Unexpected Love (4 page)

Seven

As they came out of the diner, she looked at him, “I can be scary, by the way.”

“If you say so.”  He didn’t look at her but he was grinning.

She was about to retort back but a woman walked by with her tiny dog at the end of a leash.  Taylor stopped and exclaimed, “He’s so cute.”

The dog wagged his tail at her and his owner beamed, “Thanks.  His name is Jack.”

Taylor bent over to reach the little dog whose front paws were on her leg and almost lost her balance but Sean put an arm around her waist to steady her. 

“Hi, Jack.”  She rubbed the dog’s neck and back.  She pretended like she had not been about to kiss the pavement. Or that she didn’t feel his warm body pressed against her side.  She hoped it was not obvious to the woman at least.  Sean had been paying attention.

His owner said, “He really likes you.  He’s spoiled rotten.”

Taylor was still bent over, rubbing his head, “Of course you are.  That’s because you are too cute.”  She was barely able to stay where she was, if it hadn’t been for Sean holding on, she was sure she would be on the pavement.  Her legs were starting to get shaky.

“It was nice to meet you both.  Bye, Jack.  Take good care of your momma.”

The woman laughed, “Oh he does.  Have a nice day.”  She turned and continued down the street with little Jack trotting in front of her.

She looked sideways at Sean and whispered, “Help.  I’m stuck, can’t straighten up.”

He put his free hand under her shoulder and she grabbed his arm as he helped her stand upright.  He shook his head at her, “Did you forget you can’t do that?”  One eyebrow was raised at her.

She nodded her head.  She blushed in embarrassment and Sean felt bad for saying anything.  He said softly, “That’s okay.  You made the dog and his owner happy.  Besides, I got to be useful too.”

She giggled, “As the man who kept me from kissing the pavement?”

He smiled back, “Sure.  Everyone needs to feel useful.”

“Well, you definitely are.”

Sean thought about her last remark as they walked to his truck.  

As they crossed the parking lot, a woman and her little girl got out of the car next to Sean’s truck.  The pigtailed girl looked about three years old and she smiled and waved shyly at Taylor.  Taylor stopped and started to bend down, but Sean grabbed her arm and forced her to stand at least mostly upright.  She tried to ignore him and spoke to the little girl, “Hi.  What’s your name?”

Her mother smiled at her and nodded so the little girl answered, “Susie.”

“I love your pretty dress, Susie.  I love butterflies.”  Her yellow dress was covered with brightly colored butterflies.

“I love butterflies too.  Guess what?”

“What?”

“I got a reward for cleaning my room.  We are going there.”  She pointed at the diner.  “I’m going to get some ice cream too.”

“Wow.  Good job.  Ice cream too.  I love ice cream.”

“Me too.”  The little girl giggled.

“Congratulations on doing such a good job.”

Susie giggled again and threw her little arms around Taylor’s neck, pulling her down towards her.  Sean reacted quickly and grabbed Taylor’s waist to keep her from falling as she hugged the little girl and said good bye.  Her mother took her hand and led her into the restaurant.

Sean hugged her tightly to his side and put an arm under hers to help her stand upright.  Goose bumps broke out all up and down her arms.  She could feel the electricity charged air.  She glanced at the blue sky half expecting gray stormy clouds overhead.

Taylor sneaked a peek at Sean who was staring at her, “It’s impossible for you to stay out of trouble, isn’t it?”

“You have the totally wrong impression about me.  I’m very boring and never get into trouble.”

“I doubt that.”

“Doubt what?”

“That you are boring.  The trouble part is definitely true.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m not a trouble maker.”

“If you say so.”

She laughed, “Thanks for coming to my rescue.  Again.”

They exchanged smiles before he lifted her up and into the truck.

Eight

Twenty minutes later she stood in stunned silence when she received the report about her car.  “It’ll take anywhere from 10 to 14 days to get all the parts in.”  The mechanic had informed her with a shake of his head.  “Sorry.  The factory is back logged and this has to be custom ordered.”

Then it would take him another two days to get it in good running order.

He asked in his drawl, “Do you want me to put the order in?”

She simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. 

What choice did she have?  She couldn’t go anywhere without it. 
Six hundred fifty dollars just for parts?
  Plus labor.  Plus a room for the time she had to stay and meals.  She didn’t have a lot of money at her disposal and this would use it up faster than she could recover.  Maybe she would have to get a temporary sit down job to tide her over sooner than she had counted on.  She wasn’t strong enough yet, but soon.   She felt more than a little defeated.

Sean led her back to the truck.  He could tell the news had hit her hard but she was doing her best not to show it.  He wasn’t sure what to say.  Nothing he could say would make the news any better.  He wondered if she had the money.  She had said fix it, so she might, but she also had no job so her funds had to be limited.

Before she got in, she looked at him, “Did you understand anything he said back there?”  She gave him a bewildered look.  “Is he telling me the truth or just trying to get money?”  She had recently seen on the news about mechanics who took advantage of owners and charged more and did more than was necessary.  Was she hoping that it would not cost so much?

“Billy is an honest person, I trust him.  Sounds like your car needs a lot of work, but it will run great when he is done.  Don’t worry.  There’s a hotel just down the road that might have a room.  I think the others are booked up.  There’s a NASCAR event going on in Clermont and we get the overflow.”  He knew he was about to do something that was going to surely get him in trouble.  Why he was doing it he couldn’t say.  Something about her had gotten to him.  He just wasn’t sure what “it” was.

Nine

She stood next to Sean, staring at the frazzled desk clerk.  Her frizzy blonde hair was all over the place.  The uniform looked one size too small.  It barely buttoned and even that looked like it was about to pop buttons.  Taylor took it all in peripherally but really didn’t comprehend it.  She was feeling too overwhelmed and dreadfully tired.

Taylor almost broke down into a puddle of tears, but she refused to give in to her roller coaster emotions.  Not in front of anyone.  Especially the man standing next to her.  He might run the other direction.  She wouldn’t blame him.  But she had a feeling he would not.  He seemed like he cared.  At least as much as he would any stranger stranded in town.

One room only, on the top floor and the elevator was not working.  The desk clerk was apologetic and offered a discount for the room. 

She would never be able to climb up and down six flights of stairs, she thought quietly.  What was she going to do? 
Could things get any worse?
  Wait, don’t think that, it probably could.  Don’t bring on more trouble.

Sean looked at her with concern on his face, “It is a really bad day, isn’t it?”  He was worried, she was very quiet.  He was feeling a little guilty as well.  He seemed to hesitate and then he took her hand and led her back to the truck.  “No worries, I have a solution.”  He might just be getting himself into more trouble than he was prepared for.  What was he doing?  He didn’t even want to figure it out.

She was too stunned and too tired to pay much attention to his warm hand interlaced with hers.

When they were sitting in the truck he pulled out his cell phone and called Maggie.  He told her about the car situation.  She could not hear Maggie’s end, but Sean nodded and said yes several times.  Then he looked at her, “Maggie wants us to come over for dinner at 6.  Is that okay?”

She felt like she was trying to walk through a thick layer of mud and her legs were getting more and more stuck as she tried to break free.  Or maybe it was quicksand.  Whatever it was, she was sinking deeper and deeper. 

She looked down at her tightly gripped hands.  She had never felt so unsure of herself and what to do.  Normally she made a decision and went with it.  Her life was so different now.

She kept her eyes down but saw Sean reach over and briefly lay a hand gently on her tightly clenched fists in her lap.  “It’s going to be okay, really it is.  I know it’s all been a bit overwhelming, but you’ll be fine.”

She looked at him with round eyes and whispered, “I feel like I’m stuck on a runaway train.”  Can’t get off, can’t stop the train from barreling down the tracks, no driver.  Going faster and faster.  Disaster ahead.  Or maybe the disaster had already happened and this was the aftermath.  Whichever, she had never felt so out of control.

He gave her an encouraging smile, told Maggie they would be there and hung up. 

As he started the engine he glanced over at her, “I told you I have a solution.”  He tried to look casual and relaxed. 

She watched out the window as they drove, but she saw very little.  She was curious about his solution but she was too busy chastising herself for being emotionally weak and not feeling in control of her life to wonder too much about it.  She hated crying or getting upset in front of people.  Alone was a different story.  She had cried once in the hospital and they had asked her if she needed a psychologist to visit.  She had shaken her head no and made herself stop crying.  They sent one anyways and she had endured half an hour of questions before he left.  She never cried after that, even if she felt like it.

She remembered getting teary eyed on a particularly bad day in the kitchen.  The chef was in a bad mood and he was yelling at everyone, but she had taken the brunt of it.  When he had seen her watery eyes he had yelled, “Don’t you dare start crying in my kitchen!” 

She had almost quit.  But she didn’t.  She had held back the tears and kept working.  He was an award winning chef and she had learned a lot from him.  Besides, it was hard to find another sous chef position.  Especially for a woman in her field and with no culinary degree.  She had gotten the job based on her food and skills.

Had this trip been a really bad idea?  Maybe Lisa had been right and she was not ready.  Was she just being stubborn?  Or stupid? She shook her head slightly. No.  She knew she had to do this.  She could do this.

She sat up straighter in the seat.  Fine, she would deal with this and then go on her way.  She glanced over at her driver.  She was way out of her league with him; in over her head.  Why did she get goose bumps whenever he touched her?  She suspected she knew.  He was gorgeous, kind, easy to talk to, interesting, and he seemed to know her, read her.  Not many men she had been around had been as observant and watched out for her.

Sean knew she had glanced at him a couple of times while he was driving, but he kept his eyes on the road.  She seemed doggedly determined to be independent and he could understand that given her circumstances, but he also did not want to give her any reason to be nervous.  Better to look calm and keep looking forward, he reasoned. 

He hoped his solution was going to work.  She might not go for it, but it was the best solution.  Or was he hoping that it was and why did he care so much?  She was gorgeous and sweet and kind, but again, why was he so interested?  It wasn’t like him.  He was way outside of his comfort zone right now. 

No, she needed this even if she did not think so.   Or was he taking a risk that he shouldn’t?  He was stepping into unknown territory, but he was not someone who backed down from a challenge.  Although, she wasn’t like anything or anyone he had ever faced before.  

She was jerked out of her reveries when they pulled into a driveway.  There was a burgundy car parked on the left side.  He parked on the right side of the driveway.  The house was dark red brick with big windows and a white front porch.  She swung her head around to see no other houses, just a large yard and woods on three sides.  The yard looked neat and clean.  Like everywhere, the grass was thick but browning.

He sounded overly cheerfully as he said, “We’re here.”  He winced inwardly.  So much for sounding casual and confident. 

Ten

“Where’s here?”  She looked at him with unease. 

She glanced around again.  No close neighbors, like she was used to.  She gotten used to living in an apartment, but before that she had rented a room in a small neighborhood where the houses were close together.  There was always someone around. 

Was this a boarding home?  It didn’t look like it.  It looked like a private residence.  Were these friends of his?  Or what if it was a girlfriend’s home?  That would be a nightmare.

He got out and came around to her side.  After he opened the door, he held out his hand, but she did not move.  “Where are we?”

“My place.”

“What?”  She said in a croaky voice.  “I’m not staying here.  Don’t you have a wife or girlfriend that won’t appreciate a stranger around?  I don’t even know you.”  She said it a little too gruffly but she was nervous.  Very nervous.   Alone with him?  How awkward would that be?  What would he want in return?  Most guys would expect payment via sex, wouldn’t they?  He could forget that.  She had checked out his hand for a ring so not likely a wife around.  But some men did not wear a wedding ring, right?

And how uncomfortable would it be if he brought a girlfriend to his house while she was there?  Eeww.  What if they started to make out in front of her?  Just kissing would be awful.  How could she watch him kissing another woman?  Not that she wanted him to kiss her.  But the idea was repulsive.

Maggie had said he was a good guy and she thought so too, but did she dare trust him? How could she when she had just met him?  Sure he was terribly nice and had been considerate and kind so far, but stay alone with him in his house? She considered this a risk and she was not normally a big risk taker unless she knew what the consequences could or would be.  In this situation, she was completely unsure of what those might be.   And what about the goose bumps she was getting every time he touched her?  This might be a big mistake.

Sean could see indecision written all over her face, mixed in with apprehension.  He thought fast.  How to make her see that he was not a threat and he was trying to help her?

“Look, there is no place in town available and this is your best option.  I have three bedrooms so you can have your pick of the two empty ones.  I won’t bother you and you can have some peace and quiet.  Remember, I’m not a criminal or whatever.  Maggie vouched for me.”  He said the last part with a boyish grin.

“Where are the neighbors?”

“Just on the other side of the woods, not far.  If you look hard, you can see a brick house through the trees.  Their name is Johnson.  I can introduce you if it would make you feel better.  Or we can wait until later.  The other side is a nice couple named Breyer.  They are somewhat like Maggie and Walter.”             

She was still not convinced that this was a good idea.  She eyed him, “What about Maggie and Walter?  Do they have a spare room?”

“They just had their daughter and grandkids from out of town leave and they said they were happy to have had them but also happy to have the time alone again.  Do you really want to make them be hosts again right now?  Look, stay one night and if you are that uncomfortable, we’ll find something else.  I promise.  There’s even a lock on the door you can use if you feel you need it.  And your cell phone is charged so you can call for help.  It’s getting late and I know you are tired.  It’s been a long day.”

One night wasn’t so bad, she reasoned.  She would be an imposition on Maggie and Walter and she did not know them any better than she did Sean.  At least he understood her limitations. And she could lock the door and call the police if she had to.  Besides, it would save her on money, right?  And she could hide in the room if someone came over.  She was really tired and the thought of going around to find somewhere was not appealing at all.

Her heart was pounding so hard, she wondered if he could see it pumping against her chest.  Her palms were sweaty. 

Sean waited for her decision, wondering what he would do if she refused.  He was trying hard not to make her feel pressured.

She took his hand and gave him her fiercest look, “There is no reward for this, Sean, so don’t think you’re going to get some, some,” she couldn’t say the word sex, “extracurricular activity during this.  No funny stuff.”

“No, ma’am, no funny stuff.”  He suppressed a happy grin and kept a straight look on his face.  He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he was sure he wanted to get her to stick around a bit more.  He wanted a chance to get to know her.  If asked, he would not have been able to explain why, even he wasn’t sure.

He watched her carefully as she pulled herself up the porch steps.  He punched in the door code and opened the door to let her in. 

“I’ll be right back.  I’ll get your stuff and then show you around.”

She looked around the home with interest.  Not much in the way of decoration.  Or maybe she was used to her small apartment that looked cluttered no matter how she tried to arrange or change it.

There was a picture of a building she recognized on the wall of the living room.  It was in Sydney, Australia, she thought.  Maybe he missed the land of his birth.

Sean showed her briefly around.  The kitchen had a center station, nice appliances, and lots of counter space.  The counter looked like it was stone or marble.  It was much larger than the pitiful nook in her apartment that tried to pass as a kitchen.  She could not suppress a soft gasp and whispered, “This is awesome.”

There was a downstairs bathroom, back deck, dining room, closets, large living room with big TV, and another room that could have been a den.  It had a desk and a computer, a couple of chairs.  Nice spacious rooms.  The furniture looked fairly new.  If she had to guess, he had not lived here a very long time.

“Your house is very nice.”

“Thanks.  I bought it about a year ago from a man who was moving.  I think he had it built just a couple of years before he sold it.  I’m not sure but I think he built it for him and his wife and after the house was done and they moved in, they divorced.  It’s a lot better than the apartment I had been in.” 

He showed her upstairs and she was pleased that she made it although slowly.  She picked the first room at the top of the stairs on the left with a king size bed.  The bathroom was across the hall at a slight diagonal.  She was relieved when he said it was hers, he had one attached to his room.  She couldn’t imagine sharing one with him. 

Sean put her suitcases in the room.  “If you need anything I’m just down the hall.”  He pointed to the right.  “I’ll come back around 5:30?” 

She nodded her head yes and he left her to settle in.

It was a nice room.  The bedroom in her apartment was small and they had set up the hospital bed in the living room because it would not fit.  She laid down on the soft bed.  It was so comfortable that she quickly fell asleep.  She awoke around 5:10 and hurriedly unpacked and got ready to go.