Damaged Goods

Chapter 14

The next week and a half went by with very little interaction between Lyla and TJ. Most mornings, she was gone when he woke up. When he got home in the evenings, he could tell she had been there. Dishes he had used for breakfast had been washed and put away, the coffee pot had been used, etc. So he knew she was still around. But she often wasn't there when he arrived. She never called, and only texted if it was in response to a message he had sent her. Essentially, she was a perfect houseguest. The only seeming evidence of her presence was that things were often cleaner than he had left them.

Lyla was avoiding TJ. After telling him about her ex-husband, she was embarrassed. She was also frustrated that she had nobody else to get help from. She felt very helpless, and it upset her knowing she had to depend on TJ, someone she barely knew. She called the police back home every day, and every day it was the same thing. TJ still hadn't been located, and as long as he was out roaming the streets, Lyla was afraid to return home. The fear she felt just added to her discomfort with being so reliant on TJ at this point in time.

Wednesday night, TJ got home from work, and again Lyla wasn't there. He hadn't seen her since Monday morning. When he walked into the condo, he could smell the faint aroma of what was probably a delicious meal. He walked into the kitchen and saw that there were leftovers, with and a note that indicate he was welcome to eat whatever was left. TJ was hungry, but more disappointed that the preparer of the meal wasn't present.

I need a drink, he thought to himself and he walked out the door.

TJ walked into the bar down the street, and was surprised to see Lyla sitting there, chatting with Travis and someone else, sitting next to her. When he recognized who Lyla was talking to, he was suddenly very angry. She was talking to his cousin, Darren. His cousin Darren who he worked with, who received unearned promotions, and was overall a general ass.

"I see you've met my cousin" TJ said, somewhat grumpily, as he took a seat beside Lyla.

"Where have you been hiding this gem?" Darren asked loudly, as TJ sat down. "She's charming" he grinned.

Travis gave TJ a knowing glance, and handed him his usual beer.

"What brings you to this part of town?" TJ asked Darren.

"You know me, I like to change it up, different place every night. But with I may have to frequent this place more often, if the company remains this pleasant." Darren said, winking at Lyla.

Lyla got up and excused herself to the restroom. She didn't like Darren. She was trying to be nice, and polite for TJ's sake, since he was family. But she didn't enjoy his comments and didn't appreciate how freely he would touch her hand or her shoulder. She had wanted to leave sooner, but was afraid that he would try to walk her back to TJ's condo, and she really didn't want that to happen.

"Leave her alone, Darren" TJ said to his cousin.

"Why, afraid of a little competition?" Darren smiled back.

"There is no competition, she's already my wife" smirked TJ.

"Touché" chuckled Darren. But he didn't plan to stop giving attention to the charming wife of his cousin.

"Ready to go home?" Lyla asked TJ when she returned.

"Absolutely" he said, as he downed the rest of his beer. She had never referred to his condo as 'home' before. He left cash on the counter for his drink and he and Lyla left together.

"I'm sorry if you wanted to stay," Lyla said, "but thanks for coming with me." It seemed like there was something more to her wanting to leave, but TJ wasn't going dig.

"So," she said once they got onto the street. "Travis tells me there's a gala this weekend that you want me to go to" she said smilingly.

"Uh, yeah, I mean, if you're up for it. I had been meaning to mention it, but just never got around to it. So, are you free? Would you come with me?"

"I would love to, sounds like fun. What's it for?"

"It's basically a fundraiser. Bob Hinkle, who is one of the shareholders in the firm, and wants all my shares, but that's another story," he rambled on "anyway he's got this charity for kids who can't read good, he raises money for. Really it's kind of a publicity opportunity for him."

"Wait," she said giving him a weird look, "did you just say 'kids who can't read good?' Did you just quite Zoolander?"

"Uh, yeah" he chuckled, "I guess I did. When he first told me about it, that's all I could of, so I guess it just stuck in my head. I always think of it as for 'kids who can't read good' when it crosses my mind."

"That's funny," she responded. "I can't wait to meet him."

"He wants to meet you." TJ continued. "I think part of him thinks he can get his hands on my shares if he can break up our marriage, or agreement, or whatever this is. So he wants to meet you and look for weaknesses."

Lyla laughed. "I can be very competitive and determined. He can't touch us."

By this time, they had reached the condo and were going inside.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" TJ asked, not wanted the evening to end.

Lyla thought about it a second before replying. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Zoolander?" TJ asked?

"Perfect!" she replied, smiling.