by Ellen Hutton
The way she looked at him told him that she already got wind of his reputation from one of the community gossipers.
“I have better things to do,” he said.
“You mean wandering into your neighbors’ homes asking for accommodation?” she asked.
“Hey, what are good neighbors for?” he asked. “In fact, you can come to me for a favor whenever you need one. I’d be happy to fulfill any desire of yours.”
The way she looked at him told him that she had no idea what he was referring to.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked plainly.
Well maybe she had some idea, but she didn’t seem impressed.
“I mean you’re a beautiful woman and I’ve been referred to as a handsome man. I could foresee a situation where I could… you know…” he said.
“Oh dear,” she said pressing her hand against her chest. “The woman who just left you home couldn’t have arrived at her home as yet and you’re trying to get another woman to bed?”
He didn’t like the way she was looking at him with such a heavy disapproval so he decided to try another strategy.
“I wouldn’t focus on that,” he said. “I mean, you’re a modern woman, right? You’re not bound by these ideas that monogamy is necessary.”
She shook her head disapprovingly.
“I am a modern woman,” she replied, “which means I have all right to reject a fool on my doorstep in the middle of the night.”
He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. She was proving a bit more difficult than he had initially thought. If he wanted to get through to her, he might have to put in at least two days’ work.
“Thanks, by the way,” he said.
She turned to a closet in the room and pulled out a striped pair of pajamas.
“Don’t get your junk all over my bed,” she said, throwing it to him before walking away.
He looked down at the pajamas and shrugged off his robe. They were old-fashioned, but they were much more comfortable than the itchy ones he kept. He slipped on the pants and decided to forgo the top. As he climbed into the bed, he wondered when he had ever been rejected by a woman. It had never happened and yet this woman couldn’t be more disinterested. She was beautiful and from what she told him, she was accomplished. Maybe it had something to do with the type of women he chased but he decided not to go down that road right now. He was inside, in bed, and he wanted to sleep off the shots of vodka he had thrown back earlier. Maybe the morning would be more productive. In any case, he wasn’t going to chase after his neighbor if she wasn’t interested. He knew better than to give the people around him more reasons to hate him. He had to live with them for now and he needed them to at least tolerate him even if they didn’t particularly like him.
Chapter 3
When Taylor awoke, she was surprised to find that her neighbor had left. She looked at her bedside table and realized it was almost nine and she still hadn’t prepared the house for her parents who would be arriving in an hour. Jumping up, she began frantically organizing the guest room that Conner had left much more organized than she thought him capable. There was a thank-you note on the bedside table and his number in case she changed her mind about his proposal.
She trashed it and continued prepping the house. Conner was the type of guys she always avoided. He was tall, handsome in a boyish way, and he was very aware of his charms. Guys like him were a dime a dozen and they weren’t generally the most faithful. The only things she liked about him were his blue eyes and captivating smile; she had nothing against those qualities. As she continued to clean, her mind kept going back to the image of him standing on her steps.
Deciding to shrug off the events of the previous night, she called the catering company she had contracted for her parent’s visit and reminded them of the delivery she had planned. She was not the world’s worst cook, but she didn’t like to cook especially if her mother would be eating the food and judging her. Half an hour later, the door-bell rang, and she ran to the door glancing around the room as she went to ensure that nothing was out of place.
“Taylor!” her father exclaimed when she swung the door open.
He stepped inside and pulled her in for a hug that pushed all air from her lungs.
“Dad,” she managed to choke out as he released her.
Her father, Timothy, was a large man. After playing professional football in his younger years, he had retired to work as a doctor, but he hadn’t allowed himself to wither away. He went to the gym often and kept his fitness up more rigorously than she did.
“Hi, sunshine,” he said while stepping into the house.
Behind him, her mother Elizabeth stood back and smiled up at the house.
“Darling,” she said looking up at me and flashing her pearly whites. “Lovely house.”
“Thanks, mom,” Taylor replied.
When both parents were inside, she proceeded with a tour of the house. Her father was always approving while her mother stood back and appeared more subdued. It was the same old good-cop, bad-cop routine that she never got used to with these two.
“It’s a beautiful house,” her father said when they were back in the living room. “You did this all by yourself?”
“I had contractors,” she replied, “but the design ideas were my own.”
“Now that the house is done,” her mother said, “I want to hear about what’s happening on the boyfriend front.”
Her father looked over at her mother swiftly.
“What? I did say I would ask.” Her mother said defensively. “You want to know as well.”
She looked at both her parents and tried to figure out what they were hiding from her.
“What’s going on?” she asked
“Well, your mother and I were hoping you would let us set you up,” her father said slowly. “I know a nice young man who you would do great with.”
“Dad, no!” Taylor replied. “I cannot have my parents set me up.”
“I told you she wouldn’t accept it like that,” her mother said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, wondering why her mother had said that.
She didn’t need to be tricked into going on a blind date. Neither did she need her parents setting her up with one of their friends’ sons. It was embarrassing enough that she didn’t know how to do this dating thing herself and even more embarrassing that everyone else had to know.
“I meant, darling, we just want to help you out,” her mother said, switching her tactic and becoming more pleading. “We think we know the perfect guy for you.”
“Really, now?” Taylor asked skeptically. “He’s perfect for me?”
“He is, daring,” she replied. “He’s almost thirty, no kids, recently divorced, and he’s an architect.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. He sounded as exciting as a lump of dirt.
“A divorcee?” she asked. “Mom, I don’t want to marry a divorcee.”
“He was only married for a year,” her mother said. “The girl was a little ditsy.”
“So, you think maybe he will push it to two years with me?” she replied.
“It’s not about that,” her mother said. “He’s perfect because he’s a charming man and he’s just as brilliant as you are. You should see the things he designs. They’re out of this world.”
Taylor rolled her eyes and stood.
“It’s just one date,” her mother said as she followed her out of the room and into the kitchen.
“Mom, it’s crazy. Why would you think it’s even necessary to set me up?”
“Well, you haven’t really ever dated” her mother replied. “You’ve never been that girl but we don’t want you to live a lonely life without someone to share your bed.”
Taylor thought for a moment of saying that she had just had a man in her bed the previous night. It didn’t matter which specific bed, it had been technically her bed. Instead, she shrugged.
“I can find someone on my own,” she
said.
“I don’t doubt it,” her mother replied. “You don’t have to fall for this man we’ve found for you, but I want you to give dating a try. Your father and I have a longing for grandchildren. There was only you to love growing up and now we want more.”
Taylor couldn’t help laughing. Her parents had tried very hard to have more children but after being told that her womb could not accommodate another child, her mother had put all her effort into Taylor and the rest into charities for underprivileged children.
“I can have a baby without a man mom,” Taylor replied. “We both know this.”
Her mother gave her a disapproving look and she knew exactly what her mother was thinking. She didn’t want her to be a single mother. She wanted her to have a family and be happy. Even if she eventually ended up as a single mother, her mother would most certainly try to take the child and raise it herself.
“Fine,” she said. “One date with this man you think is good enough me.”
“I knew you’d come around,” her mother said, hugging her and planting a kiss on her cheek.
Taylor needed to find a way to say no to her mother or the woman would always have her way. She was the master of manipulating Taylor which came from years of perfecting her art.
“Now, tell us about this new practice of yours,” her mother said as she led her back into the living room where her father had already managed to turn on the television. He was lazily scrolling through the sports channels.
Taylor sat next to her mother relaxed as she talked about her new offices.
“I had to leave the hospital,” she said. “It gets crazy, so I opened up my own offices nearby.”
“Oh, you should take us there,” her mother said. “Who do you have working with you?”
“I got a few good doctors” she replied. “They use the space, pay a small fee, and take their patients there. I have my patients come in and any ‘walk-in’ gets distributed evenly.”
“Sounds good to me,” her mother replied. “You know we’re proud of you, right?”
Taylor looked at both of her parents and she knew they were. They were never the type to be over-bearing or pry into her life. They had allowed her to grow and develop at her own pace and she had pushed herself in ways they never had. She was convinced that if she had become a dancer as she had envisioned as a child, they would have been fully supportive.
“I know,” she replied.
“Good,” her mother said. “We want to help in any way we can, so don’t hesitate to call if things get too overwhelming.”
“Sure,” she replied.
“And even though you have your brand-new home, we still expect you once a month for dinner,” she made herself clear.
Taylor laughed, knowing her mother would always try to find some way to slip that in.
“I know, mom,” She replied. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“That’s the daughter I raised,” her mother cooed.
Together, they sat and chatted about everything and nothing. The catering service delivered their lunches and dinners not long after and both her parents took turns critiquing her choice of restaurants and mocking her poor cooking skills. It was a good thing that she was such a strong person. Otherwise, her feelings would have been hurt terribly by their ridicule. By the time they went to bed, she felt good that her day had gone so well. She had impressed her parents and now they would get off her back.
Chapter 4
Conner walked out of the training room and into his coach’s office. He had been in the middle of a training session when the coach sent for him. Knowing the old man, he could predict the conversation, but he went just the same. As he pushed the door, Daniel stood and looked up at him. The man was much shorter than his six feet five inches and it always made him smile to have the older man look up at him.
“Conner,” he said, “sit down.”
Conner sat and folded his hands.
“What’s up to, coach?” he asked.
“I’m just going to come right out and say it” Daniel replied. “You’re not looking good in the press.”
Conner shook his head. He hadn’t expected that, and he didn’t know why his coach would even be interested. Initially, he thought Daniel wanted to talk about sponsorships or even his poor play the night before, but this was a complete surprise.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, “my behavior in the press?”
“Yeah,” Daniel replied while throwing a magazine towards him. It featured him and a line-up of the women he was being accused of sleeping with and then ditching. As he looked at the pictures, he knew he slept with at least five of the six.
“Oh,” he replied. “You know these tabloids can’t be trusted.”
“That’s the third time this has happened,” his coach said. “What’s the matter with you, can’t you just date one woman at a time?”
“That’s an unfair request,” he said. “I have all right to date whoever I want, whenever I want.”
“Well, you need to at least try to keep your private life private if you don’t want it affecting your career,” Daniel said.
Conner looked up at Daniel when he said those words. Daniel looked back at him with a stone-face and he knew the older man wasn’t joking.
“What are you really saying?” he asked.
“I’m saying you need to get your act together Conner,” Daniel replied. “The management is sick of their players coming off as dogs in the media. You’ll lose your endorsements and probably lose your sponsorship contracts.”
“That wasn’t a stipulation in any of my contracts,” he replied. “Why are you guys trying to mess with me? I play ball, but don’t forget I earned that Law degree that hangs on my wall.”
“It’s not about what’s in the contract,” the coach replied. “It’s about you wanting to stay here in Cali or being traded for some team up North.”
Conner couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The last thing he needed today was to have his coach egging him about his personal life.
“I’m going to get back to my training,” he said as he stood to go.
“Before you go,” his coach said, “think about it. You can have all these women and lose out on your career, or you can take it easy and get everything you ever wanted.”
Conner didn’t respond. Instead, he walked out of the room and into the locker room to clear his head. He was angry, and he wanted to punch something, but he didn’t need more heat from his coach for destroying equipment.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Stanley, his friend and one of his team-mates asked, coming into the room.
“Same old bullshit,” he replied.
“What?” Stanley asked.
“The coach wants me to get out of the tabloids,” he replied.
Stanley laughed, and Conner wondered if he could punch him.
“Come on, man, it’s something we all go through,” Stanley said. “You just have to try to be private and get these girls to maybe sign a non-disclosure.”
“Easy for you to say. You’ve got a wife,” he replied.
“Yeah, man but I have something you’ve never seemed to learn,” Stanley replied.
“What’s that?” he asked. “A better three-point shot?”
“Self-control, man,” Stanley replied ignoring his comment. “What you need is self-control or you might end up losing everything you’ve worked for.”
“What?” he asked. “I didn’t decide to play pro-ball for self-control.”
“Yeah, but you need it now, don’t you?” Stanley replied. “I’ve seen people’s careers go in the pit for less than this.”
Conner knew Stanley was right. It was easy to get people to be happy for him when he’s in the light but if things went south, he’d be lucky if anyone is there to call for him. Men greater than him had been brought down by bad press and he didn’t want to lose out for something so trivial. The only thing he had in his life right now was basketball and if he lost out on tha
t, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
“I get you,” he said, “but hey, if all I have to do is get these girls to stop talking in the media, I’ll be fine.”
Stanley was quiet, and Conner wondered what he was thinking. He had come up with Stanley through the college leagues and they had formed a tentative friendship. Still, it was the closest friendship he had formed with anyone since leaving his hometown.
“Would it be so bad to maybe settle down with one girl?” Stanley asked.
“That’s not for me, man” he replied, letting the thought out of his mind as quickly as possible. “That’s much more work than dating all the women I can get.”
Relationships weren’t something he was interested in and if he wanted a family eventually, he would do it the unconventional way. He didn’t want anyone depending on him and he didn’t need to depend on anyone. Being the lone wolf suited him.
“You say that” Stanley replied, “but man, everyone eventually needs someone.”
“I’m actually good,” Conner replied. “Why to settle for someone when I can have anyone?”
“That’s not the same thing. You know that, right?” Stanley asked. “Anyone is not the same as no-one.”
“I’m not like you” Conner replied. “Settling down isn’t something I’ve ever seen myself doing. Least of all now when I can have all the women I want. That would be a total waste of my talents.”
“Been there” Stanley replied while walking out, “but I trust you know what’s best for yourself.”
Conner wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. He had purposely done all he could to avoid inviting people into his life and he had never envisioned needing anyone. He sat there for a few more minutes and then decided to go home. He didn’t feel any drive to continue training. Neither did he want to stay there and have his mind wander to places it shouldn’t be. He drove home as the sun was beginning to set and as he parked, he saw his new neighbor walking out of her house. Once again, he was struck by her beauty. She looked much more beautiful with the sun rays dancing across her face and he suddenly felt the urge to say something. The last time he had seen her three days ago, she had been disheveled but cute. Now, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.
