead. It was getting late and the gym was almost empty, but he’d just hit his stride. After a long day of dealing with paperwork and briefings, he liked checking out and doing something mindless.

A muscular blonde woman in a halter top was watching him and he felt a flare of annoyance. He wasn’t in the mood to be polite. All he wanted was to work out late and stop by the pub for dinner and a beer.

“Hey, man.” A fellow CPD officer nodded from the dead lift station next to Ben. “You with Investigations?”

“Yeah,” Ben said as he bent to lift the bar again.

“You’re a cop?” the blonde asked, turning his way and arching her eyebrows with interest.

“Yep.” He lifted the bar, liking the familiar strain of raising it.

“So where do you work?” she asked, leaning against a machine.

Ben blew out a breath as he dropped the bar. Why the hell did people come to the gym to talk instead of work out?

“I’m usually at Central,” he said. She looked at him and smiled, as though waiting for him to ask her something, but he ignored her until she walked away.

He finished his workout, satisfied with the fatigue in his muscles as he drove to O’Malley’s. The usual crowd was at the downtown Irish pub, including several of the guys who worked under him.

“Hey, sarge,” called Doreen, the gray-haired bartender who looked out for all the cops. She slid Ben a bottle of his favorite dark beer and he winked at her.

“Can I get the grilled chicken and vegetables?” he asked. Doreen nodded and gave him a small smile.

“Darlin’, you’re the only man who comes in here and orders healthy food,” she said. “You’re also the only one who never comes in with a woman.”

“I eat hamburgers sometimes,” he said. “But you’re right about women. I don’t need the headache.”

“It’s not all bad,” Doreen countered as she wiped the wood bar with a wet cloth.

“It’s bad enough.”

“Did you have a bad experience or something?”

“Not really, I’m just sick of women who want to get married the day after we meet,” Ben said.

“Well, I can’t blame them -- you’re a catch,” Doreen said.

“Not really. I’m an overbearing asshole with no interest in settling down.”

“I could get past that if I got to see you with no shirt on,” she said, cackling. Ben shook his head and smiled at her.

“Doreen, you’re all the woman I need.”

***

Her second trip to the Chicago Police Department this week was starting smoother than the first one. Layla had driven this time, and even managed to park close by. Wearing a tailored black suit over a hot pink camisole with her hair pulled into a sleek, straight ponytail, she felt ready to handle anything that came her way.

She bypassed the front desk, keeping a purposeful expression on that said she knew where she was going. After she exited the elevator, the blonde in the basement buzzed her in again and she walked down the long hallway to B-17, rapping on the wood door.

This time instead of being summoned in, the door opened and Ben stood on the other side. A uniformed officer got up from the chair in front of Ben’s desk and looked Layla over, his gaze starting at her feet and lingering on her chest. He smiled.

“Miss Carson,” Ben said, grinning. “Nice to see you wore shoes this time.”

Layla sighed with exasperation as the young officer with a shiny bald head made his way to the doorway.

“Are you gonna introduce me, Sarge?” he asked, still smiling.

“Nope. Get your ass back to work,” Ben said.

Layla strode through the door after the officer walked out, settling into a black leather chair in front of the desk.

“Did you make it to court the other day?” Ben asked.

“I did, yes. Thanks for the ride. What do you have for me on the Larson case?”

Ben took a seat behind his desk and Layla allowed her gaze to wander over his body. Today he wore a pale blue dress shirt that matched his eyes and fit his wide chest and shoulders perfectly. He had to get those custom made.

“I can tell you I’ve taken care of it. You’ll get word from the DA’s office soon that the charges against Mr. Larson have been dropped,” Ben said, leaning back in his chair.

“That’s good news. But why? What’s been done with the officer?”

“I can’t discuss the specifics of personnel. You know that.”

“But when you say you took care of it, what does that mean?” she pressed. “If the charges were dropped and this officer is just going to treat the next group of young men he encounters the same way, I don’t find that to be a good resolution.”

Ben met her eyes wordlessly, and Layla crossed her legs, refusing to look away.

“You know I can’t go into it,” he said. “But I handled it, and the charges against your client are being dropped. That’s all I can do.”

“Just tell me--”

“Miss Carson, I won’t be specific. Personnel matters are not public.” Ben crossed his arms across his chest.

“Am I going to have to file Freedom of Information to find out what you did with my complaint?” Layla’s voice had risen with her frustration.

“Good luck with that. Personnel matters are exempt from FOIA.”

Layla shook her head.

“Look,” Ben said, his tone softening. “He’s being disciplined, okay? I was a hard ass with him and he admitted it, and he’s being dealt with. I’m not supposed to tell you that, but I am, because I can see you care.”

“Disciplined? What does that mean, Sergeant Montrose?”

“I’m not telling you anything more,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

“Fine,” she said, rising from the chair. “I really think you should consider calling yourself a Public Non-Information Officer from here on out.”

Ben smiled, putting his hands behind his head. Layla couldn’t help noticing the way his large biceps strained against his dress shirt.

“I’m not normally the PIO,” he said. “I’m filling in for someone on medical leave.”

“Well, it’s been an experience,” Layla snapped, heading for the door.

“When I meet someone as charming as you, I wonder why attorneys have such a bad reputation,” Ben said, amusement in his tone.

Layla turned back to look at him as she opened the door. “I’m not here to charm you. I’m here to do my job. I know you must be used to women batting their eyelashes over your huge muscles, but that’s not me.”

“Huge muscles? Were you checking me out, Miss Carson?”

Layla rolled her eyes as she stepped out of Ben’s office. “I don’t have time for this, I have work to do.”

“If there’s anything else I can help with…”

“Right. If I need to find out nothing on another issue, I know who to call,” she said, waving as she closed the door.

Men. They’re all cocky as hell or spineless.

Layla did a mental run-through of her weekend plans on the way back to her office. Tonight she was having drinks with her friend Lane. Tomorrow she planned to work out, clean her apartment and watch movies. And Sunday she was having dinner at her parents’ house with Emma and Cole.

Quiet weekends had been lonely at first, but she’d grown to look forward to them. They were a break from the stressful pace of the week. It had been almost seven months since she’d abandoned her dogged effort to find a husband, and that had freed up her weekends considerably.

After the fallout with Emma, Layla had decided to step back. It just wasn’t worth it. One disappointing date after another left her too frustrated to continue. Casual sex had lost its appeal; it just made her feel slutty. So she’d found other things to focus on.

She usually put in at least 12 hours a day at the office, and her hard work was getting the attention of the partners at her firm. That kind of effort was worth her while – she knew it was getting her somewhere. Going on lousy dates accomplished nothing.

Ben Montrose only reinforced her decision to take a long break from men. He was arrogant and exasperating. Just the latest in a long string of men who’d shown her she was right to abandon the list.

Writing her goals on a sheet of pink Hello Kitty paper as she started high school had seemed like a way to get everything she wanted, back then. As long as it was on the list, she believed it would happen. So far, she’d checked off “be the valedictorian”, “become an attorney” and “visit another country”. The list was tucked into a compartment of her wallet, and she hadn’t looked at it in a while. Since she was turning 27 soon, she knew there would be no check next to “get married by age 28”. But so what? Men were overrated anyway.

Chapter 2

The sweet melted chocolate and savory walnuts in the homemade cookie she’d popped into her mouth made Layla moan with satisfaction. She always refused dessert in front of others, but she was alone in her parents’ kitchen now. No one had to know she actually had no self-control around chocolate.

“What’s new at work, honey?” Eliza Carson asked as she walked in with dirty dishes from dinner.