by Brent, Cora
I was on the verge of turning that offer down too but my more practical side won out. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“First door on the right,” he added. The Gentry brothers exchanged a glance. It was a fair assumption that I would once again become the topic of conversation once I was out of earshot.
Most of my showers these days were courtesy of the university gym locker room, the same place were I did my laundry in one of the coin operated machines. Who would have ever thought that closing a door and having an entire bathroom to myself for twenty minutes would be such a luxury? My childhood accommodations had consisted of a spacious suite with a lavish attached bathroom. A far cry from my current reality.
Once I was alone and basking in the unrivaled luxury of a hot shower there was time to dwell on unhappy matters. One in particular. And it wasn’t being temporarily homeless or fainting in the company of Kellan Gentry.
I kept hearing that voicemail from my brother.
Sometimes I thought about skipping town.
But where would I go?
I’d spent my whole life in the Phoenix area and didn’t have any meaningful connections anywhere else. Actually, I no longer had any meaningful connections here either, aside from my job. But at least I knew the valley like the back of my hand and up until this semester I’d had school. The idea of landing in an unfamiliar place with no prospects and hardly any cash was enough to make me want to throw up.
Kellan was alone in the kitchen now. He sat at the small table with two plates of buttered toast and matching bowls of granola.
“If you don’t eat it,” he warned. “It’ll go to waste. Thomas has gone crazy and only eats lettuce and blueberries these days.”
I took a seat. Bless his heart, he’d even supplied a fresh cup of coffee. “Where did he go? Thomas, I mean.”
“He went down to the pool to swim some laps.”
I greedily swallowed coffee and then took a big bite of toast. Kellan wasn’t real subtle about examining me while I ate. I wondered if this was how zoo animals felt every day.
Kellan had yet to touch his own breakfast. He threaded his fingers together and became thoughtful.
“Taylor, I have to ask. Do you really have somewhere to go when you leave here today?”
“Yes.” I drank more coffee. “I have to go to work.”
“What about after that? Do you have a place to sleep tonight?”
“I’ll figure something out,” I told him, and because the look on his face said he wouldn’t be satisfied with that response, I forged ahead with a lie. I’ve never been good at lying. Maybe lying is a talent reserved for creative people. “Actually, I heard from an old friend and she invited me to crash in her condo until I get a place of my own.”
He didn’t blink. I had an unsettling feeling that Kellan Gentry was mighty tough to fool.
“Sounds like a good friend,” he finally said.
“Great friend,” I boasted. “One of my best friends. We’d do anything for each other.”
“What about your family?”
Involuntary shudder. “Oh, that’s one gnarly can of worms. Let’s leave it closed.”
“Whatever you say.” He leaned forward a few inches, still studying me. He had such bright blue eyes. A girl could be forgiven for looking his way and seeing a fun distraction from her troubles. I remembered being that girl. And I remembered the squealing reaction of my former best friend Delaney the morning after.
“You seriously hooked up with Kellan Gentry? Don’t you know what a dog he is? I never knew you to be a glutton for punishment, Tay.”
At the time, my cup of heartache was already on the verge of running over. It was not in my best interest to add another spoonful in the form of a wisecracking, blue-eyed party boy. And though Kellan might have outgrown his douchebag player reputation by now I couldn’t take chances with my heart. Or my pride. There wasn’t much left of either one.
I took another bite of granola, another long swallow of coffee. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and slid my chair back, gathering my dishes. “I really do need to get going. I’ll wash these out before I leave.”
“No need for that.” Kellan was worried when I stood up. “Taylor, sit back down for a second.”
I raised an eyebrow and didn’t obey.
“Please,” he said. “I just want to tell you something.”
I struggled with a powerful desire to escape his scrutiny. He saw through me. I was sure of it. He knew I had no friends, no options, nowhere to go. It was a very naked feeling, sitting two feet away from someone who recognizes that you are a ridiculous liar. On the other hand, he and his family had shown me kindness and I didn’t want to behave like an ungrateful brat. So I sat.
Kellan got to the point. “My brother and I had a brief talk and we’d both like you to know that you can sleep here whenever you need to. No strings attached. We’re not looking for money or any other favors.”
“Why?” I asked. I wasn’t trying to be snotty. I was curious. One of my hardest life lessons over the last couple of years was that no one did anything without expecting something in return.
Kellan was surprised I’d ask. “Because we want you to be safe. And you’d be safe here. Off the streets.”
“The streets,” I repeated, thinking of grainy old movies featuring angry gangsters and bruised prostitutes. “Are you under the impression that I’m running around out there dealing drugs or selling my body?”
He frowned. “I wasn’t accusing you of doing either.”
If Kellan was digging for a sordid story then I had one to give him. “Do you want to know what I was doing last night before I fainted in The Outpost?”
“Sure.”
“I met with a man I’ve known all my life. He was my father’s closest friend. He offered to take me to dinner. But before the appetizers were served he asked me to be his all expenses paid sidepiece. He was going to keep me in a million dollar penthouse suite and visit whenever he wanted to use my body. Doesn’t that sound like a nice arrangement? I’d have everything I needed. Food, a place to live. No dirty streets in sight. Probably a brand new designer wardrobe because he’s a man who likes to keep his possessions looking nice.”
Kellan was shaking his head with distaste. “Shit. That’s not what I have in mind at all.”
“No. That would be out of your price range.” I gritted my teeth. “This never stops sucking.”
He was baffled. “What never stops sucking?”
“Every day. My god, you must feel so sorry for me.”
“Of course I feel sorry for you. You’re living out of your damn car and trying to sneak a few crumbs from the salad bar for dinner.”
“Thank you for not sugar coating it. And thank you for helping me last night. I do appreciate it. I can’t help being a bitch. But you knew that already. You remember.”
“Taylor.” He pinched the sides of his temples. I must be giving him a headache. “There’s no shame in accepting help when it’s offered.”
“I’m ashamed of a lot of things, Kellan. I just don’t feel like describing them all out loud.”
He watched me while I hastily collected my bag and my blanket and shoved some shoes on my feet. My keys were in the front pocket of the backpack and I withdrew them for a hastier escape in case Kellan decided to trail me out the door.
“Thanks again, Kellan. Please thank your dad for me too and tell Thomas that I enjoyed meeting him.”
“Hey, Taylor?”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob. There was something about the way he said my name that struck a chord. Maybe that’s why I’d trusted him last night when he’d asked me to.
I turned around.
Kellan was still sitting at the table. His arms were crossed over his muscled chest and his handsome face was distressed.
“There’s no expiration date on the offer. Just remember that, okay?”
I didn’t answer.
I wanted to tell him that my shitty mood wasn’t
his fault. I’d become this strange and untouchable creature and I was leaving as much for his sake as for mine. He had no idea what kind of disastrous subplots he was inviting to live on his couch.
I walked out the door and ran to my car before his conscience convinced him to follow.
Chapter Six
Kellan
Dominic Esposito stopped by the kitchen and greeted me with a fist bump. “Good to have you back, Kellan.”
I shook the flour off my shirt and removed my food handler’s gloves. “Good to be back. Thanks again for letting me take the summer off.”
“The internship sounded like a good opportunity.”
“It was a fantastic opportunity. And I’m hoping that since I’ve gotten my foot in the door I’ll have a good chance of getting hired after graduation.”
“Just do us a favor. After you become this big shot executive don’t forget who serves the best pizza in town.”
“Are you kidding? I was practically raised on your food. There’s a reason why your pizza has been ranked number one in the valley for ten years.”
“Eleven,” he grinned. “But who’s counting?”
Esposito’s was a family business and the owners treated everyone who worked for them like family as well. Unlike his wife Melanie, Dominic wasn’t the chattiest guy in the world so I wasn’t offended when he moved on to deal with an issue affecting one of the large pizza ovens.
There was more than enough help in the kitchen so I switched gears and filled orders at the counter right beside Paige. Derek’s girlfriend still worked here now and then even though she had a lot on her plate between school and a variety of volunteer activities. She’d worked for Esposito’s since she was a teenager and I knew the place felt like a second home to her.
Whenever there was a lull in orders Paige would try to talk to me. I knew I was failing to keep up my end of the conversation when she got exasperated enough to elbow me in the side.
“What’s up with you tonight?”
I cleaned a spot of sauce off the counter. “I have no idea why you’re asking. Tonight I’m just my usual, excessively charming self.”
That wasn’t true. I’d been distracted for the past week. Whether I was here or in class or staring up at my ceiling at two a.m., I was stuck with thoughts of a girl who refused to leave my mind.
Paige gave me a calculated look. “You don’t fool me. When you’re brooding you look exactly like your brother.”
“And what’s Derek brooding about these days?”
Paige smirked. “Derek is not brooding at all lately. Derek is extremely satisfied in every way.”
“Don’t gross me out, Paige.”
Her eyes widened. “Whoa. All it takes is one summer among the suit and tie crowed to turn Kellan Gentry into a prude.”
“I’m not a prude. I just prefer to be spared details of the sexual exploits of my immediate family members.”
She laughed. “So what’s got you all bunched up? My intuition tells me there’s a female involved.”
I chose to answer the accusation by stacking the parmesan cheese packets like dominos.
“What’s her name?” Paige demanded. “Does she go to ASU?”
“Since she’s a figment of your imagination she can go wherever you like.”
Paige crossed her arms and inspected me. I wished for a flood of new customers and kept stacking my cheese packets.
“You’re not usually this stubborn,” Paige mused.
“And you’re not usually this annoying. You’ve been living with Derek for too long. He’s corrupted you.”
“And I’ve enjoyed every second of being corrupted by Derek. Wait.” She snapped her fingers. “Is it that girl who passed out at The Outpost when you were having dinner with your dad?”
I exhaled. “When did Thomas get so talkative?”
“Don’t blame Thomas. Your dad told Derek. And Derek tells me everything.” Paige’s expression turned to worry. “Is she okay? The girl?”
“She’s just fine,” I lied because I wanted to put an end to the conversation. And because I didn’t know how to answer any questions about Taylor. The Taylor-related facts in my possession were few and far between. For crying out loud I didn’t even know her last name.
I let her leave. Why did I let her leave?
The question had started gnawing at me five minutes after she fled my apartment. I’d logged countless miles driving all over town this past week in search of that mottled old Hyundai she’d been driving but there was no sign of her.
On the slim chance that the name would ring a bell, I had to ask Paige if she’d ever run into a girl named Taylor who used to live over at Castle Court. Paige didn’t know Taylor but she pounced on the detail.
“So what night are you and Taylor going on a double date with me and Derek? This is exciting. When was the last time you had a girlfriend, Kel?”
“Whoa. Pump the brakes. You’re so far ahead of yourself you’re going to trip. And you’re starting to sound like my mother.”
“I hope that’s true. I love your mother. How about this Saturday night?”
“This Saturday night I’ll be right here distributing excellent Italian food to hungry guests. Speaking of which, while you were hassling me, someone walked in to see you, got seated on the opposite side of the dining room and is wondering why you’re ignoring her.”
“What?” Paige swiveled, then squealed. “Sam!”
“Go on,” I told her. “You’re due for your dinner break anyway. I’ve got the counter.”
Paige was happy to depart for the booth on the other side of the room where Samantha, one of her closest friends since second grade or something, sat beside some guy. Samantha had an identical twin sister named Erica and they were both equally gorgeous and brilliant medical students but telling them apart was easy now that I recognized Sam’s casual style compared to Erica’s glamour. The twins also lived in The Palms, at least until recently. Paige had been a little glum over Erica’s recent departure to medical school in Chicago but she was glad that Samantha had chosen to remain local.
Sam waved to me. I waved back. Her boyfriend was less enthusiastic, eyeing me with speculation. Couldn’t fault him. I would have done the same.
There was no more time for waving because four guys strolled in and ordered enough takeout to feed a small nation. Two of them were wearing university baseball jerseys so I figured they must know my little brother. They knew him all right and their awed reaction made me feel like I’d just dropped the name of a World Series champion. The talk turned to curveballs and strike zones and how Thomas Gentry was the lord and master of both.
One of them gave me a cool nod. “But you don’t play, do you?”
“Not since little league,” I admitted. I hadn’t been bad at sports but self-discipline had eluded me back then and I’d never stuck to anything.
“So what do you do?” he asked, unable to envision a lifestyle that didn’t include nine innings.
“I serve pizza while quietly planning world domination.”
They didn’t laugh. All four members of the brawny baseball quartet just stared at me. I’d been told before that my humor was an acquired taste.
Further awkwardness was averted when Dominic delivered a stack of takeout boxes from the kitchen. I was always amazed that a guy as successful as Dominic Esposito still preferred to be sweating in the kitchen while elbow deep in pizza dough. There was probably a lesson to be learned there.
“Just do a quick check to make sure it’s all there,” he said curtly and then returned to the kitchen where he was happiest.
Following a swift inventory to ensure the order was complete I handed it over. The guy who’d done most of the talking appeared to have forgiven me for my lack of baseball participation. He addressed me cheerfully while his buddies waited by the door.
“You tell that future Hall of Famer brother of yours that he should come shoot the shit with us more often,” he said and added a generous offer. “Y
ou can tag along too.”
“That’s really cool of you to say but I’m busy that night.”
Confusion dented his forehead. “What night?”
“All of them.”
“Right.” His head bobbed and the confusion remained, although his eyes narrowed a little, like it dawned on him that he’d been the butt of a joke and was trying to figure out how. “Maybe another time then.”
Hopefully he was quicker on the field than he was in conversation.
“Enjoy the food,” I called and wondered if I could have acted like less of a prick.
A pair of pretty girls, obviously ASU students, possibly freshmen, strayed over to the counter and boldly flirted with me. I liked pretty girls and I liked flirting so cooperating was simple.
The brunette was named Ashley and she lingered for a few seconds after her order was wrapped up. I thought about how it would probably be so easy to hang out with this girl who seemed to wear a constant smile and bubble over with laughter every six seconds. I’m fun and hot and uncomplicated, her smile said. You’d like me.
I probably would. But I didn’t do anything about that before she left. Because my head remained fixated on a girl who was full of mysteries. A girl who might not even like me. A girl I couldn’t even find.
Paige returned to the counter and informed me it was my turn for a break.
“And go say hello to Sam,” Paige ordered. “She wants you to.”
I stole a glance over at the booth where Samantha was snuggling with her companion. “And how does Sam’s boyfriend feel about that?”
“Damian’s cool. He won’t mind.” She paused. “Um, I need to tell you something first but don’t get mad.”
“At you? Never.”
Her smile appeared and then faded. “I swear I wasn’t trying to gossip.”
“Okay.”
“But Sam was asking what’s new with you guys and I mentioned your possible love interest. It turns out Damian knows Taylor from high school. If it’s the same Taylor. I know there’s more than one Taylor in the world, but most of them probably can’t afford a place in Castle Court so that clued him in.”