The door opened, and there he was—Taylor.
He was dressed for the day, and looking alert and focused… so very masculine and handsome. Instantly, his face fell and he gave me a look of concern.
"You okay?" he asked. I could see that he was noticing everything I was carrying—my coffee and one of my suitcases.
"My devices are in this one," I said. "That's why I've got it with me."
"Are you leaving right now?" He stuck his head out the door, glancing around me and down the hall as if looking to see if someone was waiting for me.
"We're leaving in few minutes," I said. "I told Dad and them I was coming down to try to find you and say goodbye. They're all right behind me."
Taylor had gestured for me to come inside and by the time I finished what I was saying, I had already come to stand in his room. I knew which room was his, but I hadn't been in there before.
In theory, it was just a normal hotel room with a king-size bed and a little living space, but Taylor had completely transformed it to what looked like a big information hub.
I could imagine him being a detective and this hotel was a huge case he was working on. Information was everywhere. There was an oversized desk with stacks of papers all over it. Everything was neatly labeled with different categories. There were headshots of employees stacked on tables and attached to the walls. It was organized, but to me it was overwhelming, and I caught myself staring at it, my eyebrows furrowed as I tried to take everything in.
"Are you some kind of CIA agent or something?" I asked.
Taylor laughed. "No, this is just how I work," he said. "I have to make sense of this place as one organism before I can really feel what needs to change."
I scanned the room and looked at him feeling amazed like I had met and fallen in love with some kind of mad genius. Numbly, I left my bag by the door and took a few more steps into the room.
Taylor took the coffee cup out of my hand and set it on a nearby table before gently pulling me into his arms. It was a tender embrace where he held me tighter by the second, pulling me in and rubbing my back.
"I don't want you to go," he said.
I squeezed him, holding him tightly as I rested the side of my face on his chest. "I know. I don't want to go, either."
"I need to help your dad get his bags. I told him I would do that."
"He already got someone else to do it. Harry's here waiting. I saw him parked outside."
"Why didn't your dad call and tell me?"
"He asked about you when he called the desk, but they said you weren't up there."
"He could have called my phone, or they could have put you through to my room."
"He didn't want to bother you," I said.
I felt Taylor's chest move as he let out a long breath. "I'll be back in California in a week, okay? We'll figure something out."
I nodded against his chest. "I'm gonna try to talk to you before then," I said.
I hadn't meant for them to, but my words came out somewhat timidly. Taylor pulled back, taking my face in his hands and staring at me with a look of utmost sincerity.
"You better try to talk to me before then," he said, sweetly. "I just assumed you were gonna call me when you got home—you know, to let me know you made it safe."
He lowered his face to mine and kissed me right on the lips. I was so overcome with emotion that, in that moment, I came close to telling him I loved him.
Chapter 14
It had been a week since I had seen Taylor.
I left Boston early that Monday morning, and now it was Monday again.
It hadn't gone quickly at all.
It felt as if the last week was more like a month. I had talked to Taylor at great lengths every day. At night, we would FaceTime or talk on the phone, and throughout the day, we would text each other. I felt like I really knew him now, and the best part was that he was exactly the person I thought he was to begin with. He was precisely the man I assumed he would be—smart, patient, kind, level-headed, funny, full of integrity and ingenuity.
He was a good person, and the more I got to know him, the more I realized that I was not content with living without him. I knew he had a big plan for his immediate future, and I hadn't been in it at first, but I would do anything and everything to remain a part of this man's life.
It was beginning to sink in that he felt the same way about me.
I was absentmindedly thinking about it as I stared at the tile floor in my mother's kitchen. My mom had a maintenance guy who did a lot for her around the house. His name was Kirk, (not Kurt) and he was at the house putting in a new disposal under the sink in the kitchen.
My sisters were at the house and so was Indie's husband Kai, and two of his friends. All of them were musicians who were friends of our family. Indie and Kai had a toddler named Leo who would be joining us a little later. Kai's mom had an appointment to get his portrait made, after which she was taking him for ice cream. Leo was the only one missing.
Why was everyone gathered at my mom's house at 10am on a Monday morning, you might wonder.
I'll tell you why.
It was because Taylor Patterson, my boyfriend, was making a television appearance on Good Morning USA, and we were all there to watch.
I cared so much for him that I hadn't been able to keep our budding relationship a secret from my mom and sisters. They insisted that we all gather at Mom's to watch the show. I didn't know Indie's husband, Kai, was planning on bringing Gage and Lee, but it didn't matter. All I could concentrate on was my excitement about seeing Taylor on television.
We were watching it on delay, and I had already got a text from Taylor saying that everything had gone well and that he would call me as soon as he could. Even with the knowledge that the interview had been a success, I was still out–of-my-head with nerves about seeing him.
"Blue!"
Based on the tone, it didn't seem like it was the first time they were saying my name, and I snapped to attention, looking for whoever had said it.
It was a guy's voice, and I was relatively sure it wasn't Kai, so my eyes went to the other two. They were sitting on couches in my mom's living room. I had been sort of in between the kitchen and the living room, and I headed toward them, waiting for them to state why they had called my name.
"Didn't you hear me?" Lee asked.
"Were you the one who said my name?"
"Yeah, like three times, and I was talking to you before that."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear."
"I said I heard you invested in that chain of kickboxing gyms. I have a buddy who's working at one of them, and he said you owned about five of them."
"Part owner," I said. "Silent investor, really."
Lee's eyebrows rose like he was impressed. "Look at you, little Miss Blue, buying businesses."
Kai threw something at Lee. (It was just something that was near him. I thought it might be a balled-up gum wrapper.) "She's been investing in stuff for like ten years," Kai said. "She knows what she's doing. She bought into that brand of gourmet cotton candy when they were in some girl's living room, and now they're in grocery stores all over the country."
"Cotton candy?"
"Gourmet cotton candy," I said. "Sophisticated flavors, like mint juniper berry and things like that."
"What would make you buy into cotton candy?" Lee asked.
"The better question is why in the world was my partner the first one to think of this? It's an absolute travesty that upscale cotton candy wasn't already a household thing."
"She's not just an investor, she's a believer," Mom said from her spot near the pantry. She reached in and grabbed a plastic container that was full of the cotton candy in question and began walking toward Lee so that he could get a look at it.
"What kind is that?" Lee asked.
Mom looked at the label. "Lemon lavender vanilla," she said as she handed it to him.
"Lemon lavender vanilla?" he asked in disbelief, checking out the
label for himself. He opened it. "I gotta try some of this." Lee put a little in his mouth before inspecting the label again with an interested expression. "Who woulda thought to buy into a cotton candy company?"
"Blue would," Kai said. "I'm starting to learn that it's smart to just buy whatever she buys. You could do it too, Lee, if you had more than fifty-two cents in your checking account."
Lee picked up the wad of paper Kai had thrown and threw it back to him. Kai caught it in mid-air, and turned to try to stick it into Indie's ear. She shifted to the side, looking at him like he was insane.
"Hush, hush, hush… it's coming on!"
My mom was as nervous as I was. She held up the remote, aiming it toward the television. She was wearing an intense expression since she couldn’t get the volume to go up. My sister, Vi, was next to her, and she took the remote from Mom, holding it in the air at a funny angle to try to get it to work. I glanced at the television just in time to see them cut to a commercial for paper towels.
"We didn't get it in time," Vi said, shaking her head. "Taylor was on there for a second. I'm sure he'll be up next."
Indie leaned forward so we could all hear her when she spoke. "He didn’t say anything yet," she said. "It was Anabel talking. She said they'd be back in two minutes for the segment with Taylor."
Indie and Kai were sitting on the couch that was closest to the television, so I wasn't surprised that she had been able to hear what was going on.
Anabel Hayes was the newest member of the Good Morning USA team. She had been working there long enough that everyone knew her, but she was young and spunky and pretty dang beautiful.
I wasn't necessarily the jealous type, but if someone could bring jealousy out of me, it was Anabel. If she was the one my sister had mentioned, that meant she was probably doing the interview with Taylor, and I felt a gut-clenching wave of jealousy because of it. I did not let it show. I wore an easy smile and tried to pretend I wasn't nervous or insecure in the least.
Two minutes passed in an absolute flash.
We all scrambled around, finding a good place to sit and watch the interview. I fought the urge to squeal as I squeezed in next to Indie and Kai on the couch. Indie held my hand. I was shaking, so I was thankful for the firm, steady hold she had on me.
"And we are back," Anabel said, flashing that winning smile before nodding at Taylor who was sitting next to her. "I'm here with Taylor Patterson. He's opening a brand new boutique hotel in Beverly Hills, and he's got a new book in stores. Taylor, you're just all over the place right now, aren't you?"
Both of them chuckled lightheartedly.
"That's an understatement," Taylor said. "I'm burning the candle at both ends right now, and loving every second of it."
Anabel laughed, completely charmed.
Indie and I held onto each other with an iron grip.
"Tell us a little about your book," Anabel said.
Taylor smiled. "It's called 'On Hospitality', and that's exactly what it's about. Hospitality. Consideration, I guess, too. It's a collection of my thoughts and philosophies about the service industry and life in general."
"It's not just for people who work in the hospitality industry, though," Anabel trailed off assuming he'd agree or disagree.
"Definitely not," Taylor said.
Anabel nodded and then focused on a piece of paper she was holding. "I've got a quote from it here," she said. "It says, 'I am absolutely a character when I'm on the clock. I'm still myself, I'm just a better, more unvarying version of me, and I think of that as a character or persona. One who's always motivated and in control. One who's always pushing, striving. I don't always feel like going to work. Sometimes, I'm not feeling my best physically. Sometimes, things aren’t going exactly as I planned in my life. Sometimes, life knocks me down. I'm human. I have good days and bad days just like everybody else. My guests, however, will always encounter a consistent, focused version of Taylor. People don't gravitate toward someone who is negative, distracted, or bogged down. If I want customers, I am positive and focused. Period. I am a character when I go to work, and that character isn't worried about my dry cleaning, or my bills, or my aching back. That character is fixed on one thing, and that's making your stay comfortable.'"
Anabel put down the paper she had been reading from and smiled at Taylor with her eyebrows raised. "Pretty cool stuff," she said. "Going that extra mile. I guess that's what you're known for."
"I hope so. It'd be a good thing to be known for."
"So, you've managed hotels in the past, and now you're opening one of your own. Building it at this very moment."
"That's correct."
"You're also doing some consulting work, if I'm not mistaken. Helping some established places get revamped, reorganized."
Taylor nodded, smiling humbly. "I've had the honor of working at a couple of amazing places while I'm out here on the east coast. Last week I was in Boston, and this week, I'm here in New York."
"I heard you've been working at The Vine all week."
She was correct.
After Taylor left Boston, he went to New York. He had been working at the famous New York hotel for the past four days. It was an even bigger undertaking than The Birmingham had been.
"That's been a real honor," Taylor said, nodding. "I'm very thankful that I get to do what I do."
"And it sounds like you love it," she said.
"I do love it."
"Tell us a little about the hotel you're opening in Beverly Hills."
"It's called Patterson Place," he said. He smiled. "And, it's my home, you know? Recently, someone told me I was basically building myself a big house with a bunch of guest bedrooms, and she was right. That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm building myself an awesome house out in California, and I'd love for you all to come stay sometime."
"So, you designed it, or had a hand in designing it?"
"Correct," he said, nodding. "It truly is my place. I have people who help with the actual interior design element, furniture and things, but I set it up and I oversee everything. I built it to specs, knowing it was a perfect size and set-up for my style of management."
"And how would you define your style of management?" Taylor smiled and gave a humble shrug that melted my heart. "If I had to put it in just a few words… I'd just say, 'the very best'."
Anabel laughed. Taylor was charming and funny, and I was both happy and jealous that she could see that.
"No, really, I just do my best to provide an amazing customer experience for anybody who comes to stay. It's my house, and I do everything in my power to make people feel welcome there.
"You heard it, America, ladies, y'all go stay at Taylor's house when you're in Los Angeles." She glanced at Taylor wearing a good-natured expression and shaking her head like she was on the verge of laughing. "I have a feeling you'll have great success with your hotel, Mr. Patterson." She put her paper down and leaned forward to shake Taylor's hand before focusing on the camera. "And in the meantime, check out his new book, which is in stores now." She looked at Taylor. "I wish we had more time," she said. "It's been a pleasure. Taylor's book is called 'On Hospitality', and his hotel is called Patterson Place Beverly Hills. It opens...." she hesitated, glancing at Taylor for help.
"In January."
"January," she said with a nod. "And now, we join Terri for a look at this fall's hottest fashions." The screen cut to the other host, and I numbly took my eyes off the TV, staring straight ahead as everything processed.
"Don't turn it all the way down," Mom said to Violet. "He might come back on." I glanced at my sister to find that she was aiming the remote at the television. She turned the volume almost all the way down before responding to Mom. "He's not coming back on," she said. "They're done with the segment." Vi focused on me. "He's so hot."
"Super hot," Indie agreed.
Everyone started talking at once.
Kai responded to Indie's statement, saying something like, "Heyyy," while everyone else started say
ing other things at the same time. My thoughts were going a hundred miles an hour, so I felt like I couldn't focus on any of it.
"He really does seem like a good guy," Mom said. "A nice guy."
I glanced at her, and she tilted her head at me, regarding me with the expression of a mother whose baby was growing up.
"He is a good guy," I said.
"Your dad seemed to really like him."
"When'd you talk to dad?" Vi asked. I already knew the answer to this, but Vi was busy with her life and work in Hollywood. She was the one who was most out of the loop.
"He came over here the other night," I said.
"For what?" Vi asked.
Mom shrugged. "We just hadn't caught up in a while. He was passing through town and he called me. I think he was excited about Blue's new beau. He wanted to tell me about meeting him and see how you girls were doing. Get updates on you girls, and Leo, and everybody."
"I thought y'all weren't talking at all," Vi said.
"That's when he was dating that Cheryl woman," Mom said. "She was jealous or whatever." Mom's serious expression said it all. She pretended to be fine, but all of us thought she still had feelings for Dad.
"So what? You two have dinner now?" Vi asked, obviously feeling protective of Mom's feelings.
"If we want to, we will, Violet. But no, it's not like we do it on a regular basis. Like I said, I think your daddy was just passing through town, and maybe he was excited about Blue's new boyfriend."
Chapter 15
"Don't call him my boyfriend."
I warned my mother and sisters four days later when we were all sitting around a table in a restaurant, waiting for Taylor.
It was Friday, and I was meeting up with Taylor for lunch in Beverly Hills. He had flown home Wednesday evening, and we set up a time to see each other as quickly as we could both manage it.
My mom begged me to let her take us all to lunch. I ran the idea past Taylor, and he didn't mind at all, so I agreed. Mom and I took separate cars to L.A. since I would be hanging out with Taylor afterward.
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