A New Foundation

by Rochelle Alers

  “Why don’t you go into the family room and chill. I’ll clean up here.”

  “You don’t have to, Taylor. You cooked, so I’ll clean up.”

  He stood. “Not tonight, babe.”

  Sonja knew it was useless to debate the issue when Taylor rounded the table and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her into the family and lowered her to the love seat. She smiled up at him when he leaned over her. “I’m just going to rest my eyes for a few minutes.”

  She had no idea that resting her eyes for a few minutes would translate into falling asleep, and when she awoke she discovered she was in her own bed. Apparently, she had not woken up when Taylor carried her up the staircase. Rising on an elbow, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was after ten. Sonja did not want to believe she’d been asleep for nearly two hours.

  She closed her eyes while fantasizing about how much she’d wanted to wake up with Taylor in bed with her. He was everything she wanted in a man, yet old fears would not let her acknowledge what she’d been feeling for a while. She was falling in love with her friend’s brother. They’d talked about marriage and children, and perhaps if Hugh had not turned into a monster she would be more receptive to a man’s attention. It had taken years for the emotional scars fade, but she did not know if they would ever completely disappear.

  Sonja opened her eyes and moaned at the same time she rolled her head on her neck. Her shoulders were achy from sitting on the floor hunched over for hours earlier in the day. She knew it was time to use the table doubling as a desk to do her work. Slipping off the bed, she headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. After changing out of her clothes into a cotton nightgown, she got back into bed and fell asleep for the second time that night.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I can’t believe you came all this way for a pool cue.”

  Taylor dropped a kiss on his mother’s hair when she closed the book she’d been reading and rose from the rocker where she’d sat awaiting his arrival. “Don’t get up, Mom.”

  Elise sat down once Taylor took the rocker opposite her. “You didn’t answer my question, Taylor.” Her sapphire-blue eyes narrowed. “What’s bothering you son?”

  Stretching out long legs, Taylor crossed his feet at the ankles and stared at the scuffed toes of his running shoes. He’d made a mental note to throw them away a long time ago but was loath to part with them because one of his pet peeves was trying on shoes. In fact, he didn’t like shopping and trying on clothes because of the years he’d spent standing motionless while designers and tailors adjusted an inseam or the length of jacket sleeve. Then there were the fashion shows where, within seconds of leaving the runway, he was stripped of whatever he was wearing for a new outfit while a makeup artist fussed over his face.

  “What makes you think something is bothering me?”

  “When are you going to accept that I probably know you better than you know yourself, Taylor? Call it a mother’s intuition, but I know when my children are happy, angry and troubled. And right now, something is troubling you, and I hope it’s because of a woman.”

  Taylor gave his mother an incredulous stare. Either he was that transparent or she that intuitive. He knew it was useless to lie her because it was something he rarely did. “I did come to get my pool cues.”

  “Who is she?” Elise asked.

  He frowned. “Now I know where Viola gets her tenacity—you’re both like dogs fighting over a bone when you think you’re onto something.”

  Elise smiled as a network of fine lines appeared around her eyes. “Well, after all she is my daughter.” Her smile faded. “Talk to me, Taylor, about this woman that probably has been keeping you up nights.”

  “I did meet someone.”

  “Is she a nice girl?”

  Taylor closed his eyes and shook his head. Whenever any of his brothers talked about dating a woman, Elise always asked if she was a nice girl. “Yes, Mom. She’s a very, very nice girl.” He wanted to tell his mother that Sonja wasn’t a girl but a woman.

  “Tell me about her.”

  He told her everything, beginning with Sonja walking into the restaurant to their sharing dinner the night before. He did not tell his mother that he’d wanted to make love to Sonja and would have if she’d given him permission. “She’s so different from the other women I’ve known that it’s scary.”

  “That’s because you’re in love with her, Taylor. You may have liked the other women you dated, but I’m willing to bet you weren’t in love with them.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t know what love is. I know I love you, my sister and my brothers, but that’s different from what I feel for Sonja.”

  Elise rested her head against the back cushion and closed her eyes for several seconds. “I know what you’re feeling, son, because I felt the same way when I met your father for the first time. He was one of the best-looking boys on campus. However, it wasn’t his looks that made me fall in love with him—it was his charm and sensitivity. Whenever we were together I felt as if I were only woman in the world because he treated me like a princess. It took me a long time to admit I’d fallen in love with him, and once he asked me to marry him I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. That’s what you must ask yourself. Can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with this woman?”

  Taylor had asked himself the same question, and the answer was surprisingly yes. “Yes, I can. But what I find so strange is that I really don’t know her. I met her for the first time about six weeks ago, and since then I can’t get her out of my head.”

  “You don’t want her in your head?” Elise asked.

  Taylor wanted to tell Elise that he wanted Sonja in his bed, and then perhaps he’d be able to get her out of his head. When he’d spied her approaching his table, his initial attraction to her had been wholly physical, and that hadn’t waned. “I don’t know what I want at this point in time.”

  “Why are you measuring your relationship within segments of time, Taylor? Some couples meet and fall in love at first sight, marry right away and then go on to have a long and happy life together. Others take longer because the timing isn’t right. Your father and I dated for two years because we were young and had goals to accomplish. You’re exactly where you want to be in your career. You don’t have to concern yourself with not having enough money because you were a millionaire even before you celebrated your twenty-fifth birthday. Now, what’s holding you back from telling this woman that you love her?”

  Taylor realized he wasn’t telling mother everything about Sonja. “She was married to a man that was a lot older than she was. I think it scarred her, and she really doesn’t trust men.”

  Elise sat straight. “Had he physically abused her?”

  “I don’t think so. If there was abuse, then it had to be either emotional or even psychological. In any event, she said she’d felt smothered and had to get out. And whenever we talk about marriage, she claims she never wants to marry again.”

  “Maybe you can get her to change her mind.”

  “I don’t want to change her mind, Mom. That decision must be hers. And what I refuse to do is shack up with a woman. If we’re going to live together, then she has to be my wife.”

  Elise glared at Taylor. “Sonja is not your mother, Taylor. She made the mistake of living with a man that deserted her when she needed him most. It’s different with you and Sonja because you are not living together. If you love the woman, then let her know and wait for her to come around. If she does tell you that she loves you, then don’t put any pressure on her to marry. That must be her decision.”

  “Are you saying we should live together?”

  “There are worse things in this lifetime.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “Wake up, Taylor. This is not the forties, fifties or even the early sixties, when living together was akin to living in si
n.” Elise waved a hand. “I can’t believe I raised someone with such antiquated views of life.”

  “I’m not that old-fashioned,” Taylor mumbled under his breath.

  “Enough talk about your love life, now tell why you want your pool cues.”

  “I have a little wager with Dom Shaw that I can beat him. And if I lose then I must hand over a bottle of aged scotch. I need to go through Dad’s liquor cabinet and find a bottle.” Conrad was also a collector of aged brandy, whisky and scotch.

  “Take whatever you need because you know I won’t touch the stuff.”

  “Maybe the next time I come I’ll box them up, take them to the house and store them in the cellar with the wine.”

  “If you’re shooting pool with Dom, then you’d better be careful.”

  “Why would you say that?” Taylor asked Elise.

  “Because his father was a pool shark, and Conrad said he remembered him conning some of the household help.”

  “Well, Dad, was no slouch, and I learned from the best.”

  Elise laughed softly. “You’re right about that. I used to accuse him of turning our kids into pool hustlers.”

  “Thankfully he didn’t, and we all turned out all right.”

  “I suppose I should take some credit for that. How is everything going at the house?”

  “Slow, Mom. I’ve interviewed a few candidates, and right now I’m considering hiring one. I have to see a few more tomorrow and hopefully before the end of the month I will have everyone onboard.”

  Elise nodded. “What’s good is that you’ve given yourself a realistic timeline in which to complete everything.”

  Taylor agreed with her. There was nothing worse than pressuring workers to fast-track a construction project, which sometime resulted in on-site accidents and possible violations.

  “Do you know where you’ll live once the hotel is open for business?”

  “I’d like to move into one of the cottages.”

  “That’s a good choice. I was really surprised to find the rooms were much larger than they appeared from the outside. And three bedrooms is perfect for a couple with a one or two children.”

  “Maybe you can convince Patrick to move back east and live in one with his new bride”

  A scowl distorted Elise’s normally pleasant visage. “If he moves back, then I prefer he be alone.”

  Taylor could not understand his mother’s disdain for his brother’s fiancée. It was true that Andrea was spoiled and used to having her way, but that was Patrick’s problem. “No comment.”

  “You say no comment when you should be the one warning him that he’s going to ruin his life if marries that brat.”

  “I’m not going to interfere with my brother’s love life. When he’s had enough, he’ll do what he must to extricate himself from what you see as a toxic relationship. Meanwhile, I suggest you don’t bring it up with him because Patrick will only resent your interference.”

  “It’s amazing how you always take up for him,” Elise said angrily.

  Taylor didn’t want to get into it with his mother about his brother. As the eldest he’d been the one to protect his younger siblings, something he’d felt duty-bound to do even as an adult. Pushing to his feet, he forced a smile. “I’m going inside to get my cues and a bottle of scotch.”

  Elise reached out and caught his hand. “I’m sorry for what I said about you taking up for Patrick.”

  Leaning down, he kissed Elise’s forehead. “No harm done, Mom. I know you love Patrick and only want the best for him.”

  “I want the best for all my children.”

  “We know that.” He kissed her again, this time on her cheek.

  Taylor left Belleville, his head full of what he’d admitted to his mother about falling in love with a woman who was more a stranger than he’d realized. If anyone had told him he would find himself in love with a woman he was beginning to think of as his counterpart, and, more importantly, a woman with whom he could be himself, he probably would’ve laughed.

  He knew if he told Sonja that he’d fallen in love with her she’d probably believe he was crazy, or she would run in the opposite direction. She would remind him of the fact they were strangers and hadn’t known each other long enough to profess an emotion as strong as love. And while he was ready to marry and have children, she wasn’t. That had become his reality.

  Taylor realized he had it all, but there was something missing. He’d been adopted into a warm, loving family; had found fame and fortune as a top male model; realized his boyhood dream to become an engineer, and now claimed one-fifth of a mansion appraised at 150 million dollars.

  Ten minutes into his drive, Sonja’s number appeared on the navigation screen. Smiling, Taylor answered the call. “What’s up, sleepyhead?” Her sultry laugh came through the speakers.

  “Please don’t remind me of that. That’s the last time I’m going to drink red wine when I’m with you.”

  “If you do, then there’s one thing you’ll know.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “That I’ll never take advantage of you.” There came a pause, and Taylor waited a full ten seconds before he said, “Sonja? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I am. And I want to thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For not taking advantage of me.”

  It was his turn to pause. Just what did she think he was? Some pervert who would take advantage of a woman under the influence? “I would never do that, especially with you or any other woman.”

  “Why me, Taylor? Is it because I’m your sister’s friend?”

  “My sister has nothing to do with what goes on between you and me. I told you before that I wouldn’t discuss you with Viola, because she knows not to get into my personal life.”

  “Point taken.”

  “Is it, Sonja? Because you keep bringing up Viola.”

  “Okay, Taylor. I won’t bring her up again.”

  Taylor heard the slight edge in her voice and hoped he hadn’t come on too strong. “Look, babe, I’m sorry if you—”

  “There’s no need for you to apologize, papi.”

  Taylor grinned from ear to ear when he registered the endearment. “Gracias, muñeca.”

  Sonja laughed again. “Look at you speaking Spanish.”

  “I’m trying, sweetheart. I figure if we’re going to hang out together for the next few years I could become fluent.”

  “How many years of French did you have?”

  “Three, maybe four.”

  “You told me your mother spoke fluent French, yet you don’t speak the language.”

  “I understand and read it better than I can speak it.”

  “Well, if you want to learn Spanish, then you have to speak it.”

  “Can I hire you to become my tutor?” he teased.

  “I doubt if we’re going to spend that much time together once you really get involved in the restoration.”

  “How about weekends?”

  “Weekends are fine, Taylor, if I’m not working.”

  “No one will work weekends, and that includes you, Sonja.”

  “Is that an order?”

  “No. That’s the company policy.”

  “I thought you told me you’re an easygoing boss.”

  “I am. But there are certain rules that must be followed, and no-work weekends is one of them. Weekends are for families. During the months of July and August, contractors will be given Fridays off. After the Labor Day weekend, they will resume their Monday through Friday schedules.”

  “Isn’t it different for me, Taylor because after all I am a contract worker, and I can make my own hours.”

  “That’s true. But wouldn’t you want to spend some time with your parents, or aunt and uncle?”

  “I hadn’t
thought of that.”

  “Well, I have. I can’t have you burned-out before we have our grand opening.”

  Taylor wanted to tell Sonja it was something he also was looking forward to. He wanted to schedule the grand opening for late spring when the trees and flowers were in bloom, and host a reception in one of the ballrooms for the press, local, state and national politicians.

  “That’s something I don’t intend to miss. Thankfully, that’s quite a way off because I estimate it’s going to take me a long time to catalogue everything, and especially now that you tell me there’s even more crates than the ones I saw.”

  Taylor chuckled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that to you.”

  “I’m glad you did because I don’t like surprises, Taylor.”

  He sobered. “I’ll try and remember that.” He wondered if Sonja would be surprised or even shocked if he told her he was in love with her.

  “I just sent you an email with the information you asked for. The guy that owns the restoration company is a doll. I told him what you needed, and he said he’ll get back to me and let me when someone can come out and view the damage. Of course, I’ll check with you to see when you’re available.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart.”

  “I’m going to hang up now because I want to finish what I’m working on. Then I’m going downstairs to heat up some of your delicious leftovers.”

  “Okay. I’ll probably see you tomorrow at the house.”

  “That’s a bet. Later, Taylor.”

  “Later, love.”

  Love, he thought. How had the single word slipped out so easily when he had made a concerted effort during their conversation not to tell Sonja that not only had he fallen in love with her ?

  Taylor drove along the paved path to Dominic Shaw’s cottage. His mother’s warning that Dom’s father had been a pool shark only served to heighten his competitiveness. And if the son was anything like his father, then Taylor wanted to warn the caretaker he didn’t intend to be that easily maneuvered into handing over a bottle of aged single malt scotch whisky.