“Really? That would be great. I know I only just met him, but he’s such a great guy, even though he is in prison.” My mother’s voice was full of emotion, “You didn’t just meet him, Taryn. He’s your brother. You’ve known him your whole life. You only just remembered him.” I was crying by the time we hung up a few minutes later. Wyatt was still reaming Dominic in the kitchen, so Lindsay offered me a tissue and sat next to me.
“So, where have I been the last 24 hours? I had no idea you have a brother. And you went to a prison? Is he hot? Was it scary? Did the prisoners look at you like you were a piece of meat?” I rolled my eyes and settled in for another recap of my day.
Chapter Twenty Three
Road Trip
Lindsay and I spent all day yesterday in her room packing for her move to Penn Yan, New York. I kept calling it a visit, because my intention was not for her to leave forever, but she insisted it was a move. She said it helped get her in the right frame of mind to ‘find herself’. Okay, whatever.
Our plan was for the four of us to drive Lindsay’s new car to Penn Yan, stay over tonight and Dominic, Wyatt and I would fly home tomorrow. I took one last look around the guest room Lindsay had been staying in and walked out to join everyone else in the living room. Rosa had packed us plenty of snacks and drinks for our road trip, and the doorman was making multiple trips down in the elevator to get all of Lindsay’s bags. She was shipping most of her clothes, because not everything would fit in the car. I had asked her last night if she had told her parents she was leaving, and she had just waved her hand dismissively like she does when the subject is closed.
Once we were all situated in the car, girls in the back and guys in the front, Lindsay plugged in my iPod and cranked up the country music. “I don’t know when I’ll hear your crazy music again, Taryn. And I have to admit, I’m going to miss it.” We were a blubbering mess before we left the city limits, reminiscing about our lives together and all the fun we’d had over the years. After about an hour of this, Dominic finally shut off the music and turned around in his seat to face us.
“Will you two cut this shit out? You’re only going to be a few hours apart, and half the time you text each other from five feet away anyway. If you’re going to do this the whole way there, I’m strapping one of you to the roof.” He turned around with a huff and muttered to Wyatt, “I don’t know how the hell you put up with this shit, man.” That sent Lindsay and me into a fit of giggles that Dominic said, while still annoying, was much better than the tears.
Thanks to Rosa’s snack packs we only had to stop for quick bathroom breaks, and we made it there by mid afternoon. Lindsay seemed increasingly fidgety as we drove through town, and I was surprised she would be so nervous to see her aunt. She was great with strangers, let alone family members. As we drove through the small historic downtown, Lindsay was biting her lip neurotically as her eyes scanned the sidewalks and storefronts. She gave Wyatt directions to her aunt’s house and leapt out of the car and ran up to the door almost before Wyatt had turned off the engine. We all looked at each other and shrugged, getting out to follow Lindsay onto the large front porch.
The house was an old Victorian, painted pale yellow with white trim. It reminded me of Wyatt’s parents’ house, and I loved it immediately. Lindsay, however, seemed like she couldn’t wait to get inside as she knocked impatiently on the door, glancing over repeatedly at the more run-down house next door. Just when I was going to ask her what was wrong, the front door swung open and a woman who looked like an older version of Lindsay scooped her into a giant hug. I guess the sunny personality ran in the family along with the ice blonde hair and huge blue eyes.
Lana pulled Lindsay inside and motioned for the rest of us to follow. “Taryn! It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I’ve heard only good things about you from Lindsay, and your interview last month was spectacular.” She gave me a hug and moved on to Wyatt. “You must be the gorgeous fiancé.” Wyatt held out his hand, “Yes, maam. Wyatt Hunter.” Lana ignored his hand and hugged him instead, before greeting Dominic as well. “I’ll show you to your rooms and you can get settled before we have dinner.”
I looked around as she led us upstairs. The house was light and airy and inviting. Framed family photos lined the wall along the stairs, and I was able to pick out Lindsay in quite a few of them. There was one picture that caught my eye of a teenage Lindsay locked in a tight embrace with a very cute blonde guy. They were smiling at each other seemingly unaware of the camera. I would have to ask her about that one later.
Lindsay had the largest guest room with an attached bath, and Wyatt and I and Dominic had the two smaller rooms at the other end of the hall. The guys brought our bags in and I helped Lindsay unpack what she had been able to fit in the car. There was a large bay window in her room with a window seat that looked out over the front yard and the neighbor’s house.
Wyatt set the last of Lindsay’s bags on the floor inside the door. “Did you get my purse?” I asked him. “Oh. No, I’ll get it.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll grab it.”
On my way back up the walk to the house with my Vera Bradley bag over my shoulder, I heard and then saw a loud motorcycle pull up in front of the house next door. A tall rangy guy with chin length blonde hair tucked behind his ears got off the bike and looked over at me. I was used to being recognized now, so I wasn’t bothered when he stared at me. I just gave a friendly wave and kept walking.
“Hey, aren’t you the Senator’s daughter, Taryn Ross?”
“Yes.”
“Are you here visiting Lana?” He asked tilting his head in the direction of the house.
“Just for a night. My cousin, Lindsay, is Lana’s niece and we’re dropping her off for a visit.” His eyebrows shot up in surprise and emotion flashed across his eyes.
“Lindsay’s here?” He asked now staring at the front door as if he was mentally willing her to come out onto the porch.
“Um, yeah. Do you know her?” He snorted, “Yeah. You could say that. I’m Grady. Grady Hawke.” He looked at me expectantly like the mere mention of his name should explain everything.
“Oh, okay. It’s nice to meet you, Grady. I’d better help Lindsay finish unpacking,” I said stepping onto the porch. His hopeful expression turned to one of anger when he realized I had no idea who he was, and he turned on his heel and stalked inside his house.
I was still puzzling over the strange conversation when I walked back upstairs, stopping to look at the picture I had noticed earlier. Hmmm, the guy in the picture was not as muscular and had much shorter hair and no tattoos on his arms like the guy outside, but I was pretty sure this was a younger version of Grady Hawke.
I took the rest of the stairs two at a time and breathlessly entered Lindsay’s room. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her who is Grady Hawke and why was he so surprised and pissed that she was here. But the look on her face stopped me from saying anything and had me quietly backing out of the room. She had been standing by the window gazing out at Grady as he stormed back out his front door and sped away on his motorcycle. Lindsay’s eyes followed him all the way down the street until he was out of sight, and tears were silently running down her cheeks.
Whoever he was, she knew him well, and now wasn’t the time for me to pry. Wyatt and I squeezed in a quick nap in our room before we all helped Lana make dinner. Lindsay was cheerful again like nothing had happened earlier, and I didn’t say anything about Grady. I would let her tell me about him when she was ready. We all stayed up late drinking and trading stories, and I was exhausted by the time we finally went up to bed.
Surprisingly I woke up early the next morning. So early that Wyatt was still asleep next to me with his arm slung over my waist and his head on my chest. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the house, and I had my reason for being awake. I wriggled out from under Wyatt, wanting to steal a few minutes alone with Lana before everyone else got up. I padded downstairs in my pajama shorts a
nd tank top, stopping to peek in Lindsay’s room. She was sound asleep on her side hugging her pillow tightly to her chest.
The coffee smell grew stronger as I approached the kitchen. Lana was at the table, already dressed reading the newspaper. “Good morning, Taryn,” she greeted me. “Dominic went out for a run already. And I know Lindsay is still sleeping. Where’s that sexy man of yours?” I smiled, “Still sleeping too. I think this is only the second time ever I’ve been up before him.”
She got up to pour me a cup of coffee. “Well, what has you up so early today?” I added cream and sugar before sitting down across from her, cupping my hands around the warm mug. “I wanted to ask you about your neighbor, Grady Hawke.”
“Ah, so you’ve met Grady already?” I nodded, “Just briefly outside yesterday. It was really a weird conversation. He obviously knew Lindsay and seemed actually kind of pissed off that I didn’t know who he was.” Lana raised an eyebrow, “Lindsay never told you about him?”
“No. Never. But I saw their picture in the hall. That’s him in the picture with Lindsay, right?” She smiled sadly, “Yes, that’s him. I don’t know why Lindsay hasn’t told you about him, but I can’t if she hasn’t.” I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, securing it with the band I had around my wrist. “I understand. She’ll tell me if she wants to. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t … dangerous or anything.”
Lana laughed loudly, “Yes, I suppose to someone who doesn’t know him, he would look like a convicted felon. But that boy has a heart of gold. You don’t need to worry about that.” I breathed a sigh of relief, “Good. I mean, my brother is actually a convicted felon, so I don’t have any room to judge, but I just want to make sure Lindsay is okay here.” Lana leaned forward to pat my hand. “She will be. I believe Lindsay is right where she belongs now.”
I helped Lana make buckwheat pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and the delicious smell eventually drew both Wyatt and Lindsay downstairs. Dominic returned from his run and took a quick shower before joining us as well. After eating and getting dressed for the day, we had just enough time before we left for Wyatt and me to take a walk down to the lake. We found a spot on the public beach to sit together and watch the swimmers and boats.
“It’s really beautiful and peaceful here. Just like at your parents’ house.” I said. “Yeah, a lot different from being in the city…I forgot to tell you, my dad called the other day and he and my mom are toying with the idea of moving to Florida when he retires in three years.” I frowned, “Really? What about the house?” He shrugged, “I guess they’ll sell it. My dad grew up there too, so I’m sure it will be hard. But they’re tired of the cold winters.”
“We can’t let them sell it to some strangers. We can buy it.” He looked at me surprised, “We could buy it? What would we do with it? Rent it out?” I rolled my eyes, frustrated that he wasn’t catching on to my brilliant idea. “No, silly. We can live there.”
“But you grew up in the city. You’ve never lived anywhere else.”
“Exactly. I don’t want to live there forever. I’ve never felt more at home than when I’m walking barefoot in the grass and sitting with you by the pond.” His lips quirked up. “I absolutely love it there, and it holds so many good memories for you and for us. We have to keep it in the family.” He grinned at me and pulled me onto his lap, nuzzling my neck.
“I love it when you talk about us as a family. My parents would love it if we lived there. I know they were sad to think of leaving the only place that holds memories of Derek.” I hugged him tightly, “You’re just as much my family as my parents and Lindsay. I want to make our own little family, and I want to raise our kids where you were raised. We just have to make sure they don’t get in as much trouble as you did,” I teased. We snuggled on the beach a little while longer before heading back to pack up.
We called a cab to take us to the airport, and Lindsay and I said a tearful goodbye. I made her promise to call or text me every day, and I told her I would be back to visit in October over my mid-semester break. It was hard to leave my best friend there, knowing she was going through something that she wouldn’t talk to me about. But I had to trust that she would work through it and ask for help if she needed it.
It was a quick flight home, but I was able to finish the book I was reading on the plane. The ending was ultimately happy, but it still made me cry. Wyatt, who was used to my tears over romance novels, just asked the flight attendant for a tissue and put his arm around my shoulders. Dominic sat on my other side and looked at me like I was an escaped mental patient. “I will never understand you, Tar-Bear.” I smiled at his use of my brother’s nickname for me and patted his arm. “That’s okay Dom, I know you love me anyway.”
Chapter Twenty Four
Bedtime Story
The apartment felt too quiet and lonely that evening with Lindsay gone. Even Dominic was out, having finally got up the nerve to ask Selena on a date. I got ready for bed in the bathroom and slipped on one of Wyatt’s t-shirts to sleep in before joining him in bed. He was reading something on his iPad and raised a questioning eyebrow when I climbed in bed without a book. “Not reading tonight?”
“No, I finished my book on the plane and I don’t feel like starting anything new yet.” He pulled me close to snuggle against him with my head on his chest. “You could tell me a story,” I teased. He chuckled but put down his iPad on the night table. “All right.”
“Really?” I asked excitedly peeking up at him. He ran his fingers through my hair as he began what has come to be my very favorite bedtime story of all time…
***
Once upon a time I was put on an assignment to trail a Senator’s twenty one year old daughter from a distance, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Babysitting some spoiled bratty socialite was not what I had signed up for when I left the Marines to go into private security. However, my boss was old friends with the Senator, and I knew it was an honor that he had picked me. From what my boss had told us, she was in no real danger. Her father was a popular Senator contemplating a run for the White House, and he just wanted extra assurance that his daughter was safe in case this information was leaked.
After two weeks of watching her every day from 3:00 pm to midnight, I knew my assumptions about her were wrong. I had learned that she was nothing like I expected – she was reserved but friendly to the people she knew, she didn’t go out partying like her roommate did, and she preferred jeans and t-shirts to the skimpy styles so popular with other girls her age.
My partner often complained about how boring this assignment was. I felt that way too in the beginning, but somehow I found myself waking up every day looking forward to the moment when she walked into Starbucks. Today was no exception, and I found myself checking the time more than once when she was late. I knew nothing was wrong or I would have gotten a call from my partner, who had the morning shift. My anxiousness had nothing to do with worry for her safety and everything to do with my unexplained need to see her.
I saw her run by the window before she ducked inside and out of the rain, and I felt an unexpected sense of relief that I tried to ignore. I held back a smile and focused on reading my newspaper when I saw she was wearing tight jeans tucked into a pair of rain boots with ducks on them. She looked like she should be bailing hay on a farm instead of in the middle of Manhattan.
Starbucks was packed by this time, and her favorite table by the window was already taken. I saw her scanning the room and averted my eyes before hers landed on me. She had caught me watching her a couple of times, though I did my best to avoid it after that first time. It had been my third day on her detail and she was sitting at her table reading a book, her long light brown hair loose and wavy. She was so intensely focused on her book, that I was caught off guard when she suddenly looked up straight at me. I could see her eyes were light, but I couldn’t tell the color from across the room. She held my gaze, captivating me, for several seconds that seemed like forever, before looking back down to her book,
her hair falling over her shoulder like a screen between us. This city was filled with beautiful women, but this girl captured my attention like no one had before.
After she placed her order she moved over to wait for her drink with her back to me just a few feet from where I sat. She was tall, maybe 5’8” and thin and had the sweetest ass I had ever seen, especially in those tight jeans. I shook my head at myself. What the hell was I thinking? She was twenty-one, 7 years younger than me, and I was on the job.
Just then some asshole came over and put his hand way too low on her back for my liking. It was obvious that she knew him, but I could see the annoyance on her face that she was trying to hide. I listened to her brushing him off and chuckled. She may look sweet and innocent, but she could stand up for herself. Then he grabbed her wrist. Oh. Hell. No.
***
I leaned up on my elbow with a huge smile on my face. “I love this story! Is it about anyone I know?” Wyatt smirked at me and shook his head, “Nope, it’s a completely made up story.” I rolled my eyes and nibbled his ear, “Uh huh, sure. Let me guess, you save me, I mean the fictional girl in your completely made up story, from her mean ex-boyfriend and use your sexy charm to persuade her to sit at your table.” A rumble came from his chest as I continued nibbling my way down his neck, “Ssshhh, this is my story.”
***
The feeling of her delicate hand in mine was still there hours later, as if I had been burned by her touch. I had to intervene when that guy had grabbed her wrist, and I could rationalize inviting her to sit with me because there were no other tables. But then I had flirted with her, and held her hand just a second too long. For that short period of time I forgot who I was and who she was. I couldn’t let that happen again.
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