Chris caught up with Taryn as Matt folded down her wheelchair. “Hey, great practice today.” He leaned on Kyra's car to talk to her through the open window.
“Thank you! It went better than I expected.” Taryn glanced at him for a while. He'd watched her almost the entire time during practice, and she wasn't sure why. When she'd looked up at him, he never looked away. Not like she did. Her stomach had knotted the entire time.
“Hey, maybe one day you'll let me take you to lunch?” He reached into the car to touch her shoulder.
Taryn gaped at him. “Really?” Whoa. Did she really hear him right?
“Yeah, really. Why not?”
“Because guys like you don't randomly ask girls like me out,” she shot back.
“Guys like me? What do you consider guys like me?” Chris narrowed his eyes.
In the six years she'd been in a wheelchair, no man had ever come up to her like Chris did. Not to ask her out, anyway. She'd made some acquaintances at work, but that had been about it. She'd about lost any faith that she'd be good dating material.
“Good looking, mysterious...And can w-” She didn't continue. That was a stupid thought to say out loud.
“And can walk with their two feet?” he finished in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, sorry. It does surprise me. You don't know what it's like.” Shame slammed into her like a fast moving truck unable to stop.
“You're right, I don't. And shame on the men who have ever turned away from you because you're in a wheelchair. I want to get to know you, Taryn. You interest me. So yes, my offer still stands. I'd love to take you out sometime. I'll come to Sunset Hills and pick you up. We can hang around there, or whatever you want. I just want to know more about you, drummer girl.”
The hand he'd touched her shoulder with moved up to her hair. The gesture surprised her. She almost reeled back. The feeling of his hand gracing her cheek softly left a tingly sensation.
She laughed as she finally looked up at him again. “Drummer girl? Really?”
Dimples sprouted in his cheeks as he smiled. “Really.” Chris finally moved his hand, resting it on the car door.
Kyra climbed in the driver's seat and peeked over to see what was going on. When she spotted Chris leaning in through the window, she shot Taryn a knowing smile. Matt closed the trunk and settled in the backseat.
“All right, Chris. I'll take you up on that sometime.” Taryn nodded, surprising herself. Why not? The worst that could happen was they'd have a bad time. Maybe a few awkward encounters while at band practice. The best that could happen was they could have a good time and become friends.
“Good.” His grin widened. “Until then.”
It dawned on her as he walked away that Chris didn't ask for her number. “That guy puzzles me.”
“Chris? Why's that? Did I hear him asking you out? I hope you're going to say yes.” Kyra sent a quick glance her way before backing out of the drive. “He's obviously interested in you. Every time you two are in a room, he's talking to you or watching you.”
“He puzzles me, because he seems … out of place. I don't know. There's things in conversation that make me wonder. He's probably watching me to see if I'm going to take his place as drummer. He obviously wants to move on.” Taryn leaned back in her seat.
“He does, but I don't think that's the only reason he's watching you. So how did practice go?”
“Really well, actually. I thought I'd play the way they want me to with their songs, but no. They actually asked me my thoughts on things. At first, I was quiet and awkward. I like them,” Taryn admitted. “I guess we'll see how live concerts go, though. This driving back and forth isn't annoying you two?”
“I don't mind it, honestly,” Kyra insisted, “especially because it's helping you out.”
“Yeah, but I can't get used to it. You're going to be back in Nashville soon. Then what?” Taryn heaved a sigh.
“Then...” Kyra started. “I don't know, Taryn. This is where you tell me what you need.”
“I'm here,” Matt piped up quietly from the back. “You don't have to hesitate to call me.”
“I don't want to rely on everyone!” Taryn squeezed her eyes shut, then blew out a breath. She needed to calm down.
“Okay, Don't shoot me, but you had an aide back home. What's the difference with friends helping you here?” Kyra asked.
Pride, for one. Taryn couldn't explain why, but it was easier for people who didn't know her before the accident to help her. She'd even struggled when she moved back to Texas with her father. Okay, so Matt didn't know her before the accident, but he knew Kyra.
Kyra. It had to be worry about what she thought of her. Why? Taryn didn't have an answer. “I don't know,” she admitted. “You know what I used to be like. Getting this part of my life back with you in it makes me realize I'm not, and never will be, the person I was six years ago. And I'm talking more than me not being able to walk. I guess … I'm intimidated by you.” There went that. Might as well be open and honest.
“Why in the world would you be intimidated by me of all people?” Sadness tinged Kyra's tone. “Is this what we've come down to?”
“Kyra-”
“I guess if we're being honest, I'm intimidated by you, too,” Kyra added quietly.
That surprised Taryn. “Why?”
“Because,” Kyra started, “I don't know what to say to you sometimes. I don't know what to do. Am I going to say something wrong? Like the other day, I mentioned the music studio in the basement, not even thinking. It scares the hell out of me, Taryn. The two of us used to be so in sync with each other, and now it's like we're strangers.”
“I'm intimated because I don't want to let you down. What if I can't handle playing in a band? What if I mess up while I'm down here? I hate feeling that way. We were never like this with each other, even when I first played drums for you. You're right. We are strangers, because both of us are completely different people than we were when we last communicated.” Taryn let it all out. “I don't want to feel like this.”
“Neither do I,” Kyra said softly, tears choking up her voice. “We'll get through it.”
Taryn hoped so. She wanted the voices in the back of her mind to shut up. She'd once had so much confidence, but the changes in her life left her vulnerable in ways she despised.
*****
“Call her,” Melody demanded. “You're going to drive yourself crazy otherwise.”
“Or maybe I'm going to drive you crazy because you're anticipating,” Chris shot back. “I can give you Bridgette's number if you want to call.” He didn't hide his irritation, although he didn't blame Melody for wanting to get back in touch with Bridgette.
“Umm, I'm not talking about Bridgette. I'm talking about Taryn. I heard you ask about taking her to lunch sometime. You were watching her the entire time at practice. Just call her.” Melody settled on the couch with a bottle of water and leveled him with a challenging stare.
“So you were watching me watching her?” Chris asked, realizing a little too late that he'd blatantly admitted to watching Taryn. Damn sly woman!
“Ha! Caught you. So you were!” Melody let out a smile and thrust a triumphant fist in the air.
He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. “And why are you watching me so intently?”
“Well, at first it was to see your reaction about Taryn playing for the band. I was hoping maybe you'd be bothered and reconsider,” Melody said softly. She held up a finger. “You can't blame a sister for trying. I know, I know. You don't want to do this much longer. I get it. But now I noticed something else. You're interested in her.”
“Don't get any ideas of playing matchmaker, Mel.” That was the last thing he needed. Knowing his sister, she had ideas. If she had an idea, it was only a matter of time before she told Blaine and Avery. Then it would possibly get to Kyra, which would get to Taryn and- Nope. Not cool.
“I'm not. I won't push anything, other than to say call her. She did say she might take you
up on it, so why not? What could it hurt?”
“That's not pushing anything?” He raised a brow, not even bothered by his sister's antics.
She held up her hands. “It's not. I'll go home now, if you want me to, and get out of your hair.”
He really had to watch his moods, especially with Melody. It wasn't her fault Chris couldn't pull out of this funk. Melody cared about his well being, and he needed to respect that instead of throwing it back at her. “Stay, Mel. I'm sorry. I'm a little edgy lately.” Understatement. He'd been edgy for a while, and the whole thing of moving after their loss made it worse. Melody fit here. He didn't, and he knew it. But Chris hadn't found his new path in life. It bothered him. A few years ago, he had it figured out, even if he didn't quite take the steps needed to go that route. He'd at least had a plan. Now it derailed. If he tried hard enough, he could go for it here, but he held back.
“I'm sorry, too. I might be acting pushy, but I'm worried about you. I don't think you're happy, and it scares me.” Her eyes were full of worry.
He wasn't happy. He hadn't outright told her that, but Chris knew Melody had reason to worry. He worried, too. Unless he figured out his next step, he wasn't sure what to do.
“To be honest, I don't know what prompted me to even ask Taryn if she'd want to go to lunch. I did it on a whim,” Chris admitted. He didn't do dates. Ever since moving here, it had only been casual sex for him. Never a date. Never lunch, or breakfast, or anything.
So there was reason number one he was surprised at his move toward Taryn.
“Yeah, well, I don't think it's a bad idea.”
“All right. I'll do it.” He snapped his fingers, finally happy that he'd made a decision. “Thanks for getting her number for me.”
“It was easy. Kyra had no problem giving it to me, especially when she found out why. See? She's probably going to do what I'm doing. She's probably convincing Taryn to say yes if you actually call her.”
Chris laughed. “You women and your matchmaker ways. It's just a lunch or dinner.”
“That's what they all say. It's just something.” Melody wiggled her eyebrows.
He ignored his sister and dialed Taryn's number. Why in the world did calling a woman make him so nervous? He used to be good at this stuff. Well, Taryn was no ordinary woman, and it had to do with much more than being in a wheelchair. Though he had to admit, that did intimidate him a little. He couldn't quite pin point why. Taryn seemed like any regular person. Hell, she played drums with some tinkering to make her set work for her. Yeah, he admired and respected the hell out of that. If someone like Taryn could get past what happened to her, then Chris should have no problem getting out of this depression. He knew what he didn't want, but couldn't come up with what he did want.
“Hello?”
Hearing her sent a tingle down his spine. Something about the freshness of her voice got to him.
“Hi, Taryn. It's Chris. I um, wanted to officially call and invite you to dinner.” Wow, did he ever sound lame. Avoiding Melody's eyes, Chris paced the room, clutching the phone to his ear for dear life. Since when did he lose his game to talk to a woman?
“Whoa. So you were serious.”
Her comment made him wonder how many guys weren't serious when they talked to her. It also made him feel bad about being intimidated by her. Taryn was a real person with real feelings. He couldn't imagine how things must have changed for her since becoming a paraplegic.
“Yeah, I was serious. So, how about it? Are you free tomorrow night? Do you know of a great place we can go to in Sunset Hills?” He cleared his throat, attempting to sound calm and sure of himself.
“I do!” Kyra called in the background. “I already have a list of places if you want, Chris!”
“Go away!” Taryn yelled, then giggled. “Ignore her.”
Chris stifled a laugh. “I guess my sister was right. She said Kyra would be doing the same thing she is. Is this what happens when two people in a close knit group of friends meet?”
Taryn laughed again. “I guess so. Kyra means well. She's just a busybody.”
“I heard that!” Kyra called. “I'm going now.”
Chris turned around and caught Melody laughing. She must have heard parts of the conversation.
“You know what, sure. I'm free tomorrow night. It would do me some good to get to know this town and some people around it. Is your car going to be big enough for my chair? It's collapsible.”
“Yeah, it'll fit. What do you say about six?” Excitement rushed through him. A chance to talk with Taryn without everyone else around. Something about her pulled on his curiosity, and it happened the more he was around her.
“Six sounds good. I really don't know what's good around here, so I'd better make nice with Kyra so she can give us some ideas.”
“I don't think you'll have a problem convincing her. Besides, I can always look it up. See you tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it.” And he was. For the first time in a while, a spark lit within him for the promise of a good night.
After they hung up, Chris turned to Melody. “She said yes.”
“Well of course she did. You're a nice guy. She's a nice girl.”
For a second, it felt like they were teenagers again, talking about dates and reassuring each other, not two people in their thirties. It didn't cross his mind until now how unsure he'd been about things. Life and its ups and downs had a way of messing with emotions.
When the phone rang again, Chris didn't pay attention to the caller ID. He answered, thinking it was Taryn. “I hope you don't plan to cancel on me already, drummer girl.”
A silence fell over the phone.
“Taryn?” Did he say the wrong thing? Or was it not Taryn on the other end of the phone?
“This isn't Taryn. It's Bridgette again. I'm sorry for hanging up the last time. What I have to say isn't easy, and your words really hurt the other day, even if they were deserved.”
Chris mouthed to Melody that it was their mother, then he put the phone on speaker. “Go on. Just so you know, Melody is here, and we're on speaker.”
Silence again. Did she hang up? Anger surged through him. She needed to quit playing these damn hang up games.
“I know it's been a long time, but I'd like to see you both. I'll fly you here. It would be easier. Please consider it.”
Chapter Eight
“Remind me again why I'm doing this?” Taryn wriggled impatiently as Kyra finished styling her hair. A date. After six years of being along and learning to live with it, she was going on her second date. Well, second date since being this version of herself.
Damn, why did she keep referring to herself as different versions? She was still the same Taryn, just altered a little.
“Because Chris is interested in you, and you're interested in him.” Kyra set the brush down. “Come on, Tar. He's a nice guy. This is good. Be honest, how many dates have you gone on since- well, you know.”
“One,” Taryn said in a small voice. “It was horrible. Probably the worst date ever. Dating isn't the same now. I'm not sure why I agreed to this. Talk me down, Kyra. I'm freaking out!” She held up her trembling hands for her friend to see.
Kyra pursed her lips, then knelt right in front of her. Her hands covered Taryn's trembling ones. “This is your official pep talk. First off, calm down,” she instructed. “Second, if this date goes horrible, you call me. I will immediately come pick you up. But I don't see that happening. I don't know much about Chris, he doesn't really talk to me, but I do sense that he's a good guy. I'm sorry your one and only date since James' death went horrible. If anyone can't see past your slight disadvantage, then they aren't worth it. I'm in awe of you for getting back to what you love. You didn't give up.”
Tears pricked the corners of Taryn's eyes. “I almost did. You didn't see me in the beginning. I was a mess. I once went as far as to try and get my legs cut off. If I was an amputee, then maybe I'd get a shot one day of having legs that would work, even if they weren
't real. Dad walked in on me and took me home. He made me go through counseling, because he said he never, ever wanted to walk in on a sight like that again.”
“Damn, Taryn.” Kyra's eyelashes were wet with tears. “I wasn't any better, except you put yourself back together sooner than I did. I call those years 'The Dark Days'. I wasn't proud of them.”
“Neither was I.” They were lonely, miserable, and depressing.
“I'm proud of you, Taryn. I'm damn glad you didn't give up on life.”
She sniffled, hating this emotional shit. Damn Kyra for bringing it out of her. “I'm glad you didn't give up on life, either. Remember those days where we used to wear the best friend heart halves? You got a set for my birthday- my seventeenth, the first birthday of mine we celebrated together. It was the heart and music note combination.”
Kyra's face brightened. “Hold on,” she said as she flew from the room, returning a few minutes later holding out two chains.
“You kept it,” Taryn said softly, reaching out her hand for it. She'd been so mad at Kyra in the hospital room, she'd thrown it at her. It felt good at the time, but thinking about it now left an ache in her heart.
“Of course I did. I put them both in a lock box for safe keeping. There's a song on the new album called The Other Half Of This Heart that I actually wrote about us.”
Taryn fingered the edges of the heart. Kyra had kept them clean and free of dust. She'd preserved them. “I know we're in our mid-twenties now and these things are so teenage style, but … do you mind if I keep this?” She clutched it against her chest, memories swarming her. Taryn didn't want to give it back now.
“It's yours. Now, we might want to stop this tearing up, because your makeup is going to be ruined.” Kyra brushed tears away from her own face and put on a smile. “Did the pep talk work? Are you calmer?”
“I think I am. Thank you, Kyra.” Her friend's pep talk was exactly what she needed, and bringing the silly necklaces added to the calm factor.
“Any time,” she said softly. “Now, get ready, go on that date, and enjoy yourself.” Kyra leaned against her large bathroom sink counter.
Offbeat (Love and Music In Texas Book 5) Page 7