Curveball (The Philadelphia Patriots)

by Sykes, V. K.

  And how much of that could be laid at his door? Taylor had put herself on the line for him, again and again, exposing herself to help him and to be with him, and all Ryan had done lately was push her away. When it came to being a selfish prick, maybe Dembinski wasn’t the only one who could be found guilty as charged.

  He stared blindly out the airplane window, barely taking in the view of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Should he tell Taylor about this conversation, knowing how much it would hurt her? Ryan quickly came to a conclusion. As painful as it would be, he knew it was the right thing to do—for both of them.

  And maybe there were a few other things he needed to do, too—like facing up to the truth.

  28

  TAYLOR COULDN’T HELP feeling a strong measure of personal pride this morning as Devon stood next to her at the door of her apartment, her slouch gone as she rocked back and forth on her heels in anticipation. Ryan had just called from the lobby on the intercom, and would be up in a minute. The girl was practically bursting to tell her dad about her decision.

  “I hope he’ll go along with it.” Devon shot her a nervous look. “You really think you can get me into Friends, don’t you, Taylor?”

  Taylor wrapped her arm around Devon’s shoulders and squeezed. “I have a really good feeling about it.”

  Both during and after yesterday’s visit to Valley Forge, Taylor had been on the phone with one of her former math teachers, a woman who was now the Assistant Head of School. Mrs. Cartwright had been more than sympathetic and willing to help and, after more exchanges of calls and messages Sunday evening and early this morning, Taylor had been assured that if Devon’s SSAT scores were proven to be as high as the girl had claimed, her chances of a special late term admission were solid. Taylor had been candid about Devon’s pending situation at Edenwood, and had been advised that it would stand the applicant in better stead if she went through the disciplinary process before withdrawing from that school. That made sense to Taylor, since that was the only way the facts of the situation could be reasonably determined.

  “Thanks, Taylor. I can’t believe you’re doing all this for me.”

  Taylor made a scoffing sound, though the girl’s words filled her with warm pride. “And you’ll go back to Edenwood for the hearing on Wednesday, right? We agreed on that.”

  Devon nodded, frowning. “I’ll hate it, but yeah, I’ll do it. If Dad goes along with everything.”

  Taylor shared the girl’s trepidation on that score. “You can tell him now that we talked about a possible new school, but you should be one-on-one with him when you discuss the details. I don’t want your dad to feel he’s on the spot, or that we’re ganging up on him.”

  “Right. I’ll talk to him about it as soon as we get to his place.”

  Taylor heard footsteps in the hall and then the chime rang. She gave herself another quick once-over in the foyer mirror and then opened the door.

  Ryan stood there, legs apart, his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans and a wide smile on his stubbled face. Taylor’s heart skipped a beat as the realization of how much she’d missed him sank in. Missed him? Hell, she wanted to throw herself into his brawny arms that very second.

  His faded black tee shirt was stretched tight over muscles that instantly recalled how amazing his body had felt when she had her arms and legs wound tightly around him in bed. Even now, she was suddenly burning up with need despite the chill of the condo’s air conditioning.

  But it was Devon who got to fling herself into his arms, and rightly so.

  “Hi, Dad.” She pressed her face into his chest. “I’m glad you`re back.”

  Ryan’s eyes widened as he embraced his daughter, gently stroking her colorful hair. “Hi, sweetheart. What a great welcome home.” There was a little catch in his throat.

  When Devon detached from him, Ryan stepped farther inside and, after a moment’s hesitation, gave Taylor a quick hug and an air kiss as Devon shut the door behind them. “Nice to have you back,” Taylor whispered as his cheek brushed her ear.

  When Ryan turned again to his daughter, Taylor felt a tinge of disappointment. She didn’t know what she’d expected from him on his return, but he seemed uncomfortable with her. That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected—not after the easy, if brief, telephone conversations they’d had over the weekend.

  “You ready to go?” he said to Devon.

  “Yep.” Devon scooted off to her bedroom, leaving Taylor to consider how strange it seemed that she already thought of her spare room as Devon’s.

  Ryan leaned against the wall of the narrow foyer, his image filling the mirror across from him. “Is it okay if I drop Dev off at my place and come right back here? If you can hang around a bit, I’d like you to brief me on everything that’s happened. Or, we could do it later if you have to get into the office.”

  Taylor instinctively glanced down at her watch, though she had no idea why since there was no need to rush in to the office today. She’d been working online for a few hours already this morning after giving up on sleep before dawn broke. Sleep had proven elusive, no doubt because of her anticipation over Ryan’s return and excitement about what had happened with Devon. “I’ll stick around. Take your time with Devon, though. She really wants to talk to you.”

  Ryan’s look contained more than a little puzzlement.

  Devon returned with her small bag slung over her shoulder. So much about the girl seemed to have changed over the last three days. Her eyes had some sparkle now, her hair was clean and lustrous, and she moved with agile grace instead of a sullen shuffle. When Taylor opened her arms, Devon pressed her thin body against her and hugged her with impressive strength.

  “Thanks for everything,” the girl whispered. “You’ll call me, right?”

  Taylor hugged her back. “Of course. And you call me, too, okay? Absolutely any time. I’m really going to miss having such a fun roommate.”

  She glanced past Devon at Ryan. His mouth had sagged open, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Taylor gave him a wink.

  * * *

  BY THE TIME they made it to his apartment, Ryan figured that Devon might have spoken more words to him during the six minute drive than she had in the previous six months. He pretty much just nodded and smiled as she babbled on about how Taylor had done this, and Taylor had said that, and Taylor had taken her here, and Taylor had made the most awesome osso bucco last night for dinner.

  Osso bucco?

  Devon didn’t ask him a thing about his trip or, more importantly, how he’d played in Miami, but he supposed that wasn’t much of a surprise. She’d never cared much about baseball, anyway, and seemed so excited by her weekend with Taylor that she might not have noticed if he’d sprouted a third eye. Not that it mattered—what did matter was that she was happy.

  “You mind if I go back to Taylor’s for a few minutes while you get settled in?” he asked as she dropped her bag inside the door and kicked off her shoes. “I got her a little thank you gift for taking care of you, but I forgot to bring it with me when I picked you up.”

  Actually, he’d deliberately left it behind to give him an excuse to go back and talk to Taylor alone. He didn’t much like telling even that kind of little white lie, but he didn’t want Devon getting any ideas about his relationship—or lack thereof—to Taylor.

  Devon shook her head. “No, but can you wait a couple of minutes, Dad? I want to talk to you about something important, okay?”

  Instinctively, he tensed. “Sure. Let’s go sit down.”

  He led the way into the small living room. It was sparsely furnished right now, but with its dark hardwood floors and pale yellow walls, he thought it would be a cozy space for them once he got it set up properly.

  Devon flopped down onto the sofa, tucking her long legs up underneath her. Her eyes were more alive than he’d seen them in a very long time. Ryan sat down in the armchair angled to the sofa and shifted his body to look straight at her. “Want a soda, or some coffee?�
��

  It might still be morning, but he wanted a drink. Man, why was he so nervous with his own kid?

  Because you never know what she’ll do from one minute to the next?

  “Maybe later.” Her gaze dropped as she picked at an imaginary piece of lint on the leg of her jeans. “Dad, I know you really want me to stick it out at Edenwood, but I think I’ve found something that we can both live with. And it’ll mean we can be together, too.”

  Ryan clamped down on his surprise. Just shut up and listen. “Keep going. I’m listening.”

  “Well, Taylor went to school at this place here called Friends Select School. She loved it, and the more we talked about it—which was a lot—the more I started to think that I might actually be able to fit in there, too. And it’s pretty close to this apartment—I think I could probably walk there from here every day. I did some research about it on the Internet, too, and I liked just about everything I read. And the tuition’s not as high as Edenwood’s, either, so that would save you a fair bit of cash. It’s a great school, too. Academically, I mean. As good as Edenwood.”

  Devon paused in her rapid-fire delivery to take a couple of quick breaths, which showed her nerves. “And we could be together again, Dad. That would be awesome, right? I totally don’t need anybody to look after me when you’re on the road, but if you want to hire a housekeeper, that’s fine with me. Plus, I’d have Taylor to keep an eye on me, too, and even stay with her sometimes. She told me she’d like that a lot.”

  Oh, she did, did she?

  Devon’s eyes held some combination of hope and fear that shunted all Ryan’s questions into the background. She really did want this—there was no mistaking that conclusion. But had Taylor pushed her into grabbing onto something that would turn out to be completely unsuitable?

  That was something best left for him and Taylor to sort out.

  “Wow, that’s some surprise.” Ryan exhaled a long breath and held out his hands until she slid her much smaller ones into them. “I’m going to have a lot of questions, Dev, both for you and for Taylor, but I promise that we’ll talk this through and make a decision together. I’m really glad you’re pumped up about going to school, though.”

  “Totally, Dad. Taylor’s made some calls already, and she thinks there’s a really good chance they’ll take me despite that dumb Edenwood stuff.” Her mouth suddenly turned down and her head drooped. “I didn’t want to admit it, but I really screwed up back there. I guess I should have listened to you and stayed away from those two morons like you said.”

  Ryan felt his throat tighten. He just hoped what she was saying was real, and not some line meant to manipulate him into giving her what she wanted. He hated thinking about his own kid that way, but he’d been down that road enough times that he’d learned not to completely drop his guard.

  But now that she’d raised Edenwood, Ryan decided to follow up instead of leaving the discussion until after he’d talked to Taylor. “Dev, I’m afraid I have to ask something. How much of this enthusiasm is about ducking the consequences of what you did at Edenwood? You say that you should have listened to me, but are you going to listen now when I tell you that you need to go back there and face that hearing, no matter what we decide about this new school idea?”

  Devon raised her eyes and when she looked at him her gaze held strong and steady. “Yeah, I’ll go, Dad. We’ll go face it together.”

  * * *

  “JUST A LITTLE thank you,” Ryan said, thrusting a tiny, gift-wrapped package into Taylor’s hand. “Unwrap it later, okay?”

  Taylor got the sense that he’d feel embarrassed if she opened it in front of him. “You didn’t need to do this, Ryan. But thank you.”

  She ushered him into the living room and set the gift down onto the coffee table. “How about some coffee?”

  Taylor hadn’t expected to feel so at sixes and sevens around him. Her voice was far from firm, and her weakening legs reflected her unease. Ryan seemed stiff and tentative, too. He’d remained rooted at the door until she invited him inside with a nervous gesture. It was obvious that they were both trying to gingerly feel their way around the ever changing situation.

  “Sure, why not?” He didn’t sit down, instead heading straight to the windows that overlooked Rittenhouse Square below.

  Taylor fixed his coffee exactly the way he liked it—with just a touch of half and half—and poured one for herself, too. When she got back to the living room, Ryan stood with his back to the window, tapping his fingers against his thigh in what looked like a serious case of nerves.

  Welcome to the club, my friend.

  “So?” Taylor didn’t know how else to start the conversation. The ball was in his court—on everything. She set the mugs down on the table and sat in one of the armchairs, hoping he’d follow. It was too weird just to keep standing there.

  A few moments later, Ryan finally sat down on the sofa, several feet away from her. “Dev told me about this Friends School thing. I haven’t seen her so excited about anything in years, and sure as hell not about school.” He gave her a hint of a wary smile. “You must have done quite a sales job on her.”

  Taylor figured that Devon’s situation was going to be a preliminary round before the main event, so her muscles remained as tense as ever despite his soft tone. Devon wasn’t the reason Ryan had wanted to talk to her alone this morning.

  But at least he didn’t look pissed off that she’d pushed herself into his daughter’s school situation. It was a risky move on her part, but she knew she had to take it. Devon was a great kid with huge natural ability and a good heart underneath her prickly exterior. It surprised Taylor how much she wanted to see her thrive.

  She managed a smile. “We passed the school on our way out of the city yesterday, and I just got to talking about it. Seemed like a good thing to discuss, given her situation. So, I told her how happy I was at Friends, and that I thought she could feel at home there, too. It’s very strong academically, and they emphasize core values like kindness and compassion, and personal responsibility.”

  “I like the sound of that. But do you really think they’d accept her this late in the year?”

  “According to the people I talked to, there’s a very good chance.” Taylor couldn’t help but feel a measure of pride in the way her former mentor at Friends had gone to bat for Devon.

  Ryan looked pretty stunned, setting down his coffee cup to rub the back of his neck. “And she even said she’d go back to Edenwood and face the music. Though I guess that isn’t as big a deal anymore if she transfers out anyway.”

  That wasn’t the way Taylor saw it. “Actually, I think it’s a very big deal. You know how proud Devon is. For her to go back there and face those girls—and probably their parents—is going to be humiliating. And if the school doles out some kind of punishment, that’ll go on her record here, too. Friends will hopefully admit her despite that black mark, but if she screwed up again, I doubt she’d be given another chance.”

  Ryan gave her a hooded look that seemed skeptical and yet hopeful, too. “I hope she gets that.”

  “She does. We talked about the whole thing for hours and hours, both yesterday and this morning. She gets it.” Devon might tend to hold back her true feelings from her father, but Taylor had little doubt that the girl had meant what she’d said to her.

  He let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. “That’s amazing. Then it looks like I owe you, Taylor. I can see some hurdles left to jump over, but I’m starting to think this idea just might work. Dev obviously wants it to. And, hell, it’d be great to have her home again full-time, if I can manage it.”

  Taylor finally let herself start to relax, flashing a smile at Ryan. “I told her she was more than welcome to stay with me as often as she wants when you’re on the road and I’m not.” Okay, that might be presumptuous on her part, but she meant it sincerely, regardless of what might or might not happen between her and Ryan. “I hope I wasn’t too much out of line telling her that. If
you’re uncomfortable about it…”

  He waved a hand. “She mentioned it, and it was incredibly generous of you to offer.” Then his gaze darted away from her. “But let’s leave that discussion for now, because we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”

  Oh, shit, what does that mean?

  Words like those had always seemed to Taylor to be weak code for I’m just not that into you. A sick feeling invaded her stomach.

  That instant, gut-wrenching reaction was all the confirmation she needed of her hope that this weekend would in some way bridge the gap between the two of them, or at least make a start. She wanted to be with Ryan again. It was so painfully obvious in her every thought, her every reaction, that further denial would simply be wilful delusion. While the obstacles to having any kind of lasting relationship with him remained as huge as ever—her rational mind understood that with utter clarity—somehow they no longer seemed impossibly threatening. It was almost as if she’d been anesthetized against the risks involved.

  Or maybe she’d simply gotten drunk on the idea of him. Would she sober up, though, or was this a permanent condition?

  But the question was probably moot, anyway, since Ryan seemed to have just thrown a bucket of cold water on her hopes.

  “Okay.” That was all she could manage.

  Ryan didn’t miss the effect of his words on her. “Taylor, look. Don’t think I don’t appreciate everything you’re doing. It’s amazing, and I can’t thank you enough.”

  Only an idiot wouldn’t know that there was a but coming. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to do whatever I can to help Devon. And you need to know that I did it for her as much as for you.” She gave herself a mental pat on the back for the steadiness of her tone.

  He smiled, but it was tight, and his jaw line hardened. “Great, but there’s something else we need to talk about.”