When they arrived at Herald Center, Taylor paid him off with an even more generous tip, then went into the reception area. One of the receptionists greeted him with a cheery smile that he matched with one of his own.
“Laura Collins, please.”
“I’m sorry, sir. Ms. Collins began an extended leave of absence just today. Perhaps there’s someone else who could help you?”
Taylor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Today? A leave of absence? Where had she gone? And why? Please God, she didn’t marry him! Please, don’t let it be that she’d married him.
“Sir? Is there someone else who could help?”
“What? Oh, I’m sorry. I was just surprised. Is Beth Wilkins in?”
“Let me ring upstairs for you. Who may I say is here?”
“Taylor Morgan.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened at his name. No wonder he looked so familiar! After speaking with Beth, she said, “Take the second elevator to the third floor, Mr. Morgan. She’ll meet you there.”
Thanking her, Taylor walked to the elevator that was, thankfully, empty. It bought him a few moments to compose himself. Considering what Beth must think of him, he didn’t think getting any information out of her would be easy.
She was standing there as the door opened. “Hello, Taylor.” Her voice was cool, her eyes like stone.
“Hello, Beth.”
“We can use one of the conference rooms to talk,” she said as she turned and walked away. Taylor followed docilely along. Beth was his only chance of finding Laura, and if it meant listening to her tell him off, then that’s what he’d do.
She waited until he went into the small room, then came in, closing the door behind her. She took a seat on one side of the small table; he took the other one facing her. For a moment, he had a vision of an old prison movie, the wrongly convicted man facing the cop who had helped convict him.
“Taylor, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been trying to reach Laura for days, Beth. There’s been no answer at her apartment, none at her parents, nothing in email. I decided that if she was avoiding me, it would be harder to do in person. And, now, they tell me she’s on an extended leave of absence.” He stopped and took a deep shuddering breath before he reached one hand across the table to her, “Please, Beth, tell me she didn’t marry him.”
Marry him? Marry who? Suddenly, she had a sinking feeling that she knew why Taylor had changed his attitude toward Laura so suddenly.
“Why would you think she got married, Taylor?”
“Beth, I heard you and Laura talking during the party. You were talking about some newsman she was dating, and she kept saying that we were just friends. Then, I overheard two of the women talking, and they said she was practically engaged. So, like an idiot, I removed myself from the picture. And now I have a horrible feeling that I’m too late.”
“Oh, Taylor,” Beth whispered, “why did you leave her? Why didn’t you stay? Then none of this would have happened,” Taylor was even more worried as she began to cry.
“Beth, you’re scaring me. What is going on with Laura? Tell me, please!”
Beth brushed the tears away. “Taylor, I have to know why you’re here first.”
“Because I love her.”
It was clear to Beth that he was telling the truth. Now she had a choice to make. Keep Laura’s secret and send him away, or, tell him the truth and hope he was the person she believed him to be. She looked into his eyes for a long moment, and he never looked away.
“Taylor, you can’t ever tell her I told you or that you even know any of this. Promise me?”
“I promise,” he said as he took her hands in his.
“Laura was raped two days ago by the man you heard us talking about.” She watched as his face went ashen and felt his hands clutching hers painfully as she told him the rest of the story.
* * *
There had been two messages from Taylor on her machine and a number of hang-ups that she suspected were from him as well. She had no idea what he could want, and she couldn’t deal with his feelings right now. For a moment she could see his face as he had kissed her, but it was quickly replaced by a nightmare vision of Cary’s. The two of them were so tangled in her mind that she couldn’t think of one without the other appearing, too. Shaking her head, she pushed them both away and tried to think of what she needed do next.
* * *
Annie pulled into her driveway, grateful that the long trip was over. It had been wonderful to spend time with her parents and watch them spoil Meg. But the trip had been far from easy.
Her mother had immediately noticed she had lost weight and begun to fuss at her about it. Annie tried to blame it on a case of the flu, but her mother wasn’t buying it. She set out to make all of Annie’s favorite childhood foods, but, truth was, Annie had very little appetite these days. They’d even had a fight about it one day.
Then, she’d had a day with one of her headaches. As usual, it had left her drained and sick. She’d gone to the clinic at her mother’s insistence. The doctor diagnosed it as a bad case of flu, prescribing bed rest and liquids. Annie was only too happy to follow his orders and let her mother take care of her. Meg was happy and safe, and Annie didn’t have to worry about anything. So, she gave in to being ill and slept for two days, feeling remarkably better when she finally got up. Even her appetite had returned, much to her mother’s satisfaction.
It hadn’t lasted. Today, on the drive home, she felt the beginning of a headache and spent much of the drive praying that it would hold off until she could get Meg safely home.
She helped Meg bring in everything, then sent her off to take a bath before an early bedtime. She had school tomorrow, and Annie had classes starting up at the studio.
While Meg was in the bath, Annie checked her messages. Taylor had gone off on some mysterious errand. She was sure he had started rehearsals this week so it was very strange for him to leave like this. She wondered briefly if it had something to do with that woman in New Mexico. He’d been very quiet about his visit out there. But her head hurt too much to think about it very much. Taylor would have to take care of himself.
Chapter 31
Taylor had listened with growing anger as Beth told him what had happened to Laura. When she’d finished, he sat in silence for a moment, then pushed away from the table and walked to the window. Finally, he turned and looked at Beth.
“The bastard left town?”
“Today,” Beth confirmed.
“Who is he, Beth?”
“Taylor, it’s not important. It would be if she would press charges, but she won’t. I’m not going to tell you so you can go off on some vigilante mission. Laura should be who we’re thinking about right now.”
There had only been two other times in his life when he’d felt this helpless. The first time had been when his parents died. The second had been the night Annie had shown up on his doorstep, battered and pregnant. At least then he’d had the satisfaction of confronting her husband. Both times he’d felt responsible in some way. He should have made his parents fly instead of letting them take that train; he should have talked Annie out of marrying that man. The logical part of him knew that he couldn’t have done anything, but he’d never quite convinced his heart.
Now, this with Laura. If he’d let things take their course that night, she probably never would have seen the other man again. Once again, he’d failed someone he loved.
“This leave of absence, Beth? What’s she planning?”
“She suddenly decided that this was the time to make a change in her life. She wants to travel and do some freelance work. She tried to resign, but Henry would only agree to a six-month leave of absence. He’s hoping she’ll change her mind and come back here.”
“So, what do I do now, Beth? I don’t think that now is the right time for me to appear
on her doorstep and offer her my heart.”
Beth felt sorry for him. He looked so completely defeated. The timing in all of this was so wrong.
“I guess you go back to Florida. Keep trying to reach her, and I’ll keep you posted on her plans. I don’t think she’ll take off until after her parents are home at the end of the month.”
“Beth, thanks for telling me all of this, for not shutting me out. I’ll find a way to let her know that I love her, but I promise I’ll be careful.”
Beth walked him to the elevator. Before it came, she stopped him. “Taylor, she’s at her parents’ house. If you think you can, why don’t you call her there? I made her promise to answer the phone today so I could check up on her. Just don’t let her know that you’re here instead of in Florida.”
“Thanks, Beth. I may try later.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “She’s very lucky to have you for a friend.” Then he stepped into the elevator and was gone.
* * *
As luck would have it, the same driver arrived to take Taylor back to the hotel. He was amazed at the change in the man he’d delivered just an hour or so ago. He seemed to have aged in that time, his eyes haunted now by whatever had happened.
When he arrived at the hotel, Taylor went straight up to his room. He tossed his coat on the bed, then sat in the armchair, gloomily staring out of the window, his thoughts jumbled.
Now was not the time to tell Laura how he felt. He didn’t want her to come to him as a lifeline out of this nightmare or, worse, reject him because of it. He had to find a way to win back her friendship before he could try to win her love. Where to begin, though?
After an hour of fruitlessly chasing his thoughts in circles, Taylor decided to go up to the pool and see if he could work some of this anger out. Maybe then his thoughts would be clearer.
As he began to swim laps in the deserted pool, the repetitive action helped settle his mind, and he felt more at peace. He mentally began arranging his life, giving priority to Laura, the tour, and finding a new assistant. At least the tour and assistant question were interrelated.
Suddenly, the answers were clear! Clinging to the side of the pool, he realized that he could offer the assistant job to Laura. She could travel, have time to do her writing, and he would have her near enough to begin an old-fashioned courtship. He pulled himself out of the pool, smiling for the first time since Beth had told him.
* * *
Laura called Dr. Remington and arranged to begin counseling. The doctor had been relieved. It was a good sign that Laura was beginning to take control of her life again.
After setting up her first appointment with the therapist, Laura took a notepad and settled in on the couch to begin to make a list of things she needed to do and when they would need to be done. Absently, she pushed the play button on her mother’s CD player. She was surprised when Taylor’s voice surrounded her, and she let the music wash over her, listening with her eyes closed before she picked up the notepad and got to work.
* * *
“Art department. This is Beth.”
“Beth!” Taylor said, “I’m glad I caught you. I have an idea, and I wanted to see what you think of it.”
Beth listened silently as Taylor outlined his plan to ask Laura to take the assistant’s job. She could hear the excitement in his voice, and his enthusiasm began to win her over. “Is there any chance this will work, Beth?”
“Taylor, a week ago I would have told you there wasn’t any way she’d even consider it. But, I never thought she’d quit the Herald, either. All you can do is ask her. Then I can try to encourage her to do it.”
“I’ll call her then.”
“Taylor?”
“What, Beth?”
“Have you really thought this through? Can you manage to hide your feelings until she’s ready?”
“I’ll manage somehow.”
“When you call her, don’t forget you can’t tell her you’re here. Tell her you called me at work and I told you how to reach her.”
“Beth, I won’t do anything to jeopardize your friendship.”
“It will be all right. Don’t worry, Taylor.”
As she hung up, Beth hoped she was right, that Laura would forgive her. There was always a chance that she wouldn’t.
* * *
The first thing to be accomplished, Laura decided, was to find a new apartment. Even though she planned on traveling, she wanted a home base to come back to. What had happened had made it impossible for her to return to her old place—she’d never feel safe there again.
When the phone rang, she picked it up, still lost in her list. “Hello?”
“Laura? It’s Taylor.”
She was so surprised, she nearly dropped the phone, before asking, “Taylor? How did you find me?”
She sounded less than thrilled to hear from him, and, for a moment, he regretted calling.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for the last couple of days. You’re pretty elusive.”
“You didn’t answer my question. How’d you find me?”
“I called the Herald again today and they told me you were starting an extended leave of absence. Since the last thing I’d heard from them was that you were ill, I got worried. So, I asked to talk to Beth and she told me where you were. Are you feeling better?”
Laura was torn between being furious at Beth and being grateful.
“I’m fine, Taylor. How are things with you?” Taylor could hear the wariness in her voice.
“Actually, that’s why I’ve been calling. I had an idea and, considering you’re on leave from the Herald, it might really work out.”
Laura listened as he outlined his need for an assistant. “We’ll be traveling, mostly here in the east, then a session in California. The first concert is in New York City on Valentine’s Day. We’ll finish up in April on Catalina Island. It’s not a real taxing job, Laura. It would leave you time to do your writing and maybe give you some things to write about. I’ve been interviewing for weeks now and can’t find anyone I feel like I can work with. So, finally, I thought I’d see if I could talk you into it.”
There. It was out on the table, and the next move was hers. He wished he could see her face so he had some idea of what she was thinking. The silence seemed to stretch on forever before she said, “I don’t know, Taylor. I’d have to think about it. When do you need an answer?”
He breathed a silent sigh of relief. As long as she wasn’t rejecting the idea outright, there was reason to hope.
“I’d like you to come down to Florida by the end of the month, sooner if possible, so we could get used to working together before we actually leave on the tour.”
“Why don’t you fax me the itinerary, Taylor? Give me a few days to think about it, and we can discuss details by e-mail.”
“Great! I’m really hoping you’ll say ‘yes’, Laura.”
They talked for a few more minutes about little things. Before they said goodbye, they had agreed that Laura would let him know about the job within a week.
* * *
Taylor hung up the phone and felt suddenly drained of energy. When they’d begun to talk, she’d been very reserved and polite, but she seemed to have lost that wariness by the time they had hung up. Hearing her voice had made him long to hold her, to chase her nightmares away. If this was the way he felt just talking to her, how was he going to survive being near her every day?
Picking up the phone again, he called the airline to make arrangements to leave. It turned out there was a flight scheduled in a couple of hours, or he could wait until morning. He chose to take the evening flight. There was no reason to stay.
* * *
It all seemed too convenient. Had Beth called him and told him what had happened? No, she wouldn’t have done that. Besides, he had been calling before.
Laura looke
d at the list she’d been working on. Most of it would be unnecessary if she took this job. She realized that there were a number of questions she still needed answered. Was this job just for the tour? If not, for how long? What exactly would she be doing, anyway? With the questions came a tiny inner spark of excitement at the possibilities.
Some of her questions could be easily answered by Christine. She picked up the phone to call Taylor back for Christine’s phone number and was surprised when his machine picked up. Leaving a message, she realized he must have left immediately after he called her. She’d check in with him by email later.
* * *
Beth brought pizza home for dinner. As she filled Laura in on all the gossip from the Herald, she tried to control her curiosity. Laura hadn’t said anything about hearing from Taylor, so Beth wasn’t even sure if he had called. She had to wait until Laura finally said, “So, Beth, any interesting calls today?”
“Then he did call you!”
“Couldn’t you have called and warned me?”
“I’m sorry, Laura. I never even thought about it.”
“Did he tell you what he was calling about?”
“A little bit. Why don’t you fill me in?”
Beth knew Laura well enough to recognize that she was seriously thinking about the opportunities this might offer. There was a shine in her green eyes that hadn’t been there for days.
“You sound like you’re really considering this.”
“I am. It would be a good place to start on this journey I’ve set for myself. At least, by the end of the tour, I should know if I can handle living out of a suitcase. There’s still a lot I want to know, and I figure that Christine would know the answers. She was his assistant when he was here.” Beth’s heart nearly stopped when Laura continued, “I tried to call him back right after he called here. He must have left right away.” She didn’t seem to be really concerned about his absence, and Beth breathed a sigh of relief as Laura went on. “I’ll try to get in touch by e-mail tonight. I really would like to talk to her before I decide.”
Timing Is Everything Page 16