“I’m sorry.” His fingers thread through my hair, soothing me.
“She’s been gone for two years, and I stopped looking for her after three months. I went to crazy lengths to find her. I even took Em on drives through the worst of neighborhoods. I should have never done that, but I was desperate to find and fix her.” I rest my chin on his chest, the tears teetering in my eyes. “It took me a long time to realize I can’t fix people.” There’s so much truth in that sentence, and it doesn’t only pertain to my sister, but also Brad.
“You don’t have to fix me. I did it myself.” His thumb swipes the tear which escapes my eye, and his lips press to my forehead.
“I know. Anyway, I’m done with her. Sam will occasionally search the streets of downtown Detroit. He can’t seem to let it go. My dad thinks I should contact the FBI or something. He doesn’t understand; the last thing she wants is to be found.” My head heavy with emotion, I lay it on his shoulder.
“You have to deal with so much crap, Taylor. I promise you, I’ll be right next to you from this point on, okay?”
I nod, not wanting this conversation to ruin our night. Rising to my knees, the urge is too great to keep it from him.
“Brad, you have to know, I’ve forgiven you. I’m not harboring any more feelings about the past. It’s over and done. We’re making a clean and fresh start, so you have to stop feeling guilty. It’s over.”
His eyes shift to the windows, the wind howling outside. “I need to seal that tomorrow. Actually, there’s a lot I need to do around here.”
“Brad, don’t deflect.” He looks at me with guilt ridden eyes. His past still eats away at him.
“I can’t, Taylor. I can’t help but obsess over how things could be different.” He sits up, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin on his knuckles. “I would have been in that delivery room with you. In the car while you searched for your sister. Paying your dad’s damn bar tab. You wouldn’t have gone through this alone if I’d only just kept my shit together.”
“They were mistakes, and look how far we’ve come. It’s time for us to enjoy it, and that’s not going to happen if we both harbor guilt.”
He nods, and maybe all he needs is happy times to enjoy. Although I see him finding his place in life with training Cayden, maybe he hasn’t noticed it yet. So, I sit back, deciding to be patient. Over time, we’ll get where we need to be.
He peeks up at me, his teeth biting his lower lip. “You are the most amazing girlfriend, you know that?”
I smile and wave in the air to jokingly toss off the compliment.
“You’re too good to me.” He takes my head in his hands again, and soon I’m on my back with him on top of me.
“We’re good for each other.”
“That we are.”
Brad
MY GUT CLENCHES AS I stare over at Taylor curled in the fetal position fast asleep, but at some point, I need to fulfill my promises. It’s a no brainer I’d rather wake up with her and my daughter this morning, but I promised Cayden, and we’re on our last day before Thanksgiving.
I jot down a quick note and place it on the coffee maker for her to find when she wakes up.
I’m training with Cayden and need to talk to Wes. I know you work today, so Em and I will be waiting for you tonight. Love you, Brad.
I lock the bottom lock before I sneak out the back door to make sure nothing happens to my girls. On the way to the Aquatic Center, my phone rings. Shit, my mom.
I press okay on my car’s Bluetooth.
“Hey, Mom,” I answer, dread washing over me because I’ve yet to return her call.
“Hey. You never called me back.”
“You know it’s only six in the morning, right?” I dodge the question I’m sure she’s going to ask me.
“Don’t try to divert. What’s going on for Thanksgiving?”
“I have to talk to Taylor, but I’m hoping we can do both.”
“That would be great. The McCains were so upset that they missed this weekend. They’d like everyone to be together.” Her voice fills with happiness.
“I’ll see, Mom, but I can’t promise. Obviously, I’ll be wherever they are.” I leave Roosevelt and hop on the highway toward Creadle’s.
“Obviously, but I hope you can at least come Friday or Saturday then. Piper will want to see Emerson.”
I roll my eyes because I love my mom and I know she wants to be with her granddaughter, but I don’t need more guilt in my life.
“Yes, I get the point. Listen, I’m almost at the pool house, so I’ll call you once I talk to her.” My finger hovers over the end call button, waiting for her to say her good-byes.
“Okay. Love you, honey.”
“Love you too.” I press the button and my music flickers back on. I remember that I never sent Cayden a playlist. Shit.
I roll into the parking lot—again, no other cars are in the lot except for Wes’s Camaro and Amanda’s Honda. Not even a swim lesson this morning. Pulling my bag out of the back I rack my brain on what we can do to drum up some business. This facility is top-notch, one most well-trained athletes could get their workouts completed in. We just need to get them through the door.
Cayden’s car pulls in right after me, and I wait for him by Amanda’s desk.
“Hey, Amanda, how many lane reservations do we have today?” I pry for information I’m hoping she’ll give me.
She clicks away on her computer with no hesitation. “We have one blocked off at ten besides the swim team at four.”
“How long does that go for?”
“Swim team meets are for three hours usually. Split up between two age levels.”
I think back to when I was truly training. The three of us, Tanner, Piper, and myself were shuttled from school to the pool every day until we hit high school. We need more teams or to rent out the facility. But all that will have to wait until tomorrow because Cayden’s walking through the doors. He’s dragging ass today, but that’s a good thing because you only find your drive once you think you have nothing left to give. One thing though is he doesn’t have a damn coat.
“Where’s your damn coat?”
He shakes his head. “I forgot it.” The kid really is exhausted. Michigan winter and not wearing a coat equal getting sick.
“Hey, man, I’m sorry, I forgot to send you the playlist.”
“I made one myself.” He pulls his iPhone out of his pocket, handing it over to me.
I examine the songs he picked on the way to the locker room. I’m impressed and surprised at some, but I can’t dictate what will psych him up for a swim. Once we are in the locker room, I hand it back to him.
“Good choices.”
A smile encompasses his face as though he’s proud of himself because I like it. Someone needs to tell him I’m nobody one day and he shouldn’t wait for my approval.
“I’ll meet you out there. I need to talk to Wes. Get in the water, start with the butterfly today. It’s your slowest time.”
“Okay,” he says, scrambling out of his clothes.
Shrugging my laptop bag over my shoulder, I leave Cayden to pump himself up and search out the second thing to complete today.
Wes is in the office, writing the lesson schedule on the white board under each instructor’s name. I’m just thankful he’s not sitting in front of his damn financials with his head buried in his hands.
“Hey. Do you have time after Cayden?” I walk in, dropping my bag on the desk.
“Yeah, but let’s do it away from here. I can’t take the chance with Cami, and she’s sneaky.”
I smile and shake my head in understanding. “Gotcha. I’ll be done in about two hours.”
“Sounds good.” I move toward the door again. “Brad?” he calls out and I stop. “How bad?”
He turns around, the dark circles only drooping lower now. “Fixable.” I shoot him an honest answer. He nods and turns his attention back to the board.
Two hours later, Cayden and I are walking b
ack from the lane, where he had a killer workout. I stop him outside the office. Wes is already wrapped in his coat, ready for our talk. Man, he’s anxious, but I would be too if my place was in jeopardy.
“So, do your parents still live in Chesterfield?” I ask Cayden. Although it’s impressive how far he’s come in three days, we need every day we can. Chesterfield is only forty-five minutes away.
“Yeah.”
“Good, I need you to come tomorrow morning. We’ll get another workout in, and then you can have the night off. But Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you need to do two workouts, one in the morning and one at night. You can come here, I’ll arrange it with Wes, but if you want to make the team, there’s no excuses.” I feel like a father, or a nicer version of Coach Kass, and it gives me the creeps.
“Great. There’s nothing by us except for the YMCA, and it doesn’t have the space.”
“Sure. I’ll leave your name with Amanda for the night swims, but in the morning, I’ll be here. Friday and Saturday, I’m bringing Tanner with me so he can, hopefully, help us out on anything I’ve missed.”
He nods a few times with a dazed and confused look in his eyes. “Hey, don’t worry. You got this.” I pat him on the back as though it’s game day.
“I hope so.”
His eyes shift to the tile floor and he inhales a deep breath, releasing it in a slow stream. I don’t say anything else because he has to find his own reasons for pushing himself to the limits.
“Can I come back tonight? I’ll be on my way back to Chesterfield.”
“Yeah, no problem. Have Amanda put you on the schedule on your way out.”
“Thanks.” Cayden walks toward the locker room.
“Cayden!” I yell, and he turns his attention back to me. I scramble into the office, grabbing my coat from the back of the chair. I toss it to him and he catches. “Take my coat. We can’t afford you to get sick.”
He smiles. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I have another one in the car.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cayden disappears into the locker room, and I don’t have to enter the office because Wes is already waiting by my side.
“Here.” He hands me my laptop bag.
“Okay. Let’s go.” I’m thankful I didn’t get in the water with Cayden today, so there’s no further delay. Wes might have had a slight panic attack if so.
“I’ll drive and you can talk.” He breezes by me with a wave of his cologne as my trail to follow. Eager beaver he is.
We leave the Aquatic Center and he drives us to a small diner closer to my apartment. Probably as far away from Roosevelt as he can get. From what Taylor says, the gossip circle is alive and fierce there.
A middle-aged hostess, unenthusiastic about her job, leads us to a circle booth in the back. She drops the menus on the table, murmurs something about our waitress, and walks away.
“Who said customer service is dead?” I joke, and Wes shoots me a tight smile. This is not going to be any fun, so I decide we better cut to the chase; otherwise, Wes might end up breathing into a paper bag.
“All right.” I open my bag, pulling out the paperwork he gave me plus my computer. While it’s firing up, the waitress, whose attitude matches the hostess, finally moseys on over.
Wes orders coffee and I order an egg white omelet and fruit. Now that I have a girlfriend, I need to make sure I don’t gain a gut, even though she’d love me anyway.
The spreadsheet I formed for him shows up on the screen, and Wes leans in to get a better view.
“You’re making a good profit on your swimming lessons. I think the real issue is the lane reservations.”
“We’ve been slow.”
“Non-existent, really. Early morning swim lanes should be booked on a consistent basis. What I’m thinking is maybe you do a membership of sorts. A promotion to get people through the door. Plus, there’s advertising. Are you doing any of that?” Wes gives me a blank stare. He’s trying to process way too much information at once.
“Can I be frank with you?” He sits back, taking the cup of coffee in his hands. I nod. “I opened Creadle’s with a payoff I received. While in college, I injured my shoulder in a car accident. Not horrible, but enough that it ruined my opportunity to advance in swimming. It was another college kid. His parents paid me a substantial amount of money not to make a big deal of it. The kid was rich, his dad some politician or some shit. They didn’t want the media to get involved, so they showed up in my hospital room with a check. Enough to get me a loan approved on Creadle’s, but if I lose the center, it’s over. There’s nothing left for me.” He sips his coffee, staring down at the dark liquid.
“I said this is fixable.” I try to put his mind at ease, but from the pensive expression on his face, it isn’t working.
“I can’t afford to spend any money on advertising. There’s nothing in the bank account. My accountant said my instructors will get paid, but then it’s gone. My loan payment is due at month’s end, and I don’t have the money.” He slides the coffee mug on the table and it splashes over the rim.
“Then we have to be inventive. I’m telling you, Wes, you’re sitting on a gold mine. I did some research, and there’s nothing like Creadle’s around here. Do you know how far parents will drive their kids to be trained the way you do? Not to mention, you’re an hour from the University. Pool time there isn’t easy to get.” I know there’s a way we can bring it back.
“Would you be interested in more investors?” I bite my lip, because it would be a hard sell for my dad, but I think I can make it happen as long as I’d have some say in how the business is run.
His cheeks fill with air and he studies the stained ceiling while he blows it out. “That’s a hard one. I’m not exactly easy to work with.”
I pin my eyes on him while the waitress drops my omelet down without a word. Leaving it on the edge of the table, I sit back on the sticky vinyl and wait for him to realize what I’m asking.
The wires click and he tilts his head at me. “You’d want in? Where would you get the money?”
“I might be able to find you an investor, but I’m sure a stipulation would be that I’d help manage. I’m not positive I can even get the money, but if I could, would you be open to it? A business partnership.” He nods, but his face pales. “Okay, let’s just look at what I think the future can look like if we do a few things.”
For the next three hours, Wes and I sit in that corner booth, brainstorming and talking through ideas about how to jive the business and bring the center to its full potential. Between the two of us, there are a lot of connections with our college buddies, and I think we could accomplish a lot with little money.
Wes finally orders a cheeseburger, and it’s good to see I’ve calmed him enough to eat.
“The first thing we need to do is build the swim teams for all ages. Then I have an idea about advertising, but I don’t want to say anything until I can fully commit to it.”
“Brad, you can’t do this all for free.” Wes slides out of the booth since we have no choice but to return to the center for lessons.
“I’m not going to.” I pack up my bag and quickly meet him at the end of the booth. “You’ll pay me for my time or consider my offer. I’ll give you until after this weekend to decide.”
Again, he shakes his head and releases a sigh. I don’t envy his situation, but I’m not putting everything I have into his company and not reaping any rewards. For once in two years, I’m enjoying where my life is heading—things with Taylor and now this role of helping Wes and mixing business with swimming. If Wes decides he doesn’t want me involved in Creadle’s, I’ll figure something out, but I’m thinking it would only be competition for him.
Taylor
I BUNDLE EM UP IN her warmest coat and boots. The snow has started to come down in droves lately, which means winter is here to stay. We get in the car with hardly any time to spare, because I don’t want to be late for
her swim lesson, even though I’m sure I’ll get a pass from the instructor.
My old Jetta’s tires slide down the industrial park streets toward the Aquatic Center. The snow falls like rain, melting into water drops on my windshield. Maybe a cancelation of swimming should have been in order, but the idea of seeing Brad is worth taking my chances in a winter weather warning.
I pull up to the center, and park alongside Brad’s truck. I’m thinking we’ll have to take that home tonight. Home repeats in my head. The word so easily came to mind while thinking of the three of us. I have thought about us living together more than once, but never did I see the reality of the foolish thought that plagued my dreams.
Em and I reach the lobby and I brush off the snow covering her hat and jacket before doing the same for me.
“Snow,” Em says, as she tries to pick up a piece of white fluff before it melts on the carpeted floor. “Snowman?” she asks and points outside.
“Maybe tomorrow we can make one at our house.” I hold her hand and we walk toward Katie, the receptionist. Thoughts of Em and Brad outside playing tomorrow brings a smile to my lips. She’s finally getting to the age where she can handle the wet snow for a little while.
“Hi, Katie,” I say and drop Em’s hand now that we’re a safe distance from the door. She wanders over to the cascading waterfall she loves so much.
“What a night, huh?” She clicks away on her computer to check us in.
“It’s horrible out there. Be careful when you leave. There’s an advisory until ten tonight.” I unzip my coat, shedding the layers due to the humidity from the pool area seeping into the lobby.
Love Rekindled (Love Surfaced) Page 21