Better with Ben (How to Tame a Heartbreaker Book 3) (11 page)

"Thanks again Ben. I hope you have fun on your trip," she said as she scooted to the edge of the seat. She grabbed the door handle, but hesitated to open it until she was ready to run.

"Oh, okay," he said. He lifted an eyebrow slightly, but otherwise didn't protest her departure. She didn't really give him time for that.

She flashed one last smile as she opened the door. "Thanks!" she yelled.

"You're welcome!" he yelled back.

She looked up at him with a smile and wave before closing the door. He turned on the headlights so she could see her way to the door and watched as she ran to the house.

Chapter 11

Taylor had to work the opening shift at Common Grounds the next morning. It was Tuesday, which meant they'd be busy with regulars. As a result of being amped up from the kiss she shared with Ben, it had taken her forever to fall asleep. 6AM came early, but even though she was exhausted, she woke up with a grin plastered on her face.

She was opening with three of her favorite guys at work, another fact that put her in a good mood. Michael, the general manager, and Nothing the atheist were at the counter when she walked in.

"
What
?" she asked after only a few steps in their direction.

"I should be asking
you
that," Nothing said narrowing his eyes at her.

She'd been back at work for a few days since the incident, but her mood had been reflective and melancholy—not at all like the normal Taylor.

Not today, though. Today she smiled.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you smiling," Nothing said. Normally, he might
think
something like that, but you wouldn't catch him saying it. He maintained a rough exterior even though he was just a big teddy bear. He preferred it that way—social barrier, he called it. Anyway, that type of comment was out of character for him, and Taylor gave him a thankful smile for it.

Both Nothing and Michael knew about everything she'd gone through the week before, but neither of them had actually broached the subject. Nothing's comment about seeing her smile was the first time either of them came close to asking her about it.

"It's been a long week, but I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

"Well, I'm glad, cause he's right, the smile looks good on you," Michael said.

Matt opened the door and walked in behind Taylor. She turned and gave him a high five. He smiled back at Taylor before taking in the two that were already behind the counter.

"Yesssss," he said, obviously liking the line-up. "I get to pick the music," he said.

"No pop," Nothing said.

"No dubstep," Michael added.

"What else
is
there?" Matt said, throwing his hands into the air. He was just being sarcastic, but he definitely had a hearty collection of both pop
and
dubstep, and everyone knew it.

Taylor was on dishes, which meant she had to pitch in where needed until they started to pile up and she could start her first load. She filled the cream containers and lined them up on the self-serve coffee station, taking the time to straighten the packets of sweetener and refill the glass containers of sugar, the stir-sticks, and the napkins.

An early bird or two trickled in during the first few minutes, but it took a half an hour for customers to really start showing up. By the time they'd been open for an hour, Taylor was elbows deep in her first sink full of dishes, which was something she had to get all suited up to do since she couldn't get her cast wet. After the dirty dishes soaked, she rinsed all the crud off before loading them strategically into the commercial dishwasher.

Despite the dirty work, she still wore a smile. She couldn't stop thinking about Ben. It was the first day she hadn't been royally bummed, and it felt so good to have her mind free of the thoughts that had been plaguing her for the past week. She wasn't worried about the girl, or her murderer, or her next panic attack. She wasn't worried about
anything
for the first time in a week, and she felt utterly free because of it. Granted, Ben's kiss probably hadn't meant nearly as much to him, but she'd take the relief any way it came, and for her, the kiss was working out to be the most effective distraction she could've asked for. Her grin remained in place even as she scrubbed stubborn melted cheese off of a plate. She was doing just that when her friend and co-worker, Anne, passed behind her on the way to clock in.

"Hey, there's a guy at the register who asked if you were here," she said.

Taylor's head popped up and she used a forearm to wipe at a hair that had fallen into her face. "Who?" she asked.

Anne stopped in mid-stride and turned around to face her. "I was talking to Nothing and I didn't hear everything he said to Matt, but I don't think he's staying," Anne said. "He just asked if you were working and I think Matt told him you were in the back doing dishes. It sounded like he told Matt not to worry about getting you since you were busy. He looked familiar," she added. "I think it might have been Molly's brother.

Taylor let out a disapproving huff. "Why would Matt send him away?" she asked.

Anne shrugged innocently. "Maybe I misheard, but you better go check if you wanted to talk to him."

Taylor crossed to the threshold of the open door that separated the kitchen from the coffee counter. She scanned what she could see of the room, but didn't see Ben anywhere. "Matt," she said. She had to speak up because it was busy, but he heard her and looked back to see what she wanted. "Did someone come in here asking for me?" her eyes were narrowed, which made Matt give her a surprised, innocent look.

"Yeah, but he said he'd come back since we were slammed."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "We're not
that
slammed. The dishes could wait five minutes." She didn't waste time getting onto Matt for it, though. "Is he still here?" she asked. Matt gestured into the room hopelessly. It was the morning rush and he was hardly keeping up with what everyone was doing after they were served their drinks.

"He's at the sugar station," Michael said. He'd overheard both conversations and was thoughtful enough to chime in.

Taylor stood on her tiptoes, but she could only see a piece of the person she thought could be Ben. He had on a baseball cap and he was a guy, and that was good enough for her. She turned and ran to the office to do a quick check in the mirror before she went out there, only stopping for a second to hastily put her long, rubber gloves on the side of the sink, remove the trash bag she taped over her cast, and close the dishwasher door.

"Thank you for telling me," she said to Anne as she went into the office.

"Is that Molly's brother?" Anne asked.

"Yeah."

"Well Matt's met him. I wonder why he didn't come get you."

"You know Matt," Taylor said as she smiled into the mirror to check her teeth. "He's a space case. He probably didn't remember who he was."

Taylor really regretted not being able to make more adjustments on her appearance, but she knew she would miss him if she didn't leave right then. "Thanks for telling me," she repeated as she left the office in a hurry.

"Tay, I like that smile," Anne called after her.

Had she really been that bad the last week that everyone felt the need to comment on her smile?

"Thanks," Taylor said from over her shoulder.

She bobbed and weaved around Matt, Nothing, and Michael as she made her way past the coffee counter and to the sugar station. The guy in the baseball cap had already turned to leave by the time she got close, and without even taking a second to think about what she was doing, she reached out and pinched him on the side.

"Hey," she said.

He looked back with a fake look of annoyance at being pinched. Taylor pretended to whither under his scowl and then they both broke into a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. She knew he was there to see her; she just wanted to hear him say it.

"I came to see you," he said, still smiling.

And the chorus sang: Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

"I'm on my way to the airport," he continued. "I remembered you saying you were working this morning and thought I'd stop by. I had to get coffee anyway."

She pointed at the cup in his hand. "I wish they would have told me you were here. I could have at least bought your coffee."

He lifted it, smiling. "It was less than two dollars, I think," he said.

"You want me to make you something fancy? Or maybe a bagel for the road?"

"I'm good. I ate breakfast at home. I really just came by to see how the rest of your night went last night."

I had a good night for the first time in a week because I could do nothing but remember what you did to me in your truck
, was what she thought but didn't say out loud, thank God.

"I slept great, thanks to that Benadryl I took." She gave him a cheesy smile, waiting for him to get her joke.

His face broke into a grin when he understood she was talking about him. "That wasn't my drill, though, sweetheart," he said.

Sure, he was only continuing the joke, but the image it brought to Taylor's mind made a rush of hot blood make its way to her cheeks. She tried to distract him. "Hey, I'll be back in three minutes," she said to Michael. He knew she wouldn't leave if the dishes were out of hand, so he gave her a smile and nod. She turned to Ben and motioned for him to follow her. "I'll walk you out."

He reached in front of her and opened the door for her to walk through. It was a chilly morning and he noticed she didn't have a coat. "We can just hang for a minute inside if you're too cold to walk me out… or you can take my coat." He had on a casual but sleek black hoodie with dark pants. He had great taste in clothes and looked sharp for his trip. She wanted to take his coat just for the sheer sake of having it, and not give it back, but she wasn't going to make him take it off for three minutes.

"It's not that cold," she said. "Plus I could use the fresh air." They continued to talk as they walked. "So, when will you be back?" She meant it as a way to make general conversation, but after she said it, she realized that kind of question might scare him a little.

"I'll be back Friday," he said.

The deck was deserted aside from a couple of girls sitting at the far end having a cigarette. They recognized Taylor and waved. She returned the wave and gave them a big smile. Ben loved her smile. He also loved that everyone around there apparently knew and liked her.

She turned around, looking for his truck. "Are you on the street or in the alley?" she asked.

"I'm right over there." He pointed to his truck. It was parked about a block away. "But you don't have to walk me over there. I just came by to check on you."

"I'm fine," she said, slightly concerned that he might think she was fragile or something. "I'm glad you stopped by, though."

"I'll call you when I get back," he said.

Before she had time to answer, he used a crooked finger to lift her chin. He stepped closer so they were touching. One second they weren't kissing, and then the next second they were. It was just an easy peck to the lips, but it was so sweet and tender it made a rush of warmth hit her between the legs. His mouth was so perfect, and she never ever wanted to stop kissing it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought about the girls on the porch who were watching. However, that thought was so fleeting and irrelevant compared to Ben's lips on hers that she chose to let it just drift out of her brain.

Her eyes remained open, and she enjoyed the experience of kissing him in broad daylight. His light brown eyes were flecked with gold and green with a dark brown ring around the edge. She only had a few seconds to fall into their depths because the kiss, although amazing, had to be short. It wasn't like he could sit there and make out with her on the deck.

He pulled back before deciding to place one last quick kiss on her lips. "I'll call you when I get back," he repeated.

"Okay," she said. She was so giddy from the kiss that she felt like her smile was borderline goofy. She forced her face back into a somewhat serious expression. "Sounds good," she said. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Thanks for walking me out." Without another word, he turned to walk away.

"Is that your boyfriend?" one of the girls on the other side of the porch asked as Taylor walked in the door. Taylor looked to make sure Ben was out of earshot.

"No," she said. Then she felt stupid for kissing a random person. "We hung out a couple of times," she added.

"He's hot," the other girl said.

"I know," Taylor said with wide eyes and a smirk, "and you should see his tattoo."

She knew it was a stupid thing to say, but it was already out of her mouth, so she just smiled, looking unfazed. She excused herself, telling the girls she had to get back to a sink full of dishes before letting the door close behind her.

Chapter 12

Taylor was sitting in her living room with Kent that same afternoon at 5PM when they heard a knock at the backdoor. Neither of them noticed anyone pulling up, and most of the time people who weren't friends came to the front door. They both looked at each other and shrugged, making it clear that neither of them were expecting company.

Taylor opened the door to find Molly standing there holding a bag and a black tackle box looking thing Taylor knew was full of her beauty stuff. "What are you doing?" Taylor asked.

Molly lifted the cargo she was carrying. "I came to give you a makeover."

Taylor gasped. "Are you serious?"

Molly smiled, feeling good that Taylor was excited at the prospect. Molly was in hair school full-time and worked at a salon part-time. She was extremely busy, and when she wasn't eating, sleeping, or breathing hair, she was hanging out with her boyfriend Nick. It was not very often that she cleared a few hours of her time to make a housecall, but she wanted to get her hands on Taylor's hair, and it was perfect timing for a transformation.

"I didn't have work at Reflections this afternoon, so I thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted a makeover."

"Are you kidding? Of course I do!" Taylor said. "Just don't chop it completely off. I'm not sure if I could handle that."

"I wouldn't do that," Molly said.

"Just so it can go back into a ponytail since that's my go-to hair do."

Molly's eyes got wide and she smiled as if she had a plan. "Is it okay if it's a
short
ponytail?" she asked.

Taylor thought about that. "I guess so," she said. "As long as it can go into a ponytail." She gestured to the place where she thought her limit might be. It was right at her shoulders, and Molly's face lit up at being given permission to make such a transformation. Taylor's hair hung a good six inches past her shoulders, and Molly smiled, envisioning a sleek, layered, shoulder length bob that angled to the front. She wanted to enhance her natural blonde as well.

"Can I do some color?" Molly asked.

"I'm all yours."

"I could use a little trim if you're taking clients," Kent said. "I'll pay you, but this would be easier than going to the barber shop."

"I'll shape you up when her color's processing," Molly said. Kent gave her a thankful wink before turning back to the TV.

"Unless you have a shampoo bowl hiding somewhere, you'll need to change into a button-up shirt so you can shower when we're done."

"No shampoo bowl."

"All right, go change then, and I'll get set up."

Taylor regarded her sweetly. "Thanks Molly," she said.

Molly waved her off. "Don't mention it," she said.

Taylor smiled and went off excitedly to change shirts. Molly mixed blue, powder bleach with twenty-volume peroxide liquid. The now-familiar smell that drifted from the mixture made her happy because she knew somebody was about to get more beautiful.

"I don't want you to change your mind or anything," Taylor said, as she reentered the room, "but I was just wondering… why do I get the honor?"

"Because I've been itching to get my hands on your hair," Molly said. "Come sit right here." She motioned to a dining chair that she'd strategically placed in the kitchen near the counter. Molly had a bowl with a brush and some blue-ish cream liquid that reminded Taylor a little of yogurt, along with a stack of foils and a case containing all sorts of sharp tools. Taylor sat in the seat. "Plus, I want to see my brother's reaction when I fix you all up."

Taylor's head swung around to look at Molly. She was wearing a perplexed expression that Molly scoffed at.

"Oh, don't act like you can't tell he noticed you," Molly said. She started to add something else, but looked like she changed her mind before smiling a little regretfully. "It's unfortunate that Ben's not really in the market for a girlfriend right now because you two would actually look cute together," she said. "He's definitely noticed you, though. He asked me a hundred questions about you last night when he got home from your house."

Taylor was glad to hear that he had at least
noticed
her, you know, since they sort of kissed the last two times they saw each other. She felt slightly injured at the whole
not in the market for a girlfriend
comment even though she knew she shouldn't be thinking that far ahead. She couldn't help it, though. He was just too desirable. There was no way to avoid letting herself dream a little.

"What did he ask about me?"

"All the normal stuff. You know, what you do, what you're like…" Molly hesitated, before she said that he asked about her family. She didn't think Taylor talked about her family much, and didn't know if the topic was off limits.

"You don't have to worry. I wasn't under the impression that he likes me like
that
," Taylor said. Again, she thought back to the kiss in the truck and then the one at the coffee shop. A smile spread across her face and Molly giggled.

"You're so cute," Molly said.

"What?" Taylor asked defensively. "I'm just smiling."

"Okaaay, but he's a good guy," Molly said.

"Who Ben? I know, I mean, I can tell that."

Molly knew her brother wouldn't appreciate her instigating something between him and Taylor, so she decided to drop the subject. It was best if she got to the business of hair anyway since it usually took a long time.

She used the next few minutes to explain her hair-related intentions to Taylor. She did a rough cut before they got started, taking about four inches off the bottom so as to not waste color on hair she'd be cutting anyway.

Taylor resisted the urge to run a hand through the new length. She told herself to let it be a surprise. Molly was still relatively new to the process of coloring hair, so even though her instincts were good and she did an excellent job, it took her a
long time
. She knew this about herself, so she went right to work.

By the time she got the last of the foils in, she decided she was too nervous to leave Taylor's hair to process while she gave Kent a haircut. She told him she'd get to it when she'd finished Taylor, and he assured her it was no big deal and he could just come by and have her do it at the school if she couldn't do it tonight.

Molly got out the blow dryer and used it to heat up the foil packets she'd finished last. A few minutes passed with Molly watching the bleach's progress nervously, and then she told Taylor it was time to go rinse.

"I'll go in the bathroom with you and help you get the foils out before you shower," she said.

Taylor came out ten minutes later with a towel around her head.

"Did you look in the mirror?" Molly asked. She hadn't thought of asking Taylor to
avoid
looking, so she was surprised when Taylor said she hadn't. Molly had moved her station to the living room in case they had an aversion to having hair cut in their kitchen. Taylor took a seat in the chair and again, Molly put the black cape around her neck.

Molly was slow and methodical with the haircut too. She cut on it for a good thirty minutes before drying it, straightening it, and cutting on it some more. "I'm just making little tweaks," she assured Taylor. "I don't want you to think it keeps getting shorter and shorter."

Taylor laughed, thinking it
was
getting shorter and shorter every time the scissors closed. She didn't care, though. "I trust you," she said.

It was seven thirty by the time Molly told Taylor she could look in the mirror. Kent had already gone somewhere, but not before he promised he'd come see her for a haircut at her school. Molly was glad to have gotten out of the extra client. She was really proud of Taylor's hair and glad she'd come to do it, but was tired from the long day and ready to go see Nick.

Taylor could feel where her hair fell. She let it swing and shift on her shoulders as she walked toward the bathroom where she'd take a look at it for the first time. It felt good already—like a fresh start.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she regarded herself in the mirror. Molly came to stand behind her to see her reaction, and instantly Taylor turned to hug her.

"I love it so much," she said.

"You didn't even look at it yet," Molly said, laughing and hugging her back.

"Yes I did. I saw enough to know I
love
it." Her honey blonde was about two shades lighter, but somehow Molly had managed to make it look completely natural, with most of the color running through the ends as if it had been sun-kissed.

Taylor leaned in close to the mirror and used her fingertips to gently part and reposition her hair. She really stared at it for a good, long minute, taking in the color and cut, and the way it fell.

"I'm so excited right now, I can't even tell you."

"Aw, I'm so glad you like it," Molly said. She smiled and turned to go pack up. Taylor turned to study her reflection again, but yelled after Molly. "I don't like it, I love it."

"I love it too," Molly yelled back.

Taylor stayed in the back of the house for another minute or two before going back into the living room. Molly was almost completely packed up by the time she got there.

"I know it's not enough," Taylor said. She extended her hand with a fifty-dollar bill."

"I'm so sure," Molly said, swatting the money away. "
I'm
the one who came here uninvited and took over your head."

Taylor took Molly's hand and put the folded fifty-dollar-bill into it. She held her hand around Molly's and regarded her seriously. "I know what this is worth, and fifty's not enough," she said. "It's something I would have never done for myself and you have no idea how thankful I am that you made me do it." 

Molly tried to push it back again.

"I'm serious," Taylor said. "It's the least I could do."

Molly could see she wanted to give it to her. She smiled and put the money in her pocket. "Thank you, but you didn't have to."

"I should be thanking you," she said. She ran a hand through her hair while tilting her head to the side dramatically like a shampoo commercial. "I love it," she said again as she opened the door for Molly.

"I love you," Molly said.

"I love you too." Taylor was somewhat surprised to find that she meant it. Having this girl in the family would just be another added bonus for whatever lucky lady ended up with Ben Fletcher.

Taylor went into the bathroom and stared at her reflection again when Molly left. Having her hair colored was something she would have never done for herself. Maybe it was because she'd grown up with her mother using those boxed hair colors. Her mom never did seem to find a brand or color that worked for her, so most of the time hair color equaled disaster.

The transformation was subtle and remarkable at the same time, if that even made sense. She used her phone to snap a selfie, which she promptly sent to Hannah via text.

Taylor: "Here's my new do. Molly came over out of the blue. I'm a poet. Haha. Seriously, I love it, and wasn't that sweet?" 

Less than a minute later, Hannah responded. She called rather than text.

"Do you like it?" Taylor asked, answering the phone.

"Va-va-va-voom!" Hannah said.

Both girls laughed.

"Molly didn't tell me she did your hair. Did you say she came to your house?"

"Yeah, and I feel bad about that. I should have just scheduled a time to go see her at school. But I didn't
ask
her to come. She surprised me."

"Was that tonight?"

"Yeah, she just left a few minutes ago."

"It looks really good on you."

"Thanks. I love it. I hope I can get it to do what she did. I might have to kick Gina out and get Molly in here as my new roommate to fix my hair every morning."

"I'll be right there," Hannah said to someone else.

"I'm sorry if you're busy," Taylor said. "I just wanted you to see the new do."

"I'm the one who called you, silly. Jason and I are just hanging out at Cam's and they're being stupid."

Taylor found humor in the fact that she grew up in a trailer park (and not a nice one) and now she was friends with Cam Bishop, perhaps the biggest name in country music. Okay, so maybe she wasn't
friends
with him per say, but her friends were friends with him, and that was close enough.

"You wanna come over?" Hannah asked.

And see? My point exactly. Here she was getting invited to go to Cam Bishop's and be stupid with them.

"Tay? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You wanna come over? We're just hanging out. The boys are playing Xbox."

Taylor hadn't responded the first time because she was a little taken aback by being asked to go hang out at Cam's. She'd been in his presence plenty of times but never just to
hang out
at his place and play Xbox.