Authors: Melissa Price
Thirty-five
Sean was gone when she woke up. The floor people came to do the floors in the house. Sean had told her they came twice a year. She sat on the couch while they cleaned and polished the hardwood floor. When they left, she decided to go to the gym.
She wasn’t sure she was much stronger, but it would take time. She usually waited for Sean and she liked watching him workout. He ran on the treadmill and she had given him a hard time about it. But he usually wore a t-shirt or tank top and she could see his muscles.
Yep, she liked watching him. She noticed other women would look over at him too. The treadmills were across from the machine she worked on so she had a good vantage point and he usually would look over at her often and smile or sometimes wink at her and mouthed, “Keep going.”
She would rather go with Sean but he had been working extra hours and he wanted to get home when he got off. She still didn’t like doing the exercising and she told him so whenever they left. He always just laughed and shook his head at her.
When she was done she stopped and talked to Derrick. He surprised her by saying he would ask her out if she wasn’t already taken. Taken? She must have given him a funny look because he just grinned and said, “I don’t mess with a cop’s girlfriend.”
As she walked to the door, she thought about what he said. Was that the impression he got? She knew Sean would not have said anything.
Before she stepped outside, she texted Sean.
Sorry I woke you up but you were grumpy no matter how much you deny it.
In just a few minutes, he texted her back.
I don’t get grumpy you must have been dreaming.
She replied.
Ha. You wish.
He texted back.
I can show you grumpy if you want.
She grinned when she read it. He was not going to admit he was grumpy but she would keep reminding him.
After she left the gym, she decided to stop at the garage and check on her car. She was almost reluctant to go, not sure why. The place was as she remembered. The smell of oil, gas, and sweat hung in the air. It was not the cleanest place, but she imagined most small garages probably were not. Except maybe for dealerships, which she had always gone to. They were usually clean but there was still the oil smell.
When she asked for Billy, the receptionist or secretary or whatever she was, pointed to a door. She found Billy, his hands permanently stained with grease and who knew what else, overalls smeared with dirt, taking a break at his desk, eating a sandwich. He greeted her with a warm smile.
Billy told her all the parts but one were in and that one was a custom make and the factory was not operating at full capacity due to the bad weather they were experiencing. Taylor had watched the weather channel. That area of the country was getting slammed by a big winter storm and it had stalled, producing snow, heavy winds, and power outages. They had estimated close to 300,000 people were now out of power already.
As she turned to leave, Billy called out, “Thanks for paying for the parts. I had to pay for them since I was invoiced.”
Paid? She hadn’t paid him a dime. What was he talking about? She tried to sound casual, “How much was it again?”
He gave her an odd look, “Seven hundred eighty-seven dollars.”
She walked out and got into the car. It had to be Sean. What was he thinking? How could he? She picked up her cell phone to give him a piece of her mind and demand he take her re-payment to him immediately. Still, he was on duty. She put the phone down. When he got home he was going to get an earful.
As soon as Sean walked into the house he saw the tension in her body, her arms folded across her chest as she stood there staring at him.
“What?” He looked at her with a slight frown. He knew trouble when he saw it.
“What? You paid for my car, didn’t tell me, and didn’t tell me it was for more than he had originally said. How could you? I could have paid it, you know. I don’t have a lot of money but I was ready to pay.” She stomped up to him and thrust a check in his face. “Take it.”
He didn’t move. She put the check in his pocket and walked into the kitchen.
He pulled the check out. It was for the entire amount. He could only assume she had talked to Billy. He had been trying to help her. He had needed the money right then so Sean had paid with his card. She was definitely mad but he wasn’t really sure why. He laid the check down on the coffee table and went to the kitchen.
Her back was stiff as she pulled open the oven. She tried to pull out the pan but she almost dropped it and he rushed over and took it from her. Their shoulders brushed and her goose bumps started popping up on her arms. Dammit. She was mad at him, but he still made her tingle.
When he had set the hot pan on the stove he said quietly, “Billy needed the money immediately so I just paid it. I know you can pay for it and you can pay me back, but you don’t have to pay it all back at once. It’s a lot of money. I was trying to help you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I guess I was waiting because I was afraid it would make you mad. And I was right. A lot has been going on recently and it wasn’t important enough to worry about.” Well, he hadn’t been afraid to tell her exactly, but he knew she was stubborn sometimes and would probably not like it.
She sighed, “I’ll pay you $150 a month. Is that okay?” It was a big chunk out of her savings and he had been trying to help. Maybe she could find a part-time job soon.
“That’s fine.”
“I made baked chicken. Do you want some?”
He grinned, grateful that it was over, “Would I turn down your food?”
During dinner, she told him about baking cookies later in the week for the school with Maggie.
“Yeah, that was a bad situation. Cookies would be nice. I’m sure the kids will be excited.”
“I went to the gym today.”
“You starting to like it finally?”
“It’s still boring.” She did not add especially when he was not there.
He laughed. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get you to like it. But you’re doing it, that’s what counts.”
“When do you start working nights?”
He gave her a quick look, was she nervous about it? “It’s only for two days, not sure when but this week or next week. They are a lot of people out sick right now so they need to shift us around.”
“Do you like nights?”
“Not really, but it’s usually quieter. Oh guess what? I made the SWAT team. Found out today.”
“Wow, that’s great. What does that mean for you?”
“Oh, I will get called out to special operations if needed. I had to go through a lot of training to make it and a lot of testing. We have to train once a month. I get a pay raise too.”
She gave him a warm smile, “Congratulations.” Was that putting him in more danger? She had watched some reality cop show on TV and it was not an easy job. She didn’t want to ask. “Is John on the team?”
“No. He says he’s too old. It’s a promotion and I had really wanted it.” It didn’t seem as important as it was a few months ago, he pondered. He was not sure why exactly. He loved being a cop. It was all he had ever wanted to do for a career.
She took her shoes off and sat on the couch next to him as they watched TV. During a commercial, she got up to get a drink and offered him one.
“Sure, water is good.”
She came back carrying two bottles of water and walked too fast on the newly polished floor. Her socks were slippery and before she could stop or slow down, her feet went out from under and she landed on the floor.
Sean hurried over and tried to ask if she was okay, but he slipped and ended up next to her. She was laughing so hard, she was crying. He started to laugh, “I forgot to tell you the floors are really slippery for the first couple of days.”
“You seem to have forgotten yourself.” She was still laughing.
“Let me put my shoes on before I get you up.” She laughed as he carefully walked back to the couch and put on his tennis shoes. Then he came back over and pulled her up. She stopped laughing when he bent his head and gave a quick kiss on the lips.
On the way upstairs, she said over her shoulder, “Try not to be too grumpy later.”
“I told you I’m never grumpy. You were dreaming.”
“Right.” She giggled, “Good night.”
Thirty-six
The next evening when Sean came home, he had bruises on his face and his knuckles were scrapped. She gasped, “What happened?”
“We had a run in with two smartass teenagers. They were trying to steal a couple of bicycles but someone saw them hacking at the chains and called the police. When we got there, they started to run. John took the car and I ran after them. I heard one of them tell the other one to keep running, they could outrun me.” He smirked. “Actually what he said was that I was not going to be able to catch them because cops ate too many donuts and did not like to run.”
She giggled, “I told you to lay off those donuts. Guess you proved him wrong.”
“Yeah. They tried knocking down trash cans, throwing a laundry basket on the ground, and jumping a short wall. The one kid said, he didn’t think I was going to stop. He said ‘Bro, he’s too fast.’ The other one said to just keep running. I’d give up and quit soon.”
“I bet he was scared. You weren’t doing what he thought you would be doing. I might be scared if you were shouting and running after me.”
“I was determined to get a least one of them. Except when I got him, he decided to fight. I won by the way.”
“I have no doubts that you would have. Did you catch the other one?”
“John did. And I have serious doubts you would be scared of me.”
“You never know. Big strong cop that gets grumpy…”
Sean rolled his eyes. She laughed. ‘Anything else exciting happen today?”
He grinned, “We caught two people making out in the back of their car. An old lady had walked by and saw them going at it and called it in.”
“Oh no. That was probably way more than she wanted to see.”
He laughed, “More than I wanted to see too.”
She giggled. He didn’t tell her it was a married man making out with his assistant. Sean did not understand why anyone would jeopardize their marriage and life to just get some sex. Not that he didn’t really, really like sex, it was just not worth the risk.
When they were sitting on the couch watching the food channel, she looked over at him during a commercial. Her fingers touched his bruised face lightly, “Does it hurt?”
He stared at her and shook his head no. He pulled her close and kissed her. She almost sighed, it felt so good. The heat spread across her body and they forgot about the TV. When they came up for air, she smiled a dreamy smile at him. He bent his head and kissed her neck, her ear. His hand slipped up under her shirt and she stopped him. “Sean.”
She spoke hesitantly, hoping he would understand. “Sean, I know it might sound silly, but I’m not ready for this.”
He gave her a smile, “That’s okay. I understand.” He tried to reign in his spiraling emotions and realized he was feeling shaken. He prided himself on his ability to keep his cool, but with her he was having trouble in that area. He wasn’t sure he did understand but he would wait. She had been through a lot over the past several months and he knew being weak still bothered her. And her mother had made her feel guilty even if she would not admit it.
She gave him a happy smile, glad he wasn’t going to push her.
He gave her a quick kiss.
“Would you go with me to the hospital tomorrow?”
“Sure. I think it’s a good idea. The kids will like to see you.”
Thirty-seven
Early afternoon, they went to the hospital. On the way she asked, “Did anyone give you a hard time at work about the bruises?”
He laughed, “Of course. I was expecting it. They like harassing each other although everyone knows no one means it. I heard about it several times at roll call and when we went back at shift change.” He shrugged, “It’s okay. They are a good group to work with.”
Sean held her hand as they went into the hospital. She gave him a disconcerted look, “I’m not real happy to be at a hospital.”
“Different reason. Relax, I’m here.” He squeezed her hand.
Her stomach churned slightly. She stopped and smiled at an elderly woman sitting in a waiting area near the elevator who looked like she had been crying. “Are you okay?”
The woman shook her head no, “I’m worried about my Greg. He came in for a procedure and its taking so long.”
“I’m sure he is okay. They would have come out and talked to you if there was anything wrong.”
“You’re right. I just want to take him home. We’ve been married fifty-three years last week. I meant every word I said when I said my vows. Every word.”
Taylor bent down to hug her and Sean slipped his arm around her waist to steady her. “I’m sure you have been very happy and I bet you’ll have more happy years together.”
“Thank you, dear. You reminded me to have faith and be strong. Stop back by on your way out.”
“I will.”
Sean helped her straighten up. He smiled at her, “You seem to almost always see the positive and help others see that too.”
Taylor shook her head, “I try but I have a hard time trusting people.”
Sean gave her a quizzical look, “You wouldn’t know it from the way you treat people.” He was glad she had confirmed what he had been thinking.
“But I don’t have to do anything but be friendly and talk to them, trust doesn’t come into it.”
Sean wondered if she trusted him. Maybe that was one reason she thought she was not ready for anything else with him. He’d have to work on that.
They visited the kids who looked a lot better than the last time she had seen them. They both remembered her and their parents were with them. Their parents looked battered but at least they were okay, Taylor thought.
The mother said when they went out into the hall, “Thank you for being there for little Beth.” She broke down and her husband held her.
They walked down to the elevator and Sean kept looking at her. She was close to crying, he could tell, but she was determined to not cry there. Especially not in a hospital.
When they passed through the lobby where she had met the older woman, the woman waved them over.
“The doctor was just here. I can take Greg home soon. Thank you for encouraging me. I hope you two young people have the same devotion and love for each other as Greg and I do.”
Taylor ignored her last comment. She smiled at her, “I’m glad he’s okay. Take care.”
When they got to the car, he stopped her. She was trying so hard not to cry but when Sean took her into his arms, she couldn’t stop. Why she felt like she could cry around him, she had no idea.
“You did great. Her mom was right you know. You were there for Beth.” He brushed the tears off her face and kissed her softly.
She nodded and got into the car.
Sean left shortly after they got home for the night shift. She felt oddly unsettled. No dinner to cook so she made herself a sandwich. She watched TV and called her Grandmother, who assured her they were fine. They talked about what they had been doing and how she was feeling. Her grandmother had wanted to come when she was in the hospital, she knew but they had been unable to make the trip. She told Taylor they had a healthcare worker at the house five times a week during the days to check on them and help them.
“Her name is Betsy. She even does some cooking for us. She is such a dear and we are lucky to have her.”
“That sounds great. I’m glad someone keeps an eye on you guys.”
Her grandmother laughed, “Our days of causing trouble are over. We behave ourselves. Most of the time.”
Taylor spoke briefly to her grandfather.
Taylor felt bad about not getting there to see them. She did not tell her grandmother what had happened so far and about Sean. Later. She wasn’t sure what to say about Sean and she did not want to worry them about anything.