Chapter 8 Emily stooped down beside the radio. She was just about to press the “play” button. She looked up at Mario who was standing in front of the large mirror that ran along one wall of the room, waiting for her to begin the song. “Are you ready to try this one time?” She asked wearily. The two of them had been going through the steps for the skit for over two hours and Emily was wondering if Mario would get it. He was a good dancer like he said but he wasn’t the type to pick up something very quickly she was learning. It wasn’t like he had many steps to learn. Emily had fixed it so she had the most to do. Emily sighed and wiped at her forehead. It was hot! Why she picked the hottest day to rehearse she had no idea. The rehearsal studio had no air conditioning and opening the windows and turning on a few fans wasn’t helping. However, Emily thought as she eyed Mario, maybe the heat wasn’t that bad. Emily smiled wickedly to herself. Mario had once again taken off his shirt. Mario turned around with a smile. “Press play and let me show you what I can do.” Emily pressed down the button and Mario took her hand. He quickly took her through the steps and never once stumbled or forgot a step. Emily was amazed. “Wow? What just happened here?” “I decided to stop fooling around. I got everything down pat right after you showed me.” Mario shrugged. “I was always a quick study.” “But what about all the mistakes you made…” He leaned in as if he was telling her a secret. “I just wanted to spend some time with you, baby girl.” Emily couldn’t hold back her grin. “If that was the case why didn’t you just say so earlier and we could have just did something else.” “Maybe I just wanted to see how long I could have you in my arms.” He said quietly. The corners of his lips quirked up slightly. “Or maybe I just wanted to see how long you could keep from blowing your stack. You’re cute when you’re all sweaty and frustrated.” “Man, then I must really be sexy right now.” Emily grumbled. She flipped back a damp lock of hair. “So you’re a regular Fred Astaire, huh?” “Just as a hobby. You should see me out in the nightclubs.” Mario said. “Maybe we could do that some time.” Emily suggested hopefully. “You know, go out dancing and stuff.” “I don’t think we could get you in.” He said regretfully. “Hey, I look a lot older than I really am, okay?” Emily propped her hand up against her hip and gave Mario a look that dared him to contradict her. Instead Mario nodded and said softly. “Yeah you do have that…” He glanced down at the radio. He reached down and switched from the tape deck to a radio station. The beginning notes started to play. A low voiced female singer began to sing. **When I first saw you I already knew There was something inside of you Something I thought that I would never find Angel of mine I looked at you looking at me Now I know why they say the best things are free I'm gonna love you boy you are so fine Angel of mine** “Dance with me?” He asked. “Now?” Emily looked down at herself and grimaced. “I’m all yucky and sweaty and…“ “So am I.” Mario shrugged. “Dance with me, baby girl.” This time his voice was soft and he stared into her eyes. He held his hand out to hers and she hesitantly took it. Mario gripped her hand and quickly tugged her into his arms. Caught off guard, Emily stumbled a little and landed against Mario. He smiled and Emily tried to laugh off her mistake. She blushed and looked down. Mario wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her very close to him. Emily’s eyes widened for a second. Then she put her left hand on his shoulder. Mario gripped her right hand tightly in his left. **How you changed my world you'll never know I'm different now, you helped me grow You came into my life sent from above When I lost all hope you showed me love I'm checkin' for you, boy you're right on time Angel of mine** They started to rock back and forth to the music. Mario then surprised her by releasing his hold on her waist and twirling her out and away from him. Emily giggled before spinning back into his arms. He caught and quickly dipped her backwards. Emily smiled broadly up at him. Mario’s eyes gleamed as he looked into her eyes. Her breath caught at the look he gave her. She held his steady gaze for a few seconds before clearing her throat. He brought her back up and they resumed their former positions. **Nothing means more to me than what we share No one in this whole world can ever compare Last night the way you moved is still on my mind Angel of mine** What you mean to me you'll never know Deep inside I need to show** Emily started to rest her head on her hand but she stopped herself. Mario released her hand and gently pressed her head down. Instead of holding her hand again he trailed his hand down her arm, causing her to shiver, and wrapped his other arm around her. Emily, not knowing what else to do with herself, brought her other hand up to his shoulder. Mario leaned his head on hers. His arms tightened around her and they began to sway slightly to the music. **You came into my life sent from above When I lost all hope you showed me love I'm checkin' for you, boy you're right on time Angel of mine I never knew I could feel each moment As if they were new Every breath that I take The love that we make I only share it with you, you, you, you** Emily sighed deeply as she let herself go. It didn’t matter that they were sweaty or that they were supposed to be rehearsing. At that moment nothing really mattered. It was like the other night on his motorcycle. To her, only the two of them existed. She was beginning to realize that whenever she was with Mario she forgot all her worries. Nothing intruded. She liked that a lot about him. That and the fact that he didn’t treat her differently because of who her family was. This is crazy, Mario thought. I shouldn’t be doing this. This Jason Morgan’s little sister, a member of the most powerful families in Port Charles, a Quartermaine. And who was he? He was just some mechanic, who in a normal world wouldn’t even have a chance with a person like her. And then there was the age difference. Mario sighed heavily, God, the age difference. But his doubting thoughts didn’t stop him from tightening his hold on her and pulling her closer. **When I first saw you I already knew There was something inside of you Something I thought that I would never find Angel of mine You came into my life sent from above When I lost all hope you showed me love I'm checkin' for you, boy you're right on time Angel of mine** Emily pulled back and said, “You are a wonderful dancer.” Mario nodded. “I don’t want to say I told you so but…” Emily smacked him on the shoulder. “Then don’t!” He feigned being hurt. “Ow!” Her lips curled into a smile. “Want me to kiss it better?” She asked teasingly. “Yes, that would be nice.” Mario answered her. Emily quickly looked into his eyes to see if he was serious. He was. “I…” Emily’s mouth went dry. Mario reached up and cupped her face. Emily stared at him in wonder. His thumb lightly stroked her cheek. He thrust his other hand into her hair. “Mario…” Emily whispered. He rubbed his thumb across her lips and Emily sighed. Mario bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. Emily closed her eyes. Mario smiled slightly. He then leaned in again. This time his tongue snaked out and touched the corner of her mouth. Emily shivered. He then trailed his tongue over the seam of her lips. Emily parted them and he gently dipped his tongue in. Their kiss began softly and sweetly and it slowly began to change. Emily plunged her hands into his hair as she kissed him back. Mario wrapped his arms tightly around her, bringing her body closer to his. Emily rubbed her hands over his shoulders, reveling in the fell of his skin. Mario began to walk her backwards. She felt her back hit the cold mirror. Shocked, she instantly and without thinking, she arched away from the mirror, pressing closer to Mario. He groaned deep in the back of his throat. He ran his hands under her shirt. He squeezed and kneaded her waist, not going any further. He raised his mouth from hers and Emily moaned in disappointment. Mario laughed softly and pressed his mouth to her neck. His mouth was hot and wet on her neck. Emily closed her eyes and threw her head back giving him more room. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore and she grabbed his head, bringing his mouth back to hers. They kissed long and deeply. **How you changed my world you'll never know I'm different now, you helped me grow I looked at you looking at me Now I know why they say the best things are free I'm gonna love you boy you are so fine Angel of mine** Mario broke off the kiss to take a deep shuddering breath. Oh, I am in trouble now, he thought. He rested his forehead against hers and ran his hands up and down her sides in a soothing motion. Emily swallowed hard. “Wow…” Was all she could say. “I’ve never… wow.” “Ah baby girl…” Mario started. Emily stopped him by pressing her finger against his lips. “Don’t say it! Don’t you dare say it. I wanted that and you wanted that and it was *not* wrong.” “Okay.” Mario nipped at her finger and Emily smiled at his antics. “I did want that but I didn’t want it be something I pushed you in to.” “Was I not kissing you back? Hello?” Emily answered back. “Don’t be smart with me, girl, it’s not cute.” Mario joked back. “But it’s damn sexy right?” Emily asked. “Oh, hell yeah.” Mario nuzzled her neck and Emily giggled. “Yoo-hoo? Anybody in here?” Lucy’s cheery voice broke the spell that had woven itself around the two of them. Emily looked down and stepped away from Mario. Mario dropped his hands and turned around. Lucy sauntered in without even noticing anything. “Just checking in on the rehearsals.” She then blinked as she looked around. “What… what’s going on here, Emily?” Emily scratched her neck. “I was just rehearsing.” “Really? And who is this?” Lucy pointed at Mario. “Doesn’t look like Lucky Spencer to me.” Emily remembered that she hadn’t told Lucy about Lucky’s accident. “This is Mario, he’s a friend of mine. Lucky got hurt the other night and Mario graciously agreed to take Lucky’s place. Isn’t that great?” Lucy eyed Mario suspiciously. Mario felt like he was under a microscope. He hated that feeling. He stared back at her. “Well, I don’t know…” “Lucy, come on!” Emily wheedled. “Mario knows the moves and he’s great at it. Besides I can’t do it by myself and it’s too late to try and come up with another skit. What, you want us to completely wipe it out of the Ball and do what with the empty space? Have someone in my family make a scene?” “Alright, alright, alright!” Lucy threw her hands up in surrender. “I think I’ve finally met my match. You want your friend in, if he doesn’t ruin everything that is.” “Is his last name Quartermaine or… Bell?” Emily asked. She shook her head in response. “No, so everything’s going to be fine! Trust me.” Lucy shook her head. She knew Alan would kill her if she let anything happen to his little girl. “Would you like me to stay and…?” “No!” Emily quickly said. She corrected herself. “Nah, it’s fine. I’ll be fine. Go on.” “Okay, I think I have another fitting. Elise is impossible! I’ll see you at the dress rehearsals, all right?” Emily bobbed her head quickly. She couldn’t believe that Lucy didn’t put up that much of a fight. “Sure, sure.” Lucy nodded in Mario’s direction before walking out. “Isn’t this great? She went along with the plan!” Mario shook his head. “You are dangerous.” “What? How am I dangerous?” Emily widened her eyes in shock. “I thought it was just a power you had over me but now I know better.” Mario said instead of answering her question. Emily reached for his hands and threaded her fingers through his. “And what power is that?” She asked as she leaned in. She brought his arms around her. “You have the unbelievable talent of making things go your way. You always get what you want, don’t you?” Emily laughed bitterly over the absurdity of that statement. “If only that was true.” “What is it that you want that you can’t have?” Mario asked. “Right now?” Emily arched her eyebrow. He ran his hand through her hair. “At this moment. What is it?” “Hmm…” Emily pretended to think it over. “You mean other than a really hot car?” “What, not a really hot guy?” Mario teased. “I’ve got one of those already. But you know what I really want… some peach ice cream from Kelly’s.” Emily licked her lips in anticipation. Mario pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Done.” “As easy as that?” Mario nodded. “I should try this more often then.” Emily grinned. ~*~*~ Sly followed Lark over to a table at Kelly’s. “Oh, I didn’t know it was going to be this hot today!” Lark grumbled as she slid into her seat. “Me neither.” Sly flopped down into his. “Thank goodness Kelly’s has air conditioning.” A waitress came over to them. “What can I get for you today?” She asked. “Could I get the biggest bowl of ice cream you can find?” Sly asked. She started to write on her notepad. “What flavor?” “Surprise me.” Sly smiled charmingly at her. Lark noticed it and she could tell that the waitress was affected also. She smiled back at him. Lark could have sworn she winked at him too. “Could I get a Popsicle?” Lark said harshly, reminding the girl that she was still sitting there. “Uh,” the girl hesitated. “I don’t think we have Popsicles.” “Then could I get a chocolate egg cream?” Lark demanded. The waitress jotted it down and went into the back to give in their orders. “Geez, the service around here stinks.” She muttered. “That’s because you’re used to Liz’s sparkling personality.” Sly said not taking her seriously. Lark sat back and nodded. Relax, she told herself, that girl’s no competition. Sly’s sitting here with you and not with her. “So Sly… what are you going to do this summer?” She asked. Sly shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m trying to find a job? I could ask Luke or Bobbie if I could work at Luke’s or here but I don’t want to use my family to get a job, you know.” “Why not?” Lark asked. “Geez, I wish I had family who had connections like yours.” “I want to get a job that I deserve. I don’t want getting the job because I’m family. What if I suck at it? They wouldn’t fire me, I already know that and…why are you looking at me like that?” Sly asked. “Do I sound that weird?” Lark hadn’t realized she was gaping at him. “No, it’s just that you are so…” “What am I? What do you think I am?” Sly leaned in. “Tell me.” He demanded softly. You’re so sexy, honorable, sweet… Lark reigned in her thoughts and changed the subject as something else suddenly came to her mind. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be a cook?” Sly sat back, wondering why she hadn’t answered his question. “Yeah…” “You know I work at this restaurant, Mario’s?” Lark asked. Sly nodded and repeated his previous answer. “Yeah…” “Well, they are a little short-handed and are looking for some extra help this summer.” “Really?” Sly asked interested. Lark nodded. “Uh-huh. It’s just a busboy position but the pay’s okay and the chefs are cool so they’d probably teach you a few things. So what do you say?” Sly surprised her by suddenly reaching across the table and grabbing her by the shoulders. He quickly kissed her cheek. “I say thank you!” Lark sat back stunned speechless. Not exactly how she wanted her first kiss from Mario to be like but it was a start. “Um…” She cleared her throat and began again. “Uh, I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we’d even work the same shift.” “That would be cool.” Sly grinned. Lark smiled back. This is going to be a great summer, she thought. Emily and Mario walked into Kelly’s. “It’s packed in here! I didn’t think so many people would be outside today.” “I think it has to do with the air conditioning.” Mario said. “It feels great in here.” “Yeah but where are we going to sit?” Emily asked as she looked around. “I am *not* sitting outside. “Wait, there’s Lark and Sly!” She pointed them out. She reached for his hand and started to drag him over. Mario stopped her by not moving. “Uh-uh. I am not meeting another friend of yours. They don’t like me.” “Oh please.” Emily scoffed. “Lark and Sly are cool. They’ll love you. Come on.” She pulled him along behind her. “Hey guys.” Lark looked up to see Emily standing by her table holding that Mario guy’s hand. “Hi.” “Lark, Sly, this is Mario. Mario, this is Lark and Sly.” Emily quickly introduced them. “Could we sit with you guys? There are not many empty seats here…” Sly looked around. “It filled up pretty quickly. I didn’t even notice. Sure, you guys can sit. Go ahead.” He waved at the seats and they sat. “So what are you guys up to?” Lark asked. “We just finished rehearsing. Mario’s taking Lucky’s place.” Emily informed them and leaned into his side. “Really? Thanks man, she was trying to get me to do it.” Sly said. Mario shrugged. “Well, she kinda talked me into it. More like wore me down actually.” He corrected. “Hey! I did not wear you down.” Emily protested and lightly punched him in the shoulder. “Hey, hey, baby girl, remember what happened the last time you hit me.” Mario jokingly threatened her. He threw his arm over her shoulders. “Oh, is that a threat?” Emily asked. “More like a promise.” Mario said quietly. He looked into her eyes. “Oh really?” She murmured. “Really.” He nodded. Sly gave Lark a quick look. He was feeling like an intrusion and wondered if Lark was too. She shrugged to say “Me too.” Emily noticed the looks they were exchanging. She cleared her throat. “So what were you guys doing?” “We were waiting for our food. Where is that waitress?” Sly looked around. “Yeah, it has been a while. I didn’t even notice.” Lark admitted. All her attention had been focused on Sly at the time. Just then the waitress came rushing up to them with their orders. “Sorry, I took so long. We’re kinda swamped. “You had the ice cream and you had the milkshake, right?” She started to put down the dishes. “Hold up!” Lark said. “I had an egg cream. Chocolate. Get it right.” Emily shot her a look that said calm down. The waitress quickly picked up the glass. “Sorry.” She mumbled. “Hey, could I get small dish of peach ice cream while you’re at it? You want anything, Mario?” Mario shook his head. “That’s all.” “I’ll be right back then. I am so sorry.” The waitress quickly walked away. “I need to run to the ladies room. Lark, you want to join me?” Emily said as she stood. “Sure.” Lark rose also. “You guys sit and… get to know each other.” Emily told them. “Here’s something you can talk about. Sly loves to eat and Mario knows the best places to eat in the city. So… discuss.” Emily ordered them before heading for the bathroom. Lark followed behind her. Sly picked up his spoon and twirled around fingers. “So, uh, you’re a friend of Em’s?” Mario nodded. “Yeah, just recently.” Sly nodded in response. “Huh. You know Em’s a great girl, a terrific friend and all that. She never gives up on a person; she’s always right there for you. Very trustworthy and she extends her trust to others. Sometimes she’s a little too trusting, if you know what mean. She has a tendency to let her friends and family walk all over her. It’s not like you want to and it’s not like she’s really letting you, it just seems to happen. You know?” Mario just stared at him quietly, waiting for him to finish with his little speech. “Like I said, she’s very trusting others and she gets hurt. A lot. I don’t like it when that happens and no one else does either. She’s been through enough. I don’t want her to get hurt anymore. She doesn’t deserve that.” Sly stared hard at Mario, hoping he would understand him and back away from Emily. Mario leaned over and said quietly and seriously. “I will never hurt Emily, never. It she gets hurt during… this, it won’t be because of me. It will be because of people who think they mean well and all they end up doing is messing with her happiness.” “There are plenty of people out there who have Emily’s best interests at heart and they would not like it if she got hurt.” Sly stated. He wasn’t going to back down on this just because this guy ‘claimed’ that he wasn’t going to harm Emily. “Just so you know, I am one of those people also.” Mario said, letting him know that he wasn’t going to back down either. Sly sat back impressed by him. He wasn’t going to love the guy but he had to admire the way he stood up for himself. “So, Emily says you know a lot of good places to eat?” ~*~ “Do you think they’ll be okay?” Lark asked as they went into the ladies’ room. “The guys? Sure, don’t worry about them.” Emily dismissed her worries. “What I want to know is what’s up with you and that waitress.” “Me and the waitress?” Lark folded her arms and leaned against the sink. “Nothing, she just needs to learn how to keep her eyes in her head and away from Sly.” She snapped. “Ohhh, staking your claim?” Emily laughed as she turned on the faucet. She ran her hands under the cool water and quickly splashed her face. “Damn right.” Lark nodded sharply. Then her eyes narrowed a little smile crossed her face. “So… what did you and Mario do today?” “I told you, we rehearsed.” Emily looked down to hide her smile. “Uh-huh, that’s not all you did. That dopey look you had on your face when you guys came in told me something happened. Also your eyes are very bright and you can’t stop touching him. Something happened. Spill it girl, spill it!” Lark demanded. “Okay so we slow danced a little…” “And?” Lark prompted. Emily bit her lip. “We kissed.” “What?” Lark’s jaw dropped open. She had been sort of expecting this but she was ready for it. “No!” “Yes!” Emily giggled. “Oh my God! Wow!” Lark exclaimed. “How was it?” “Oh, that’s personal.” Emily quickly said. “Don’t clam up on me now, girl!” “All right, all right. It was good.” She grinned. “It was *real* good.” “Damn, I’m like officially jealous of you guys.” Lark slumped back against the sink and frowned. “Why?” Emily asked as she dried off her face. “You two have barely known each other for how many days? And you’ve already moved way past Sly and me.” Lark muttered. “You haven’t told Sly that you’re interested in him, have you?” “…No.” Lark reluctantly answered. “Now how is he supposed to do anything with you if he doesn’t know?” “I gave him plenty of hints.” She said lamely. “Lark, I’ve learned the hard way that hints don’t do jack. You want him, you tell him.” “Look at you, one kiss and all of a sudden you’re so wise.” Emily shrugged. “I’d like to think that I’ve grown up a lot these past few days. Now let’s go check on our guys.” “ ‘Our guys’.” Lark repeated. “I could get use to that.” ~*~*~ Carly carried Michael on her hip as she walked through the busy hospital. She spotted Bobbie working at the Nurses Station. “Hey.” She whispered to Michael. “Isn’t that Grandma Bobbie?” She smiled as he started to grin in response. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” She walked over to the station. “Hi. Someone wanted to say hello.” Bobbie put down the files she was going through. “Hello Michael.” She reached out and touched his cheek. “How’s the little man?” “The little man is good. He had a check-up this afternoon and the doctor said my boy’s in perfect health.” Carly announced proudly. “Well, of course he is.” Bobbie nodded. “So that’s the only reason you’re here?” Carly shook her head and smiled wickedly. “No… I’m meeting Layla for another ‘discussion’ about her place so Jason’s coming over to get Michael.” Bobbie narrowed her eyes as she read in between the lines. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be meddling anymore?” Carly widened her eyes in response. “I’m not…not really. I’m just meeting two people in the same place… around the same time. Besides you won’t help me… and I’m not meddling.” “I’m not helping you because sometimes I know when to mind my own business.” Bobbie shot back. “Since when?” Carly smirked. She shifted Michael up higher. “You are getting so big, Mr. Man.” Looking past Bobbie she noticed a tall brunette walking her way. She smiled and waved. “Hey Layla!” Layla Giles strode over to where Carly Corinthos was standing. Layla was tall with jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, creamy skin and a body to die for. She also liked Carly, which still shocked Carly. They may have a few disagreements on the way Carly wanted to decorate Layla’s place but they were actually close to being good friends. “Hello.” Layla smiled down at Michael. “He’s such a gorgeous little boy.” Carly laughed. “Everyone keeps saying so. I just hope he doesn’t grow up with an ego the size of Texas.” “I wouldn’t doubt it.” Layla nodded. “So is Michael going to be around for our meeting?” Carly shook her head. “He’s too young for the sort of language you use when you’re trying to get your point across.” “Excuse me? My language?” Layla countered. “What about yours?” Bobbie was going to step in when she noticed the twinkle in Carly’s eyes. It looked like the two of them liked arguing with each other. Bobbie hoped that this meant Carly actually had a friend. Carly needed someone other than Jason. The elevator dinged behind them and Carly grinned, perfect timing. She turned to greet Jason and was shocked to see Sonny with him. Carly’s grin froze on her face. Gotcha, he thought. “Hey baby, surprised to see me?” Sonny grinned at Carly’s shocked expression. He knew that she was going to try something even after he told her not to. After Jason told him that he had to pick Michael up at the hospital, Sonny figured that Carly was going to some how get Jason to “accidentally” meet Layla. Michael started squirming in Carly’s arms as soon as he saw Jason. “Dada! Dada!” He squealed. Jason took him in his arms. Carly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to stand nonchalantly. “Uh, hi. What are you doing here?” “You know me. Always popping up when you least expect me.” Sonny said. “Right. It’s what I love about you.” Carly muttered. Then she brightened. “Layla, did I ever introduce you to my husband? Layla, this is Sonny, Sonny, this is Layla.” Sonny reached out and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.” Layla nodded. “Likewise.” Layla checked out Carly’s husband. This was the infamous Sonny Corinthos. Dangerous mobster, suffering husband of Carly. He was a lot shorter than she expected. Carly’s eyes narrowed as she looked at them. Layla was for Jason. She was not supposed to be looking at Sonny. “And this is Sonny’s business partner, Jason Morgan. Jase, this is Layla.” Carly looked on like a proud mama as she watched Jason and Layla shake hands. Sonny shook his head and rubbed her chin. Bobbie rolled her eyes. She could tell that Carly was going to go ahead with this no matter what anyone said. Carly wanted to rub her hands in glee. She could see the sparks flying from the two of them. This was going to turn out great. Now all she had to do was convince Jason of that. Layla released Jason’s hand and smiled. So this was Jason. The man Carly was clearly trying to set her up with. He wasn’t that bad looking. Carly knew how to pick them. Jason shifted Michael in his arms. He hoped Carly was happy. He met her friend and that was all he was going to do. He turned to Carly. “We’re leaving now.” “But wait. How about you guys join us for lunch? The more the merrier.” Carly offered. Jason and Sonny shared a look. Layla frowned. “We were having lunch?” “Yeah, remember?” Carly prompted. “No thanks. I was going to take Michael to the zoo, so I’ll just see you later.” Jason dismissed her idea. He nodded in Layla’s direction and headed for the elevator. Carly looked on in dismay. “Oh come on!” Sonny shook his head. “Give it up, it’s not going to happen.” “But…” Carly started to object. Sonny took her face in his hands and kissed her. “No more, end of discussion.” He followed Jason into the waiting elevator. “You think she listened to you?” Jason asked. “What do you think?” Sonny countered with a knowing look as the doors closed around them. “End of discussion my ass.” Carly mumbled. “Maybe you should listen to your husband.” Bobbie piped up from behind. Layla nodded. “I agree with your mother.” “Forget Sonny. Tell me what you thought of Jason.” Layla shrugged. “Tall, handsome, kind of quiet.” “He’s always like that but when he does talk to you listen to him because he means it. He doesn’t waste his time with chitchat. So you think he’s handsome, huh?” “Weren’t we supposed to be going to lunch?” Layla dodged the question. Carly sighed. “Alright. But I’m still going to bug you about this. See you later Mama.” “Stay out of trouble, Carly!” Bobbie called after her. Carly turned around and grinned. “Don’t I always?” Bobbie just groaned. She couldn’t wait to see how this all ended. *Song Credit: It's Angel of Mine by Monica*