Chapter 5 #2
When she came back with the ice water, rather than drinking it, he would be better off dumping it over his head.
Taylor knew she couldn’t keep hiding in the kitchen whenever her feelings for Justin got too big, too hot, too intense. All he’d said was that he was starved and she’d practically gone up in flames. Even though she very much doubted there had been any undertones or hidden meanings.
When Justin had asked her why she and her boyfriend had finally broken up, all of the reasons she’d given him were true, but she’d deliberately left out the biggest one: He wasn’t you.
Back in college, she’d been too big a coward to let Justin know how she felt. Holding on to her boyfriend had meant that Justin would never consider her anything more than a friend—which also meant that he would never crush her heart if she confessed her feelings and he didn’t return them.
Now, for the first time since their friendship began, they were both single. Four months ago, she might have decided this was her big chance to declare her feelings, and risk having her heart destroyed when he didn’t return them.
But that was before her diagnosis. PKD could be so debilitating—according to her doctor, she’d been losing kidney function at warp speed these past few months—that unless she had a successful transplant, and soon, any crush she had on Justin, especially if he magically felt the same way, could be moot.
He’d already lost his mother to a devastating disease.
She couldn’t let him risk loving another woman whose body was a ticking time bomb.
Reminding herself of all the reasons that being with Justin as more than a friend would never come to fruition helped settle her down as she filled a pitcher with ice water and grabbed two more glasses.
This week was all about rekindling a precious friendship, nothing more.
She wouldn’t let herself get all hot and bothered again.
Feeling better, she went outside. “We were talking about Maddie when the conversation somehow steered off course. She told me a little bit about her restaurant work, and it sounds amazing.”
“I’m really proud of her,” he said with a grin. It was one of the things she loved most about him—how close he was to his siblings. “She’s been working at a restaurant in the city, but I know she’s also been trying her hand at baking on commission for some stores and businesses in the area.”
“Everything she used to make when she was in high school was so good, I can’t wait to see—that should be taste, actually—where she’s taken her talent by now.
” Her slice of pizza was cold as she picked it up, but keeping reminders of heat to a minimum was for the best. “Tell me about Sean next. Although, since I’ve been seeing his photographs everywhere, I have a pretty good idea how he’s doing, at least professionally. ”
“He’s on fire.” Justin took another slice out of the box.
“We always knew he was talented, but it’s nice that the rest of the world agrees.
Seeing his work on the cover of National Geographic was epic.
He tried to play it cool when he called to tell me, but then Serena grabbed the phone and couldn’t stop bubbling over about it. ”
“They really are the perfect couple, aren’t they?”
“Always were,” he agreed, “even though their start was messy.”
Taylor knew all about how Sean and Serena had gotten together at a Stanford frat party when Serena was a freshman and Sean was a junior.
Serena had been the world’s most innocent supermodel-turned-coed, and Sean had been drunk and reeling from his mother’s death.
The next morning, when he’d gone to apologize for coming on too strong and found an overzealous fan bothering her, he’d instinctively protected her—and they’d ended up forging a friendship.
One that had quickly and beautifully turned into love.
“I read Serena’s book. It was fantastic!” Taylor had always been a fan of historical fiction, and even though she was biased, she believed Serena had written a truly compelling Victorian-set mystery. “It almost felt as though she’d lived in Victorian England.”
“They spent a lot of time in England a couple of years back, Serena doing research while Sean took pictures.”
“It’s all so romantic,” Taylor said with a sigh.
One she hoped didn’t sound too envious. “Now give me the dirt on Olivia. I know she’s still working on her PhD, but even though I couldn’t squeeze too much out of her over the phone, I couldn’t help but think she’s focused on more than just work right now. ”
He raised an eyebrow. “I think there might be a secret guy stashed in the shadows somewhere.”
“She told you that?” Olivia and Madison knew firsthand how nuts their brothers could be about vetting the guys they dated.
Taylor had always figured Olivia wouldn’t let on that she was serious about someone until it was a fait accompli, maybe even after eloping, just so her four brothers wouldn’t try to change her mind.
“No,” he admitted. “But she was even cagier than usual.”
“I’ll have to see what I can get out of her at the wedding.” Before he could say anything, she added, “And don’t even think of asking about what I find out, because I’m sure she’ll make me promise not to tell you a thing.”
“You’ve never been able to keep a secret from me,” he said in that low drawl that always gave her thrill bumps.
Somehow, she managed to keep the smile on her face.
Thank God he’d never guessed the biggest secret of all: just how much deeper her feelings for him went than friend.
She’d better move on or risk falling into dangerous territory.
“I already know Drew and Ashley are blissfully happy, and I’d have to be deaf not to hear his songs everywhere. ”
“It’s the same in Germany—in every cafe, restaurant, store, even at work in the lab—his songs are playing. I used to brag about being his brother, but I finally realized I should stop.”
“Why?”
“No one ever believes me once they hear me sing.”
“Sing something for me now.”
“I can’t believe I forgot how evil you can be,” he teased.
“Please. No one has ever covered Celine Dion quite like you.”
Before she could prepare herself, he launched into “My Heart Will Go On,” making her gasp at just how horrible it sounded even as she laughed herself silly.
On nights when she’d wound herself up tight with lab work and test prep at Stanford, he would often surprise her with a Celine Dion song.
Hearing him butcher “The Power of Love” or “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” never failed to loosen her up.
It wasn’t until a couple of dogs in the neighborhood howled that she realized she should shush him. By then, however, he was up out of his seat, putting on theatrical Las Vegas-style moves to go with the words.
Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard. “God, I’ve missed you,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Is your side hurting again?” He’d gone from laughter to concern in a second.
“No.” She was glad it was the truth for once—and also that there was still one more Morrison to ask about to deflect Justin’s attention from her. “I’m assuming Grant is continuing to take over the business world?”
“You know Grant. He’s always on the lookout for another business model to blow up, another industry to turn inside out, another research endeavor to fund.”
“But do you think he’s happy?” Grant had never been anything but kind to her. At the same time, she could never quite read him.
Justin paused to think about her question. “I know it’s important to him that he makes good changes in the world. But I suppose it doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”
“Life’s too short to waste any of it,” she said softly.
“I agree,” Justin said. And then the next thing she knew, he was taking her hand and pulling her from her chair and into his arms.
Wanting nothing more than to melt into him, she made herself stay stiff. “What are you doing?”
“I want to dance with my best friend. And since we both agree that life is short…” He drew her close so that her cheek rested against his chest and she had no choice but to relax into giggles as he started humming Celine Dion again, brutally off-key.
“Why don’t we let the frogs and crickets take care of the music?” she suggested.
And as they swayed together in the faint light of the moon, Taylor knew no night had ever been this perfect. At the end of the week, he would be gone, but she would cherish this moment in his arms forever.