Out at Home

by JL Paul

  Kneeling on the floor in front of her, he cupped her face in his hands. “Taylor, I am so sorry, more than you’ll ever know. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

  “Brady, I….”

  “Wait, Taylor. Just think about it, okay?”

  She nodded and he got to his feet, hauling her with him. He gave her a tentative hug before heading to the door.

  “Think about it. I won’t rush you or pressure you but I do want you in my life again. Call me when you’re ready.”

  After opening the door, he paused for a moment. “I’m sorry how things turned out and I’m sorry I was such an ass, but I’m not sorry I made the bet.”

  His smarmy smirk appeared as her head snapped up and she glared at him.

  “If I wouldn’t have, I would have never talked to you and never got the chance to get to know you.”

  Giving her a wink, he left.

  ***

  The Racers were off to Buffalo for a three game series followed by a three game series in Orlando. Taylor kept busy with the ongoing mall saga. She made daily trips to Indianapolis as officials and residents of Somersville had taken the fight to higher authorities.

  Brady hadn’t called her since he’d left her house Sunday night nor had she called him. Her heart had forgiven him but she wasn’t sure where to go next. She felt something for him, she couldn’t deny it. Did she want to trust him again? Let herself fall for him all over again?

  She groaned as she pulled into the parking lot at the newspaper office. She’d stupidly left her cell phone on her desk so she intended to run in, grab it, and sneak back out. It was nearly five and all she wanted to do was go soak her tired body in the tub and stop thinking about Brady for five minutes.

  “Tia and I are taking you out tonight,” Josh informed her as soon as she reached her desk.

  She snorted. “Don’t you have a wife and a life?”

  “Oh shut up and agree already.”

  “Thanks, Josh, really but all I want to do is soak in the tub.”

  He glared at her, hands on his hips. “Better make room for me and Tia then.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But you two are buying.”

  An hour later they were comfortably seated on the patio at a local sports bar digging into cheeseburgers and beers.

  “Okay, so what’s the occasion?” Taylor asked between bites. “It’s not my birthday or your birthday. Why the night out?”

  “I’m hurt that you think we need to have a reason to take you out,” Tia pouted.

  Taylor laughed. “No, really. What’s the reason?”

  “We haven’t spent much time with you since your dad died,” Josh explained. “We’ve been a little worried is all.”

  She smiled at her friends. “Thank you, but I’m doing fine. His estate is nearly settled and I’ve made arrangements to have his ashes buried next to my mother’s. Teddy and I will go up there sometime next month.”

  “Did you ever talk to Brady?” Tia asked.

  Taylor nodded, realizing how busy she’d been lately that she hadn’t even taken a few minutes to update her friends on her life. Sighing, she retold the entire conversation, her cheeks blazing.

  Pushing her plate out of the way, Tia leaned over the table. “So what have you decided?”

  Taylor shrugged and picked at her hamburger bun. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to see him again or not.”

  “He obviously likes you otherwise he wouldn’t go through all this trouble to talk to you.”

  “Maybe,” Taylor sighed. “Or maybe he’s trying to clear a guilty conscience.”

  Shaking her head, Tia looked into Taylor’s eyes. “Maybe you should just give it a shot. Go out with him once or twice and see how it goes. Maybe you’ll be able to figure out if he’s sincere.”

  Taylor snorted. “I thought he was sincere before.”

  “Maybe he was,” Tia argued. “I mean, he purposely lost the bet. He didn’t tell anyone. Seems like he really likes you.”

  “I don’t know, Tia,” Josh said. “Maybe Taylor should move on now that she has her closure. Maybe it’s best if she just puts Brady Nolan in her past.”

  Tia fixed Josh with a glare. “You just don’t like Brady, that’s all.”

  “It doesn’t matter if I like him or not,” Josh said.

  Taylor nibbled on a fry. “All this love and dating stuff is over rated anyway.”

  “How can you say that?” Tia asked, absolutely scandalized.

  Taylor pointed a fry at Tia. “Look what it got my father.”

  “I think your father was braver than any of us,” Josh said. When both girls gave him equally confused looks he continued. “He allowed himself to love his wife so much and so freely that it actually killed him when he lost her.”

  ***

  Josh’s words echoed throughout her brain for the rest of the week. She rubbed her temples as she walked to her car. She’d spent the day in downtown Indy going through records and interviewing attorneys, getting as much background information as she could while the mall battle raged on.

  The farmer who owned the land and the mall developers had agreed on a price and the land was in the process of being purchased. This latest development had startled more residents and they quickly joined ranks with their neighbors to stop the progress.

  Taylor smirked as she thought about it. She actually wasn’t too concerned, though she’d personally prefer not to have a mall mar her small town. But she was willing to wager that most of the people protesting now would be the first ones to shop at the new mall if it ever was built.

  When she got in her car, she leaned back, closing her eyes. It was already after seven and her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Starting the engine, she headed over to the nearest fast food place.

  After she ordered, she sat at a back table, taking her time to eat while enjoying the cool air conditioning. Glancing at her watch, she wondered if the Racers were back in town yet. It was their travel day and they were set to start a home stand this weekend. Brady hadn’t called her all week. He’d remained true to his word and left her to make her decision in peace.

  She finished eating, threw out her trash, and got back in her car. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, trying to decide what to do. Her heart kept saying “Just call him! You know that’s what you really want.” But her head kept arguing, telling her it was a bad idea. When Josh’s words played in her mind again, she grabbed her cell.

  He picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, Taylor,” he answered in his cool, cocky tone. She could hear voices in the background.

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “At the Line Drive Club. Why? Something wrong?” he asked, all smugness gone.

  “Nope. Stay there,” she ordered as she promptly hung up. She started her car and headed toward the stadium.

  She’d driven past the Line Drive Club several times. She’d heard that some of the players liked to hang out at the sports bar after games or on off days so it was no surprise that Brady would be there - probably with several teammates. She hoped that if he was there with guys from the team that it was the guys that Taylor had already met. She needed to talk to Brady and didn’t want to do it with strange prying eyes watching.

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot and parked next to his car. Since it was Thursday, and still quite early, the bar didn’t look too crowded, though she still worried she’d have a hard time getting to him. With his good looks and great playing, he’d accumulated quite the little fan club.

  But when she walked in, she spotted him right away. He was sitting at a table with Kyle and Samantha, the girl Kyle sometimes dated, along a beautiful blonde girl Taylor didn’t know. Her heart sank and she almost turned around to leave but he appeared in front of her before she could move.

  He bent to look her straight in the eyes. “Are you okay, love?”

  She nodded. “Are you, umm, here wi
th someone or something?”

  “Huh?” he asked, brow furrowed. She nodded at the girl sitting with Kyle and Samantha. “No. Not at all. That’s Samantha’s cousin. She’s here visiting Sam for a few weeks.”

  She released a breath she hadn't realized that she was holding, causing him to smirk. “Not jealous are we, love?”

  Narrowing her eyes, she jabbed a finger in his chest. “Shut up, Brady. Don’t open your mouth and make me change my mind.”

  His eyes sparkled in amusement as he took her hand and led her to an empty table. “I’ll be good. Now tell me, what’s on your mind?”

  Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on his face. “Brady, I swear to God that if you ever hurt me again like you did before, I’ll castrate you!”

  He sat straight up, stunned momentarily into silence, and stared at her wide eyed. Suddenly, his face broke out in a wide grin. “Does this mean you’re going to give me another chance?”

  “Yes, although I don’t know why,” she said, holding back a smile.

  He leaned forward to cup her cheek. “You can’t resist me, that’s why.”

  “I told you not to open your mouth and ruin it.”

  Laughing, he lured her face to his and brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Now I guess I better take you on a proper date, huh?”

  “You probably should, but not tonight. It’s getting late and I have to be in the office in the morning,” she said.

  “Brady?”

  Pivoting to peer over his shoulder, he gave Taylor a clear view of Samantha’s cousin standing behind him, shifting from foot to foot. He raised a brow at her. “What’s up?”

  “We’re going to go to that club Sam was talking about. Do you want to come?”

  Lacing his fingers with Taylor’s, he gave her a wink. “Nope. I’m taking my woman out for ice cream, I think.”

  Chapter Nine

  They walked slowly, hand in hand, down the sidewalk to a nearby ice cream parlor. After they ordered, they sat on the patio at a little table to eat. Conversation remained light, revolving around the upcoming home stand. When they finished, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and escorted her back to her car.

  “So you’re coming to the game tomorrow night, right?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I guess. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to one.”

  His signature smirk worked its way to his lips. “Are you going to yell and cheer for me?”

  “Only if you do something worth yelling and cheering for,” she said.

  His smirk deepened to a smile as they reached the club parking lot. Pinning her against her car, he bent his head closer to hers. “But you are going to wear a jersey with my number on the back, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ha! Don’t push your luck.”

  He leaned in and pressed his lips firmly to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him closer. He broke the kiss but didn’t pull away. “You must not have one yet. I’ll get you one for you for your birthday.”

  He kissed her again before she could protest.

  She reluctantly untangled her body from his arms and opened the car door. He stood by as she tried to get her aging car to start. She banged her head on the steering wheel and groaned in frustration as it refused to come to life.

  “C’mon, love,” he urged, tugging on her sleeve. “You can take me home and use my car tomorrow. I’ll call a buddy of mine and have him take a look at yours in the morning. It’ll be okay here for tonight.”

  She raised a brow at him. “Seriously?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. I can be chivalrous when I want.”

  Rolling her eyes, she gathered her belongs, passing her lap top case to him. “I don’t even know where you live.”

  “I rented a condo in the complex where Kyle lives. He can give me a ride to the ball park tomorrow.”

  Carrying her stuff to his car, he tossed everything in back seat as she climbed inside. He hopped in the driver’s seat and turned the key, smiling at her when the engine roared to life. He chuckled when she glared at him.

  She racked her brain to think of something to say, hating the awkwardness that had suddenly descended upon them. When they’d dated in high school, they’d always seemed to have something to talk about. He relieved her anxiety when he asked her opinion on the Racers’ chances to make the playoffs. She relaxed as she chattered away, grateful to be on a safe topic.

  He directed the car through the Indianapolis outskirts and to the condo development she recognized as the one Brady took her to the day of the interview. He backed into the drive of a condo that very much resembled Kyle’s and killed the engine.

  “Do you want to come in?” he asked, reaching out to stroke her cheek with his knuckles.

  “I really can’t. I have to get up early,” she muttered, skin tingling at his touch.

  Removing the car keys off his key ring, he handed them to her and got out of the car.

  “Hop over here, then.”

  She scooted to the driver’s side and adjusted the seat to her height. He leaned in the window to gently kiss her, igniting sparks in her heart.

  “Don’t wreck it,” he ordered, lips still on hers.

  She smiled into his mouth and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, resuming the kiss. The sparks grew to flames as her traitorous body inched closer to his. He finally broke the kiss, whispered his goodnight as she started the car.

  ***

  She sauntered into the office the next morning, eyes sparkling like a lovesick teenager, and immediately checked her voice messages. Josh waved to her from his desk and ambled over as soon as she hung up the phone.

  “How’s the story going?” he asked.

  She groaned. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  He smiled. “Well, you wanted a real story.”

  “I know.” She flipped on her computer and waited while it ran through its usual virus check.

  “Never satisfied, are you?” Henry Lake, a veteran reporter, asked as he walked by her desk. He paused to sit on the corner. “You wanted something better to cover and now that you have it, you complain.”

  “I wasn’t complaining,” Taylor informed him, folding her arms in front of her body.

  “Sounded like it to me,” he grunted. He was a short man with an impressive paunch. He kept his gray hair in a crew cut and his face cleanly shaved. He always dressed in a shirt and tie with pressed slacks and a sports coat that he usually slung neatly on the back of his chair.

  She leaned back and eyed him suspiciously. “What’s the matter, Henry? Are you jealous that I’m female and caught a good story because I have intelligence? Are you threatened because I didn’t have to show a little cleavage or sleep with someone to get to where I am?”

  He laughed. “Mighty high opinion of yourself, huh? We all know better.”

  Josh rose to his feet but Taylor held a hand out to him, signaling him to stop. “Well, maybe if you’d sleep with someone instead of relying on your nonexistent talent, you’d get better stories.”

  He slid off her desk, an evil glare on his face. “You are such a little bitch.”

  She leaned forward, danger lurking in her hazel eyes. “Don’t forget it, either.”

  With one last dark glance, he stomped off to the break room.

  Sinking into a chair, Josh burst with laughter. “Man! When did Henry become such a big fan of yours?”

  Taylor waved him off and returned to her computer. “He’s been that way with me since I was assigned Brady’s interview.”

  She went through her notes as she started working on her latest piece. She became so engrossed, she didn’t realize it was nearly lunch time until her cell phone rang and distracted her from her computer. She answered it without so much as a glance at the number on the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey love, how’s your day going?”

  Her heart leapt as she smiled, swiveling her chair away from her computer to give him her full attention. “Just pea
chy. And yours?”

  “Could be better. You didn’t wreck my car, did you?”

  She laughed. “No, but I am supposed to meet a few guys from the back at lunch. I challenged them to a race. How fast does your car go, anyway?”

  “Not very so don’t bother,” he said so seriously it caused her to laugh again. “My buddy is working on your car now, by the way. Did you know the air conditioning is out?”

  “Really,” she asked sarcastically. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Yeah. And the starter is out, too. He said he’d fix them both, but honestly love, why don’t you just get a new one?”

  “Ha! On my paycheck? Are you kidding me?” she asked in disbelief. “Why don’t you just run out and buy me one Mr. Big League?”

  He snorted. “I’m still a rookie, remember? I don’t make the big bucks. Yet.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I was kidding, Brady.”

  “I wasn’t,” he told her cheekily. “Do you need one ticket or two tonight?”

  “Just one. Is Kyle picking you up for batting practice?” she asked in a coy tone, smirk tugging at her lips.

  “Yeah, why?”

  Her smirk turned into a full grown grin. “You need to tell him to get you there early. You’ve been slumping lately, buddy.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he groaned. “I have been slumping. But I do have a way to get over that particular problem.”

  Her pulse raced as her face flushed. “I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

  “Probably not,” he quipped. “See you tonight, love.”

  “Bye,” she said, ending the call with a sweet smile gracing her lips. She swiveled back to her computer and ignored the curious glance Josh gave her. She knew if she acknowledged him, he’d come over and lecture her on the dangers of dating Brady Nolan. She knew exactly what he’d say, too; he’d tell her he only wanted her to talk to him and get closure, not start dating him again and set herself up to be hurt once more. He’d hinted around about it ever since that night out with him and Tia. She didn’t even want to think about Brady hurting her again. She just wanted to wallow in the sudden joy she had in her life.