by Amy Knupp
“Well?” He suddenly cared too much about her response.
“I didn’t go on a date,” she admitted. “I worked late. You know me, Miss Social Life.”
A knock at the back door startled both of them. The door opened and Vienna called out.
“Hellooo? Tay, it’s me.” She stuck her head inside and grinned when she saw them. “Hey, guys. Saw you turn down the street and thought I’d stop by,” she said to Taylor.
“Hi.” Taylor smiled but seemed uneasy.
“What are you still doing here, Alex? Earning some overtime?” His sister wagged her brows suggestively. Thankfully Taylor missed it.
“Got on a roll today. Did you worry about me?”
“Always,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve been pining away, waiting for you to come home.” She walked all the way into the kitchen. “I’ve been camped out at the library trying to finish some reading. Mom was doing a Wheel of Fortune marathon with the week’s recorded episodes when she got home from work. I had to bail. And I’ve got something for you, Taylor.” She held out a Laurel’s Shoes bag.
“What…?” Taylor hesitantly took the bag and opened it. “Oh, my lord!”
Alex watched, curious as hell. She pulled out a pair of green glittery flip-flops that looked just like his sister’s purple ones.
“Are these…” Taylor examined them from every angle.
“For you. Serious clearance, but my way of saying thanks for everything you’ve done. The laptop, the introductions at your company…”
“This is weird,” Alex muttered.
“Not weird.” Taylor set the shoes on the floor, slipped a shoe off and tried on a sandal.
“Seven and a half?” Vienna asked.
“You’re good. Thank you. I love them.” She scuttled over to a drawer and took out scissors. Bending over, she cut the plastic ring holding the shoes together, then slid her other foot into the second one. “I’d offer you some coffee cake but your brother took care of it already.”
“I can’t stay anyway—still have a bunch of reading for tomorrow. You want a ride, army guy?”
“Affirmative, marketing girl. Give me five to finish cleaning up.”
As he walked through the main floor of the house in search of any tools he might have left, he could hear the two talking casually in the kitchen. He couldn’t help noticing that Taylor seemed shy, uneasy with Vienna. He’d thought they’d been getting along fine when they were at Saint Patty’s.
He glanced in Taylor’s bedroom even though he hadn’t worked in there today. Or ever. Her closet doors had to be replaced and the walls, like every other room in the house, needed to be painted, but for some reason he’d avoided going in her room. Her bed was neat enough to pass military inspection—except for silky-looking pajamas folded up on her pillow. The sight started his blood pumping faster and made him recall, in detail, the skimpy ones she’d worn after her shower…?. This was why he hadn’t worked on her closet yet. He needed to get his libido under control.
A quick check through the other two bedrooms assured him he hadn’t left anything behind. He headed back to the kitchen and found Taylor alone, fixing herself iced tea.
“Did she leave me hanging?” Alex asked.
Taylor shook her head just as Vee laid on the horn outside.
“Does she feel sorry for me or something?” Taylor asked, stopping him short on his way to the door.
“Feel sorry for you?” He turned toward her and searched her face. “Why would you think that?”
“She bought me shoes and asked me to Sunday dinner.”
Alex processed that idea, imagining Taylor at his family’s table. Growing up, Quinn had frequented their one sit-down meal each week and had fit in like another Worth. His mom would love having a guest. Now that Marshall had officially moved back home, it’d almost be like old times.
Taylor nervously tapped the counter with the fingernails of her left hand while squeezing lemon juice into her glass with her right hand.
“My sister likes you. She appreciates the help you’ve given her, but mostly she’s just trying to be your friend. Go with it.”
He stood next to her at the counter, watching her from the side. Taylor didn’t look at him, just wrinkled her forehead.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She glanced sideways but not directly at him, shaking her head. “Just me being me. I like your sister.” She stirred her tea absently. “I’m not very good at friends.”
The horn honked again but Alex ignored it. Thought back to when they’d been kids. Teens. He didn’t remember her ever having a friend over to the house or getting phone calls. At school she’d been a loner. He’d figured it was the two-year gap between her and her classmates. Taylor was different, without a doubt, but it hadn’t occurred to him that she’d never made a close friend or two, especially in college.
“Vienna’s easy. Just be yourself.”
She tried to smile but it was more of a grimace. “Thanks. I wouldn’t exactly say I was myself drinking two martinis.” She shook her head dismissively. “You better go before she deserts you.”
What was it about this woman that evoked some kind of protective response in him? He stared at her a moment longer, wanting to reassure her but settling for squeezing her shoulder lightly on his way past.
She really didn’t have a concept of what an amazing, likable person she was. Too bad he wasn’t in a position to make her believe it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WAS DUMB FOR TAYLOR’S insides to be tied in knots before dinner at the Worths’ house. She knew them well enough, or at least fifty percent of them.
She pulled her hybrid up to the curb and turned the engine off. Sat there trying to calm herself. Replayed Alex’s words about Vienna genuinely liking her.
Logically, Taylor understood her fears were unfounded. Vienna was a sincere, warm person who had done nothing but be friendly. It was that unsure teenage girl inside of Taylor, the one who used to throw up every morning in the school bathroom because she dreaded what the day, what the mean kids would have planned for her.
Vienna was cute, put-together, instantly likable. The embodiment of a “popular” girl. But they were grown up now and Taylor needed to reprogram herself to accept that cliques were a thing of the painful past. Vienna had seen something she liked in Taylor—the grown-up, competent, computer-programmer version—and recognized the things they had in common instead of the ways they were different.
Still…trust didn’t come easily for Taylor. Trust in others or in herself.
As she walked up the drive toward the front door, she prayed to God she didn’t make a fool of herself tonight, didn’t say the wrong thing, spill something, generally make herself look like the social dork she was.
Before she could turn up the walkway, Vienna poked her head around the corner of the house from the backyard.
“Hey, Tay. Come on back here.”
Taylor smiled and relaxed slightly. “Hello,” she said as she stepped onto the expansive tiled patio. An outdoor fireplace dominated one corner, surrounded by wrought-iron benches. Another corner overflowed with barrels and pots of flowering plants. Vienna sat at a round glass-topped table in the center of the space, a newspaper opened in front of her. “I never knew you had such a pretty space back here.”
Vienna shrugged. “It’s only a couple of years old. I designed it and finally convinced my mom to foot the bill to have the work done. It’s my summer hideout.” She gestured at the chair next to hers. “Make yourself comfortable.”
The table was shaded by a towering elm tree. “This is beautiful,” Taylor said. “I’m not sure you’d ever get me inside if I had something like this.”
“If you ever want one yourself, I’d be happy to plan it out for you. I’m not a pro but I can save you some bucks on outrageous design fees.”
“If I wasn’t planning to sell the house, I’d have you start today.”
“Your new place, then, wherever that en
ds up being.”
“Deal. Reading anything interesting?” Taylor recognized the local weekly business publication. She picked it up when she could and always meant to subscribe. Though she was content at her job, she liked to keep up on what was happening with other companies.
“As a matter of fact…” Vienna flipped back a few pages, her eyes coming alive. “Check this out.” She tapped the paper emphatically with each word and set the article in front of Taylor.
“‘Madison’s Brainiest Bachelors,’” Taylor read aloud. She glanced over the double-page spread, scanned the photos for anyone she knew. “O-kay. What am I looking at?”
“These,” Vienna said excitedly, “are your list guys! They’re perfect. Exactly what you’re looking for.”
Taylor frowned and started reading. The feature was the first in a weekly series that highlighted local eligible bachelors who were successful in their fields. And allegedly brilliant. It promised that females would be highlighted the following month.
The five men weren’t GQ. They were well-groomed and confident, though. Some were better-looking than others. Most wore suits. Each one radiated success in his own way.
Taylor skimmed the text that told each man’s position, his interests, age, professional affiliations and business philosophy. She sat up straighter.
“You’re right. These are exactly the kinds of men I’d like to meet. I just wish I knew how. I bet they don’t leave their offices very often.”
“Sure they do.” Vienna pulled the paper back toward her. “And this tells us exactly where they go. Bill here is vice president of the local chapter of Entrepreneurs and Inventors. Gregg founded Madison Mathematicians. And look at Joel. He’s ideal for you. Not only is he the best-looking but he belongs to Information Technology Professionals.”
“I’m pretty certain they don’t hang out at bars and it doesn’t list the grocery stores they frequent.” Taylor laughed. “They probably have a delivery service anyway. I don’t know how to find guys like these.”
Vienna, whose legs had been propped on the chair opposite her, dropped her feet to the ground. “We track them down in their natural habitat. Stalk them at their extracurricular meetings.”
“We don’t belong to any of those organizations.”
“But we could join. I’m betting most of them allow anyone to become a member, except maybe the Midwest Manufacturers Guild.”
The thought of dropping into professional meetings to meet eligible men tied Taylor’s stomach in knots.
“What do you think?” Vienna asked.
“Terrifying.” Taylor shook her head.
The back door to the house opened and Cheryl Worth appeared. “Dinner’s almost ready. I could use your help, Vienna. Taylor…” Warmth filled her voice. “It’s so good to see you, honey. How are you?”
Taylor forced a smile, still rattled by Vienna’s idea. “I’m doing well, thanks.” She and Vienna stood and headed toward the door. “Dinner smells fantastic.”
“It’s an old family recipe for bacon mac and cheese. Haven’t made it for ages. I just hope it comes out okay.” She closed the door to keep the cooled air inside. “I suddenly find myself with a full nest again…and an excuse to cook a real dinner.”
“Thanks for including me,” Taylor said. If she was disappointed that the kitchen was empty, she didn’t acknowledge it to herself. One part of her wanted to see Alex, but the other, the socially clueless part, didn’t. Butterflies fluttered in her gut. Even though she’d made progress and in general felt less inept around him, he still set her balance on edge in a different way. A way she didn’t care to examine at all.
“What can I do?” Taylor asked.
“You girls can set the table and get drinks.”
Vienna took five dinner plates down and handed them to Taylor. “Silverware’s in here. I’ll take drink duty.”
Taylor was relieved to have a means to occupy herself, even if it was a mindless task. She could hear someone upstairs walking around, and she wondered if it was Alex. Someone thundered up the basement stairs, as well.
“Jeez, Marsh. Remember the shower?” Vienna said as her unkempt brother trundled in silently. “Would it kill you to not smell for dinner?”
“I smell fine, princess.” He opened the cabinet and took down a cocktail glass.
“Got you water already,” Vienna said.
“Not looking for water.”
Taylor watched the interaction between the two as she finished setting the table. She could feel the tension between them and wondered how uncomfortable sitting down together would be.
Her pulse picked up as footsteps descended the stairs toward the kitchen. She placed the last knife just as Alex entered the room. She took in his appearance in mere seconds—faded blue jeans instead of his usual cargos, a plain, dark green T-shirt stretching across his chest, black tennis shoes. His gray eyes zeroed in on hers for an instant. She looked away but not without recording the image in her mind to appreciate later.
“Hey,” he said to the room in general. “I smell food.”
“Don’t you think you could wait till after dinner to start your daily drink fest?” Vienna asked Marshall, standing next to him at the counter.
“Too late,” he said.
Marshall turned toward the table and made his way across the room with a glass full of golden-brown liquid. Vienna shook her head and rolled her eyes when Alex looked at her.
“He’s okay,” Alex said. “Let him be.”
Vienna gave him a look that seemed to ask when he and their older brother had gotten so buddy-buddy but she said nothing. Alex had mentioned his brother had lost his company recently, and it appeared he wasn’t handling it very well. Or maybe he was just having a bad day.
“You remember Taylor McCabe,” Mrs. Worth said to Marshall as she put a steaming hot casserole dish in the middle of the table. “Quinn’s sister.”
Recognition flashed in Marshall’s eyes, quickly followed by sympathy.
Taylor was mostly fine until someone felt sorry for her.
“Nice to see you,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t break into the typical spiel about tragedy, being sorry, etc. She wanted to believe she wasn’t here completely out of sympathy, but doubt nagged at her.
“Sorry I didn’t shower. Didn’t know we’d have a pretty guest.”
Mrs. Worth set a bowl of green beans on the table as Vienna put a glass of water at everyone’s place, plonking Marshall’s down harder than necessary. Alex wandered over and sat next to his brother. He nodded to Taylor to sit on his other side.
“As far as you’re concerned, Taylor’s off the market,” Alex said, and she braced herself for her old companion, embarrassment. “She’s doing the online dating thing. Right?”
That’s what she got for purposely not telling Alex she’d dropped the idea and closed her account. “Not exactly.”
Marshall smiled at her.
“I mean, the online part. Not anymore.” She was sure Marshall was a nice man, but cleanliness was such a given with her, she hadn’t even bothered to put it on her list. Maybe this wasn’t his typical state but she felt no attraction to him.
“Not having any luck?” Alex asked. Obviously he was still trying to keep tabs on her dating life out of a misplaced responsibility, not because he had any interest in her as a woman. Fortunately for him, keeping track of her dates was an easy job. They were nonexistent at the moment.
“I decided one nightmare was enough,” she said, avoiding everyone’s prying gazes.
“Some of my girlfriends swear by the online dating scene,” Mrs. Worth said. When all three of her children’s heads spun her way, she widened her eyes unapologetically. “What? Fifty-somethings need love, too.”
“I don’t want to hear about that,” Alex said, helping himself to some fruit salad.
“I second that.” Vienna picked up the serving spoon and heaped some mac and cheese on her plate.
“I didn’t say I was doing it,” her mother
said. “Yet. What kind of bad experience did you have, Taylor?”
The very thought of Dan Drummond killed Taylor’s appetite. “Just your average miserable date,” she said, not about to go into the details. “It probably wasn’t because of the online aspect specifically, but I feel better meeting a man in person before subjecting myself to several hours with him.”
“Smart,” Mrs. Worth said.
“We have new plans for Taylor anyway,” Vienna announced.
“Maybe.” It was obvious this family shared a lot at the dinner table but that didn’t mean Taylor was comfortable with it.
“What kind of plans?” Of course Alex couldn’t have let the comment slide by.
“Well,” Vienna said, finishing a mouthful of food. “The biggest challenge is meeting the kind of men Taylor’s looking for. You don’t find a lot of intelligent, successful guys hanging out in bars. So we’re thinking about invading their territory, so to speak.”
“Only thinking about it,” Taylor insisted.
Vienna explained the idea of joining professional organizations. Taylor wanted to hug her for not going into the brainiest bachelor article. Somehow just the title of the feature made it an embarrassing endeavor.
“Let me get this straight. You join all these business groups and go to their functions to troll for geeks?”
“Not geeks, army guy. Intelligent, professional men. Single ones.”
“If they’re so in demand, why are they single?” he asked.
“Why are you single?” Vienna shot back.
Alex ignored her and Taylor felt him staring at her. “And you’re cool with this?”
She took her time chewing the food in her mouth. Took a drink to wash it down…and stall. When she couldn’t avoid him any longer, she met his gaze.
His eyes burned into hers, and for an instant, she saw the same heat in them as when he’d kissed her. The feel of his mouth on hers, his arms holding her close, all of it came back to her now in sensual detail.
She wanted that again. Craved it the way a chocoholic yearned for a Snickers. She’d done her best to block out memories of that evening and normally managed to only let them sneak in late at night when she was at her weakest. Loneliest.