OBSESSED WITH TAYLOR JAMES (11 page)

Dillon tried to stop her. “Taylor, wait, at least eat
your breakfast first.”

She took a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and laid it
on the table. “I’m not hungry anymore and definitely not in the mood to
continue refereeing this fight.   I’m going home to get some rest.  I will see
you at work tomorrow.”  She turned to say something to Kelly, but the woman was
balling her eyes out.

Leaving the restaurant without looking back, she realized
she didn’t have a ride home.  After walking a block or two, she took her cell
phone from her purse to call her sister to come get her.  Tired and irritable,
she did not have the desire or energy to walk the fifteen miles to get home.

A black sedan rolled up beside her, the driver lowered
the passenger side window.  She kept the phone in her hand ready to dial 911
until she saw the person inside. “Sebastian?”  She knew it was Sebastian from
the color of his eyes.  They were an Irish green with bits of gold twinkling
from the sunlight bouncing off them.

“Taylor, I thought that was you.  Are on a run?”

“No, I was supposed to have breakfast with friends.”

“Why are you walking?  Where is your car?”

“I came with another friend but he had to leave.  I was
calling my sister for a ride.”

“I’m on my way home.  I’ll give you a lift,” he said
opening the door for her.

She tucked her cell phone inside her purse and got into
the passenger’s seat of the car.  Buckling the seatbelt, she was grateful
Sebastian stopped. “Thank you.  I was not in the mood to walk home.”

“I was coming from the hardware store when I saw you. 
You didn’t appear dressed for your usual run.”

She laughed. “I’m glad you saw me. This is the main
reason I drive and meet people at the destination; I hate being left stranded. 
So, what are you building now?”

“I’m remodeling the basement.”

“Nice.  Are you contemplating having someone special move
in, Sebastian?  You’ve been doing a lot of upgrading to your house.”

He drove looking straight ahead.  A trace of a grin
curled on his thick lips as he said, “Maybe.  I get lonely with just me and
Thor around the house.”

“Ah, I see.  I’m so busy at work that once I get home; I
enjoy the peace and quiet.”

“That’s understandable with the work you do but you also
have friends over to visit.  I don’t have company over that much, and I want to
expand on that aspect of my life.  How would someone like me go about meeting
new people?  Should I throw a few parties?”

Taylor nodded in agreement. “There is nothing wrong with
widening your social circles.  Your line of business is construction, right?”

“I’m an independent builder.  I do contract work for many
companies around the city and a couple of out-of-state gigs.”

“Networking would definitely benefit you.  If I were you,
I would speak to someone in public relations.  They could guide you in the
right direction and connect you to the right people.”

“I’ll do that.  How is life at the law firm?”

She covered her mouth yawning. “Sorry about that.  I’ve
been mulling over making a change with my career.”

“Oh, yeah, like what?”

“I want to open my own law firm; a small firm and nothing
as spectacular as where I am now.”

“That’s ambitious and time consuming.  How big are you
going?”

“I don’t know; maybe three or four lawyers and a
paraprofessional.  Of course, I will need a support staff of no more than three
people.”  She flipped her hand. “This is all theory; I haven’t put anything on
paper or taken any action yet.”

Sebastian pulled into her driveway.  “Well if you need a
builder, you know where to find me.  Home safe and sound,” he said putting the
gearshift in park.

She got out of the car closing the door.  Leaning down to
talk to him through the window, she said, “Sebastian, you’re my hero today. 
Thank you so much.”

He laughed. “No problem, Taylor.  I’m glad I was around. 
Oh, before I go, that friend of yours that is always hanging around…the little
white dude.”

“Are you talking about Dillon?” She asked.

“I don’t know his name, but he was sneaking around your
house late last night.  Thor ran him off.  He claimed he was checking on you.  I
found it strange he was peeping through your kitchen windows past midnight.”

A strong chill awakened every nerve in her body. She had
forgotten to call a locksmith to have the locks changed and had not planned on
doing it since accusing Mario of making her doubt Dillon. “Yes, that is odd. 
Thanks for letting me know.  I will talk to him about it.”

She waved to him as he backed from her driveway into
his.  Standing on the porch, she twisted the doorknob before inserting the key;
the door did not open and sighed with relief.  Inside the house it was warm,
stuffy and void of light.  She turned on the central air and went into the
living room.

Using the drawstring, she opened the drapes to let in the
sunshine.  Going into the kitchen, she heard a noise and stopped.  She waited
to hear it again before going forward.  Silence swarmed except for the water
filling the icemaker in the freezer.

This is stupid! There is no one in this house but me
.

She pushed the brew button on the coffeemaker and opened
the fridge removing a carton of eggs and butter.  Taking a skillet from the
rack, she placed it on the stove to preheat.  Getting a bowl from the cabinet,
she cracked the first egg dumping it in the bowl. 

Another loud bang coming from outside her house startled
her already shaky nerves.  The egg in her hand dropped on the counter spilling
yoke and whites down the front of the cabinet to the floor. “Damn it,” she
cursed turning on the water in the sink and pulling several sheets of paper
towels from the rack and wetting them.

Stooping down, she wiped the slimy goop from the cabinets
and tile floor.  A crash hit the window above the sink breaking the glass. 
Shards of glass rained over the appliances, countertops, and her. Standing up
she bolted for the front door and outside.  She was on Sebastian’s front porch
in six leaping strides.

Banging on his door, she yelled. “Sebastian, are you
home?  Open the door?”

He snatched open the front door to Taylor’s wild eyes
flaring. “Taylor, what’s the matter?”

She swallowed trying to catch her breath. “I think
someone is in my house.  I was in the kitchen, and the window broke….please
come look.”

“Slow down and catch your breath.  Let me get Thor; we’ll
check it out.”

Taylor sat on the wooden chair looking across the street
at her house shaking like a leaf.  She had left the front door wide open. 
Sebastian came on the porch with Thor on a leash.  She had never taken notice
of Sebastian before.  He was tall, muscular, with thick red hair and a thick
short beard and moustache of the same color.  He always wore a lumberman’s
shirt and worn blue jeans.  She guessed that would be his standard dress code
since he was a builder.

“Stay put, I’ll be back in a second,” he said trotting
across the street with Thor leading him.”

Taylor waited with baited breath for him or the dog to
exit her house.  She tapped her foot nervously when minutes passed and
Sebastian still hadn’t emerged.  The palms of her hands dampened.  Her heart
raced out of control.  She had to know what was going on, or if Sebastian
needed help.

Gaining the courage to get out the chair, she slowly
walked across the street.  On her porch, she poked her head inside the house.
“Sebastian?  Thor?”  No answer replied to her callout.

She heard voices coming from the area of the kitchen. 
Looking for anything to use as a weapon, she took from the table, an antique
African statute with sharp pointy edges.  Tiptoeing in the kitchen, she saw the
back door was ajar. Pieces of glass crushed under her feet as she moved to the
back door.  Laughter erupted suddenly.  Stepping outside she saw Sebastian and
her neighbor who lived on the other side of the fence talking.

She placed her hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Is
everything okay?” She asked interrupting the conversation.

Sebastian put his arm around her. “Everything is fine,
Taylor.  Clay’s son broke the window playing baseball.  I will board it up
until Clay replaces it.”

She exhaled. “A baseball through the window is better
than a masher prowling around my house.  I feel so stupid.”

Sebastian bid his friend goodbye and returned with Taylor
to the kitchen. “Don’t feel stupid for being scared. Soon as Clay gets the
glass I will install it for you.”  He patted his thigh.  “Come on, Thor, time
to go.”  He winked at Taylor. “Be back in a flash to finish up.”

The smell of the smoldering skillet on the stove caught
Taylor’s attention.  She removed the skillet from the stove and placed it in
the sink.  Going to the broom closet, she removed the broom and dustpan and
began sweeping the glass.  She would do a thorough cleaning after Sebastian
boarded the window.

Sebastian returned with plywood and nails. “This won’t be
pretty but will keep the bugs out until the window is replaced,” he said
joking.

Taylor dumped the contents of the dustpan in the trash and
wiped her hands on her jeans. “That’s fine.  I hope he gets the window before I
leave for vacation.”

He measured the area of the window before nailing the
plywood to make sure it fit.  “Where are you headed for vacation?” He asked
banging long nails into the frame surrounding the window.

“Some friends and I are going on a cruise to the
Bahamas.”

“I’m jealous,” he said replacing the hammer in the loop
of his tool belt.  “Open waters, beautiful women….that will be a great
vacation.”

“Have you ever taken a cruise to the Bahamas before?” 
She’d lived across the street from Sebastian for years and knew nothing about
him other than his name and he stayed to himself.  He was friendly when
approached, but she never saw him sitting with other neighbors on their porches
or hanging out with a lot of people.  It was just him and his dog.

“Not the Bahamas but I took an Alaskan cruise once.”  He
stacked up the extra plywood on the marble granite countertop and turned to
face her. This was the first time he’d been inside her home.  He would only
talk to her if she were in the yard or wave to her when she was out running. 
He always took notice of the sports attire she wore.  The skimpy running
clothes fueled every man’s fantasy, including him.  He found her extremely attractive,
but a nasty divorce left him bitter. He refrained from dating even though he
was lonely.

She took two coffee mugs from the cabinet filling them
steaming hot coffee.  Handing one to Sebastian, she asked. “Do you use cream or
sugar?”

He took the coffee shaking his head. “No, I like it
black.”

She imagined she heard an abnormal undertone in his
voice.  Whatever she heard it iced her blood and she didn’t know why.  Shaking
off the feeling, she spooned sugar into her coffee. “I take a little sugar and
cream.  Um, do you want to sit on the porch?  It’s such a nice day today.”

He sat at the table nullifying her suggestion. “Taylor,
have you seen the news lately.  I don’t want to alarm you, but I know you’re
here alone and like to run by yourself.”

Taylor eased in the kitchen chair across from him. 
Removing the headband from her head, she laid it on the table.  “I really
haven’t had time to watch television.  What is going on?”

“A few women have disappeared. It is happening on the
eastside of Cleveland, but who knows what this sick individual might do. 
Taylor, get a dog, or friend to run with you.  Also, I suggest you get an alarm
installed to be on the safe side.”

“Yes, definitely I will do that.  Do you install that
stuff?”

“Yeah, I can if you want me to.  I’ll drop off a brochure
for you to choose what type you want.”

She took a sip of her coffee.  She’d never been afraid to
do anything alone; suddenly she was feeling scared, and the only man she knew
that would protect her, she had run off. “I would like that.”

The slight strands of silver mixing in with the red of
his hair showed he was older than she.  His green eyes flickered when he raised
his cup to salute her. “I will make sure you are safe.”

Uneasiness rolled through her body, but she remained at ease. 
“I always assumed this neighborhood was safe.  We look out for each other with
the neighborhood watch.”

“We do.  That’s why I confronted your friend.”

“Thank you for everything, Sebastian, I appreciate
knowing that while I’m gone my house won’t be cleaned out.”

He put the coffee cup up to his lips. “Not under my watch
it won’t.”

Taylor rose from the table to refill her mug.  “Would you
like a refill?” She asked with her back to him.

The chair scraped across the tiles of the floor when he
got up. “No. I better be going.  I have a lot of errands to run,” he said
stretching.

She exhaled a breath and turned around smiling. “Okay,
I’ll see you to the door.”

Taylor held the front door open for him to exit. He
frowned. “I forgot my drywall.”  Sebastian went to retrieve the drywall. 
Balancing it under his arm, he winked and said, “Thanks for the coffee.  I will
put the brochure in the mailbox if you aren’t home.”

She nodded her head. “I will look it over and let you
know what I want.  I’ll be in touch,” she said closing and locking the door.
She went to the kitchen to put the coffee cup Sebastian used in the dishwasher.

She closed and locked the kitchen door and made sure all
the windows were secure. Her body ached as she stretched.  A hot shower and a
nap called her, but she was too uptight to sleep.  Running her fingers through
her hair, she went to the table for the headband; it was gone.

She checked the floor, trash, and counter by the sink.
Sighing Thor must have gotten it if it fell on the floor since he was lying at
Sebastian’s feet.