Forever Layla: A Time Travel Romance by Melissa Turner Lee Read Free Book Online Page A

walking away. “I think I’ve got a new line. ‘Hey, baby. You look like the kind of girl I’d want to hold after sex and actually call the next day?’”
    Layla sighed. “You are disgusting , Michael, and you always will be.” She pulled off my t-shirt to reveal the hot pink bikini underneath. “David, could you help rub lotion on my back?”
    I leapt from my seat and then realized I looked too anxious. “Umm , sure.”
    When I was finished rubbing it in, I handed her the bottle and leaned back in my lounger. I pulled out my inhaler and tried to unscramble my thoughts and breathe.
    “So, this is what spring break is all about?” she asked.
    “You never went to the beach for spring break?”
    “Nope. They don’t schedule spring break trips at a girls’ home.”
    I turned to see her. “A girl s’ home?”
    “Yep. I ’m an orphan. It was a church-run orphanage called Connie Maxwell Children’s home, so they were strict with us. I just started allowing myself to wear a bikini. But they got me ready for life. I don’t expect anyone to just hand me anything. If I own something, it’s because I worked to get. I’m grateful for that because I don’t expect anything from anyone in life now. I know it’s all up to me.”
    “Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say.
    “I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. I got a scholarship, but you have to eat too while in college, right? And where would I go during Christmas? College wasn’t an option for me, because I needed to hit the ground running. I got a job in retail and realized I was good at selling. I investigated what I could do with that talent and got into insurance and have moved up the ladder pretty quickly. They consider it impressive to have made it to the level I’m at without a degree and so young. But I work hard, and I go after what I want. I may not be as educated as some, but I’m not stupid. Some of the ones who were handed an education are the laziest ones in the office.”
    I looked at her and my heart sank. Suddenly I felt more like a little kid than I had when she told me her age. She wasn’t just older than I was , but more of a grownup than I’d realized. “I’m about to graduate. If I had to move out on my own that day with no one to help me along, I don’t know what I’d do.”
    “That’s all I thought about at your age. How was I going to take care of myself when I graduated? I knew a minimum wage job wouldn’t work , and I didn’t want to end up like my—” She stopped and cleared her throat. “…a statistic. You should count your blessings that you don’t have to worry about all that. Taking care of myself is all I’ve ever really known.”
    “Yeah, I guess I should be thankful. I don’ t think I’ve ever given it a thought how much my folks take care of me.”
    Layla stretched out on the lounger. “I’m still counting on my ride coming back so I can get back to my life, but until then, I’m here and I might as well enjoy the sun, right? My very first spring break. You guys can teach me how it’s done.”
    I watched her stretch out and had to wonder at how at ease she was with things. Could she really be from the future? Maybe this really was a prank from the guys. Maybe they knew more about my notebooks than I’d realized.
    I stood. “I’m going in to put on my trunks. I’ll be right back.”
    She lowered her sunglasses and smiled. “Take your time.”
    I got to my room and changed into my trunks. The guys and I had gotten a big bottle of amino acids and had been popping them for months while taking turns on the weight bench in Michael’s garage. I glanced at my physique in the mirror and was sorta glad I’d joined the guys. My body wasn’t just skin and bones any longer. I didn’t look like a body builder but I had good definition. I flexed my biceps and nodded at my reflection. I caught myself and stepped away from the mirror. If I didn’t watch it, I’d be practicing sultry gazes in the