When they were sitting in the truck he pulled out his cell phone and called Maggie. He told her about the car situation. She could not hear Maggie’s end, but Sean nodded and said yes several times. Then he looked at her, “Maggie wants us to come over for dinner at 6. Is that okay?”
She felt like she was trying to walk through a thick layer of mud and her legs were getting more and more stuck as she tried to break free. Or maybe it was quicksand. Whatever it was, she was sinking deeper and deeper.
She looked down at her tightly gripped hands. She had never felt so unsure of herself and what to do. Normally she made a decision and went with it. Her life was so different now.
She kept her eyes down but saw Sean reach over and briefly lay a hand gently on her tightly clenched fists in her lap. “It’s going to be okay, really it is. I know it’s all been a bit overwhelming, but you’ll be fine.”
She looked at him with round eyes and whispered, “I feel like I’m stuck on a runaway train.” Can’t get off, can’t stop the train from barreling down the tracks, no driver. Going faster and faster. Disaster ahead. Or maybe the disaster had already happened and this was the aftermath. Whichever, she had never felt so out of control.
He gave her an encouraging smile, told Maggie they would be there and hung up.
As he started the engine he glanced over at her, “I told you I have a solution.” He tried to look casual and relaxed.
She watched out the window as they drove, but she saw very little. She was curious about his solution but she was too busy chastising herself for being emotionally weak and not feeling in control of her life to wonder too much about it. She hated crying or getting upset in front of people. Alone was a different story. She had cried once in the hospital and they had asked her if she needed a psychologist to visit. She had shaken her head no and made herself stop crying. They sent one anyways and she had endured half an hour of questions before he left. She never cried after that, even if she felt like it.
She remembered getting teary eyed on a particularly bad day in the kitchen. The chef was in a bad mood and he was yelling at everyone, but she had taken the brunt of it. When he had seen her watery eyes he had yelled, “Don’t you dare start crying in my kitchen!”
She had almost quit. But she didn’t. She had held back the tears and kept working. He was an award winning chef and she had learned a lot from him. Besides, it was hard to find another sous chef position. Especially for a woman in her field and with no culinary degree. She had gotten the job based on her food and skills.
Had this trip been a really bad idea? Maybe Lisa had been right and she was not ready. Was she just being stubborn? Or stupid? She shook her head slightly. No. She knew she had to do this. She could do this.
She sat up straighter in the seat. Fine, she would deal with this and then go on her way. She glanced over at her driver. She was way out of her league with him; in over her head. Why did she get goose bumps whenever he touched her? She suspected she knew. He was gorgeous, kind, easy to talk to, interesting, and he seemed to know her, read her. Not many men she had been around had been as observant and watched out for her.
Sean knew she had glanced at him a couple of times while he was driving, but he kept his eyes on the road. She seemed doggedly determined to be independent and he could understand that given her circumstances, but he also did not want to give her any reason to be nervous. Better to look calm and keep looking forward, he reasoned.
He hoped his solution was going to work. She might not go for it, but it was the best solution. Or was he hoping that it was and why did he care so much? She was gorgeous and sweet and kind, but again, why was he so interested? It wasn’t like him. He was way outside of his comfort zone right now.
No, she needed this even if she did not think so. Or was he taking a risk that he shouldn’t? He was stepping into unknown territory, but he was not someone who backed down from a challenge. Although, she wasn’t like anything or anyone he had ever faced before.
She was jerked out of her reveries when they pulled into a driveway. There was a burgundy car parked on the left side. He parked on the right side of the driveway. The house was dark red brick with big windows and a white front porch. She swung her head around to see no other houses, just a large yard and woods on three sides. The yard looked neat and clean. Like everywhere, the grass was thick but browning.
He sounded overly cheerfully as he said, “We’re here.” He winced inwardly. So much for sounding casual and confident.
Ten
“Where’s here?” She looked at him with unease.
She glanced around again. No close neighbors, like she was used to. She gotten used to living in an apartment, but before that she had rented a room in a small neighborhood where the houses were close together. There was always someone around.
Was this a boarding home? It didn’t look like it. It looked like a private residence. Were these friends of his? Or what if it was a girlfriend’s home? That would be a nightmare.
He got out and came around to her side. After he opened the door, he held out his hand, but she did not move. “Where are we?”
“My place.”
“What?” She said in a croaky voice. “I’m not staying here. Don’t you have a wife or girlfriend that won’t appreciate a stranger around? I don’t even know you.” She said it a little too gruffly but she was nervous. Very nervous. Alone with him? How awkward would that be? What would he want in return? Most guys would expect payment via sex, wouldn’t they? He could forget that. She had checked out his hand for a ring so not likely a wife around. But some men did not wear a wedding ring, right?
And how uncomfortable would it be if he brought a girlfriend to his house while she was there? Eeww. What if they started to make out in front of her? Just kissing would be awful. How could she watch him kissing another woman? Not that she wanted him to kiss her. But the idea was repulsive.
Maggie had said he was a good guy and she thought so too, but did she dare trust him? How could she when she had just met him? Sure he was terribly nice and had been considerate and kind so far, but stay alone with him in his house? She considered this a risk and she was not normally a big risk taker unless she knew what the consequences could or would be. In this situation, she was completely unsure of what those might be. And what about the goose bumps she was getting every time he touched her? This might be a big mistake.
Sean could see indecision written all over her face, mixed in with apprehension. He thought fast. How to make her see that he was not a threat and he was trying to help her?
“Look, there is no place in town available and this is your best option. I have three bedrooms so you can have your pick of the two empty ones. I won’t bother you and you can have some peace and quiet. Remember, I’m not a criminal or whatever. Maggie vouched for me.” He said the last part with a boyish grin.
“Where are the neighbors?”
“Just on the other side of the woods, not far. If you look hard, you can see a brick house through the trees. Their name is Johnson. I can introduce you if it would make you feel better. Or we can wait until later. The other side is a nice couple named Breyer. They are somewhat like Maggie and Walter.”
She was still not convinced that this was a good idea. She eyed him, “What about Maggie and Walter? Do they have a spare room?”
“They just had their daughter and grandkids from out of town leave and they said they were happy to have had them but also happy to have the time alone again. Do you really want to make them be hosts again right now? Look, stay one night and if you are that uncomfortable, we’ll find something else. I promise. There’s even a lock on the door you can use if you feel you need it. And your cell phone is charged so you can call for help. It’s getting late and I know you are tired. It’s been a long day.”
One night wasn’t so bad, she reasoned. She would be an imposition on Maggie and Walter and she did not know them any better than she did Sean. At least he understood her limitations. And sh
e could lock the door and call the police if she had to. Besides, it would save her on money, right? And she could hide in the room if someone came over. She was really tired and the thought of going around to find somewhere was not appealing at all.
Her heart was pounding so hard, she wondered if he could see it pumping against her chest. Her palms were sweaty.
Sean waited for her decision, wondering what he would do if she refused. He was trying hard not to make her feel pressured.
She took his hand and gave him her fiercest look, “There is no reward for this, Sean, so don’t think you’re going to get some, some,” she couldn’t say the word sex, “extracurricular activity during this. No funny stuff.”
“No, ma’am, no funny stuff.” He suppressed a happy grin and kept a straight look on his face. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he was sure he wanted to get her to stick around a bit more. He wanted a chance to get to know her. If asked, he would not have been able to explain why, even he wasn’t sure.
He watched her carefully as she pulled herself up the porch steps. He punched in the door code and opened the door to let her in.
“I’ll be right back. I’ll get your stuff and then show you around.”
She looked around the home with interest. Not much in the way of decoration. Or maybe she was used to her small apartment that looked cluttered no matter how she tried to arrange or change it.
There was a picture of a building she recognized on the wall of the living room. It was in Sydney, Australia, she thought. Maybe he missed the land of his birth.
Sean showed her briefly around. The kitchen had a center station, nice appliances, and lots of counter space. The counter looked like it was stone or marble. It was much larger than the pitiful nook in her apartment that tried to pass as a kitchen. She could not suppress a soft gasp and whispered, “This is awesome.”
There was a downstairs bathroom, back deck, dining room, closets, large living room with big TV, and another room that could have been a den. It had a desk and a computer, a couple of chairs. Nice spacious rooms. The furniture looked fairly new. If she had to guess, he had not lived here a very long time.
“Your house is very nice.”
“Thanks. I bought it about a year ago from a man who was moving. I think he had it built just a couple of years before he sold it. I’m not sure but I think he built it for him and his wife and after the house was done and they moved in, they divorced. It’s a lot better than the apartment I had been in.”
He showed her upstairs and she was pleased that she made it although slowly. She picked the first room at the top of the stairs on the left with a king size bed. The bathroom was across the hall at a slight diagonal. She was relieved when he said it was hers, he had one attached to his room. She couldn’t imagine sharing one with him.
Sean put her suitcases in the room. “If you need anything I’m just down the hall.” He pointed to the right. “I’ll come back around 5:30?”
She nodded her head yes and he left her to settle in.
It was a nice room. The bedroom in her apartment was small and they had set up the hospital bed in the living room because it would not fit. She laid down on the soft bed. It was so comfortable that she quickly fell asleep. She awoke around 5:10 and hurriedly unpacked and got ready to go.
Eleven
Sean kept his eyes on the road as he drove to Maggie and Walter’s house shortly before six. He didn’t dare look at her. Her kissable lips were an inviting glossy pink color. Her long hair was down and she was dressed in a simple black dress that made her look sexy. Very sexy. She did not act like she knew how sexy and beautiful she looked. Or maybe she knew and was just playing it cool. His gut feeling told him that she didn’t think she was sexy.
He had already shaved that morning so he had changed into a dress shirt and slacks rather than his usual t-shirt and jeans. He wondered if Maggie and Walter would notice. He never got a little more dressed when he went there.
Was he nervous? Not possible, no way. He was astounded at the thought. He did not get nervous. He couldn’t afford to in his line of work and very little surprised him anymore. And he did not get nervous around women.
When they got to Maggie and Walter’s, he couldn’t resist murmuring as he helped her out of the truck, “You look amazing.”
She blinked at him as if surprised. She tried to slide out of the truck gracefully, but her dress was riding up her bare thighs. She made the mistake of grabbing at her hem to pull it down as she was sliding down and ended up falling into him.
He caught her. So much for lithe and elegant. They were standing so close and he still smelled like spring rain. Neither of them spoke for a few heartbeats. Was it her? It was the late days of fall but it suddenly felt like a warm summer night.
She finally looked up at him with wide eyes. “Thank you. You look nice to,” she said with a shy smile. She pulled her warm jacket closer around her.
Maggie opened the door and greeted them. Walter took the jacket she shrugged out of and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. “Glad you came.”
Maggie hustled everyone into the dining room where she had dinner already on the table. Sean pulled out her chair and waited for her to be seated.
It felt a little awkward and strange. Rarely had a man held a chair for her. The last guy she dated had turned out to be a real jerk and it was over during the first date as far as she was concerned. He would never had thought to hold a chair for her. Not only was he talking about himself most of the evening, he had expected a lot more when he drove her home. He had kept trying to touch her all during dinner so she sat back and far enough away from him that he could not reach her without leaning very far forward. He tried that once and she had given him a slight frown. The after dinner activity he was hoping for was not happening. He had tried a few more times to get her to go out with him, but she had told him no. He told her how special she was and how much he wanted her. Fat chance. At first she tried to be polite but when he persisted, she bluntly just said no.
Maggie took note of the chair holding. She was sure she was right. They were going to get along just fine. She looked over at Sean with a big grin, “You look very nice tonight.” Sean groaned inwardly. “And Taylor, you look just lovely.”
Taylor murmured thank you.
Sean sat next to her with Maggie across from her and Walter across from him. “It was really nice of you to invite me.” She gave the couple a big smile.
Maggie was wearing a simple long sleeved purple shirt and black slacks. Walter was dressed in a casual shirt that was a pale green. He looked like he had cut himself shaving.
Maggie replied, “We just love having company. It’s so nice to have someone in the house that Walter and I can entertain.”
Taylor looked quickly over at Sean but he did not react or look at her.
“Did Sean tell you we just had our daughter and two grandkids visit? Our son-in-law couldn’t come but having them was so much fun. Of course, it is nice to have a little peace and quiet but we could have had them stay longer. We love having company.”
“Yes, he did.” She thought about kicking him under the table since he was just looking straight ahead, but she decided not to.
Sean cleared his throat before he took a sip of water. He was not going to look at her. He would not have been surprised if she was glaring at him but he didn’t want to look.
Maggie went on, “I’m sorry about your car, but we can go shopping and do lunch. It will be fun. Sean can show you around town. The time will fly by, you’ll see.”
The conversation flowed over the roast beef, roasted vegetables, salad, and biscuits that Maggie had prepared. Walter had lots of funny stories to tell them. Taylor learned that he was a veterinarian. He had a clinic in town along with two other vets, but he was the owner. His stories were mostly about the pets and owners that came through.
He had them in stitches when he told them about one client whose dog looked just like her and they even walked similar
ly. “She even had matching bows in their hair. The first time I saw them I wasn’t sure who the patient was.”
After Maggie brought out dessert, Taylor realized she was getting really tired. She tried to eat the peach pie Maggie had bought from a bakery with more enthusiasm than she felt. The food was good, but she was suddenly almost too tired to eat.
“So, Taylor, where did you end up staying?”
She glanced over at Sean who was suddenly very thirst. “Uh, Sean gave me a room.”
Maggie saw the blush on her cheeks and had to fight the big smile that she felt coming on. No doubt in her mind now. “Wonderful. You’ll be able to rest and relax.”
When Maggie asked her a question that would have involved her having to mention the accident, Sean steered the conversation away from the subject.
Sean seemed to understand she was tired, so they left shortly after the meal. Neither of them spoke on the way back. As he helped her out of the truck, she decided to heck with the dress, she was not going to fall all over him this time. The hem rode up higher than she would have preferred but she got out faster. Sean had glanced at her legs but said nothing and his face did not reveal what he might be thinking.
When they went inside, Taylor thought briefly about bringing up the subject of her staying here and Maggie’s remarks about loving to have company, but she was too tired. She would let it go. For now.
“Do you need help getting up the stairs?”
She shook her head no. “I can do it.”
“Are you sure? I’m happy to help.” His brow furrowed in concern. She looked really tired. He suspected she was being stubborn about it.
“I’m fine. I don’t need any help. I’m just going to get some water first.” She turned away and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water that he had offered her earlier.
She always kept water next to her bed at night. She habitually woke up at least once and sometimes needed a drink. Then she would go back to sleep. She actually liked waking up briefly before settling down and sleeping again. She wasn’t sure why, but she had always slept that way.
Unexpected Love Page 4
