CHAPTER TWELVE
TAYLOR
After receiving a phone call from Whitney, Taylor sat at her desk staring into space. This summer was turning out to be the strangest of all. She and Dani had quickly and forever found love, while Whitney, whom everyone adored, was being besieged by enraged fans who didn’t really know her. It was so unfair.
But Taylor would do as Whitney asked and stay in the city longer than she’d planned. The upside was that she would get to spend some time on Long Island with Cooper and meet more of his friends. So far, the few friends she’d met had seemed very nice.
Taylor padded into the kitchen of her condo where Cooper was sitting at the table in denim shorts and nothing else. She settled her gaze on his broad chest and then at his questioning look, she said, “That was Whitney. Some crazy stuff is going on at home, and she asked me not to return. Some of Zane’s fans are angry with her, blaming her for his death, the father of one of the boys helping to put on a play is upset with her, and now, someone has left a note on the porch saying: ‘I know where you live.’ Pretty upsetting.”
“Is this a matter for the police?” Cooper asked, giving her a look of concern.
“As a matter of fact, Nick slept over on the couch last night and will be looking into the matter.”
“Good. It could be a joke, but it’s important to be sure. Do you mind staying longer than you had planned?”
Taylor smiled at him. “Of course not. I prefer to be here with you, but I want to do my share to help my sisters.”
He pulled her onto his lap. “Mmm, I smell flowers.”
“It’s my shampoo,” she said, laughing when he nuzzled her neck, growling softly.
He lifted his head and kissed her on the lips.
Taylor couldn’t contain the soft moan that escaped her. He made her feel so treasured.
Her phone chimed, and Taylor lifted herself off his lap. Dani.
“Hi, Taylor. Has Whitney talked to you yet?” Dani asked.
“As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone with her. What’s up?”
“I’m trying to get her to leave Lilac Lake for a couple of days, but she refuses. She says she can’t let other people rule her life by talking about making her pay for Zane’s death.”
“What about the note left on the porch?” Taylor asked. “That makes it seem very real.”
“I talked to Nick about it and he’s not sure it’s a threat. He thinks it might be more like someone adding on to the news that’s circulating. But, of course, he’s on it and will be keeping a careful eye on her. If the way he looked at her last evening when the two of them were here for dinner is an indication, I’d say he was very attracted to her.”
“Crystal once told me she thinks Nick has always loved Whitney. Do you think she’d be receptive to that?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Dani. “It’s sometimes hard to tell what Whitney is thinking, but she was definitely responding to his attention. They would make an adorable couple, don’t you think?”
“I do,” said Taylor. “But we can’t push anything, or she’ll put on her ‘I’m-the-big-sister-don’t-tell-me-what-to-do act.’”
Dani laughed. “True. Nick will be keeping an eye on her, but Brad and I will, too. It’s a good thing Whitney has Mindy to warn her about strangers. Dogs are effective deterrents to intruders.”
Taylor had at one time thought she wouldn’t know deep love because she was the only one of the three who didn’t own a dog. She couldn’t own one as long as she lived in the city. Maybe when she and Cooper were spending more time in Lilac Lake, that could happen. But she didn’t need a dog to verify she knew true love. She and Cooper had found it.