Eyes Like Those

by Melissa Brayden

  Scarlett grinned. “I saw her making out with Lyric Larkin at the Viper Room two nights ago.”

  Taylor’s head almost exploded. “I can’t think of anything more perfect.”

  “Except maybe you and Isabel.” Scarlett pushed her glasses up on her nose. She wasn’t going to let this drop. “She deserves a second chance. It’s only fair.”

  “Is it?”

  “My God, Taylor, do you hear yourself right now?” Realizing that she was loud and worked up, Scarlett reined it in, tossing an apologetic glance at the table next to theirs. She dropped her tone. “Sorry for that, but I watched for months in horror as you gave Aspen fucking Wakefield chance after shocking chance. And she behaved really badly, Taylor. Isabel, conversely, made one wrong move.” She held up her hands. “Okay, I can admit it was a pretty big one, but it sounds like it stemmed from issues of self-worth. So come on!” She winced and turned to the other table. “Sorry, again.”

  “So, what you’re saying is—”

  “Doesn’t Isabel deserve that same clean slate? Why doesn’t Isabel get a second chance?”

  “I wish it were that simple.”

  “Why isn’t it?” Scarlett asked, confused.

  If Taylor could see past the glaring pain she still carried, Scarlett had a valid point. But at the core, she knew exactly why she hadn’t afforded Isabel the same forgiveness, and it was because she was in love with her. She met Scarlett’s eyes. “Because the ones you love always have the power to hurt you more.”

  Scarlett’s eyes instantly softened and she took Taylor’s hands in hers. “All the more reason to hold on to this one,” she said softly. Scarlett sat back and took a sip of her drink as Taylor looked on, struck.

  “I thought I was supposed to be the wise one in this duo.”

  “How about we rotate?”

  Taylor laughed. “Deal.” A pause. “Hey, Scarlett. You want a job?”

  Scarlett eyed her, and it looked like she was trying to tamp down a burst of excitement, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “What are you trying to say?”

  “WCN greenlit my pilot. We’re a go for spring, and we need to get to work ASAP.” She lifted her drink, and an elated Scarlett mimicked her. “To the next chapter.” They touched glasses, and Scarlett couldn’t stop smiling.

  “This is amazing. Do you understand how amazing? I need to call my grandmother. She’s going to freak.” And then an idea seemed to percolate. “Hey, know anyone else we could add to the team? Someone who might be newly on the job market?”

  Taylor sighed. “I’m thinking over my options.”

  *****

  As she lay in bed that night listening to Raisin’s soft breaths from his bed on the floor, Taylor stared up at the winter night’s stars while “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” played quietly on her radio. Sleep wouldn’t come easily. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she stood at a very important crossroads. She could take a dangerous leap that would forever affect her life for the good or awful, or play it safe and be content with who she was and where she was headed. There was something to be said for an uncomplicated life in which she relished the little joys that came her way and avoided the messy interactions that came with matters of the heart. Matters of love. She had a new creative project to lose herself in, a fresh start. Why open herself up to the potential for more devastation when she was just beginning to rebuild her life?

  It seemed so easy when she thought about it that way, so staggeringly clear.

  But when she woke the next morning alone, her first thoughts were, as always, of Isabel. She ran her hand across the pillow next to hers and acknowledged the way her heavy wistful heart clenched uncomfortably. She sat up and ran a hand through her tousled hair. If she could manage to make it a few more weeks, surely all of this would get easier. Wasn’t that what they said? Time heals all wounds?

  That’s all she needed. More time.

  Dressed and ready for her work session with Scarlett, Taylor leashed up Raisin and headed to her car. She stopped short, however, when sitting on her front step was a hot cup of coffee from none other than the Cat’s Pajamas. She glanced up and down her street but saw no sign of anyone. Didn’t matter. She knew exactly who had left it there. She knelt with the beginnings of a smile on her face to see I’m sorry scrawled in black marker across the side of the cardboard cup. The words slammed her in the throat as she imagined Isabel’s earnest eyes looking back at her.

  She looked down at Raisin and sighed. “C’mon, buddy. We can’t get distracted right now. We have work to do.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “Are we ready to order?” Isabel asked what had to be her fiftieth table of the night.

  “We are. We’ve just been waiting on you,” the older gentleman said, and pointed at his menu. “I’ll take the filet, medium rare, with the whipped potatoes, but make sure there’s not too much salt on those. A side of asparagus, but only if it’s crispy and not drenched in butter.” He handed her the menu.

  “Got it,” she said with a smile, all the while dying inside. “And for you?” she asked his twentysomething dinner companion. The four-star restaurant seemed to attract the older man, younger woman pairing like none other she’d ever seen.

  “I’ll take the pasta special. Can you tell me what’s in the sauce?”

  Isabel took a moment. “As in, a list of ingredients?”

  “Exactly,” the gentleman said for his date.

  She took a deep breath. “Salt, pepper, garlic, butter, cheese, parsley, and a little white wine.”

  “Perfect!” her young customer crowed. “I’ll take that and a Caesar salad, dressing on the side.”

  She plastered her smile back in place. “I’ll have it all out for you shortly.” Isabel walked to the computer to input her order, wondering if her legs could make it for the additional hour she had left on her shift. Everything hurt, and that didn’t even include her soul. What she wouldn’t give for a hot bath and a cocktail.

  “Hey, Isabel,” the bartender said.

  “What’s up, Jay?”

  “Someone left a tip for you over here. Wanna come pick it up?”

  “Yeah, just a sec,” she said, finishing the order. She looped around the bar, as it was also on the way to her next table, just sat, only to have him slide a to-go cup of Pajama coffee her way.

  “Where did this come from?” she asked, glancing around for Autumn.

  “A woman dropped it off for you.”

  “Awesome red hair?” she asked, using her hands to insinuate curls.

  “More like pretty blond hair,” he said and went back to mixing his martini.

  Isabel wrapped her hands around the cup, allowing the warmth to seep through. That’s when she saw it, on the side of the cardboard. I miss you. She lost her next breath and quickly turned around. Her eyes scanned the restaurant.

  “Nah, she headed out after leaving that,” Jay said. Well, how in the hell was she supposed to work now? Her mind went white, because the little maybe she’d carried around in her back pocket all week was now a medium-sized maybe, and that was everything. She used the extra shot in the arm to move her around that freakin’ dining room like a rock star. Hell, she practically floated, taking orders, laughing at bad jokes, and making purposeful trips to the bar to steal a sip of the coffee that had brightened her night. Her holiday season. Her life.

  She emerged from her shift exhausted but hopeful, spilling out onto the parking lot with an extra spring in her step, but came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Taylor, sitting on the trunk of her Honda Civic. Holy hell. She slowed her walk once she saw her, tilting her head curiously but beaming because she couldn’t help herself. Taylor wore jeans and one of her white dress shirts capped off with a blue leather jacket. She didn’t say anything when Isabel arrived in front of her, but the look in her eyes told Isabel everything she needed to know.

  “We miss each other?” Isabel asked quietly.

  Taylor nodded, and from on top of that car
, laced a hand behind Isabel’s head and pulled her in slowly for a toe-curling kiss to end all kisses. She heard herself gasp at the contact before she sank into it, like water to the thirsty. Her soul soared. Her heart did flip-flops in wonderful celebration. Her hands slid up Taylor’s jeans because she just had to reach out and touch her, to understand she was real.

  “Is this okay?” Taylor whispered, cupping Isabel’s face. “I didn’t want to just show up at your job, but I had to—”

  Isabel placed a finger in front of Taylor’s lips. “Best tip I’ve ever had.”

  Taylor searched her eyes. “You left the show. Gave up your big chance. Why?”

  “Wasn’t worth what I lost,” Isabel said matter-of-factly. “Nothing is.”

  Taylor traced circles with her thumb on the top of Isabel’s hand. “Do you honestly mean that?” She knew the look she saw on Taylor’s face, because it mirrored the vulnerability Isabel had carried with her for the past few months. Taylor had been hurt, and she wouldn’t let that happen again.

  “I’ve never meant anything more. I’m sorry. I let my own issues get in the way. The anxiety, the self-doubt, those are all my problems, and they’re what got us here. But I want you to know that I’m dealing with them, or trying to. Taking walks has helped me relax, and I’m going to start a yoga class on Tuesday nights.” She sighed. “I also made an appointment to see someone. Maybe I can pick up some relaxation techniques, you know? For when that doubt hits. Anyway, I feel really good about all of it.”

  “Good for you. I think that sounds like a fabulous idea, and maybe I can come to yoga sometime.”

  “Okay,” Isabel said, loving that idea.

  “Just know that I’m here and willing to help in whatever way you need me.”

  “Let’s hope for less closet time in our future.” Isabel smiled.

  “Besides the first half of my life when I lived in there, I happen to like the closet.”

  A pause as they looked at one another, getting used to the fact that they got to do that again. “Taylor, I need you to know that there is literally nothing I would choose over you.”

  “I do know now.” Taylor nodded and kissed her again, this time more aggressively, with authority, and Isabel thought her clothes might just magically fall off her body right there in that public parking lot. Thank God the restaurant was closed, but then again, who really cared?

  “I do come with other issues, though,” she said coming up for air. “I swear too much.”

  “You do.” Another kiss.

  “My cat’s a pain.”

  Taylor mulled this over. “He’s spirited.”

  More kissing. “I’m just a regular person.”

  “I don’t see anyone regular in front of me. Not even close.”

  Isabel beamed. “What’s awesome? I’m starting to believe you.”

  A pause. “So, we’re trying this thing again?”

  Isabel nodded. “Say yes. I can’t imagine my life if we don’t.”

  “In that case, we have to.” A final heat-inducing lip-lock made the parking lot feel way too constricting. “Take me home?” Taylor whispered in her ear.

  Isabel pulled the keys from her back pocket. “Way ahead of you.”

  Everything slowed down when they made it back to Taylor’s house. They kissed their way into her living room. Slowly. Her hands moved generously over Taylor’s curves. Slowly. The unhurried attention created the most epic slow-burn situation Isabel had ever experienced. Every part of her had missed Taylor and wanted her desperately. But she planned to relish every moment, cherish every bit of her.

  She gently bit Taylor’s lip, gave it a tug, and let it go, all the while worshiping Taylor’s thighs with her hands.

  “More,” Taylor breathed, arching her back as she leaned against the side of the couch. The living room lights were off, but Isabel could see Taylor by the light of the entryway as it drifted in. It was enough illumination to take in the beauty of her body as she slowly undressed her, piece by piece. She hungrily drank in the sight, the image of Taylor standing naked there in front of her. Not a memory. Not a mirage. But the real thing.

  “Iz?” Taylor said, stepping into her and placing her arms around her neck.

  “Yeah?”

  “I wouldn’t have come there tonight, come back to you, if I weren’t in love.”

  “What? With who?” Isabel asked, thrown. They’d never discussed love. It had been a word they’d only danced around, but she knew. Hadn’t she known all along?

  She stroked Isabel’s cheek softly. “I love you, Isabel.”

  The jolt of happiness was instantaneous and awesome, and with those words she knew without a doubt that she could give herself over to Taylor fully. She could trust Taylor with her heart for now and for always. In fact, she’d never wanted anything more.

  “What do you need for this to work?” Taylor asked, her eyes searching Isabel’s.

  “Only you,” she said quietly. “You’re my only requirement, because I’m so in love with you that I can’t concentrate on anything else.” Her heart was hammering so loudly, she could barely hear herself speak.

  “So now that you’re mine and I’m yours, can I be honest with you?”

  Isabel nodded.

  “You’re wearing too many damn clothes.”

  Isabel smiled and felt about ten feet tall. Taylor did that to her, and she would never get used to it.

  Taylor led Isabel silently to her room, and just as Isabel had done to her, she undressed Isabel piece by piece, stopping along the way to touch her, kiss her, and murmur wonderful words against her skin. Finally, she lowered Isabel onto the bed. Taylor went still at the sight of her, and an erotic thrill moved through Isabel as she bathed in the richness of Taylor’s stare.

  When they came together that night, it shook her. The wealth of feeling that brimmed with each touch, each whisper, catapulted her to somewhere new she didn’t recognize, where she didn’t underestimate what they meant to each other but embraced everything that they were and what they would become.

  Taylor parted her legs and went to work until Isabel’s body shuddered and she cried out, and until there was no more thinking, only the feel of Taylor in her arms.

  For now. For always.

  “I love you,” Isabel sighed, submerging herself in happiness. “I need an app to keep track of all the ways.”

  Taylor beamed. “I can think of a better use of your time.”

  “Like what?”

  Taylor pulled Isabel on top of her. “Have you ever considered writing for television? I have a job on my kick-ass new show that you might be perfect for. I’ll need to see your résumé, of course.”

  Isabel grinned and slid a thigh between Taylor’s. “I can supply one. How do you feel about coffee spills? More specifically, all over your desk.”

  “Oh, they’re a must.”

  “I think this might work,” Isabel said and kissed the woman that she loved.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  “I love Saturdays,” Isabel said, when she woke up in Taylor’s fluffy bed. “Especially the ones where we don’t have to work.”

  Taylor turned from where she stood at the window wearing the cutest little pink nightgown that Isabel distinctly remembered taking off her the night before. Pesky little thing. “Hey, baby. I didn’t know you were up,” Taylor said, breaking into a smile and returning to the bed. She sat on the edge and ran a hand through Isabel’s hair. “You were so peaceful. I thought I’d let you sleep a bit, rest up for today.”

  “Did we buy sunscreen?”

  “We did, and I will make sure that it’s applied amply to your gorgeous skin.” She ran her hands down Isabel’s bare shoulders, inspiring a shiver.

  Isabel pulled Taylor back into bed. “Speaking of ample…” Her hands moved immediately under the nightgown to Taylor’s breasts, causing Taylor to make the most wonderfully sexy sounds.

  “Do we have time? I’m not sure we do,” Taylor said, gl
ancing at the clock. “We honestly don’t.”

  “I’ll make time,” Isabel said, rolling over and taking Taylor with her. “Buy some on Craigslist.” She nibbled on Taylor’s ear. “Whip some up on the stove. Conjure it with my book of spells.”

  “You have spells? You’re so resourceful,” Taylor breathed. “And right about the weekends. Do you realize I count the days?”

  They’d been back together now for almost six months. In an effort to do this thing right, Isabel hadn’t moved in with Taylor, knowing she’d need time. They’d taken things slow, and that had paid off in spades in terms of her anxiety. She was now a part of the most healthy, exciting, and passionate relationship she’d ever witnessed. They were more in love than ever and grew closer each day. In fact, Isabel couldn’t imagine her life without Taylor. She refused to.

  “You’d get sick of me if we worked together all day and came home together at night.”

  “Never,” Taylor said, tossing the nightgown over her head. “We have six minutes.”

  “Then I should get to work.”

  “We both will.” Taylor grinned and kissed her as Isabel drifted into the blissful oblivion.

  Three hours later, they arrived at Huntington Beach and found themselves among wall-to-wall people, all decked out in bathing suits and sunglasses for a day of surfing, food, and fun. It was the last day of the US Open of Surfing, and they were there to cheer for Gia in her final heats. The day couldn’t have been nicer. Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, and an even seventy-nine degrees to usher out June. Holding hands, they located Hadley and Autumn in the seats Gia had reserved for them.

  “Well, well, well,” Autumn said, turning to Hadley. “If it isn’t the writers of that hit new show!”

  “Do you mean The Sub-division? The one about that kick-ass CIA agent turned regular woman? Why, I love that show!” Hadley turned to the man next to her. “Have you seen it, sir? You should really tune in, Wednesdays at nine.”

  He nodded politely.

  Taylor leaned across and hugged Hadley, then Autumn. “You guys are the best street team ever. Did we miss it?”