Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
T hree crisp knocks at my door pull me from sleep.
There’s only one person it could be.
“Hedlund?” I let out a long yawn, pushing upright.
The door swings open, Taylor’s familiar form filling my doorway. “Sorry, I know it’s early. Have you checked your email? We need to…”
His voice trails off as I rub the sleep from my eyes. I blink away the haze, following his gaze to my chest. And immediately begin to blush.
I’m in my slinkiest pajama set. Pink satin dips low on my collarbones, frilly white lace doing little to obscure the contours of my breasts. One of the spaghetti straps has slipped off my shoulder, dragging the satin halfway down my cleavage.
Taylor jerks his gaze away, coughing as he turns to study my wall. “Sorry! Sorry. I, uh, thought you were decent.”
“I am decent, Hedlund.” I scowl, pulling up my strap. “You act like you’ve never seen a pair of tits before.”
He snaps back around, lips already shaping a comeback…when he seems to think better of it. He clears his throat, fixing his eyes on my face. “The Havens sent us a shopping list. We’ll have to grab some stuff at the mall. If we hurry, we can be back in time to let the plumbers in.”
I groan. Knowing the Havens, their shopping list is about three pages too long. “Fine. I’ll get dressed and meet you there.”
“I’ll drive you.”
I blink. “You wouldn’t mind?”
Taylor stuffs his hands into his pockets. “We’re going to the same place, aren’t we? Seems like a waste of gas to drive separately.”
“Okay,” I say, softer than before. “Thank you. I’ll just need ten minutes to get ready.”
He watches me for a long moment before dipping his head. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
He closes my door gently, making sure it doesn’t slam in his wake. As soon as he’s gone, I jump out of bed. Glancing in the mirror, I let out a curse. I shouldn’t have claimed I’d only need ten minutes. Just brushing the tangles from my hair could take thirty.
I begin yanking the clothes out of my suitcase, tossing the rejects onto my bed. This skirt is too short, that one too long. I’d need to go braless for this ensemble—that one requires a thong.
I push my hands through my hair, my stomach doing little loop de loops. Why do I even care? I’ve pranced around in next to nothing all week…why does today’s outfit matter?
The truth is on the tip of my tongue, so obvious I don’t want to speak it aloud.
When I packed my suitcase, I didn’t give a damn what Taylor thought of me.
How quickly things have changed.
I settle on a yellow sundress that covers me breastbone to shin. But when I make my way downstairs, I swear I can still feel Taylor’s gaze on my ass. The weight of his attention sends a shudder down my spine. I’m still patting down goosebumps when he opens the passenger door of his car.
Music blares from his speakers the second he turns his key in the ignition. I clap a hand over my mouth, recognizing the beat of the pop song.
“What?” He glances over at me, scowling faintly.
I click through the radio stations he’s programmed into his car, a smile growing with each one I recognize. “You like pop music,” I say in wonder. “I thought you’d be one of those pretentious dudes who only listens to 80’s rock.”
Taylor cranks up the volume. “I’ll listen to that, too. As long as it has a—”
“Beat,” I say at the same time he does, a new smile crinkling my eyes. “I can’t believe we have something in common.”
“Well, don’t go around telling anyone. I have a reputation to protect.”
I laugh, surprised Taylor could pull the sound out of me. “You are…something else, Hedlund.”
“And you’re easily impressed.” He glances over at me. “Want to hear something really shocking?”
I turn in my seat, studying the side of his face. He’s as perfect as ever. Glowing tan and a square jaw. That dimple is beginning to show beside his lips, hinting at the smile he’s trying to suppress.
“Hit me.”
“I started season two of Her Duke’s Delight.”
My jaw actually drops. “You watched the entire first season? Already?” I figured Taylor would turn off the TV as soon as I left the room that night. He’s right—hearing the opposite is shocking.
“What can I say? I’m rooting for Miss Hartlocke and the duke.”
“You do realize the second season follows a different couple, right?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, that rake they keep mentioning and a supposed wallflower.”
“It’s a good season.”
“Want to watch it with me?”
My eyes jerk to Taylor’s face. “Yeah, I would,” I admit, surprising myself.
He makes a sound in his throat I don’t know how to interpret. And then we’re pulling into the mall parking lot. I feel a pang of regret when we slow to a stop, the emotion so fleeting I can’t figure out where it came from. But I don’t reach for my seatbelt, don’t make any attempt to exit the car. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to move—or, maybe, I just don’t want to.
Taylor waits for the song to end before cutting the engine. “I can grab all of Victor’s orders. Can you take care of Adoria’s?”
I swallow before murmuring, “Sure. Meet back at the food court in an hour?”
Taylor nods and I have a strange thought as we part ways to do our bosses’ bidding…
We make a pretty good team.
In true Adoria fashion, she ordered more than two arms can carry. I have at least four shopping bags looped around each hand, all of various sizes and weight. Her strangest purchase appears to be a marble flamingo, her smallest being a stationary pen that costs more than everything else I’m holding combined.
I’m distracted, silently praying Taylor has beaten me to the food court, when I hear someone calling my name.
It’s hard enough to balance my bags so I can turn around. But the sight of the man jogging toward me makes me wish I hadn’t made the effort.
“Ayla! I knew it was you.”
He comes to a halt, grinning a too-white smile in a way I used to find charming. Now I see that his lifted lips don’t match the look in his eyes.
“Rob.” I say my ex-boyfriend’s name, realizing it’s been over two years since I’ve heard it uttered aloud. Rose usually refers to him as ‘Pencil Dick’, and I don’t refer to him at all. He’s not worth the waste of oxygen.
“How have you been, Al? You look…the same as ever.” He crosses his arms, and I know him well enough to see through the move. He’s trying to accentuate his veiny biceps. Once upon a time, I thought my ex had a nice body. I fear seeing a shirtless Taylor has changed my standards for good.
“I’ve been fine,” I state, shifting from one foot to the other. My arms are killing me, and even without Adoria’s purchases weighing me down, running into Rob is one more burden than I’m willing to carry.
“Yeah, I’ve been great,” he says, not that I asked. “Been working here for about a year and a half now.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder, drawing my gaze to the luxury car showroom behind us. “It’s killer pay and I get to test drive these babies whenever I want.”
I nod. “That’s great, glad to hear it.” I take a step backward, but Rob doesn’t take the hint.
“What are you doing these days? Still trying to…what was it? Act? How’s that going for you?”
I take a moment to study the man I was once foolish enough to trust. Rob was my first boyfriend, my first lover, my first…everything, really. I used to feel proud standing by his side—or, well, slightly behind and to the left of it. And maybe him dumping me lifted the rose-colored glasses from my eyes, but he doesn’t look the same.
His front teeth are capped with too-large veneers. His hair is a bit greasy on the top and there’s an oil stain on his polo shirt. He has a mustache now, which suits him, I guess, but it doesn’t distract from the fact his eyes keep dipping to my boobs.
“I work for producers,” I say, moving one of Adoria’s bags in front of my chest. “They make movies. Which is great, considering I want to be a screenwriter.” Rob and I dated for three years—he heard me talk about my post-college plans dozens of times. Clearly, he wasn’t listening. “But I’m glad to see you fulfilled your dreams of becoming a pilot,” I add.
The insult goes over his head. “Did you know pilots have to go to a special school?” He shakes his head, making a gagging sound. “Yeah, that was a no . I’ve got a buddy with a sexy little ‘copter. He lets me take her for a spin a couple times a month.”
I genuinely can’t remember a single thing I used to like about this man. Which is strange, considering how long I let myself suffer by his side. And yet…I’ve held onto every fleeting moment Taylor touched a decade ago. Even now, I remember the color of the shirt he wore the day we met. I can’t seem to recall how Rob and I were even introduced.
“I invest now. You know crypto?” he’s saying, still staring at my invisible cleavage. “Working with automobiles has introduced me to a lot of important people. One day I’ll just buy my own plane to fly.”
I don’t mention he’d still need a pilot license. Something tells me he wouldn’t accept the truth—not if it came out of my mouth.
“My little lady is a flight attendant though, so at least I still got to join the mile-high club.” He winks at me, like that’s a perfectly appropriate thing to say to an ex. That you haven’t spoken to in years.
“Wow,” I drawl. “That’s amazing, Rob. So happy for you. Well, look at the time…” I make it another five steps before his voice pulls me back.
“What about you? You’re still single, right?”
My amusement flickers. “I am.”
He chuckles. “Right. Lemme guess, you’re ‘too busy’ to date.” He uses air quotes around the words, smile tilting into a sneer.
Arguing about my schedule was one of Rob’s favorite pastimes. He’d question why I wanted to attend film screenings over his intramural basketball games. If I didn’t respond to his texts within twenty minutes, I’d receive a phone call demanding I share my location. Rob was a controlling, manipulative, toxic asshole. The best thing I ever did was let him take the credit for calling off our relationship. As long as he believed it was his idea to end things, I knew I’d never have to see him again.
And it worked.
Until now.
“You’re right. I’m just way too busy,” I agree, meaning every word. “I’d rather continue making six figures than waste time on a boyfriend who can’t even treat me to lunch.”
His eyes flash, anger darkening his expression. Even in college, Rob couldn’t stand the fact that I made more than him. Of course, he never had a problem when I picked up our dinner tab. But as soon as his buddies realized I was funding our dates, he couldn’t take their jokes. I undermined his value as a man—my ambition meant I didn’t believe in his ability to provide.
“That was always your problem. Who’s going to want to put up with that kind of attitude?” he snarls. “You’re lucky I stuck around for so damn long.”
Lucky? I snort. Rob wasn’t just my first boyfriend—he was the first guy who ever asked me out on a date. The first guy who seemed to like me. He paid me the attention I had craved, and because of it, I stayed with him far longer than I should have. The luckiest thing about our relationship was that it ended.
“It was so great seeing you, Rob,” I say with a smirk. “Give your parents my love. You’re still living in their basement, right?”
With a flip of my hair, I leave him sputtering after me.
I can’t say I’m surprised when I find Taylor standing opposite a petite blonde. The guy gets attention wherever he goes. If he wasn’t my worst enemy slash current roommate, I’d probably follow him around shopping malls, too.
But as I grow closer, something feels off . Taylor’s posture is all wrong. His hands are stuffed in his pockets, his head is tipped down so he doesn’t have to meet the girl’s eyes. Just as he had in the grocery store, Taylor looks like he’s doing his very best to become invisible.
Following my gut, I sidle up to him with a big grin. “Hey baby,” I coo, throwing an arm around his waist. “Sorry I’m late, I—oh, you have company!” I feign surprise, turning to the girl with an apologetic smile.
The first thing I notice is how pretty she is. Big blue eyes and rosy cheeks, with the kind of silken waves my unruly hair needs serious heat to mimic. She looks familiar somehow, though I can’t place from where. She blinks back at me, clearly confused. I peek up at Taylor, praying I haven’t misread the situation and interrupted something important.
He’s silent for one terrible moment. And then a wide smile transforms his face. He reaches out, taking some of the heavier shopping bags off my arm.
“Hey babe,” he says in a voice just loud enough for the girl to hear. “Missed you.”
And then Taylor presses a sweet kiss to the top of my head. I stumble back in shock, careening straight into his chest. He lets out a low chuckle, holding me in place with a large hand on my hip.
“Rachel, this is Ayla. Ayla, Rachel’s an old friend of mine.”
So, he does know her. I smile again, reaching out to shake the girl’s hand. She blinks at my outstretched palm before taking it with obvious surprise. I have to choke down a cough when Taylor’s thumb begins to move, stroking a half-circle against my hipbone. It takes my complete concentration to stifle a shiver.
“Ayla?” she repeats slowly.
I nod, wishing Taylor would chime in and explain who Rachel is and why she seems miffed he’s out with someone who isn’t her. I glance up at him with narrowed eyes, hoping he isn’t using me to crush some one-night stand’s heart.
When he doesn’t fill the silence, I’m forced to let out a cheerful little: “It’s so nice to meet you, Rachel!”
The girl lets out a nervous giggle. It isn’t until she sweeps her hair over her shoulder, fixing Taylor with a pointed smile that it hits me. I know exactly where I’ve seen her before. In the blink of an eye, I’m transported to a high school gymnasium. From way up in the stands, I watch a beautiful blonde run to the boy in a red jersey, pulling him down into a lingering kiss.
Rachel is Taylor’s high school girlfriend. The one he stayed on and off with for years. I remember hearing they had their final breakup when he was a senior in college.
It takes serious effort to keep my jaw from going slack. I’m standing across from Taylor’s first love. The one I used to watch him tuck into his arms. She’s eyeing his hands, and I wonder if she’s remembering how they felt on her waist. Only, now, they’re warming mine.
“I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” she tells Taylor, her voice a little tight.
“We’re trying to keep it under wraps,” he says without skipping a beat. “Ayla and I work together. You know how it is.”
She flinches at the ice in his tone. I glance between them, wishing I knew why they called things off. Judging by the tension in the air, the culprit couldn’t have been something as simple as distance or growing apart.
“We’re running a bit late, baby,” I interject, flashing Rachel another apologetic smile. “But it was great to meet you!”
“Yeah. So great seeing you, Rach,” Taylor adds, flashing her his most insincere grin. I would know—I’ve been on the receiving end of it more times than I can count. “We’re going to head out.”
“So great,” she echoes, giving us a little wave.
Taylor pulls me around, marching us toward the exit. He keeps his hand on my waist long after we disappear from sight. When we reach his car, his grip tightens for a moment before he finally lets it fall.
“Let me get these,” he says softly, reaching for my bags.
I watch as he loads them into the car, not sure what to say. When Taylor finally drops into his seat, all the color is bleached from his face. I swallow, wishing I knew what was going through his head. He glances over me, and the look on his face tells me he’s wondering the same.
We both open our mouths at the same time his phone begins to ring.
He accepts the call with a sigh, eyes on me as he says, “Hedlund speaking.”
I watch irritation ripple across his face as the caller begins to speak. After a moment of silence, Taylor delivers a crisp, “I’ll be there in ten,” before hanging up.
“Plumbers?”
He nods, something unspoken passing through his gaze. I don’t realize I know what it is until we’re halfway home.
Thank you, his look said. Thank you for having my back.
This time, when his car slows to a stop, I’m able to name the feeling building low in my gut. Disappointment. Because for the second time today, I wish our drive didn’t have to come to an end.