Brady draped an arm over her shoulders as they walked through the humid night air to her car. “Are you staying at my place tonight, love?”
“Hm?” she asked, his question invading her thoughts. “Sorry, Brady. I had my mind elsewhere.”
“Your mind’s been elsewhere since the game.” He reclined against the driver’s side door and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s up?” Leaning into him, she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Just thinking about my story. What did you ask me?” He eyed her with suspicion before dropping his arms and grabbing her waist. “I asked if you were staying with me tonight.” She pulled his mouth to hers and wound her fingers in his thick hair. Breaking the kiss, she edged back. “Of course.” He kissed the top of her head. “Hey, why don’t you just stay with me for rest of the week? We’re leaving Monday for a road trip and I’d like to have you to myself as much as possible.”
Her stomach dropped at the mention of the upcoming road trip but she kept her feelings off her face. “If you insist,” she shrugged as she shooed him away from her car.
That night, her mind wouldn’t rest. He held her tightly as he slept but she couldn’t seem to shut off her brain.
He’d told her earlier that Jason was going to follow the team on the upcoming road trip seeing as he had no job, nothing better to do, and his parents’ money to spend. Brady raved on and on about how cool it would be to hang out with his best friend again.
Taylor hadn’t had the heart to tell him about her earlier conversation with Jason as she’d feared it would only raise the trust issue once more.
The last thing she had wanted was another ugly argument before he was to leave; especially with Jason accompanying him. She had clearly pictured a smug Jason positively beside himself with glee at the news that she and Brady were on the outs. She only wished Jordan would be tagging along but he had a job with a marketing firm in Indy and couldn’t get away.
It wasn’t so much that she didn’t trust Brady; she didn’t trust Jason. He was so intent on reliving his high school days with his old buddy that he didn’t care who got in his way. The stories they’d told the others about the pranks and hi-jinks they’d performed in school only intensified Taylor’s anxiety. She didn’t want Brady to realize the fun he was missing by being ‘tied down’ and eventually see her as an obstacle.
Sighing, she turned again, molding her back to his body.
“Everything okay, love?” he murmured sleepily in her hair.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
He kissed her head and gave her a little squeeze before dozing off once more. She laced her fingers with his and closed her eyes. There was no way in hell she’d let Jason rip him away from her again.
***
The next few days flew by far too quickly for Taylor. The team finished up a four game series with Cincinnati, and before she knew it, she was sitting on his bed watching him rifle through his closet.
After the third dress shirt hit her in the face, she let out an exasperated sigh and climbed off the bed.
“You’re doing that on purpose so I’ll pack for you, aren’t you?” she asked.
He peeked his head around the closet door. “Did I hit you again?” he smirked. “So sorry.”
“Watch it, buddy or I’m liable to shove you in that closet and lock it.”
Diving at her, he snatched her around the waist. He walked backwards toward the open closet door, dragging her with him.
“Sounds kind of kinky, love. Will you be joining me?”
Snorting, she pushed him away. “No. I’ll be enjoying the peace and quiet.”
He caught her hand and tugged her to his chest. “Stop acting like you won’t miss me. We both know you will.”
“Ha,” she exclaimed. “I’m going to stay here the whole two weeks you’re gone and take advantage of sleeping in that big bed by myself without someone snoring in my ear.”
His lips fell into a frown as his brow furrowed. “I don’t snore.”
“Please,” she told him, rolling her eyes. “You rattle the windows.”
He kissed her slowly, running his hands up and down her back under her shirt. “I wish you were coming with me.”
“No you don’t,” she scoffed. “You’ll have fun with Jason. You don’t need your girlfriend tagging along.” His fingers traced the line of her spine causing her to shudder. “I always need you tagging along.” She kissed his chin and broke away from him. Her stomach tied itself into a knot and she was afraid traitorous tears would form next. She grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes he’d thrown on the bed and folded it neatly.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on her shoulder. “You okay, love?” She nodded, choking back her emotions. “Yeah. I just figured I’d better do your packing. At the rate you’re going, you’ll be full of wrinkles for the next two weeks.”
***
Taylor pushed her food listlessly around on her plate. She forked a piece of lettuce but dropped it before attempting to put it in her mouth.
“You got it bad, girl,” Tia observed across the table from her, smile playing on her lips. “How long has he been gone? Three days?”
“Four,” Taylor answered. “And I’m just not hungry, that’s all.”
Tia frowned. “He called you last night, didn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Taylor muttered pushing her plate away. “And this morning.”
Tia set her fork on the table. “What’s the problem?”
Releasing a dismal sigh, Taylor glanced around the little diner. She’d invited Tia to lunch in hopes that Tia’s peppy personality would put Taylor in a better mood. So far, it wasn’t working.
“I don’t really know. I mean, I miss him, yeah, but it’s more than that. Guess it’s because Jason is there.” Tia leaned across the table, questions lurking in her eyes. “Jason went on the road trip?” Taylor furrowed her brow. “I didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
“Yeah, he’s there.” She dropped her shoulders and slumped on her side of the booth. “It’s not like they’re doing any wild partying or anything but just knowing that Jason’s around gives me a bad feeling.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Tia asked, concern etched all over her face.
Taylor sat up, took a deep breath, and told her about the conversation she’d had with Jason earlier that week.
“He’s a little bastard,” Tia remarked matter-of-factly. “And a waste of oxygen, if you ask me. But don’t worry too much.” Taylor drew intricate patterns on her water glass with her finger. “I’m trying not to worry.”
“When I was a senior,” Tia said, her voice earnest, “Brady and Jason were only juniors but they pretty much ruled the school. Jason was a big time partier. I mean booze, girls, you name it. Brady partied with him, although I think he was far more cautious. Brady was always more serious about his athletic future. The more time I spend with Brady, the more maturity I see. Jason, on the other hand, has no responsibility and hasn’t had to work for anything.”
The knot in Taylor’s stomach doubled. “So, what, you think Jason’s trying to get his party buddy back?”
“It’s exactly what I think. I also think Jason looks at you as an obstacle. And you’re not, really. I mean, Brady has a career now. He has to use his head and keep out of trouble. He can’t go out on that field hung over and expect to play good ball, not to mention the suspensions and fines he’d probably have to face if he’s caught in any kind of trouble. Jason doesn’t have anything like that. All he has is his parents’ money and all the time in the world.”
Taylor grunted. “He’ll never grow up.”
“No.” Tia leaned closer to Taylor. “I heard that Jason bombed out in college in California. All he did was party. But the poor guy’s ego was bruised because apparently, he wasn’t the big guy on campus any longer like he was around here. He went to three different schools in his four and a half years out there. None of them big names because I don’t think they’d have him. So anyway, he decides to come back here where everyone supposedly adores him. Mom and Dad rent him an apartment in Indy and give him a monthly all owance with the stipulation that he either goes back to school or gets a job.”
“He doesn’t have a job,” Taylor pointed out.
Tia shrugged. “Maybe he fed them some line of bull. I don’t know.”
Taylor digested what Tia told her. “So why is he so hung up on Brady’s life?” Tia smiled. “He wants to get his old ‘gang’ back together. Party like they used to. Isn’t it funny how Jason accidentally runs into Brady and then suddenly, he’s calling all their old friends? Now he’s following him all over on this road trip. A little sad, actually.”
“Pathetic is more like it,” Taylor added.
“Don’t worry, Taylor. Brady’ll see through him soon enough.”
“I hope so.” But she wasn’t totally reassured.
***
She sat cross legged on Brady’s bed typing on her lap top. She decided to get to work on that book she’d started weeks ago but had neglected lately. She figured it would help to kill time until Brady’s return and get her mind off her worries.
She’d spent the morning in court listening to the citizens of Somersvil e argue with the mall developers before returning to Brady’s condo to organize her notes and write up a story to be published in the morning edition. Her cell phone rang next to her and she snatched it up, hoping it was Brady. She wasn’t disappointed.
“Hey, you,” she greeted. “Tough luck on the game, huh?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. He’d gone oh-for-four in the Racers’ loss to Pittsburgh. He yawned. “But we have an off day tomorrow. We don’t fly to Milwaukee until late tomorrow afternoon. Then I’ll be home Sunday night.”
She smiled sadly, aching to just touch him. “I know. My little vacation is almost over.” He snorted. “Don’t act like you don’t miss me, love. I know better.”
She couldn’t restrain her smile as it grew. “Dream on, buddy.”
“So,” he asked in a low, husky voice that tickled her ear and sent tremors up and down her spine. “What are you wearing?”
“No way,” she laughed. “I’m not phone sexing you. Give it up.”
“Fine,” he pouted. “Guess I’ll have to wait until Sunday, huh?”
“Yes, you will.” She scooted back against the headboard. “Where’s Jason?”
“I don’t know. He’s supposed to meet me here. We were supposed to check out this sports bar some girl told him about.” He yawned once again. “But I’m pretty beat so I don’t really want to stay long.”
She frowned, nervous butterflies beating their wings furiously on her stomach lining. “Well, be careful, please.” He chuckled lightly. “We’re not driving, love. It’s just down the street from the hotel.”
“Brady?” She hated how her voice trembled a little.
“Yeah? You okay?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yeah. I just miss you.”
“I know, love. I miss you too.” He called out to someone on his end. “I have to go. Jason’s at the door.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “Call me tomorrow.”
“I love you, Taylor. Remember that.”
She smiled into the phone. “I love you, too.”
***
She waltzed into the office the next morning and tried to catch Josh’s eye. He pointedly ignored her once again and her stomach fell. She’d talked to Tia about him the other day at lunch and Tia informed her that Lacy had decided to go spend some time with her mother in Evansvil e.
Apparently, his anger at Taylor was spilling over into his own personal life.
Taylor took a deep breath and released it slowly. She had absolutely no clue how to fix this growing rift between her and Josh.
She plopped down at her desk and flipped on her computer. She watched in disinterest as her computer booted up and went through its usual warm-up routine. Once it finished, she signed into her email and began her daily weeding through the junk ritual. One email immediately caught her eye as the return address was from Jason Smith. She bit her lip as she contemplated opening it. Jason Smith was a pretty common name. It could just be more spam.
No, her brain informed her. It’s not. Her heart agreed.
She clicked on it quickly, before she could chicken out. Her eyes scanned his typed words carefully, taking in every consonant and every vowel.
Hey Sweetheart,
Didn’t I say two weeks? Do I know my man Brady or what?
Jason
Below his words were several pictures obviously taken with a cell phone. All of them showed Brady partying with Gretchen Steel.
When did she
show up there
, Taylor thought as she scrolled through the photos of Gretchen wrapping herself around Brady and pawing shamelessly at him.
Her heart stopped at the same time as the mouse.
There was Brady sitting in a chair with Gretchen in his lap, her lips pressed against his. The next shot was pretty much the same except she had his hand on her thigh, right to the hem of her short skirt.
But Jason obviously saved the best for last. Brady and Gretchen had their arms wrapped tightly around each other as they stumbled into what was definitely a hotel room.
Taylor hit the power button on her computer, grabbed her bag, and pushed past a surprised Henry Lake in her rush to reach her car before the tears came.
Slamming her front door, Taylor locked it, and then slid down to the floor. Her whole body trembled as she clutched her bag to her chest. Her mind, thankfully, went blissfully numb.
She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the door. She knew she needed to talk to him; confront him, but she couldn’t think about that now. She just wanted to sit in her tiny living room, on the floor, and let the pain wash over her. Then, she could move forward and start to heal.
Her cell phone vibrated against her chest as she realized it was still in her bag. Exasperated, she opened her eyes and pulled it out.
“hello, Luther,” she muttered.
“What the hell ’s going on, Lockwood? Someone told me you bolted out of here like the place was burning down,” he ranted.
She swallowed. “I don’t feel well. I just had to get out of there.”
“Where’s this background piece you told me you were working on?”
“It’s almost finished. I’ll work on it here and email it to you.” She closed her eyes, praying he’d be satisfied.
“Fine. But I want it by noon,” he demanded. She could almost see his furry brows angled down in annoyance.
“Okay,” she relented.
They were both silent for a moment.
“Taylor,” he began, voice softening. “Is everything all right? I know you’ve been having problems with Lake and now it seems like Parker’s not speaking to you. Is there anything I should know?”
She gulped. “No, Luther. Everything’s okay. I just don’t feel well.”
“Okay, kid,” he said, releasing his breath. “Try and get that story to me by noon, huh?”
“Yes sir.”
After ending her call, she turned off her phone. She forced her body off the floor so she could retrieve her laptop. She sat on her sofa, laptop on her legs, and took three long, cleansing breaths. She swept all thoughts of Brady into a little closet in her mind and locked the door. She focused her concentration on the machine waiting patiently in her lap and spent the next hour working on her background piece without her usual enthusiastic energy.
After she finally proofed it and emailed it off, she was tempted to click on the email from Jason once again. Her hand fisted above the keyboard for a moment. Instead, she signed out of her email program and slowly shut the laptop. She curled up in a tight ball on the couch and closed her eyes, welcoming the blanket of darkness that covered her.
The ringing of her landline woke her that afternoon, urging her body to get up to check to see who was calling.
Tia's cell number popped up on the handset but she let it go to voice mail. She couldn’t talk to anyone yet.
She stumbled back to the sofa and flipped on the TV. She avoided all sports channels and local news networks, not wanting to see anything remotely to do with the Racers and especially Brady. She settled on some game show and stared at the screen, not really seeing the program.
How could he do this to her again? What was he thinking? What was
she
thinking letting him into her life once more? How foolish she’d been to trust him.
Josh had been right. Maybe she should call him. She pondered that thought as she curled up once more on the sofa and let her dismal, depressed mind float off into blissful nothingness.
She awoke late in the afternoon and sat up, sweaty hair in wild disarray. She stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her once carefully made up face. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair before retreating to her bedroom to throw on a pair of comfortable shorts and an old t-shirt.
She spotted the locket Brady had given her for her birthday and choked back a small sob. Opening it carefully, she peered at the smiling, happy faces of her parents. She’d had a good relationship with her mother. They hadn't been extremely close but Taylor had never hesitated talking to her.
No, she'd been an extremely spoiled daddy’s girl at one time. He’d talked her through her first awkward year at high school and had encouraged her to open up more.
Before she'd come to Somersvil e, she’d been quite popular having joined many clubs and participated in quite a few sports.
She closed the locket and collapsed on her bed. The loss of her father suddenly occurred to her and smacked her in the face. Her lungs clenched in her chest, causing her to gasp for breath. Never again could he guide her through life’s ups and downs. Never again would he smile fondly at her and ruffle her hair.
She relented to the shaking sobs that wracked her petite body. She mourned for her vibrant mother and her laughing father. And she mourned for the man she thought could finally fill her heart with love once more.
A fresh wave of despair crashed over her as her mind drifted to Brady. She sat up on her bed, wiping furiously at the sticky mess of tears staining her face.
If this is what it feels like to lose someone you love over something stupid, imagine how Dad must have felt losing the love of his life
suddenly in a horrific accident.
A few more tears streaked down her cheeks as understanding seeped through her mind. No wonder he'd been so lost. He’d tried a few times to get it together for his kids, but his pain must have been so overbearing. She smiled sadly and thanked God that at least his suffering was over and hoped he'd been reunited with his beautiful bride once more.
Rolling off the bed, she stumbled to her feet feeling as though she should do something. She wandered down the hall listlessly and spotted her cell phone taunting her from the coffee table. Grabbing it, she checked for messages. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched at her heart as Brady’s voice echoed in her ear over and over.
She deleted his messages, threw her phone on the sofa, and walked to the kitchen. She opened the top cupboard and grabbed a bottle that she’d shoved up there months ago. It contained some kind of fancy vodka Tia had given her after Taylor had written her first story.
She cracked it open and filled a glass half way. She gulped most of it down and winced as the liquid flew down her throat, scorching it and burning her eyes. She paused to catch her breath before finishing the glass.
What the hell
, she thought as she poured some more.
If it numbed Daddy’s pain, maybe it’ll numb mine.
***
The earth was shaking.
Knives stabbed the front of her brain as the earth rattled her body once more.
“Taylor? Are you okay?” a voice asked from somewhere above.
The cool tile on her heated cheek was more glorious than anything she’d ever experienced.
“Taylor!”
Tia. It was definitely Tia. The earth wasn’t shaking her body - Tia was.
“Huh, wha…” Taylor mumbled, grappling with coherency. “Don’t do that.”
“Taylor, honey,” Tia whispered, kneeling down next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“That stuff made me sick,” Taylor mumbled dragging her face away from the beloved cool tile floor. She pushed her messy hair from her cheeks and cracked one eye open to look at her friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you didn’t kill yourself from alcohol poisoning.” She pulled Taylor to a more comfortable sitting position and turned on the taps in the tub. “Get undressed and get your ass in the shower.”
Taylor grumbled but slowly did as Tia asked. Her head pounded and her stomach churned but once the warm water hit her, she started to feel as though she’d live.
She climbed out a few minutes later and wrapped a big fluffy towel around her body. She made her way into her bedroom where Tia had set out some clean underwear, a pair of shorts, and a bright yellow t-shirt. She slowly yanked her clothes on and followed the scent of coffee to the kitchen.
Tia smiled at her. “Sit,” she ordered and pushed a plate with bland toast and two aspirin in front of her. “Eat that and take those.” Taylor did as ordered, sipping slowly at the coffee.
“Ready to tell me why you went on a drinking binge? And why the hell you haven’t answered any of Brady’s calls?” Taylor winced at the mention of his name. She gently set her mug down on the table and rubbed at the dull ache still lingering in her forehead.
“Not really.”
“Taylor, something awful had to have happened for you to do this,” Tia insisted.
“I can’t talk about it right now.” She bowed her head and spun her mug around on the table. “I hate to say that to you but I’m still trying to process it myself.”
“When did you start drinking?”
Taylor shrugged. “Yesterday afternoon some time.”
“Did you eat anything?”
Taylor shook her head.
Tia sighed and glared at her friend. “You do realize that its past three on Friday afternoon, right?” Taylor winced again. “No. I sort of lost track of time.”
“Brady’s called me three times since last night and when I talked to Uncle Luther this morning, he told me you’d gone home sick yesterday and he didn’t expect you back until Monday.” She eyed Taylor’s bent head. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled. “I’ll deal with it.”
Tia rose from her seat, her anger sending the chair crashing to the floor. Taylor covered her ears to protect her thudding head from the noise.
Tia stormed out of the room only to return with Taylor’s cell phone. She stuck it under Taylor’s nose.
“Call Brady. Let him know you’re okay.”
“He’s playing right now.” She lifted her head to meet Tia’s eyes.
Tia gave her a stern look. “Leave him a voice message.”
Taylor got to her feet, nearly slamming her mug in the kitchen sink. “I don’t want to talk to him right now.”
“Geez, Taylor! It’s just voice mail.”
She glared at her friend. “Well then
you
leave him a message.”
A knock on the door startled both women. Tia brushed past Taylor to answer it. A moment later Zoey breezed into the kitchen.
“You look awful, girl,” she observed.
“Brady sending in the reinforcements?” Taylor asked, her tone snide.
“No,” Zoey answered slowly, flashing Tia a questioning look. “Tabby did.”
“She ain’t talking,” Tia remarked as she leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing her ankles and her arms. “And she refuses to call Brady.”
“Then I will,” Zoey stated, digging her phone out of her purse. She smirked at Taylor. “They are on a rain delay, after all.” Taylor’s jaw dropped as her eyes widened. “Please, Zoey. I can’t talk to him right now.”
“Why?” Zoey asked, her eyes gentling.
Taylor took a deep breath and sank back into her chair. “Call him and tell him I’m fine, if you must. But I’m not talking to him.” She sighed and waved a hand absently at Zoey. “Call him and get it over with. When you’re done, I’ll show you why.” Zoey nodded. She dialed Brady’s number and watched as Taylor nervously shook her leg under the table.
“She’s fine, Brady. Just fine,” she said when he'd obviously answered. “No, she doesn’t want to talk right now.” Taylor caught Tia’s eye and quickly looked away.
“I don’t know why, but she told me she’d talk to me after I called you.” She paused to listen to his side of the conversation, wincing once and pulling the phone slightly away.
“Brady, listen,” Zoey snapped into the phone. “I’m just letting you know she’s okay. Whatever this is about, I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready. Now, I gotta go.”
She hung up before he could say more. She turned her expectant eyes on Taylor. “The boy’s a mess. What the hell is going on?” With a snort, Taylor got up, motioning for the others to follow. She located her laptop on the coffee table, flipped it open, and signed into her email. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening Jason’s message and spinning the computer toward the other girls. She sat back, watching their expressions turn from curious to horrified. They finished scrolling through the pictures and looked at her.
“Oh my God,” Zoey exclaimed. “I’m going to kill him!”
Tia sat quietly, lost in thought. “Hang on.” Both girls turned to look at her. “I bet anything Jason had something to do with this.” Taylor sighed. “He is the one who sent me the email.”
“Yeah, but, remember what you told me? What he said to you that night in the Line Drive?” Taylor nodded. “I remember. And the little bastard was right. It took less than two weeks.”
“What are you talking about?” Zoey asked. Taylor quickly filled her in on Jason’s theory.
“These pictures have to be staged,” Tia concluded.
Taylor shook her head. “No. You can’t stage that. And why would Brady stage them anyway?”
“Maybe he was set up,” Tia suggested.
Taylor scrolled back through the pictures and pointed out the one of Brady and Gretchen kissing. “That’s not fake. I wish to God it was, but it’s not.”
Tia studied the picture intently before releasing a long breath. “Okay, so what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Taylor said, overcome with helplessness.
“Well, you’ve got to show him these pictures,” Zoey said. “Give him a chance to explain.”
“No,” Taylor told her firmly. “I don’t. I don’t care to hear it.”
Zoey let out an exasperated breath. “That’s not fair, Taylor.”
“Do you think it’s fair that each time I start trusting him, he breaks my heart again?”
“That’s just it, Taylor. He
wouldn’t
break your heart again. He loves you so much!” Taylor scoffed as she stood and started clearing dirty glasses from the coffee table. “He has a funny way of showing it.”
“I think Zoey’s right,” Tia said softly from her corner on the sofa. Taylor paused, her eyes narrowed. “I mean, he needs to know why you won’t talk to him.”
Taylor shook her head and took her dirty glasses to the kitchen.
“At least let me send these pictures to Tabby,” Zoey called. “She can show them to him if you want.” Taylor returned to the living room and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you two so intent on defending him?”
“We’re not,” Tia protested. “But he won’t stop bugging you until he knows why you’re mad.”
“I’m more than mad. I’m through. I’m done with him,” she stated, her tone more firm than her heart.
Zoey looked at Tia. “Then let me send the pictures.”
Taylor shrugged. “Fine. I don’t really care what you do.”