Worlds Apart by Isis Brown

Author:Isis Brown [Brown, Isis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-29T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Layla and Marco rang the doorbell at Penny’s house, arms full of items for the birthday party.

“Hello my darlings,” Penny said, opening the door wide, and taking a bag of ice out of Layla’s hands. “Follow me into the kitchen.”

Once they had deposited everything where it should go, Penny turned and greeted Layla and Marco.

“How was the drive?” she asked, hugging them both.

“Not bad,” Marco said, “I just had to hear all about how this one over here can’t wait to see Isabel.”

Penny chuckled. “What’s so wrong with that?”

“The drive is five hours Penny. FIVE HOURS,” Marco complained.

“Give me a break. I haven’t talked to her in days. I miss her,” Layla whined, carrying the gift bags as she followed Penny into the living room. “Anything else you need us to set up?”

“No, everything is set, now we wait for them to arrive. Tom is over there behind the bar if you’d like a drink, and Marco, Elliott is in the yard with the kids.”

Marco bee-lined for the back yard while Layla went and greeted Tom with a peck on the cheek and request for a glass of wine. They all socialized for a while, Layla going outside to say hi to Elliott and the kids, then walking around the living room taking in the decorations.

“Penny, this place looks awesome.”

“Thanks! As a mother of two, one thing this gal can do is throw a fucking party… as long as it ends by 8.”

Layla laughed as she picked a seat on the couch, where they sat to catch up one on one. They were broken out of the conversation when the doorbell rang, and Penny’s oldest daughter ran to answer the door.

“Auntie Isabel!” Jen yelled as she jumped into her arms. “Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you, sweetheart!” she said as she picked her up and spun her around before lowering her back to the floor.

Isabel and Toni made the rounds saying hi to everyone, as Layla hung back so they would be able to take their time saying hello. When they finally made eye contact, Isabel gave Layla a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The ball of anxiety in Layla’s gut grew.

Layla stood with her arms out, inviting Isabel to say hi, which she did by sliding into her arms.

“Hey you,” Layla whispered into Isabel’s hair, “I’ve missed you.”

“Hey,” Isabel said, with a thickness to her voice.

“Are you okay?” Layla asked, sensing something was off. Their reunions were usually a lot more affectionate than this.

“Yeah, I’m just really tired.”

“Of course,” Layla said, feeling the sting of rejection and stepping back from Isabel.

“Alright, now that the guest of honor is here, I’ll fire up the grill!” Tom said as he stepped into the back yard, and Layla took the excuse to follow him out to avoid any further awkwardness between them.

The party was soon in full swing, with Isabel making the rounds catching up with everyone and Layla helping Tom by bringing in the food as it cooked. On her way

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