Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two

by Jennifer Peel

  I thought about the conversation I’d had with Rachel earlier. “Yeah, well, this town has already mistaken us for being too friendly, if you get my meaning.”

  “No.” He winked. “Do you want to explain that to me?”

  I narrowed my gaze at him and glared. “Remind me why I invited you over here?”

  He chuckled. “It was inevitable, I suppose.”

  I didn’t get to respond because the girls joined us. Suddenly it felt like Mother’s Day. Easton and the girls took care of setting the table and finishing up dinner. All I had to do was sit down and enjoy it. It was quite pleasant. I even took pleasure in seeing Easton enjoy his favorite meal. I think he ate four sandwiches and half the lemon meringue pie by the time it was all said and done. How he kept his physique, I had no idea. It was unfair.

  The girls offered to clean up and do the dishes. That left Easton and me not knowing what to do with ourselves. The girls insisted that we relax. I was trying to figure out how we could do that separately, but we ended up together in my living room sitting on opposite ends of my couch.

  Easton looked my way. He found his true grin. “That was the best meal I’ve had in years. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I could give you the recipe if you want.”

  “It wouldn’t taste as good if I made it.”

  “Where have I heard that before?” That was always his excuse for not cooking when we were married.

  “It’s a proven fact. Did you forget about the time I tried to make you dinner for your birthday? The chicken was so overdone I think you drank a gallon of water in an attempt to finish it.”

  I did remember. I didn’t know if I’d ever made so many trips to the bathroom in one night, but I didn’t want him to feel bad, so I did what it took to get that awful chicken down. I cracked a small smile.

  “You do remember.” He smiled widely in return.

  There was something else I remembered and couldn’t get it off my mind. “Easton, what happened between you and Caden?”

  I felt bad wiping the smile off his face, but so many things had turned out so different than I thought, for both him and me. I felt like this was a piece of that puzzle. That perhaps it would shed some light on where things all went wrong.

  He leaned forward and rubbed his neck. “Kathryn,” he said quietly. “She, Caden, and Nicole didn’t get along very well. So I had to make a choice, my wife or my brother.”

  “I don’t understand. Why couldn’t you have both?”

  He looked at me and I’d never seen him look so defeated. “Because with Kathryn, that wouldn’t have worked. It always had to be only her.”

  “Is that why you stayed away from our daughter?”

  He turned from me. “Yes.”

  “Well, maybe you should call Caden.” I stood up to see if the girls needed any help.

  He looked up to me. “Where are you going?”

  “I thought you might want some privacy when you call him.”

  “You think I should call him now?” He sounded so nervous and unsure of himself. What had happened to him?

  “Why waste another minute? If I know Caden, he’ll consider this his best Father’s Day gift.” And with that I turned and left.

  Chapter Ten

  I was happy to see Monday come. I needed to work. Work was normal. Father’s Day weekend had been anything but normal. Easton and Emmy hadn’t left until late. I got the feeling they didn’t want to leave at all, which was weird. We ended up playing board games and watching a movie until almost midnight. That was after Easton talked to his brother. I don’t know what exactly was said, but I knew it was good because Easton’s mood bordered on jovial for the rest of the evening.

  It wasn’t the best thing to stay up so late before starting a new job the next day, but I was trying to be selfless since it was Easton’s day. I could tell how happy he was to have both of his daughters with him. It was as if he didn’t want to let it go. Besides, the girls had become masters at the art of talking me into anything. Both sets of their brown eyes were going to be my undoing.

  As I rode up the elevator to the third floor of Merryton General I tried to calm my nerves. I hadn’t started a new job since I moved back to Birmingham and this was going to be a little different. They were starting a new program where every new mother who delivered there would get a complimentary consultation with me, so my office was in the Women’s Center. I was looking forward to the new challenge and direction. I had been doing a ton of research and working on meal plans that would be best suited for new moms, but I knew not one size fit everyone, so I had also worked up a questionnaire so I could tailor individual plans. I would still be working with other types of patients, but I wanted to make sure this pilot program with new mothers had its best chance of taking off. I also wanted to do anything I could to help new moms feel their best. I remembered the uncertainty I felt about my own body right after having Ashley. I remembered having to separate nutrition from weight loss. As a society, we are so focused on losing weight that we forget good nutrition has far better benefits. Thin doesn’t necessarily equal healthy. In fact, some of the unhealthiest people I’d known were thin.

  I settled in my small office near the nurse’s station. I had come in the week before and set up my office so I would be ready to go. Annette Fleming, the Administrator of Clinical Services and my new boss, had come in first thing to show me around and introduce me to the staff in the Women’s Center as well as the Chief Physician, Dr. Victor Carmichael. Everyone had high hopes about this program and about having a clinical nutritionist on staff. I felt like a lot was riding on me, but it was going to be good to have focus again.

  My schedule for the week quickly filled up. I was going to see everyone from new moms to gastric bypass recipients to regular patients wanting to be healthier. I liked the variety.

  I came home that first evening exhausted, but it was the good kind. I loved helping people. When I pulled into our detached two-car garage, I didn’t see Ashley’s little Honda Civic. I thought she and Emmy might both be home, and I was disappointed not to see them. I soon found out where they were.

  Hi, Momma, I hope you had a great first day. I’m staying at Dad’s for dinner. Raphe is coming over here so we can swim. Love ya! Ashley texted.

  Love you, I texted back. I was more than a little bummed by the news. I wasn’t used to this sharing thing yet, and I didn’t have a pool to lure them back here. I sighed as I walked into our cute little home.

  I made a protein shake and salad since it was a table for one. I put on some Marvin Gaye and tried to unwind. I opened all the windows in the house and enjoyed the breeze and the Colorado summer air. It was a little intoxicating. I ended up on the back porch after dinner, contemplating how I should deal with being by myself. I knew it was coming. Ashley only had two years left at home, but I hadn’t expected this so soon. But now that Easton was back in the picture, I had a feeling I was going to have more free time on my hands than I wanted. I was considering everything from Latin Dance to taking some classes online.

  Ashley got home that night around ten. She came in and sat on my bed and talked to me about the many wonderful attributes of Raphe. She also told me her dad had pulled some strings and got her a tryout for the volleyball team even though tryouts had been held back in March. I was happy to hear that. I knew that was one of the sacrifices she had to make coming out here. It was very thoughtful of Easton to do that for her. I had no doubt the coach here would be impressed with her skills. She had been playing since she was six.

  Ashley had never seemed happier.

  Tuesday found me busy at work again, but halfway through my day I had a visitor.

  Easton peeked his head in the tiny window of my door. I looked up to see him grinning, and without an invitation opened the door. “Am I interrupting anything?”

  “No, I don’t have another consult until two. What are you doing here?”

  He ran his hands through his hair nervously. “I was here t
o see a patient, so I thought I would stop by and see you. How’s the new job going?”

  “So far, so good.”

  “Great …”

  Awkwardness hung in the air.

  “Yep, great …” Why were we behaving like teenagers?

  “How’s your hand?” he asked to fill the lull in conversation.

  I held it up so he could see it. “Good, but it itches now.”

  He took my hand in his to examine it. “It looks like it’s healing properly. If you want to come by my office on your way home Friday evening, I’ll take the stitches out for you.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to have to stay late on my account.”

  He set my hand down gently and looked into my eyes. “It’s no bother at all.”

  “Okay, thanks. Oh, by the way, thanks for getting Ashley a tryout. It meant a lot to her— and me.”

  He gave a thoughtful smile. “I guess it’s about time I started acting like a Dad to our daughter.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  “I know, Taylor. I feel horrible about all the time I wasted, everything I missed out on. I never meant for things to get so screwed up and out of control.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Anyway, I better let you get back to work.”

  I wanted to make him feel better. For so long, I had wanted him to feel bad about what he had done to us and to Ashley, but seeing him like this, I felt this ache. “Easton,” I called out. “Ashley loves you and she’s never been happier.” It was a hard concession for me to make, but it was true. She and I had been happy only the two of us, but now that she had the missing piece in her life, she was complete and it showed.

  His smile was alight this time. “Thanks, Taylor. See you later.”

  “Yeah, see you later.”

  Easton visited me one more time that week after he delivered a baby that weighed eleven pounds. My insides cringed thinking about having a baby that big. Ashley was barely seven pounds. A fact I was very grateful for. Our conversation that day wasn’t as awkward or melancholy, but it was odd that he kept stopping by.

  Easton couldn’t cook worth a darn so the girls made their way back to me most evenings. Even though I was tired after work, I enjoyed cooking for them and catching up on their day’s events. I especially enjoyed seeing both girls happy. There was more light in Emmy’s eyes now.

  Friday arrived and I was more than looking forward to it. First, the itchy stitches were coming out, and then it was girl’s night at Jessie Belle’s. I hoped the younger women wouldn’t think I was cramping their style. And did I need a weekend. New jobs are exhausting at first, even if I was enjoying it.

  I pulled into an almost empty parking lot at Merryton Family Practice on Friday night. I was sure all the patients for the day had been seen. I felt bad to keep him after work, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking for time off during my first week of work to have this taken care of. I walked through the front door and, to my surprise, was accosted by a familiar face.

  “Taylor!” She wrapped me up tightly.

  I hugged her back. “Faye, I had no idea you still worked here.” I loved Faye. She was the receptionist that came with the practice when we bought it so many years ago. She and I had immediately hit it off. She was probably a good twenty years older than me, but she acted youthful. She looked similar to the last time I had seen her, but her hair was almost completely gray now.

  She released me and stood back to look me over. “You’re as beautiful as ever.”

  “Thanks, Faye. How are you and your family?”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Nothing much changes here. Greg is still fixing cars and we’ve gotten older. Both of our kids now live in Denver with our grandkids and we still get to see them from time to time, so we can’t complain.”

  I loved her lively spirit.

  “So tell me about you. I know you’ve moved back here, and of course Dr. Cole tells me about Ashley from time to time. I love seeing her pictures.”

  “Then you know how I am. Ashley’s my life, so it’s pretty terrific.”

  She gave me a discerning grin. “So how do you feel about living here again?”

  She was one person I had opened up to about not being thrilled moving here the last go around. “Oh, about the same way I felt about it last time, but it was Ashley’s choice.”

  She touched my arm. “Well, maybe this go around will be better.”

  “Yeah, well, it can’t get much worse than last time.”

  “Taylor.” Easton startled me.

  Both Faye and I turned toward him.

  “I was catching up with your sweet …,” Faye stuttered.

  Easton and I looked at her.

  She smiled, red tinge on her cheeks. “I mean Taylor. Sorry.”

  I smiled at her and hugged her. “Don’t apologize. It was so lovely to see you again.”

  “You too, dear. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “Are you ready to get those stitches out?” Easton asked.

  “More than ready.” I followed Easton back to the same examining room he had stitched up my hand in.

  I situated myself on the examination table. “I didn’t know Faye still worked for you.”

  “Actually, she just came back a few months ago,” he said uncomfortably.

  “Really? Where did she go?”

  Easton stared down at my hand. “She and Kathryn didn’t get along, so she quit a few years ago.”

  “Oh …” I was sensing a pattern here.

  Easton looked up at me. His eyes once again looked worn. “Faye never made it a secret that she thought I made a grave error in letting you go.”

  “Oh …,” I repeated.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “She saw Kathryn for what she was.”

  “And what was that?”

  He looked at me squarely. “A mistake.”

  I shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “At least you got Emmy out of the deal, right?”

  “Emmy is the best and only good thing that came out of our relationship.” Easton grabbed a pair of sterilized surgical scissors. “So, why haven’t you remarried?” He asked as he sterilized my hand before removing the stitches.

  I thought for a minute. He probably had no idea what a loaded question that was, and how much of it had to do with him. “I guess I didn’t want to make a mistake.”

  “Again?” he questioned.

  “No, Easton. I never considered marrying you a mistake. Maybe I would have done it a little differently or waited a little longer.”

  He grinned. “I don’t know. I would take the courthouse any day over an elaborate ceremony.”

  “Are you speaking from experience?”

  “Yes, unfortunately.”

  “So …”

  He looked up right into my eyes.

  I caught my breath as I peered into his troubled brown eyes. “Do you consider marrying me mistake number one?”

  He leaned closer. I could smell the cinnamon on his breath. For a long second I wanted to taste it, but I removed that thought out of my head.

  “Not once.” He turned back to my hand. “This may tug a little,” he said as he took out the first stitch.

  My hand didn’t tug, but my heart sure did.

  Chapter Eleven

  Girl’s night was perfect timing. I left Easton’s office feeling unnerved. Our conversations were becoming more personal than I imagined they would be. The brochure of living near your ex was clearly wrong. It had said I would get to feel apathetic toward him and find some satisfaction that the woman he left me for left him, but no. I found myself feeling sorry for him and I had this desire to comfort him. I also found myself wishing I hadn’t left him in the first place, but I knew that was stupid. For one, you can’t change the past, and even if I had stayed, it was no guarantee it would have worked out. I was supposed to come here and get Easton out of my head and heart once and for all, but being around him was having the opposite effect.

  I came home, changed int
o something more casual, and caught up with the girls before they met their dad for pizza. Easton had invited me, too, and I was thankful for the excuse not to eat with him. Dinner was still on at his house Sunday, and he even promised me whole grains and no processed food. That thought made me smile. I shook my head at myself.

  I showed up at Jessie Belle’s right at seven. I was nervous for some reason. I felt like the new kid, but I was really old. I hoped they didn’t think I was lame. I had been friends with Jessie for years, but she was only five years my junior. I think Rachel was something like twenty-eight. I smoothed out my light yellow summer dress, took a deep breath, and walked in. The café was pretty crowded, but I noticed Jessie, Cheyenne, Abby and Rachel sitting around the unlit fireplace. I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked toward them. They all looked my way and smiled. I let out my breath and smiled back.

  “You made it,” Rachel said sweetly.

  “Thanks for inviting me.” I took the empty chair that surrounded the fireplace. I felt like they were all staring at me. Not in a bad way, but in an observational sort of way.

  “How do you like working at the hospital?” Abby broke the ice.

  “So far I really enjoy it. This is something a little different for me, so it’s been good.”

  “Shane has been nothing but complimentary, he likes the way you’re helping everyone there focus on incorporating nutrition as part of their recovery.”

  “I’ve always believed nutrition plays a vital role in a person’s recovery and overall health.”

  “That’s probably why you are still fab in your forties,” Cheyenne commented.

  I smiled at her.

  “But the real news at the hospital is the extra visits the good doctor is now making,” she added.

  I was beginning to see that she didn’t mind making people feel uncomfortable.