Deadly Ties (6 page)

* * * *

“Here we are,” Gavin said, ushering her through the door of a brownstone. The glass and wooden door opened and the inner air wrapped its cool arms around them, welcoming and inviting from the heat outside. Dark woods and leathers greeted, multicolored glass lamps dulled

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the light on the wooden tables. The noise here was muted and quiet, an old jazz tune played on the air. “Hope this is all right. Lots of choices and it’s not too far from where we were.”

Taylor smiled at him. “It’s fine. Perfect.”

The hostess grabbed a couple of menus and led them to a table. Gavin’s hand dropped from her elbow to the small of her back, almost possessive, and the breath caught in the back of her throat. What was this? A friendly lunch? Or a date?

Gavin felt her slight tension when his hand went to her back. He hadn’t meant to do that, it just seemed like the most natural thing. Hadn’t even thought about it, to tell the truth. They stopped at a walled in booth and Taylor slid into one side, he in the other. A slight furrow between her brows wasn’t lost on him.

Nothing was lost on him, when it concerned Taylor.

He’d noticed the edginess when he’d first called her name, replaced by a smile. He also noticed her almost nervousness, not to mention she’d ignored his question about Charles. Who the hell was Charles? Some guy from Texas, obviously.

And
why
did he care? It wasn’t like he and Taylor were even dating, for God’s sake.

But where Taylor was concerned, Gavin found himself not only thinking about her, but also wondering how she was, what she was doing. Hell, the woman kept him up half the damn night. Thoughts of her dancing through his head. Maybe that was where this protectiveness was stemming from. Yeah, friendship. They were friends, of sorts. Weren’t they? Did he want to be friends with her? She kept him on his toes, aggravated him half the time. So where did that leave him? Who was Charles?

“Today’s salad sounds great. What are you getting?” she asked him.

Today’s salad? What? Gavin shook off his thoughts.

“I have no idea, probably what I always get when I’m here.” He popped his menu open, stared at the all the letters, prices and words, and didn’t comprehend a damn thing.

Taylor ordered the coconut shrimp salad and since that actually sounded good to him, he got one too.

He watched the muscles move in the long column of her white throat as she swallowed the cool drink of her tea. And thoughts of kissing that pale skin just below her chin flashed into his brain.

Friends? Yeah, right.

She leaned her bare elbows up on the table. The white sleeveless shirt buttoned down the front, and as the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, he couldn’t help but get a glimpse of white lace as she shifted. Damn.

“So tell me about your family, Gavin.”

He cleared his throat. “You met Mom. And Aiden”

“Hmm. What does your brother do?”

“Aiden? He runs the hotels.” Gavin didn’t want to talk about his family. “You know lots about me, and I know very little about you. Seems kind of one-sided to me.”

“Is that right?” Cinnamon brows rose above those dark eyes of hers. “And how do you figure that?”

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“Well, you know what I do, what I drive.”

“For all I know you could be engaged to an intern or some socialite woman from the country club.”

“Jealous?”

She leveled him a look.

“No and no. There was Scarlett but I was about to dump her when she dumped me.”

Taylor tilted her head. “Aw. Poor baby. That kicks the pride doesn’t it?”

He ran his tongue around his teeth. “You been dumped?”

“Been there and done that. Scarlett? As in O’Hara? Oh my,” she breathed in a heavy Southern accent. “Why Rhett, did she find her long lost Ashley?”

“I hated that movie.”

She straightened. “It was actually a book first, but so did I, the heroine was too tedious.

So what was Miss Scarlett’s problem with you? I have to ask, is she from Georgia?”

Her grin was contagious. “Oh yeah. Her state representative daddy plays golf with mine.

Same functions whatever. But she had a problem with my responsibilities.”

Taylor shook her head. “High maintenance. Never took you as the type who would go for that.” “We’re off subject.”

“Was there one?”

“The fact you know more about me, than I do of you. You even know about my lack of relationship success with a Georgia woman, and you know about my family.” The glass of tea cooled his palms. “Now you, I know you’re new here and that you’re a caring social worker and you have a son named Ryan. That’s it.” Well, maybe he knew a bit more, but not compared to what she knew of him, and he found himself wanting to know more.

“You know I let my job get to me sometimes,” she said with a smile.

“True, but I don’t know why.” There it was that slight tensing of her again, an almost indiscernible pull of brows. “Besides,” he added, “that has to do with work.”

Her sigh settled between them. “What do you want to know? Though I get to answer only the questions I can or want to and get to ask one in turn.”

Gavin nodded. “Fine.”

He shifted his weight in the seat, stretching his legs out a bit more, and felt his pant’s leg graze along her skirt. He cleared his throat and asked. “What are you doing in D.C.? And don’t tell me working. I mean, what made you move from Austin to here.”

Her eyes looked away from him and back towards the door, then settled back on the glass that sat in front of her. “It seemed the best for all concerned after the divorce.”

“Ah. Methinks me found a tale.”

Gavin wanted to understand Taylor and he had absolutely no idea why. Normally, he just went after the chase, spent some enjoyable evenings and times with women, but nothing serious.

None of his previous relationships had ever plagued his mind like this one woman whom he knew very little about, and wasn’t even sleeping with.

“Look,” he told her, “you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t know why I make such a big deal out of it anyway.” Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. Finally, her eyes lifted back up to his. “Charles and I were

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married for almost eight years. Got married in college.”

Ah, the elusive Charles. “What happened?”

A rueful smile frowned her mouth. “Oh the normal I guess.”

“Normal?”

“I don’t know, exactly. We were both busy in work. I thought we should start working on starting a family, and he kept putting me off.…” Her voice trailed off as her finger slid through the condensation on the side of the glass. Just before she looked away he saw the pain flash into her gaze. “But anyway, between both our jobs, we didn’t. Ryan came along and we adopted him.

Then, the divorce was finalized and a few months later Ryan and I moved here. That’s it.”

“I doubt that. What was wrong with the guy?”
This is none of your business.
“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I actually never told anyone. Just let everyone think what they wanted to, or rather what he led them to believe.” She said the last part almost to herself. “It didn’t matter then. Doesn’t matter now. The adoption was finalized and Ryan was all I cared about.”

Gavin opted to just stay silent. The more she talked, the more questions arose.

Her voice continued, but it no longer sounded like a gentle summer breeze. There was no emotion there, nothing. “But, looking back, it was for the best I think. Charles didn’t want a family and I did.”

“Then why did you adopt Ryan?”

The more he learned of her, the more questions he needed answered. Like yesterday. The more time he spent with Taylor and Ryan, the more he found he
liked
spending time with them.

Yesterday evening and last night they’d stolen his thoughts. Ryan was a cute and intelligent kid and Taylor…. Taylor fascinated him. She was gentle and caring, not his usual ilk of women. He went for the fun-time type. Classy and polished usually, like Scarlett. None that he would consider anything serious with.

Then what exactly was he doing with Taylor?

Gavin guessed the conversation was over since she hadn’t answered him yet.

“I adopted Ryan because I had to,” she whispered, finally answering his question. A watery laugh and a wipe under her eyes gave him another glimpse into her as did her words. “I can’t go into what happened to him, not now. Not today. But when I saw him, the more time I spent with him... Well, I fell in love with him. I know that makes no sense. None at all. I never could get Charles to understand it. And then I just quit trying. He waited on the divorce until after the adoption and that was all I wanted. Time enough for Ryan to become mine. Then, as far as I was concerned, Mr. Charles Shepard could do whatever the hell he wanted.”

Anger and a bit of resentment there. “He hurt you.”

She started to shake her head, then stopped. “Yeah, a bit. Or maybe I let myself get hurt.

It’s more the hindsight thing, if you know what I mean. Charles is Charles and always will be.

Now, I don’t know if I’m angrier at him or myself.”

Gavin took a chance. “There is more to this story than you’re telling.”

Again, Taylor shifted. “Probably. Suffice it to say, I have a hard time getting over infidelity.”

He ran his tongue over his smooth teeth. “Idiot guy.”

“Oh, but Rhonda doesn’t think so.” A sugary smile deepened her dimples.

“Rhonda?”

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“The newer model. You know, buxom, curvaceous, without a cluttering thought in her head. Perfect for Charles, actually.”

“So you divorced the two-timer.” He made it a statement not a question. “Can’t say as I blame you there, the divorce and moving and all. I have a problem with infidelity myself. Guess I’m either old fashioned or just selfish. But what is mine stays mine.” He looked straight into her brown eyes. “I don’t share.”

Fidelity was at the top of his list. He figured if a woman cheated on him, he didn’t need her. If he hadn’t meant enough to her for her to remain faithful, then she wasn’t worth his time.

Then again most women would see his occupation as his mistress; colleagues of his had warned him. “Neither do I, but he wanted to file long before I walked in on his side show. He filed a month after the adoption was final, and as soon as the divorce was stamped, sealed and notarized, he flew to Mexico and married Rhonda.”

Gavin knew there was even more here than she was telling, but the waitress chose that moment to bring them their food.

Taylor picked up her fork. “So what happened with Miss Scarlett?”

Gavin speared himself a golden fried shrimp. “I told her from the beginning that I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship right now. And after canceling plans again on Saturday in lieu of family obligations…. Well, Scarlett had enough.” Though she had called him last night to gripe at him some more for being more interested in his job and family than sex with her. No, Scarlett was no longer a problem.

“Wow, a free man. You must be so happy.”

His next forkful stopped midway to his mouth. “You have no idea.”

Her dimples winked at him before she took another bite.

The rest of the lunch seemed to fly by. On the way back to her car he asked if they could swap phone numbers. Why he asked was beyond him.

“Hmmm.”

He pulled up behind her car.

Gavin got out a business card and scrawled his home number and mobil on the back.

Ignoring her comment, he said, “If you ever need anything, just give me a call. I’m not promising that I’ll be able to get to you right away, tend to get called away sometimes, but.…” He took a deep breath.

Her shades hid her eyes from him. She reached up and grabbed his card, glanced at it, flipping it over to look at the back.

“Anything?”

When he’d met her, she was all spit and fire, and the other night she’d been annoying and snappy. But now, Taylor was such a composed woman, that he couldn’t help but be intrigued. He wondered if he preferred this soft, composed side of her, or the angry, insulting woman he’d met on Saturday.

“Of course,” he answered.

“Well, then.” She riffled through her purse and came out with a card of her own, scrawling her numbers on the back. Handing it to him, she said, “I guess you can call me sometime too. I’m usually home during the evenings, but I too, tend to get called out or away

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sometimes. But I’ll tell you right now, I think you’re arrogant--”

“I know.”

“--and rude--”

“Got that already.”

“I have neither the time, nor the inclination for a relationship of any kind.”

“Not even a long night of sweaty sex?”

Her eyes rounded.

He laughed. “My feelings are really hurt, Taylor.”