Timing Is Everything

by Steinsiek, Sabra Brown;

  He thought about logging on to see if he’d heard from Laura, but realized he wasn’t in a mood to chat with her or anyone. Instead, he picked up a book and went to bed to read, to escape from the reality that seemed overwhelming today.

  * * *

  It was late when Cary finally left. They had spent the last couple of hours watching a video. At least that’s what the official story was. They’d really spent a lot more time not watching and paying close attention to each other.

  As Laura closed the door behind him, after a final lingering kiss, she tried to clear her head. She knew that Cary had been expecting more from this evening; he’d even been a little too aggressive tonight until she’d made it clear that she wanted him to back off. It wasn’t that she didn’t find him attractive. Far from it. He had the ability to make her pulse race, but it was too soon. Laura had no intention of going to bed with him until she felt the time was right, and she wasn’t sure that he was willing to wait until she was ready.

  Laura had never been one to give her affections lightly. There’d been a serious boyfriend in college. For a while they considered getting married, but, despite the fact that they had a great sex life, there wasn’t enough there to build a life on. They’d broken it off just before graduation with no hurt feelings on either side. She still ran into him occasionally and considered him a friend. She hadn’t been attracted enough to anyone since then to consider going to bed with him, so she’d settled into her solitary lifestyle.

  She thought about checking her email since she’d told Taylor she’d be back online later, but it was so late now, he must have given up on her long ago, if he’d been there at all. Considering Cary’s revelation tonight, it was a good thing she hadn’t told Taylor about him after all.

  As she changed for bed, she thought about what Cary had said about Taylor. The man he’d described seemed to be so different from the Taylor she was getting to know. But, she admitted to herself, she really didn’t know very much about Taylor at all. For that matter, she didn’t know much about Cary either. She certainly hadn’t known he’d been married!

  Wearily, she went to bed and turned out the light, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts and questions.

  * * *

  As Cary drove home, he had trouble controlling his frustration. Laura was turning out to be a real challenge, and Cary had never been one to turn down a challenge. He was determined to take her to bed before he left Albuquerque and he was willing to use any tactic to reach that goal. The time frame had tightened this week. The tentative job offer from TNC was beginning to look like it was a done deal, so he’d be out of here before too much longer.

  Since all was fair in love and war, he felt no guilt for turning the story of his marriage into a sermon against the great Taylor Morgan. Most of it had been true, although he’d certainly embellished it freely enough. It was Laura’s voice that had been the giveaway. She’d tried to be casual when he’d asked about Taylor, but he’d heard the careful control in her voice and seen the light blush that had colored her face. He’d be damned if he would lose another woman to Morgan!

  Chapter 12

  Taylor handed a glass of wine to Laura as she looked out at the sunset from the deck of his condo. The sun glinted off her copper-colored hair and delicately tinted her face. As she turned to thank him, he took the glass he had just given her and set it on the railing next to his. Burying his hands in the mass of her hair, he pulled her close, kissing her deeply. She returned his kiss with an equal fervor and let her hands explore the contours of his back. He was the first to pull away, but only long enough to look deep into her eyes, gauging her feelings. She reached up one hand to trace the outline of his mouth, then caressed his cheek before she pulled his face down to hers in another soul-searing kiss.

  Somehow, they were in the bedroom, and his hands were unbuttoning her blouse, her hands sliding beneath his shirt, eager to touch him. He slid the blouse off of her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He traced the curve of her breast above her bra, then gently brushed his thumbs across the nipples underneath the delicate fabric. He caught her as her knees grew weak, and she nearly lost her balance from the sensations racing through her body. Laughing softly, he drew her into his arms and swept her off her feet to carry her to his bed.

  Lying beside her, he feasted his eyes on her as he undid the catch of her bra, freeing her breasts to be captured by his hands. Then, gently, he pulled her skirt down and tossed it away and allowed his hands to caress her body, letting his mouth follow the lines his hands traced.

  Laura, with trembling hands, began to unbutton his shirt until it, too, was tossed away. Standing by the bed, he quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes before returning to lie with her and continue his exploration of her body.

  Her hands began an exploration of their own, tracing the curve of his hip, the muscles of his stomach and chest. She kissed his nipples, teasing them to hardness with her tongue, smiling in pleasure at the low moan that escaped his lips as she touched him.

  Quickly, he stripped off her panties, sliding his fingers between her legs as he covered her breasts with kisses, smiling as she almost purred with the pleasure of the moment.

  She pushed him away from her, onto his back, as she came above him, straddling his body with hers, ready to take him inside of her. A persistent noise distracted her, and she looked away…

  …and woke to find the alarm clock buzzing across the room, her bedroom filled with early morning light, and the dream dissolving into scattered memories in her head.

  It had been one hell of a dream, Laura thought, as she forced herself to get out of bed. Shutting off the alarm, she came very close to hurling the clock across the room in frustration, as if she could blame it for her feelings.

  She walked into the kitchen and got a soda from the refrigerator. She had started drinking caffeinated soda in college as a substitute for the coffee she disliked and as the only possible way to stay awake during an eight o’clock class. Now it was essential to her mornings. As she drank it, she turned on the computer to check her email. Nothing from Taylor. She was disappointed, more disappointed than was reasonable. Taylor had a life of his own just as she did. Still, she had enjoyed their daily contact and felt as if something was missing from her life without it.

  Trying to put the dream out of her head, she turned on the television as she got ready to face her day.

  * * *

  Taylor had had a restless night. He’d read until the early morning hours, then tossed and turned until the sun began to fill his bedroom with light. Giving up on sleeping, he got up, put on his skates, and headed toward Bayshore Drive. He hoped some exercise would clear his head.

  * * *

  Meg was overtired, cranky, and at her most difficult as her mother tried to get her ready for school. Once she got her there and headed off for the studio, Annie realized she had another headache. She would have given anything to have gone home and crawled into bed for the day. That was the problem with being her own boss; there was no one she could call to tell she was sick and not coming in. She had a class to teach as soon as she got in. Thank heavens it was ballet this morning and not tap or jazz. Her head couldn’t have taken the noise.

  * * *

  Cary was due at the station by five every morning this week. Filling in for the early morning anchor, he had to deliver the news every fifteen minutes, make small talk with the traffic reporter, and do local human-interest interviews. He hated it! While it gave him the on-air time he craved, it was so small time. He wanted to be traveling the world reporting on big stories, not showing off prize-winning vegetables and interviewing their owners, who were only marginally more interesting.

  The morning crew quickly found out that approaching Cary in the morning was a risky proposition, so most of them left him alone. By the time he was on camera, he’d undergone a total transformation to the sincere, bright, witty anch
or that had already caused their ratings to go up ten points. And, once Cary was “on” he was “on” for the day.

  * * *

  After Taylor returned from skating, he showered and dressed, then had fruit and juice on the deck. It was going to be a beautiful day, and he had absolutely no plans for how he’d like to spend it. He was supposed to be vacationing, recuperating after the tour. But, everyone he knew was working. He certainly wasn’t up for more traveling and had no time for hobbies, so he was faced with a large amount of free time with nothing to fill it.

  He carried the dishes back into the kitchen, and rinsed and added them to the dishwasher before he turned on the computer and discovered Laura’s message from the day before. His spirits lifted just seeing it there in the list of incoming mail.

  * * *

  Laura watched Cary’s on-the-hour news segment. She smiled as she remembered the evening before. It didn’t seem possible, but Cary was even more attractive on the screen. Idly, she wondered how much longer it would be before she gave in and slept with him. The problem was, she couldn’t even imagine Cary making love to her. Taylor, on the other hand—well, if last night’s dream had been any indication, imagining Taylor was not a problem!

  She was disgusted with herself for being so confused about all of this. Laura was used to organizing and compartmentalizing her life. This business of being torn because of her feelings for two men just wouldn’t be nicely packaged and put away. Shaking off her mood, Laura picked up her briefcase and purse and headed out the door.

  Chapter 13

  After reading through his mail, Taylor sent a reply to Laura and then logged off the computer, still with a whole day to face. He decided to check on Annie at the studio and see if he could take her to lunch. If Annie didn’t have a class scheduled, it could be possible.

  * * *

  Through the studio window he could see a line of preschoolers trying very hard to master a few basic ballet steps. Annie was working with them, adjusting an arm here or a foot there as she worked her way down the line. She had infinite patience with these children, and Taylor loved watching her with them. As he stepped inside and stood with the audience of watching parents, Annie clapped her hands and praised the children for their hard work before she dismissed her class. She received a number of hugs as they scattered. Taylor waited while she talked to some parents; then, finally, they were all gone and the studio was silent.

  As Taylor walked across the studio to Annie, he noticed that the circles under her eyes were as dark as they had been last night. Maybe he could get her to open up to him at lunch.

  “Morning, Annie,” he said as he gave her a kiss.

  “Hello, Taylor. What’s up?”

  “I just thought I’d see if you were available for lunch.”

  Annie looked at him, then said, “I am, Taylor—if you promise we’re not going to argue about Meg’s tuition again.”

  “I promise. Just lunch, and we don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to.”

  Annie laughed and said, “That’ll be the day! Let me put a sign on the door and I’ll be ready.”

  * * *

  Over lunch, Annie and Taylor talked about everything except Meg’s tuition and what it was that was bothering Annie. She’d made it very clear that she wouldn’t discuss whatever it was yet, and Taylor had to accept it.

  “Sure you don’t want to change jobs, Annie? You could take Christine’s job, and I wouldn’t have to worry about hiring or training someone. You already know me.”

  “Which is precisely why I would never take the job, Taylor! Because I do know you, and I’m not crazy enough to try to work for you!”

  “Remind me not to use you for a reference!” he said, laughing with her. The sparkle was back in her eyes, Taylor noticed. Maybe whatever this was that was spooking Annie really was nothing. He didn’t really believe that so much as he wanted to believe it.

  “Thanksgiving’s coming, Taylor. Will you be in town?”

  “Have I ever missed it, Annie? There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  “Good. I thought I’d invite Jane and her husband and Susan this year.”

  “Sounds perfect. I assume I’m delegated the mashed potatoes again this year?”

  “It’s a tradition, Taylor!” Annie widened her eyes, feigning innocence. “Besides, I hate peeling potatoes, and even you can’t ruin something that simple.”

  “I swear, Annie, someday I’m going to surprise you by fixing you a gourmet meal. Then you’ll have to take back all these cruel things you’ve said about my cooking.”

  “I won’t hold my breath, Taylor. And, right now, you’d better get me back to the studio. My jazz class will be arriving soon.” Annie was relieved she wouldn’t be facing it with the headache that had finally eased off during lunch.

  Taylor paid the check, and the two of them walked out of the restaurant, Taylor’s arm draped over Annie’s shoulders as if to shelter her from whatever was bothering her.

  * * *

  It had been a busy day at the paper. Robert wanted a draft of her feature article that was scheduled to run in the Sunday paper in two weeks. She’d been too busy all day to check her mail, and now that she was home, too tired. Still, she knew herself well enough to know that she was still obsessing on getting a message from Taylor. If she didn’t check, she’d never be able to relax. She turned on the computer and skimmed the message list. There it was, sent this morning, probably right after she’d left for work. She opened the file and began to read:

  Morning Laura,

  Sorry I didn’t log on last night. I got home later than I expected.

  Sounds like you had a wonderful day with your folks. The bright spot of my day is that I managed to come home with a ‘date’ for next week.

  Laura’s heart sank when she read those words. A date. He was seeing someone, getting involved with someone. Never mind that she was dating Cary.

  Actually it’s a date with Meg. Seems her stupid private school is having a father-daughter dinner. Since her father abandoned her before she was born, she asked if I would go with her, and, of course, I said I would.

  Laura breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Meg, not a serious rival.

  So I will be escorting Meg to her dinner—where I hope I don’t run into the little brats that told her she couldn’t come because she didn’t have a father!

  Believe it or not, my day went downhill from there. Remember Christine? My assistant? Well, actually, it’s good news for her. She’s getting married in February. It’s bad news for me since it means hiring and training someone new. I know I sound like a whiny kid, but I really don’t look forward to trying to find someone as reliable as Chris. Luckily, for me, my schedule is pretty clear until after the first of the year. So that means I don’t have to handle this right away.

  Sorry, Laura. I’m usually not this much of a grump. But I guess I needed to talk about it some. I’ll try hard to be a lot more cheerful in the next message.

  Thanks for listening.

  Taylor

  She wanted to think about his message before she answered it, so she saved it, then logged off. She still wasn’t sure what really existed between Annie and Taylor, but she was certain there was more than he’d told her. It was clear that he cared deeply for Annie and Meg, had cared about them for a long time, and would continue to do so. Any woman who came into his life would have to be able to deal with that.

  Until now, Laura had never had any trouble believing that a man and a woman could just be friends. She had male friends, for heaven’s sake! But the thought of Annie with Taylor… Laura never knew she could feel so jealous of anyone, and she didn’t particularly like the feeling.

  The phone interrupted her thoughts. She considered letting the answering machine pick up, but decided to answer and was glad she did when she heard her mother’s voice.

 
“I wanted to check with you about Thanksgiving, Laura. You don’t have to work, do you?”

  “Thanksgiving? It’s next week, isn’t it? I completely forgot! No, I’m not working. Shall I come out early to help?”

  “Help? Well, I’m sure I can find something for you to do. I wondered if you’d like to invite your reporter friend. He’s not from around here, is he? Maybe he’d like some family for the holiday.”

  Laura felt guilty for not thinking of it first. “What a good idea, Mom. I’ll call and ask him and let you know. Thanks for thinking of it.”

  “You know your friends are always welcome. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mom.”

  As Laura hung up the phone, she realized that Taylor would probably be spending the holiday with Annie and Meg. She was glad he wouldn’t be alone, but, even as she dialed Cary’s number, she found herself wishing it were Taylor she was inviting instead.

  * * *

  Cary hung up after talking to Laura. This was a good sign. She was inviting him to meet her parents. Normally, he would have made some excuse. Being taken home to meet the family was more commitment than Cary was willing to give. But, if his instincts were right about Laura, this would be an important test he’d have to pass.

  He remembered the family holidays when he was growing up. More food than anyone could possibly eat, too many aunts and uncles and cousins, and weeks of leftovers. For a brief moment he wondered about his ex-wife and the baby who was what now? Ten? Eleven? He dismissed them from his thoughts as he picked up the phone to cancel his Taos ski trip reservations. He could always catch a couple of days skiing on Sandia Peak, and he’d already booked Taos for Christmas, too, even though he planned on being long gone from Albuquerque by then.