would be great. I’ll just finish up here,” she said, gesturing to the trays. “I might need ten minutes.”
“Sounds good,” he said, lifting the basket. “I’ll just go pay for my stuff and wait by the car.”
A few minutes later, Laila came outside, hurriedly tucking in her shirt and fussing with her hair. When she saw him, she stopped and smiled a touch nervously. He waved, stepping to the passenger side to open the door for her.
He’d done the same the night he drove her to the hotel, but this time she asked about it.
“Don’t get me wrong—it’s endearing but a little old fashioned,” she observed. “I don’t think I know of another person who does that.”
Even her father had only done it for her stepmother when Janice was wearing heels and dressed for a night on the town.
Mason shrugged. “It’s just the way I was brought up. In my part of Tennessee, men are brought up to be gentlemen, and a gentleman always opens a lady’s door. At least that’s what my aunt Martha taught me.”
“You have an aunt named Martha?” Her lips quirked. “Her last name wouldn’t happen to be Kent, would it?”
He held up a hand. “No Superman jokes. I get enough of that from my team.”
She giggled. “Can you blame them?” Laila gestured at his muscled chest.
“Superman isn’t blond.”
“True,” she said, subsiding. “Unless you’re in disguise…”
The way she said it was so adorably cheeky he couldn’t help but laugh.
They were only a few minutes away from their building when she cast a shy glance his way. “Do you, um, do you want to grab a bite to eat? I just got paid, and there’s a new little ramen place my friend told me about that just opened a few blocks from us. My treat.”
“Oh.” He hesitated. “I was going to go for a run before opening up one of those,” he said, pointing his thumb to the sack of groceries in his backseat.
“No problem,” she said hurriedly, turning away. “I just feel like I still owe you after that hotel room.”
“You don’t,” he assured her lightly, but his gut twisted. Laila had been gazing at him with such a warm and sweet expression, but she wouldn’t even look at him now.
“I can get out here,” she said as he pulled up in front of their building.
He glanced at the overcast sky. A few fat drops hit the windshield. “Why don’t you let me pull into the garage? It’s starting to rain.”
“Don’t worry, this is fine. I need to check my mailbox anyway,” Laila replied, her head down as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
She was out the door before he could protest.
Mason watched her hurry inside, her shoulders hunched in over her chest as if to protect herself from a blow from above.
Every fiber of his being rebelled, the instinct to chase after her sudden and sharp.
“Fuck.” Mason banged his hand on the steering wheel. It smarted, but he couldn’t help thinking it should have been his head. That needed a good whack.
It’s too soon, a little voice in his head whispered. Ransom was hit on their last outing. It could have easily been him, and it could have been a kill shot. And Ransom had been following orders to a tee. Sometimes, people could do everything right and still catch a bullet.
How could Mason risk getting involved with someone like Laila with that hanging over his head?
But staying away was starting to become a real struggle. Especially when she had just put herself out there with that dinner invitation. Sure, they could pretend it had been a casual thing, a simple thank you on her part. But they would have been lying to themselves and each other.
Instinct told him that sweet invitation wouldn’t come again. Laila was far too shy.
Swearing under his breath, Mason parked the car. By the time he got upstairs, Laila was already inside her place, the flickering light under the door telling him that she was moving around in her kitchen.
Mason stared at her door for a full minute, willing himself to knock. Instead, he pivoted and went into his place. He changed into his running gear, resolving that whatever else was true, he hadn’t just lied to Laila about his plans.
Chapter Eight
Laila ran up the stairs, closing the door to her apartment as if she could shut out her embarrassment and leave it in the hallway along with the shreds of her dignity.
Everything is fine. Mason hadn’t realized she was asking for