Quiet Angel (25 page)

“I don’t know. So many things.”

“No, tell me,” he said and poked her in the side. “What?”

“Whether you run, where we live, things like that.” Walter banged on the window again and gave another thumbs up. “We obviously don’t have time now.”

“I promise we’ll make time to talk about those things,” he said. “Anything else? Anything I can answer quickly?”

“Why did you stop playing guitar and singing?”

He looked her square in the eye. “Because for a long time, I didn’t have anybody worth playing for.”

Layla scooped up
the newspaper on Story Wings’ front steps, still wet from the morning dew. She unlocked the entrance and saw a few lights on. “Pop?” She tossed the paper and her purse on the check-out counter. Poppy peeked out from the cafe. “No shaved head? I guess things went well with Dash.”

“He’s so hot!”

“I know! And his eyes—I would kill for his long, full lashes.”

“I don’t care about his lashes!” Poppy said. “It’s his long, full. . . .”

“You did not!”

“Yes, I did! Several times! It was a total sexpalooza! I just got back from Atlanta this morning.”

“You spent all weekend with him?”

Poppy nodded excitedly. “Well, he spent all weekend inside me. But that counts, right? He’s so huge. I wasn’t even sure if it would fit. But we worked it out.”

“I’m glad you managed. Did you do anything but bang each other?”

“No, why would we? He banged me up against a wall. You know that’s my favorite. I’m addicted. He’s so strong, and I’m so petite. He just throws me around and screws me anyway he wants. It was total porn.”

Layla held up her hands. “Filter, please.”

“I think he really likes me. He asked me to dinner.”

“When are you going?”

“That’s what I asked him,” Poppy said, swooning. “He said that he wanted to every night for the rest of my life.” They started to scream and screech like schoolgirls. “You don’t think that was a line, do you?”

“It totally was,” Layla said, “but a darn good one.” She heard her phone ring and saw it was Gage. She didn’t answer, not wanting to miss any juicy details.

“Dash already called to make sure I got back OK,” Poppy said.

Layla hugged her friend. “This is all such great news!”

Poppy pulled away a little and lowered her head. “I’ve got something I need to talk to you about. I should’ve said something before.”

Layla’s phone rang again—it was Gage—and she ignored it once more. “What is it, Pop?”

“I have to sell my side of the store or close it down.”

“What? Why? I can’t afford all the rent on this place alone!”

“I know, and I’m so sorry. I tried to find a buyer, but once they looked at my financials, they backed out. I haven’t pulled a profit in almost a year. I’m barely keeping afloat. Everyone has an e-reader now. Adults don’t buy books anymore. You don’t have that problem because little kids still like to hold a book and drool on it and eat it and all that shit.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Get a real job, I guess.”

“How long?” Layla asked, hearing her phone yet again.

“By the end of the month,” Poppy said. “It’s actually good timing, I mean, with you getting married and all. I figured you’d be moving to Atlanta and. . . .”

“Gage and I haven’t decided what we’re doing.”

“Layla, be serious. The man is a millionaire like 50 times over. He runs one of the most successful airlines in the country. You honestly think he can do that from Savannah, or by commuting everyday?”

Layla sat down, her head swimming.
This was the last thing I needed.

The store phone rang, and Poppy reached to answer. “Yeah, Gage, she’s right here. . . Stop yelling!” Layla took the phone. “Warning—he’s pissed off about something.”

“Gage, what’s going on?” Layla asked.

“Why didn’t you pick up your damn phone?” he barked.

Layla hung up. Poppy nodded at her friend, impressed. “He’s not going to speak to either one of us that way.” The phone rang again, and Layla hit speaker. “Poppy’s with me. You can apologize now.”

Gage exhaled. “Layla, there’s no time for this shit.” Layla hung up again.

“He’s going to go ape-shit crazy,” Poppy said with a laugh and unfolded the morning paper.

The phone rang again. “Maybe I shouldn’t answer this time,” Layla said.

Poppy scanned the paper, and her eyes exploded. “Answer the phone! You’re on the front page!”

“What?” Layla swiped the paper, seeing a photo of Gage singing to her at the Hope Cottage event, right below the headline:
Will There Be a Wedding in the Governor’s Mansion?
She hit speaker on the phone. “Gage, we’re on the front page!”

“I know,” Gage said.

“How did this happen?” Layla cried.

Poppy searched her phone. “It’s all over the internet, too!”

“What?” Layla cried, as Gage began to mumble a string of curse words. “Just local, right?”

“No,” Poppy said. “Atlanta, too. It’s all over Georgia. Wait, here’s one on a national site! And here’s a YouTube video of Gage singing to you!”

“Shut up, Poppy!” Gage barked.

“Stop yelling at her!” Layla said.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Layla, listen to me. Emerson is on her way to get you. Go with her. The corporate jet will bring you to Atlanta.”

“Now?” Layla asked.

“Poppy,” he said, “will you please have someone cover for Layla today and tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll watch Pippa, too.”

“Thank you,” Gage said. “Angel?”

“I’m here.”

“Emerson should be out front in a minute or two,” Gage said. “She’s in a black town car.”

Layla looked out the window. “It just pulled up. I see her. Gage, how did this happen?”

“We can talk when you get here. I’ll see you in a little over an hour. Everything will be fine.” He hung up.

Poppy wrapped her arms around Layla. “I guess this wasn’t the greatest time to tell you about the store.”

Layla didn’t respond. Her problems were well beyond paying rent. She grabbed her purse and walked to the car. Emerson was in the backseat with a phone to her ear. She gave a tiny smile and mouthed she was talking to Gage.

“Stop yelling!” Emerson shouted then told the driver to hit the gas.

Layla was barely buckled when the car sped off. She kept quiet as they headed to the airport, listening to bits and pieces of Emerson talking to Gage. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but by what his sister was saying, and how she was fidgeting with her hands and glasses, they were both a nervous wreck. The story was more than they expected.

The driver pulled into the airport, and Emerson ended the call. She threw her phone in her purse and took out a mini bottle of whiskey. “You want one, Layla? I think I have another one in here somewhere.” Layla politely declined. “I take them with me off the planes. I keep them in my purse.” Emerson unscrewed the cap and took a swig. She glanced over at Layla, who looked like she just got thrown in the deep end of the pool. “You need to prepare yourself.”

“For what?”

“Gage,” Emerson said. “You’re about to see a very different side of him.”

“I already heard it this morning,” Layla said. “What happened? I thought the press was focusing on Hope Cottage, not me and Gage.”

“They were. I took care of it myself. Gage and I decided not to even mention the engagement because he didn’t want to draw attention to anything other than those girls.”

“So someone leaked the engagement?”

Emerson took another swig. “Maybe someone did. But you had a ring on, so anyone would know. Maybe he should’ve waited until after the party to ask you. But I guess he was tired of waiting.”

“What about Gage considering a run for governor? I didn’t think that was public knowledge. Now it’s splashed on the front page!”

“I don’t know.” Emerson finished the bottle and opened another. “But maybe I shouldn’t be complaining right now—all the stories are positive, planting Gage as the next great governor.”

“Then what’s Gage so upset about?”

“You,” Emerson said. “That you’ve been thrust into the limelight with him. He hasn’t made a decision and wasn’t expecting this kind of attention so soon.”

“So he’s going to try to smother me in protection?”

“Just try to play nice and understand it’s coming from a place of love,” Emerson said. “And don’t hang up on him again.” She lowered her glasses and pulled out a stack of papers. “This is every article run so far.”

Layla flipped through them all, scanning the headlines:
Sorry, Ladies, He’s Taken. Steamy Serenade to Georgia Beauty. Georgia Governor Hopeful Engaged.
Teenage Romance Blooms into Engagement. Southern Wings Exec Building Hope Cottage—and New Life with Layla Tanner.

Emerson took a drink. “Maybe the Democrats or Republicans told the press Gage might be running?”

“Why would they do that? And how would they know Gage and I dated as teenagers?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to scare Gage off? They know he’s the full package. They don’t want a third party jumping in the race.”

“But all the stories are positive, like you said?”

“They are
now
,” Emerson said. “I work in PR, so I know how the press operates. Gage does, too. This is day one. The public and the press are eating it up. It’s like you and Gage are the next Prince William and Kate. But the digging will start soon. The press will do some digging on its own. The political creeps will do some digging, too. They feed stuff to the press, and the press then takes it a step further, does the dirty work. For now, I don’t know what’s going on exactly. Maybe the Democrats or Republicans know they can get to Gage through his new fiancée? Just sending a little message that you will be fair game.”

Layla swallowed hard, remembering what Governor Clements told her, how perceptive he was, the connections he drew, the correct assumptions he made. And if it was all so clear and obvious to him, it probably was to others, too. There surely were other political folks thinking three steps ahead, eager to expose her and tear her apart, all to torpedo Gage.

Emerson straightened her glasses and saw the fear on Layla’s face. “Who knows, honey? I don’t mean to scare you. I’m just spitballing. It’s part of my job.”

*

Layla and Emerson
landed in Atlanta, and a black town car with tinted windows whisked them to the corporate office. The car navigated through a sea of reporters and camera crews and pulled into an attached parking garage. Emerson swiped an access card to get in and at several other checkpoints before pointing the driver towards a private parking area. Then she took Layla to a secure elevator bank, and they headed up away from the chaos below.

Layla stepped onto the executive floor and found chaos of another kind. Employees were shuffling papers, moving quickly down the halls, barking on their phones. A few employees glared at Layla as she walked by, clearly recognizing her from the news coverage. They were not shy about letting her know that she – whoever the hell she was – was the cause of their stress and Gage’s horrible mood.

“If I didn’t know better,” Layla whispered, “I’d think a plane crashed.”

“Gage would be calmer during that,” Emerson said, leading Layla through heavy glass doors. “Hi, Mary. How bad is he?

The secretary gave Layla a small smile. “Maybe he’ll calm down now that you’re here. Congrats on your engagement.”

“Where the hell are they?” Gage barked, stomping out of his office.

“Traffic,” Emerson said.

Gage stopped in his tracks, his eyes bitterly cold. “I need five minutes in my office with Layla,” he said and reached out a hand to her. “Emerson, I’ll see you in the boardroom in five minutes.”

Layla took his hand, and he pulled her inside. “Five minutes, Mary. No interruptions.” He slammed the door behind them.

The office was huge and dark. The shades were drawn. Gage sat down on a sofa and pulled Layla onto his lap, burying his head in her neck.

“Gage, what’s going on? How did this happen?”

“Just let me hold you, Angel.”

Layla stroked his back and ran her fingers through his hair. She wasn’t sure what else to do, or what exactly he needed.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“It’s not your fault.”

“No running, right?”

“Only to your arms.”

He picked up his head and kissed her softly on the lips. “Wait in here for me.” He got to his feet.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. Mary will get you whatever you need. Don’t go out. Don’t open the shades. There are cameras everywhere outside. There’s a bathroom through that door.” He pointed to the side of his office.

She stood up. “You made me fly all the way to Atlanta to stay trapped in your office?”

“I needed you close. We can talk about stuff when I’m done with Emerson.”

“No, I want to hear everything going on.” Gage shook his head, left the office, and slammed the door behind him.

Layla walked around for a moment, seeing the morning papers spread across his desk, next to her cross holding down a few business letters. Layla ran her fingers across it. She walked out of the office and heard Gage yelling down the hall. She made her way past Mary and followed his voice. She came upon the boardroom—one of the few private spots in the building without any glass or windows—and stood outside. She couldn’t see Gage or his sister but could hear everything loud and clear.