Exception (17 page)

Jody smirked at her friends. “Yeah, and who knows, he might be a monk.” With that they all started laughing again and changed the subject to lighter topics.

The hours passed quickly and the coffeepot ran dry, but the four of them still sat on the bed talking. Jody was telling everyone of the pressure Brad’s parents were putting on her to set a date for the wedding and how their patience was dwindling, when Emily’s phone beeped from the bedside table next to Zack.

He handed it to her without even looking at the screen, too caught up in his conversation with Jody and Brad. Emily’s lip turned the smallest smile as she saw the text.

Taylor: Good morning. R u still asleep?

Emily: Nope, we’re having bkfst in bed. :) When r u picking me up? Good morning, btw.

Taylor: By we you mean . . . ? How ‘bout in 1hr.

Emily: All of us! It’s pretty crowded in here 2day. :) I’ll b ready.

Taylor: C u soon.

“Was that Taylor, Cheesecake?” Jody asked when the final text alert sounded.

Emily smiled at them and climbed out of bed. Her already good mood had escalated. “Yep, he’s picking me up to go running in an hour.”

Leaving her friends alone in her bed, she waltzed into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she returned to her room wrapped in a robe and relaxed after her warm shower. The three people sitting on her bed were telling jokes and laughing like children. In the walk-in closet, she put on a pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra and walked back to the room with her Nikes in hand. Stopping at the dresser, she picked one of her favorite cut-out tees and a pair of socks and went and sat on the edge of her bed.

Running had done wonders for Emily’s figure. Her abs, thighs and butt were tight which she was extremely proud of, even though she hardly ever paraded them around.

“Damn, I need to start running,” Jody said, as Emily pulled the t-shirt over her head. “You look nothing like a cheesecake at all.”

Emily laughed. “Well, sweetheart, you, on the other hand, look just like a cupcake, with all that frosting on top,” she teased, moving her hands above the area of Jody’s vast chest.

“Oh yeah . . . ” Jody wrinkled her nose and pinched her discreet muffin top. “Sometimes I feel like a frosted muffin.”

A roll of laugher followed.

“I don’t care if you’re a cupcake or a frosted muffin. You’re delicious, just the same,” Brad said. His love declaration and playful bite to her neck earned him an “awww” from Emily and a “get a room” from Zack. Being silly with her friends was one of Emily’s favorite things in the world, and in that moment she wished that Taylor were here with them. The group just didn’t feel complete without him anymore.

Minutes passed with the four friends talking and laughing as Emily fixed her hair in a ponytail and applied the light make-up she was now using when running. She felt extremely thankful that her friends didn’t comment or tease her about it.

When her phone beeped with another message from Taylor letting her know that he was downstairs, neither of her friends moved from their spots or even discussed leaving. She kissed Z and J’s cheeks and bumped fists with Brad before asking them to clean up and lock the door as they left.

“So are you going to say yes to him?” Zack asked.

Emily said nothing, just smiled and winked as she left the room. She was almost at the door when Jody’s yelling voice came from her room. “Just say yes to him, Emmy.”

And with that she was out the door, laughing.

Taylor was leaning against the side of his Jeep in black running trunks, a white tee and sunglasses. Emily had to admit, he looked gorgeous like that. The thought brought a mental picture of Jody swooning at the sight of him. She walked toward him and wished him a good morning. A huge smile broke on Taylor’s lips, as he answered, “It is now.”

He opened the passenger door for Emily and only after she settled in did he make his way around the car, plopping himself on the driver’s seat. As soon as his door closed behind him, he reached to the floor and retrieved a small shopping bag. “These are for you.”

Emily looked from the bag in his hands to his face, and then repeated the motion twice more. She took it from his hands and, with curious eyes, peeked inside. Amongst a series of postcards from all of the places he’d visited during his trip was a small Terracotta figurine, a refrigerator magnet from the Great Wall, a white silk scarf from Lhasa and a t-shirt from Hong Kong Disneyland Park.

“I tried to get a postcard everywhere we went, and the other stuff is from all the places you said you were green over.”

His words made Emily take her eyes from the tokens in her hands and look at him. He kept being thoughtful, which wasn’t something she was used to and, therefore, she was left at a loss for words.

With a big, bright smile on his lips, Taylor continued, “I told you I’d try to make it up to you. Did it work?”

“Yes,” she answered, laughing. “Thanks, it was a really nice surprise.”

“Glad you liked it. East Rock?”

Emily nodded and he turned the car in the direction of the park, with a million-dollar smile on his lips. She returned her gifts to their bag, anxious to get home and find places for each of them.

They talked about their respective mornings. Emily told him how the breakfast in bed had happened and how much he was missed. For obvious reasons, she left out the part of the conversation that involved him.

When she asked Taylor about his morning, he told her about taking Penelope to a diner for breakfast, since she didn’t have anything edible in her apartment, and staying with the plumber who’d returned to finish the job he’d started the afternoon before.

When Taylor parked his car by the high school, Emily was telling him the story of how the Saturday breakfast tradition begun. Hearing Emily talk about how Jody had just showed up at her apartment for breakfast at ten in the morning on the first Saturday after she’d decided that Emily would be her second best friend, left Taylor once again amazed at Jody’s abilities to make even the most annoyingly invasive actions seem sweet and thoughtful.

He loved to hear Emily talk about her friends; she had a different look in her eyes and a special smile on her lips whenever she spoke of them. “And how did the arrangement with Zack start?”

“About a month after we met,” Emily started as they walked to the warm-up spot. “Z was invited to attend this charity event on behalf of his boss, Larry, who would be traveling that weekend and would be unable to attend. He was bitching so hard about going alone and not knowing anyone that I volunteered to go with him.

“We ended up having a great time. A few weeks later I had a book launch that the girls from the blog wanted me to cover in NYC, and Zack invited himself to accompany me. We both realized it was so much better doing those things together, so we made the arrangement.”

“And what were the terms of the arrangement?” Taylor asked, looking for a way to revisit their conversation from the night before.

Emily began her series of stretching exercises. Taylor followed suit, forcing his mind to pay attention to his own movements instead of hers.

“We were to participate in any social event, of professional or personal nature, that the other one required, as long as it didn’t conflict with our professional obligations. Other than that, there were only two rules. First, look and act appropriately. And secondly, keep each other company and look after one another during the
entire
event.”

Taylor laughed at her last words. “It seems simple and reasonable enough for me.”

Emily finished her movements and looked at him with questioning eyes and a smile. The agenda behind his question had completely evaded her. Now, catching onto his intentions, she wanted to giggle. Zack was right; Taylor really was set on making the arrangement work.

“So, I’ve come up with the full list of reasons why you should accept my offer,” Taylor continued in a very businesslike tone as they began their warm-up lap.

Though she hadn’t completely decided to accept his offer, she was definitely leaning that way.
Why not
, she thought.
We have fun together and he has my back
. It had potential to be a great decision.

There was, though, still the question of him meeting someone and ditching her, which secretly scared her. However, she was determined to do what Zack suggested and be honest. She had even come up with a possible new rule: no hooking up with anyone on events they attended together.

“Make your case then,” she answered with a playful smile, curious to know what he’d come up with.

His small smile widened. “Let me start by reinstating the information I offered last night. I’m, in fact, a single man, who has a very socially demanding job.” Emily nodded, trying to control the giggle that threatened to come out. His professional tone was incredibly amusing.

“With that premise, I present the following points to be taken into consideration.” A small chuckle vibrated in his chest. “First of all, regarding rule number one. You’ve seen me in casual wear, so you can be the judge of that. When it comes to formalwear I own a wide selection, ranging from designer suits to tuxedos—and it must be said that I look damn good in all of them.”

That was too much for Emily, who let out the giggles that were stuck in her throat. “Do you really?”

“Yes, and I am prepared to offer references and photographic evidence if needed,” he informed.

A new wave of laughter came out. “Very good, your casual wear has been noted and approved. The references and photos won’t be required at the present time, but I’ll keep them in mind in case there’s ever need for them. And what about swimwear?”

Taylor raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you attend many poolside events?”

“I might in the future. You never know with these things,” Emily teased. “And as a possible FB I need to know if you’ll show up in some weird white speedos.”

Her teasing tone and playful smile were mirrored in his expression. To anyone else, their teasing might be seen as flirting, but to them, they were just a couple of friends having fun.

He smirked at her and used his best double-meaning voice when he spoke again. “In that case, there’s no reason for fear. I’m a trunks kind of man, and answering the next question, I look even better in swimwear than I do in formal.” She narrowed her eyes at him. Holding his laughter in, he returned the look. “Do you require photographic evidence of that?”

She held her stare, thinking about how Jody would freak out with that photo. “I just might. Go on.”

“I have nothing to hide, and don’t forget I might ask the same.” He chuckled and continued. The smugness in his voice was very amusing. “Continuing on rule number one, I have excellent table manners, which can be confirmed by my very meticulous mother. I’m also very well read and have traveled most of the world, making me excellent at bringing up interesting topics and intelligent remarks to any given conversation.”

Emily was holding back her laughter. She nodded for him to continue. “I have an unusual job which most people find fascinating and, as you’ve probably noticed, I can be incredibly charming.”

“Oh yes, there’s no doubt about that,” she replied, faking sarcasm. “Is that all?”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “Why? Aren’t you already convinced?”

Emily answered with a knowing smile and a slow shrug of her shoulders.

“Then no, I’m prepared to do this for as long as it takes to convince you. But now it’s running time. Since I’ve noticed that your safety is a big deal to you, I’ll leave you something to think about regarding that. I’m fully trained in Krav Maga.”

She was still processing the information when he took off running, forcing her to sprint to catch up to him. As they did that first week, they kept pace with each other and didn’t speak, both concentrating on their breathing. However, they shared smiles and touched each other’s arms almost as if they were playing tag. Every once in a while one of them would speed up a little and the other would run faster to catch up. The company was fun and natural.

The Krav Maga thing definitely piqued Emily’s interest. Years before, she’d taken a few self-defense classes with Charlotte. She remembered the instructor mentioning something about the style being the most effective when fending off against an attacker. And, even though Emily knew she could hold her own, knowing he was not only tall and buff but also fully trained in martial arts made her feel even safer than she already did with him.