Exception (14 page)

Once more Emily was baffled. “Okay, but shouldn’t I order and pay first?”

Annabelle giggled and shook her head, fixing a lid on top of a venti paper cup and placing it in front of Emily. “It’s been taken care of.”

Emily eyed the woman in confusion and opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but Annabelle continued with the explanation she was looking for. “Your drop dead gorgeous friend just left. Apparently he knew you’d come here. Before he paid for it he marked the cup himself and left clear instructions on how you liked your coffee,” she said, a swooning expression on her face.

Emily’s eyes instantly dropped to the cup. Her lips curled into a broad smile, proving to herself that, where Taylor was concerned, she was not in charge of her own face. She thanked Annabelle who winked at her, and made her way to the sofa by the window.

Removing the protective sleeve, Emily read the words scribbled in black ink.

With a face-splitting smile at the undisputable proof that he was back in town, she returned the sleeve back to the cup just in time to conceal it from his sister as she passed by the window.

Emily and Zack enjoyed their drinks at their usual table by the bar as Jody moved like the Tasmanian devil around the restaurant. Her ability to multitask was impressive—unlike Emily’s, whose efforts to pay attention to Zack while watching the door of the restaurant was pretty pathetic.

It was almost eight in the evening and Taylor was still a no-show. In an attempt to keep her raging anxiety at bay, Emily followed Jody to the stage. Loving Nickelback, Emily had made a list of requests with the band. “So you’ll play them?” she asked Nick, the band’s lead singer, who was all smiles at her.

Seeing the glimmer in her eyes and the excited look on her beautiful face he’d agreed to the list, thinking it would be his lucky night. Unfortunately for him, he was completely unaware that the only reason the woman was beaming was at her excitement over the song list.

“Of course, how could I ever say no to that pretty face?” he answered, taking a step forward in her direction.

A cold wave washed over Emily and she took a step back. Trying to be polite, she hid her unease at Nick’s flirting behind a shy smile. “Thank you. You’ve just made my night.”

“Hell . . . I was hoping to be the one to do that.” A deep voice said from behind her.

Emily turned towards the source of it, her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipping a beat. A deep, embarrassed blush made its way up her neck and face at the same time. Her previously shy smile morphed into one that defined happiness. “Hi.”

Taylor’s lips were pressed into a hard line, and his eyes were narrowed as he stared intently at a scowling Nick. After a few beats, his eyes found hers and held them as his lips turned into smirk. “Should I come back later?” he asked pretending to be walking away.

Emily choked on a frustrated laugh, and held his arm with one of her hands. Her grasp was gentle yet firm. When she turned back to Nick, she barely noticed that his deep green eyes had changed from hopeful to bitter. “Thank you again for playing the songs, Nick. And you better rock it, because there’s a Canadian in the house tonight.”

“I always do, Emily,” he said with a challenging look at Taylor, who was staring firmly at him. The exchange between both men was as brief as it was intense. Softening his look, Nick returned his eyes to Emily. “But tonight, I’ll sing for you.”

Emily’s face burned with mortification and fear. She drew a sharp breath, as her feet seemed to be frozen in place. She gripped Taylor’s arm so tightly her knuckles went white, and she could feel his skin growing hot under her palm.

Red was the predominant color in Taylor’s face, but in his case it wasn’t embarrassment—it was pure anger. In his teenage years he’d never been one to deliver violence for free, though in all honesty, he was never opposed to it and had, on many occasions, used his massive body and brutal strength to defend his friends and girlfriends. However, he wasn’t one to punch a man for flirting with his single friend, but heavens knew how much he wanted to.

Once Nick was far away from her and paying attention to his band mates, Emily was able to relax. “You’re here,” she said, clearing his head of the ridiculous angry thoughts.

He looked down at the beautiful face that hadn’t left his mind since he saw her at Starbucks three weeks ago, and smiled. “Of course I am. Didn’t I tell you I was coming?” With careful fingers he removed the small hand that still had a steel grip on his arm and held it in his. “How was your afternoon?”

Emily’s eyes lowered to their adjoined hands. She searched for the panic or unease that should be consuming her, but found none. With a shy smile, she looked up at him through her thick lashes. “It was great, and I had a perfect cup of free coffee.”

He chuckled before answering. “I’m glad it was perfect; that was the plan.” The smile on his face was a mirrored image of hers. “What are we doing tonight? I mean, other than listening to your
friend
over there sing for you?” His voice dripped with disgust and annoyance.

“I don’t really know him, and thank you for stepping in. I hate when guys talk to me like that, it always makes me beyond uncomfortable,” she admitted.

He chuckled with smugness, as he answered with words that couldn’t be truer. “It was my pleasure, and I’ll gladly keep men away from you as often as you desire.”

She giggled at his offer. “I might take you up on that.”

“In that dress, you’ll have to. You look beautiful by the way,” Taylor said. He hoped he wasn’t overstepping his limits, but she looked so damn pretty in that yellow and gray short t-shirt dress, that he just couldn’t help it.

Charlotte’s voice telling her to enjoy the good shit filled Emily’s mind and, just like that, all the confusion and unease about her feelings was gone. She focused on how happy and safe and peaceful she felt with Taylor by her side, and how much she enjoyed his friendship.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him the way she did every time one of her friends complimented her looks. “I don’t do dates, remember? The only chance I have to doll up is when I’m going out with my friends.”

“Lucky us.” He laughed. “So what are we doing tonight?”

“We’re having dinner with my other lucky friends. It’s about time you guys meet properly.” Emily towed him by the hand to their usual table where Zack and Jody talked animatedly while shamelessly ogling Taylor. “Fruitcake, Cupcake this is Taylor. Taylor this is Jody and Zack,” she introduced, motioning with her hands between them and settling down on her chair.

“We’ve met. Hey guys,” Taylor greeted with a smile as he sat down next to Emily. “Mind if I crash your party?”

The two friends shared a look. “We most certainly don’t mind, darling,” Jody cooed, batting her eyelashes at him.

Zack started laughing and Emily shook her head. “Will I have to apologize for you, Jody?”

“Oh, shut up Cheesecake, if he’s gonna be our friend he’ll have to get used to me. That’s a fact! He’s good looking, and I bet knows it.” Jody looked at him with a quizzical expression and waited until he nodded, barely controlling the laughter that was threatening to come out. “I have no filter when I’m amongst friends and that’s something we all know, so you all better get used to it.”

“And that’s why we love you, Cupcake,” Zack said, in between laughs.

Emily lightened up and laughed along with her friends. “That and the free food.”

Jody answered Emily’s comment by sticking her tongue out, who responded with the same gesture before continuing, “Let’s order. I’m wasting away here.”

As Jody and Zack signaled for a waitress Emily turned to look at Taylor, who was looking between her and her friends with an amused expression. “Alone, we’re all responsible and respectful grownups, but together . . . we can be worse than teens.”

“I’ve noticed. So, Jody has no filter?” Taylor asked with a smirk.

“None whatsoever, and that’s why Emmy got to meet my new
boyfriend
and she hasn’t,” Zack answered.

Both women looked at him with wide eyes. Where relationships were concerned, Zack did casual, not serious. His last official boyfriend had been in med school. Hearing the word “boyfriend” coming out of his mouth was a shock.

The three friends hardly took notice of the blond waitress who approached their table. The woman just stood there, waiting for them to finish their silent conversation. With other tables to attend to, the waitress called them twice before Jody turned around and placed their usual order. “We usually have burgers on Friday, but you can have whatever you want, Taylor. It’s on the house,” she informed him, warmly.

Taylor ordered the same burger he ate weeks before with his brother and a Mountain Dew, then thanked the waitress and returned his attention to the conversation at the table.

Jody pressed Zack for various details about his relationship in a way only she could, while Emily looked at him with adoring eyes.

Zack tried to look annoyed at Jody’s questions, but he was so damn happy that he couldn’t. “There’s not much to tell, J. We have a lot in common and I really like him. I’m at my happiest whenever we’re together. So, when I dropped him off at the airport today, I asked him. And you know what? It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”

Both girls hugged and kissed their friend, showering him with congratulations and happy wishes. Once the squeaks died down, Taylor also congratulated Zack with kind words and a few pats on his back.

Brad followed the waitress out of the kitchen for a quick check-in with his friends. Jody made a point in sharing Zack’s good news and introduced Taylor before her friends could do it themselves. The two men got along instantly, and by the time Brad returned to the kitchen, they even had a game of pool scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

For the next hour, Jody and Zack flooded Taylor with countless questions concerning everything from his trip to China to growing up in Canada. Emily had a few questions of her own but mostly she listened to him, cherishing every bit of new information she received in the same way she did with every picture and email they exchanged.

At ten, after a quick announcement from Jody, Nick and his band took the stage. His eyes scanned the room and, as soon as they met Emily’s, a slow, broad smile stretched across his lips. “Hello guys. I told a beautiful woman I would sing for her tonight and I will. But, I do hope you all enjoy yourselves. This first song is called ‘Gotta Be Somebody.’”

The song was the first one on her list, and one she absolutely loved. But, instead of enjoying the music and dancing like she wanted to do, she simply stared at the stage with her face in flames. She knew most women would be flattered by Nick’s gesture. Most would call it romantic and charming—but Emily wasn’t most women. To her, his actions were unwanted and invasive, which left her somewhere between angry and terrified.

“I told you I would keep men away from you if you want.” Taylor’s voice came from beside her. He sounded just as worked up as she felt. “What I didn’t say is that, if you give me the okay, I can easily break arms and legs.”

Emily looked at him with gratitude in her eyes, and a small laugh playing on her lips. “That’s the weirdest and nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. And I’ll let you know if it ever comes to that, but for now, just stay close, please.”

Taylor did as asked. Even when they got up from their chairs to enjoy the music he was by her side, watching for any male threats. A few girls approached him with smiles and giddy eyes. All of them met the same fate: a small smile and a polite dismissal. To some of the more persistent ones he pointed to Emily, saying he was with her.