Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Taylor had planned on walking downtown on Saturday for the Paw Stroll, but she changed her mind at the last minute. While it wasn’t far, she’d just finished a long run and knew she’d be doing a lot of walking once she got there.
Finding a parking space close to the action proved impossible but luckily, she located a spot only a half mile away. Taylor took her time, savoring the crisp night air against her face, the dried leaves crackling under her feet, and the wonderful aroma of applewood wafting from nearby fireplaces.
The bright sounds floating in the air had her smiling. Jaclyn hadn’t mentioned anything about music. Or balloons. Or food trucks.
Or just how many dogs—and other pets—would be in attendance. She blinked when she saw a ferret perched on a man’s shoulder.
Timeless Treasures came into view. A table containing vintage dog bowls, pet collars, statues of cats and other pet items had been set up out front.
The business had been in the same spot for as long as Taylor could remember. She recognized the woman behind the table as a high school classmate—Sophie Jessup. The dark-haired young woman was having an intense conversation with a man wearing oversized glasses and holding a Boston terrier. When her eyes met Sophie’s, Taylor smiled and wiggled her fingers before moving on.
Cover to Cover displayed various animal-related books, including storybooks and books on dog training and pet care.
Like Timeless Treasures, the bookstore was doing a brisk business. So many people milled around the table and the entrance that Taylor walked on by instead of stopping to browse.
She bypassed several other businesses for the same reason. Instead of shopping, she let her nose lead her to a food truck selling gyros.
A woman in front of her in line brushed a kiss across the silky fur of the Maltese cradled in her arms and crooned, “If you’re a good girl, Daisy Mae, I’ll give you some lamb.”
“Do you think she’ll give me some, too?” a man with a familiar voice said softly into Taylor’s ear.
Taylor whirled, then smiled when she saw Jameson.
“You’d have to be a good boy,” she warned.
“Sorry.” He flashed a smile. “No promises.”
She laughed.
They talked about the menu for a minute before reaching the front of the line and ordering. Once their food was ready, walking to a bench on the square together seemed only natural.
“I’m glad I came tonight,” she told him, then bit into the gyro.
“I considered bringing my cat.”
She choked. Once she regained control, she took a long drink of soda. “You have a cat?”
“I do.” There was that charming smile again. “Some bring their felines to this event, but Aurora doesn’t enjoy the people or the dogs.”
“She doesn’t like dogs?”
“She likes them.” Jameson took a bite of his falafel, washing the ground-chickpea sandwich down with a drink of cola. “In small doses.”
“I never think of a guy having a cat.” The second the words left her lips, Taylor wished she could pull back the rude comment. “I’m sorry?—”
“I wanted a pet,” Jameson said matter-of-factly. “For me, a cat made the most sense.”
“How so?”
“I’m often away from home for long periods. Cats are self-sufficient.” His gaze grew thoughtful. “Dogs can suffer from separation anxiety. You don’t often see that with cats. I can be gone all day on a stakeout, and as long as she has food, water and her litter box, she’s happy.”
“What kind is she?”
“Sawyer says domestic shorthair with maybe a touch of Maine coon.”
“Is she large?”
“Not that big. Fifteen pounds.”
“That sounds big to me.” Taylor lowered the sandwich in her hand. “How does your roommate like her?”
“I live alone.” Jameson shrugged. “When I come home after being out all night on a job, the last thing I want is someone around.”
“You don’t get lonely?” Not your business , Taylor told herself when he hesitated. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“That’s okay. You can ask me anything.” He took another bite of his sandwich. “I don’t mind.”
“Even if it’s about your parents?”
“That didn’t take long.” He slowly lowered his cup of soda. “What do you want to know?”
“Did it feel like a betrayal?”
He blinked. Whatever question he’d expected her to ask, it obviously wasn’t this one.
“Hmm.” Jameson’s eyes grew distant as if he was looking back. “ Did what they did feel like a betrayal? I guess, in many ways, it did. I thought I knew them, but I was wrong.”
“I’m surprised you stayed in GraceTown. I’d have left town and never looked back.”
“I was fifteen.” Jameson’s gaze remained steady on her face. “Where would I have gone?”
Taylor remembered too late that Jaclyn had said he’d been in high school. “Where did you go?”
“Into foster care.”
Taylor inhaled sharply.
He lifted a hand. “I got lucky. The MacDonalds became my family. They’re still my family.”
“Did they adopt you?”
He shook his head. “My parents wouldn’t sign off. That’s okay. Now I’ve got two sets of parents.”
“I don’t know all the specifics, but it sounds like your mom and dad swindled a whole lot of people.”
“They did.” His tone remained matter-of-fact. “But their mistakes aren’t mine. After their duplicity came out, even though I’d never been in trouble, many looked at me with suspicion. Some still do. Not your dad. Bob never made me feel like I was less because of their actions.”
“Do you resent them for abandoning you?”
After a moment, a knowing look filled his eyes. “I’ve learned, as I’m sure you have, that things are never quite as cut-and-dried as they might seem.”
She ignored her phone's buzzing until Jameson gestured to her bag. “Go ahead and check if you want. It could be Blount. I heard he’s back in town.”
Pulling out the phone, Taylor glanced at the screen, then quickly responded. When she finished, she looked up at Jameson. “You were right. Mr. Blount is back in town. He wants to meet Monday morning to go over my dad’s will.”
Jameson kept the conversation easy as they strolled down the River Walk. Though his mind kept circling back to Taylor’s upcoming meeting with Blount, he told himself there was no point in speculating. Either Bob had left him his share of the business, or he hadn’t.
Either way, the company would be his. Taylor certainly didn’t want it. She hadn’t shown any interest in Elite since her arrival in GraceTown. If Bob had left his share to her, Jameson would buy her out.
She stopped at a rail to gaze down on Cripple Creek, the stream of water that ran through this part of GraceTown.
“Have you thought any more what the ‘don’t sell’ could mean?” Jameson heard himself blurt.
Where had that question come from? Hadn’t they talked enough about the coat and the notes on Wednesday? Perhaps her upcoming meeting had him more stressed than he’d realized.
Taylor turned, placing her back against the rail. The action brought her body only inches from his.
“I don’t know.” Her lips pursed. “It could be any number of things. His car, the jacket itself, the house.”
“I don’t think it’s the car. Bob spent most of this year car shopping. The Chevy has intermittent electrical problems that no mechanic has been able to pinpoint. It’s not a vehicle you can rely on.”
Taylor gave a slow nod as if the puzzle pieces were falling into place. “If he needed to be somewhere or to follow someone?—”
“He could end up having a car that wouldn’t run. Can’t have that.”
“Okay, so not the car. I have to admit I’m relieved. I don’t want to keep it.”
“But you’d have kept it if you thought that’s what he meant?” Jameson couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice .
“Yes, because he would have had a reason. One I’d have to hope I’d understand in time. Thank goodness I don’t have to keep it.” Taylor swept the air with her hand as if pushing the car off a cliff. “The jacket, then. Maybe he knew something was going to happen to him, and when people were going through his stuff, he wanted them to save the coat.”
“Maybe,” Jameson mused, “but we’re assuming the note was for you. Why would he think you, of all people, would sell his favorite coat?”
“Our assumption could be wrong.”
“It could, sure. Then again, your dad wasn’t in the habit of telling strangers he loved them.”
“No, he wasn’t.” Taylor sighed. “The house, then.”
Jameson nodded. “That’s a possibility. It’s the house you grew up in, right? I could see Bob being sentimental about that. Then again, if you decide you want to move, the money from selling it would give you the chance to do so.”
“My dad never once tried to guilt me for moving away from GraceTown. I can’t imagine he’d try to stop me from going now. If that’s what I wanted, I mean.”
“Do you know what you want to do?”
“I’m staying.” She might have said more, likely would have said more, but stopped, and her eyes lit up. She pointed. “Look. It’s Sawyer. Let’s say hello.”
Because he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd, Jameson took her hand as they wove their way through the crowd of people and animals to where Sawyer was waiting in a line at a table outside a pet store.
Sawyer’s back was to them when Jameson tapped his friend on the shoulder.
Sawyer turned, a brown-and-white Shih Tzu in his arms, and surprise sparked a smile. The woman at his side, Annie Laggett, also turned and offered a smile.
Jameson didn’t know Annie well, although he vividly recalled his father’s frustration over being unable to work any deals with her prominent family.
“Annie, I don’t believe you’ve met Taylor Higgs. She’s the daughter of my business partner.” Jameson left it at that, then continued the introduction. “Taylor, this is Annie Laggett. She’s the director of Accounting at SensorTech.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m sorry about your father.” A softness filled Annie’s voice. “I didn’t know him, but I know what it’s like to lose your dad.”
Taylor cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
Before more could be said, the woman from the gyro truck appeared and let out a delighted cry. “Look, Daisy Mae, she’s got a gingham ribbon in her topknot, just like you.”
It took Jameson a moment to realize the woman was talking about Annie’s Shih Tzu, George.
“She’s gorgeous.” Annie held out a tentative hand. “May I pet her?”
“Daisy Mae would be upset if you didn’t.” The woman lowered her voice as if not wanting Daisy Mae to overhear. “She can be a bit of a diva.”
Jameson swallowed a laugh.
Annie gently stroked the top of the Maltese’s head. After Daisy Mae licked Annie’s hand, the woman and her little diva moved on.
When Annie saw the Shih Tzu watching her, she gave him a comforting pat. “It’s okay, George. I didn’t tell her you weren’t a girl because, well, what would be the point? Anyway, you know you’re my favorite boy.”
“Hey,” Sawyer said, feigning outrage. “What about me?”
Easy and comfortable, as if they’d been a couple for years instead of just a few months, Annie leaned over and brushed her lips against Sawyer’s cheek. “You’re my favorite man.”
“Not to cut the lovefest short…” Jameson glanced pointedly at Sawyer. “But Glenna wants to know if you’ve found an apartment ye t. The people in the adjacent duplex unit are planning to give their notice this week.”
“Be sure to tell Glenna I appreciate her thinking of me.” Sawyer glanced at Taylor. “I was filling in for my dad and staying at my parents’ home while they were on vacation. When I decided to remain in GraceTown, I wanted my own place.”
Taylor nodded. “It’s nice to be close to family, but not down-the-hall close.”
“Exactly.” Sawyer laughed, then returned his focus to Jameson. “Again, thanks to you and Glenna for keeping your ears to the ground, but I have a place. I moved in with Annie last weekend.”
“That was fast.” Jameson immediately backtracked. “I mean, congrats.”
“It was fast.” Sawyer brought Annie’s hand to his lips for a kiss. “But when it’s right, it’s right.”
Annie’s expression softened. “When I look to the future, his is the face I see.”
Only then did Jameson see the huge, glittery diamond on her left hand.
“What a gorgeous ring.” Taylor stepped forward, and Annie obligingly lifted her hand. “I love emerald-cut diamonds. When’s the wedding?”
“Next June.” Annie’s face took on a happy glow. “We both want an outdoor ceremony and reception. June is the best month weatherwise.”
“It also gives you time.” Taylor smiled. “From what I’ve observed, weddings take a lot of planning.”
“It sounds like you’ve been speaking with my mother.” Annie chuckled. “Who am I kidding? We’re both excited about the planning.”
“You’re lucky to have her.”
Though Taylor’s tone gave nothing away, Jameson knew she had to be thinking of her rocky relationship with her own mother.
As Annie and Sawyer reached the front of the line, talk turned from mothers and weddings to dog biscuits, cookies and specialty treats.
“I can help whoever is next over here.” A clerk in a blue smock covered in various brightly colored pawprints waved them over.
Taylor squeezed Annie’s arm. “It was wonderful meeting you. Hopefully, our paths will cross again.”
Annie smiled back. “I’m sure of it.”
Once they were alone again, Taylor glanced at Jameson. “You know what struck me as we were talking?”
Jameson shook his head.
“You and Glenna knew more about what was happening with my dad than I did.”
“Don’t beat yourself up.” Without realizing what he meant to do until it had already happened, Jameson slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze.
Concerned he might have overstepped, Jameson dropped his arm. Still, he knew Bob wouldn’t want Taylor to feel bad. “Glenna and I saw him every day. You know how it is with people in the same office—they often know more about what’s going on in your life than the people you live with.”
“You had no idea what your parents were up to,” Taylor said it as a statement, not a question, her eyes soft and filled with understanding.
“I didn’t. Most of those he defrauded don’t believe me, but it’s true.” Jameson shrugged. “I was a kid. I had my studies, sports, and a girlfriend. I had no time—or interest—in their investments.”
Taylor nodded slowly. “I understand what you’re saying, but it still hurts to realize I knew so little about what was going on in my dad’s life.”
“You knew the important stuff. ”
She arched a brow.
“You knew he was a stand-up guy who went to work every day and did his best. You knew that he was a good friend and an excellent father. More importantly, you knew he loved and was proud of you.”
Tears flooded her eyes before she could blink them back. Then she grasped his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you for that, Jameson. It makes me feel better to?—”
“Taylor.”
Jameson looked around to see who’d shouted her name. The question was quickly answered when Polly, Zach and their kids and dog swarmed around her.
“Polly,” Taylor sputtered. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“We’re always here,” Mason piped up.
Jack nodded in agreement. “Every year.”
“The boys are right.” Polly ruffled Mason’s dark hair. “We never miss. Bentley loves it.”
The dog tried to jump up on Taylor, but Lulu stepped forward and pushed him down with a firm hand. “Bentley, sit.”
The dog looked up at the girl with adoring eyes and thumped his tail.
A large German shepherd strolling by spotted Bentley and let out several loud woofs before being corrected by his owner.
Bentley released a dozen rapid-fire barks in return before Lula brought the cockapoo back under control.
Polly glanced around and beamed. “We love the Paw Stroll. Don’t we, kids?”
“Yeah.” The enthusiastic chorus of voices, coupled with a couple of woofs from Bentley, had Taylor wincing.
Jameson watched her quickly steady herself. She turned to her friend. “Have you and Zach met Jameson Fox?”
“Jameson’s Chevy Impala and I are very well acquainted.” Zach grinned .
Polly offered Jameson a warm smile. “Good to see you again. You haven’t been around lately.”
“The Chevy has been behaving. Let’s hope that continues.” Leaning over, Jameson gave several sharp raps against the wood fence for luck, then let his gaze take in the kids and dog. “Looks like you brought the whole gang.”
Polly smiled, and Zach slung an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Ten minutes later, with Taylor beside him, Jameson watched Zach and Polly herd their brood down the River Walk. The boys shoved each other and laughed maniacally. The twins skipped and sang a song he didn’t recognize, while Lulu kept a tight rein on Bentley.
“I can’t imagine,” Taylor murmured.
He shot her a questioning look.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to have such a large family.” Taylor quickly continued, as if not wanting him to get the wrong idea. “I love Polly, and I love her kids. They’re all so sweet. But I think it would be exhausting.”
“Not everyone wants a big family. You don’t have to apologize or make excuses if that’s not what you want.” Jameson chuckled. “I can’t imagine it either. The good thing is that most people can have the life that works for them.”