As Laylah pulled into the parking lot of the Home Depot, she quickly glanced over at Chancellor. “I’m sorry if I offended you in some way.”
“You didn’t. And I’m not insulted. I think I simply read you wrong.”
“I’m happy you’ve changed your mind about me.” She turned off the ignition. “I guess we’d better go inside so I can get you back to the shelter in time.”
“Why do you even care whether I land a bed there or not?”
“I just do. I’d like to see everyone get one. It doesn’t make me happy to know that our country is the greatest superpower in the world, yet it lacks compassion.” Laylah sighed hard. “If you’re wondering if I’ve taken a special interest in you, I have. I’m attracted to you, Chancellor Kingston. I know that may seem ludicrous, but it’s true.”
“Is an attraction to me ludicrous? Or is it ludicrous to be attracted to a homeless man? Which one is it, Miss Versailles?”
Laylah could easily refuse to answer that question, but she thought it might make her seem shallow. She was anything but superficial. “I guess I could say both. There are people out there who would definitely think it’s ludicrous to be romantically attracted to a homeless guy. To be real honest with you, I feel as if I’ve been acting a little insane over my attraction for you. What do you think of it?”
Chancellor grinned. “I think I like having you attracted to me. Despite you not being homeless, the attraction is mutual. The truth is, I think you’re pretty hot. I guess a guy down on his luck shouldn’t even be thinking or saying something like that, huh?”
Laylah blushed fiercely, something she’d done a lot of since meeting Chancellor. “I’m truly flattered. Thanks for the return honesty. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Now that we both know we’re attracted to each other, how do you suggest we handle it?” He was very interested in hearing her response.
Laylah gave a resigned sigh. “Wish I’d asked you that question first.”
They both laughed, seemingly content to leave the question unanswered for now.
Feeling less foolish than she had before her confession, Laylah slipped out from under the steering wheel. That Chancellor was just as attracted to her made her feel much better. How they’d go about establishing any type of relationship was anyone’s guess. This wasn’t an everyday situation. Nor was it an ordinary boy-meets-girl scenario.
Woman meets homeless man and falls head over heels in love. Go figure…That would definitely be one exciting story to write. Laylah laughed inwardly.
Chancellor located the item he needed to treat the plants right away. The formula came in a spray and a powder. When he couldn’t make up his mind which one might work best, Laylah made it up for him by tossing both items into her shopping cart.
As they proceeded to the checkout line, Laylah spotted an eye-catching lighting display. Because she had been looking for a new chandelier for the dining area, she began to look at the various ones for sale. She gave a few oohs and aahs before she came upon the perfect one for her formal dining room. “What do you think of this chandelier?” she asked Chancellor. She didn’t know why, but his opinion mattered.
Stroking his chin, he pursed his lips. “Beautiful. Are you in the market for one?”
“Have been for quite a while.” She chewed on her lower lip, thinking about who she could get to install it for her. A bright smile lit up her eyes as she looked over at Chancellor. “Do your handyman skills include working with lighting fixtures?”
“You’re in luck.” Chancellor winked at her. “They do. I’m very experienced in electrical work. Looks like I’m getting lots of chances to earn my supper.”
That’s not all you’ll get to earn. She quickly chided her devilish wickedness. “When do you think you can hang it?”
He put his forefinger up to his right temple. “I’ll have to check my calendar first.”
“Okay. Just let me know when.”
Surprised that she hadn’t caught his attempt at light sarcasm, Chancellor chuckled. “Whenever you need me to do it is when I can get it done.”
She could surely run away with his statement. She had a lot he could do for her.
Chancellor then thought about the place he had once used for all his lighting needs. “If you can wait a little longer, I’d like to take you to a place specializing in light fixtures. Light Up Your World has every type of lighting you can imagine.”
“Hmm, I think I’ve heard of the company. Pretty swanky place if I recall correctly. I have the weekend off. Are you free to take me sometime tomorrow?”
“I’m free.” Without all these heavy burdens he carried around, Chancellor would one day be as free as a bird. One day soon everything would, hopefully, be resolved.
He couldn’t wait for the topsy-turvy things in his life to return to right side up. He wished Laylah hadn’t revealed her attraction to him, since the timing for him to get personally involved with someone was not the best. If everything was the way it used to be, he’d be happy to sweep her off her feet and carry her off into the sunset. He sensed that she deserved a real live hero to enhance her life, a knight in shining armor.
Right now, Chancellor just couldn’t fulfill Laylah’s romantic needs. There was too much unsavory stuff on his plate. However, once he got his life back on track—and if she was still available—she had better look out. He planned to be hot on her trail.
Laylah thought it was strange that Chancellor had asked to be dropped off a block away from the shelter, but she had obliged him. As she drove the short distance to her destination, she had a chance to briefly think about some of what had transpired between them. Whether she had intended to or not, she had totally changed the nature of their relationship. For better or worse, she didn’t know. She had every intention of finding out.
Only time would tell.
Serving meals to a few dozen patrons had gone off without a hitch. Some evenings at the shelter were much easier than others, but rarely were there any without a single incident. Laylah was so grateful for how smoothly things had run, because she felt extremely tired. A hot bath and a couple of hours of reading would help rejuvenate her. Then she recalled it was Friday night. Open mic was something she loved to indulge in and hardly ever missed attending.
As Laylah was a woman who loved to write poetry, she also enjoyed sharing her creative works with others. Seated in the audience and listening to other poets was also a real blast for her. The majority of the poetry was spoken to music and someone might even hum or trill during the performance.
Bella’s Café was cozy, pretty laid-back—and the rules of the establishment cited no particular dress code. Most everyone wore jeans, sweats and other comfortable attire, as well as casual footgear. It was so easy to meet people at the event. Folks acted as if they were all one big happy family, as if they’d known each other their entire lives.
The very old jukebox was a favorite fixture. Hot wings and French fries, personal-pan pizzas and a few other fast-food items could be ordered. The only alcoholic beverage served was wine, but lemonade, iced tea and water were also available for purchasing.
Laylah looked all around the room until she spotted Chancellor. Wondering if she should ask him if he wanted to go to Bella’s Café with her was at the forefront of her mind. She actually thought he might enjoy it. It might also help him relax.