Assault and Batting

by Rothery, Tess

  “Nah, I suspect when she hits the scene at her new college, he’s going to have a lot of competition. He won’t be a problem forever.”

  “Won’t those college boys be a worse problem then the genius kid her own age is?”

  “Probably, but I won’t know about it because she’ll be on campus.”

  “They grow up fast, don’t they?”

  Taylor closed her eyes briefly and pictured Belle as an eleven year old ballet dancer. The kid she’d been when Taylor moved to grad school. “Too fast. So fast that I can’t even laugh about it.”

  He changed the subject again and they discussed the food, the weather, and ideal vacation spots. His involved places where he could kill delicious animals.

  Hers involved places she could go barefoot and wear a bikini.

  He said the bikini tipped the scales and he’d take her vacation after all.

  Taylor said he could bring his meat by any time and she’d cook it.

  He nodded in approval, and she blushed. It went on like that for a while, then they called it a night.

  She drove herself home.

  She wasn’t ready for a fling, or a rebound, or even a healthy relationship with a nice guy. She just had too much on her plate for any of that right now.

  They say after someone major in your life dies you should hold off on any decisions for a year. Her mom had waited a full year before she’d adopted Belle, though Taylor now knew that hadn’t been a planned decision on her part, but just her big heart reaching out to a friend in need.

  Belle was at the beach with the Kirby family at this very moment. She hadn’t texted so Taylor didn’t know how it was going from her perspective, but Dave had sent pictures, and Colleen had sent some messages.

  Dave’s eldest daughter had joined them too. There was a picture of Belle and Ashleigh sitting on a log that pinched Taylor’s heart painfully. She should have been the one sitting with Belle. She was her real sister, after all.

  * * *

  Belle agreed to walk with the graduating class because Grandpa Ernie asked. Her exact words were, “Oh Gramps, it’s dumb.”

  And he scowled at her and said, “Education is the exact opposite of that.”

  And she laughed and said, “I’ll do it, but only for you.”

  The graduation was in the grand auditorium at the Comfort College of Art and Craft. The graduating class wore silver colored gowns for the ladies and black for the boys. It was an outdated tradition, but Taylor was excited to see what color Dayton would wear. Then she remembered Dayton was not graduating till next year.

  They had plenty of seats, so Grandpa and Grandma Quinn sat with the family, as well as her cousin Ellery.

  And Colleen and Dave.

  Belle had invited them. She hadn’t said she was going to, but Colleen had called and asked if it would be all right.

  What could Taylor say to that?

  She wanted to echo Belle and tell Colleen graduation was dumb so she wouldn’t come, but like Grandpa, she knew that graduation was the opposite of dumb and that it was an event Belle needed everyone who loved her at, since she didn’t have her mom.

  Taylor took more pictures than was healthy.

  Cooper’s sister Pyppa graduated as well, so they got pictures of Belle and Cooper and Pyppa with Sissy and her husband, and Pyppa and Belle and Cooper and Dayton. So many pictures. Taylor would cherish them. She considered photoshopping a partially translucent mom floating over them as a Victorian-ish symbol of how she was still with them, but she managed to refrain.

  For now.

  Sissy’s family held a barbeque to celebrate the graduation.

  Taylor had expected Grandma and Grandpa Quinny to offer to host one for Belle. Her own had been at their house. But she took their attendance at Sissy’s party as a good sign. A sign they were investing in Belle in a new way. A sign they were seeing she had needed them all along, maybe.

  But Taylor tried not to hope for too much from everyone.

  She expected Belle to come home for the holidays, but toward the end of the party at the Dorney house Colleen, Dave, and Belle were huddled in a corner together comparing phones. She feared they were making holiday plans and didn’t dare approach them.

  But Dave spotted her staring at them and waved her over. “Belle was telling us there’s a fall break. We were thinking it would be a good opportunity for another family beach trip. Do you think you might be free for it?”

  Taylor sucked her bottom lip in thought.

  Belle held out her phone. “That’s the weekend.”

  It was early. Weeks before Thanksgiving. “Let me check with Ellery and Roxy. It depends a little on their schedules.”

  Dave nodded approval. “But if Ellery’s not free, we’d be honored to have Grandpa Ernie join us. All of our parents are gone, and the boys could use a grandpa.”

  Taylor swallowed thickly. He was such an honestly nice guy, this Dave. “I’ll get back to you about it.” She wandered away, but Belle followed.

  “Tay, I like Dave.”

  “I know.” Taylor sat on the step to the back porch. Sissy lived in a new home, in the new development with a thick, green, new lawn rolled out over a perfectly flat and newly fenced yard. The party was dying down and she found all of the newness and freshness and greenness around her soothing.

  Belle sat next to her. “I’ve never had a dad before. Mom never even had a boyfriend.”

  “And Grandpa Ernie wasn’t young when you were growing up,” Taylor offered.

  “No…he wasn’t.”

  Belle straightened up, as though she had to resolve to confess something. “I’ve always wanted a Dad. You guys talked about your dad so much, the whole concept of ‘dad’ sounded magical. You did such a good job keeping his memory alive that it made me want one. Of my own.”

  “And now you have Dave.”

  Belle took Taylor’s hand. “Exactly. I had a mom. The best mom ever. But I’ve never had a dad.”

  Taylor turned to her and wrapped her in her arms. “I’m sorry.”

  Belle gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t be. Dave is a good thing and I’m happy to know him.”

  “And Colleen?”

  “It’s funny…technically Dave would be like, my stepdad, but it feels backwards from that. Like Colleen is a stepmom. Not my actual mom, but someone who wants to know me and love me. And Dave feels like….”

  “Like the first dad you’ve ever had.”

  Belle bit her lip like a little girl. “I don’t know if this is what having a real dad feels like, but I like it.” She peeked at her phone. It must have vibrated. Her faced turned pink.

  “Levi?”

  She nodded slightly and left.

  Taylor sat up, stretching her arms out before her. Well, this was it. Her new normal. Mostly alone, but with a great deal of responsibility. Not mom to a teen finishing high school, but big sister to a young adult with more opportunity than seemed right for her age.

  Taylor didn’t know how she was going to do it, but as she looked around at Sissy laughing with Dayton and Cooper, Dave and Colleen pointing toward the sunset, his arm around her shoulders, and all of little Comfort enveloping them in its familiar arms, she realized a funny thing. Sure, she was alone. Her mom was gone. Clay had dumped her. She was personally alone, but as far as the hard parts of life were concerned, she did not have to handle all of it by herself.

  * * *

  Bound and Deceased

  A Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery

  Excerpt

  “Hey.” Clay Seldon. The voice Taylor Quinn was the most familiar with in the world, was right behind her. “I couldn’t go home last night. Not without seeing you first. Please say you’ll forgive me. I was wrong for not coming back to Comfort with you. So, so, so, wrong.”

  Taylor held her breath, counted to ten, then turned.

  Clay’s plaid button down was rumpled, and so was his light brown hair. His face showed a bit of scruff, but Taylor knew it was on purpo
se, he couldn’t grow that much beard in a week, much less overnight.

  He scratched at his chin. “Let me buy you breakfast. Or coffee, or something so we can talk.”

  “I have a busy day.”

  “Lunch then, Anything. I won’t leave until I can convince you how sorry I am.” Slowly he reached his hand to her, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her to him. Their mouths met with ease, and he kissed her.

  Taylor allowed it, because it was familiar and because she wasn’t sure she didn’t want him.

  She put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. “Breakfast. Now. My day is too busy after this.” Maybe it was the kiss. Maybe it was those puppy dog eyes. Maybe it was both. Taylor just knew she wanted him at least for breakfast.

  Maybe he was sorry. Maybe he could make it all right again.

  You never know.

  Rueben’s Café was quiet at six in the morning. The kitchen was going strong though, and the mingled aroma of bacon and coffee woke Taylor Quinn’s appetite.

  Belle’s best buddy Cooper sat at a far booth with his mom Sissy and an older lady Taylor didn’t recognize. She looked like Sissy though, like they could be family. Same round, smiling face. Same gap in the two front teeth. But where Sissy was a tall, imposing woman, this lady was a sweet looking butter ball.

  Taylor was distracted she hadn’t expected the woman who judged her most harshly to be there for her reunion with Clay. Or the boy most likely to text Belle about what was happening.

  Belle was firmly on #teamhudson even though Taylor swore up and down that wasn’t a thing.

  “Tay, where are you?” Clay nudged her gently in the side with his elbow. “Let’s get a booth.”

  “What? Yes.” They got a booth. Taylor sat with her back to the Dorney family.

  The server came, one of the many Ruben’s nieces and nephews, Aviva, a sporty brunette who worked before school. Aviva was another who might text Belle to tell her about the stranger Taylor was eating with this morning. And of course, showing up at this hour with a man implied they had spent the night together. Taylor dragged her hand through her hair in frustration, and pulled it back into a ponytail. “You are terrible about making plans.”

  “I know. I know. But if I had called first, would it have helped? It’s much to turn down a surprise.”

  “Like when you showed up homeless on my doorstep so many years ago.”

  He grinned. “And look how well that turned out? Those were four happy years.”

  “But it didn’t end well.”

  “I know you can’t understand just yet, but you were asking too much of me. Leave my home, my work, my everything? It didn’t make sense.”

  “It wasn’t an ultimatum, though.” Taylor stopped.

  Aviva was back with their coffee and looked like she was very interested in their conversation. She set the mugs and little steel pitcher of creamer down on the table.

  Taylor smiled at her stiffly, and she went away.

  “How was it not an ultimatum? You didn’t give me any time to find a place to live.” Clay’s crooked smile and big gray eyes were hard to argue with. He was as guileless as a puppy.

  “You couldn’t have just moved in with your parents while you were looking for somewhere to stay?”

  His shoulders dropped. “Come on. You know I couldn’t. With my parents? We aren’t like you and your family. It’s not comfortable there.”

  “I would hardly call my mom dying ‘comfortable’.”

  “Now you’re misunderstanding on purpose.”

  “It took you nine months to change your mind.” Taylor peeled open the little tub of creamer. For nine months Clay Seldon, who she had once hoped to marry, had been living with another woman instead of her.

  “I never changed my mind about you. I have loved you since the day I met you. But yeah, it took me a long time to realize I couldn’t live without you and that whatever sacrifices I needed to make would be worth it.”

  “Please tell me you haven’t quit your job.” She wrapped her hands around the coffee, welcoming the warmth on the fall morning that was only getting colder.

  He looked down at his coffee, and then back up with a sheepish grin. “No. But I did take two weeks off.”

  “Hedging your bets.” Taylor cringed.

  “Make up your mind. Which is it you want? I’ll quit my job this second if you tell me to.” He set his phone on the table. “I’ll do it. Lila will ship my clothes and I’ll never go back to Portland again.”

  “Calm down. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Too late. I let you go. That was the stupidest thing I have ever done.” His voice went deep, and a little loud.

  “Now you’re putting on a show, and I can promise you the Dorney family back there does not care.” She didn’t turn around, but she could feel Sissy’s nosy eyes burning holes in the back of her head. How long would it take for the story of Taylor Quinn’s new man to spread through the little town?

  He lowered his voice again and reached his hand across the table. “In the years you’ve known me, I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.” He blushed. “You remember? How about when I walked out on my white-collar office job to help my buddy open his own computer repair shop?”

  “Yes, that was stupid.” If he was aiming for sympathy points, he was missing. That little act of compassion had cost their savings a good deal of money.

  “And then I had the genius idea to take up mountain biking.”

  “Mountain biking isn’t as dangerous as you managed to make it.” She was determined not to laugh, but it was difficult.

  “Both legs in casts. Two story townhouse. I mean, that was stupid.”

  “Indeed. You’re really selling me on you right now.” Clay had been such a dope in his two casts, stuck in the townhouse. But he had been a good patient, not demanding. Entertaining. Fond memories flooded her of their life in that little townhouse.

  “But the stupidest thing I ever did was let you go.”

  Taylor pushed her mug away, putting it between his outstretched hand and hers. “You didn’t let me go away. I was needed here, and you refused to stick with me.”

  “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “Of course not. Gaslighting me, yet again”

  Clay flexed his jaw. “Come on Tay, I’m not a bad guy. When have I ever tried to manipulate you, control you, or done anything other than support you?”

  Taylor stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

  “I mean besides this one really bad time that I made the worst decision of my life…” His voice trailed off.

  A crash of plates jerked Taylor’s attention to the group at the booth behind her. Aviva was waving a menu at the rosy faced lady who was eating with the Dorney’s.

  “Knock that off and call 911,” Sissy Dorney’s voice carried through the restaurant.

  “Sorry! Yes! Sorry!” Aviva dropped the menu and scuttled back toward the kitchen.

  “I’ve got it, Mom.” Cooper out-spoke his mom, trying to get her attention. “I’ve already called. Let’s lay her down.”

  “Are you crazy? You want her to choke on her vomit?” Sissy had the loudest voice Taylor had ever heard.

  “This isn’t exactly the atmosphere I was hoping for…” Clay said.

  “I think something a little more important is going on.” Taylor stood to see if she could help, but the sound of sirens announced the ambulance had already arrived. Taylor sat back down to keep out of the way.

  The few people eating at the café were eerily silent as the paramedics took the pale, unconscious woman out of the restaurant.

  Sissy held her guest’s hand as rushed into the ambulance.

  Cooper was on his mom’s heels but paused at Taylor’s table and mouthed “help.”

  * * *

  Grab your copy of Bound and Deceased!

  Assault and Batting is Taylor Quinn’s coming home story, so the Flour Sax Quilt Shop row for this book is 2016’s theme, Home Sweet Home.

&n
bsp; I suspect you can imagine why Grandma’s Pride is integral to the Flour Sax’s idea of home.

  Pieces

  For the Block

  4 dark squares, 2”

  4 medium squares 2”

  4 medium light squares, 2”

  4 light squares, 2”

  4 very light squares, 2” cut into half triangles

  1 very light square, 2” cut into quarter triangles

  1 light strip, 1” wide by 6.5” long

  1 light strip, 1” wide by 7” long

  1 medium strip, 1” wide by 7” long

  1 medium strip, 1” wide by 8” long

  1 dark strip, 1” wide by 8” long

  1 dark strip 1” wide by 8.5” long

  1 very dark strip 1” wide by 8.5” long

  1 very dark strip 1” wide by 9.5” long

  The finished row fudges a bit on the 9”x 36” row size so cut the outside strips a little large to give you room to cut the row to size.

  About the Author

  Tess Rothery is an avid quilter, knitter, writer and publishing teacher. She lives with her cozy little family in Washington State where the rainy days are best spent with a dog by her side, a mug of hot coffee, and something mysterious to read.

  Sign up for her newsletter at TessRothery.com so you won’t miss the next book in the Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery Series.