Chapter 9
***TAYLOR***
Taylor watched Emily laughing as the float turned the last corner at the end of the parade and wondered what had possessed him to drag her onto the float.
Then she turned and looked up at him. His heart skipped a beat, and it was no longer a mystery.
There was something about her that he couldn’t resist, a pull that seemed to only be growing stronger.
It scared him to death, but he seemed powerless to stop it.
This time it wasn’t something Emily said or did that got to him, it was Malcolm planning his seduction that sent him over the edge, awakening a burning jealousy inside him that took control.
Until now he would have said that he wasn’t capable of jealousy, and that might have been true until Emily walked into his life and turned it upside down with her gorgeous eyes and saucy attitude.
It was a relief when the float finally pulled into the parking lot at the end of the parade; he needed to get away from Emily before he did something stupid and revealed what he was feeling.
Once it was out in the open, there would be no going back; it could be awkward for both of them if his feelings were one-sided, and from where he was standing, that was the case.
No woman who was attracted to him would treat him the way Emily did, at least not in his experience, and he wasn’t going to humiliate himself by exposing his feelings.
“That was fun,” Emily said, breaking into his thoughts. “I’ve never ridden on a float before, even the grass skirt didn’t seem so bad, but I think I’ll give it back now.”
“Keep it as a souvenir,” he said, jumping down from the float. “Do you need some help getting down?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” she said, jumping down to the ground. “I’m pretty tough in case you missed it.”
“I haven’t missed much,” he said, unable to stop his eyes from roaming over her body.
A blush spread across Emily’s cheeks, but before she could say anything, Valerie came rushing up. “That was great, thanks so much for letting us ride along with you,” she said. “Your friends are so nice, they invited us to have lunch with you all.”
He looked over at Hattie, who was headed their way. “Oh, sure, that’s a good idea,” he said, but he wondered how he was going to get through another hour with Emily. “I’m sure there’s more than enough food; Hattie always brings enough for an army.”
“I don’t know if I can stay for lunch,” Emily said. “I have some studying to do.”
“No way, you’re not going home and studying,” Valerie said, shaking her head. “You’re going to stay right here with us and have some fun for a change. We’re going to have lunch with the boys, then we’re going to hit the fair, look at the booths, and play some games.”
“You can’t go home now, we’re just getting started,” Peggy said. “And don’t forget about the dance tonight, that’s going to be a blast.”
“I wasn’t planning on going,” she said. “Dances aren’t really my thing.”
“You can’t stay home, everyone is going,” Kim said, then looked over at him. “Tell her, Taylor, everyone goes to the dance.”
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on going either,” he said. “Dances aren’t my thing either.”
“What’s this?” Hattie said, joining them. “Did I just hear you say you’re not going to the dance?”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he said. “I have some studying to do.”
“Nonsense, you can’t miss this dance, these things only come around once in your lifetime,” Hattie said, shaking her head and looking over at Emily. “I have a perfect solution, you two should go together.”
“No way,” they both said at the same time, then looked at each other.
Taylor recovered first. “I’m sure Emily doesn’t want to go,” he said. “You heard her, she has to study.”
“You can both study tomorrow, tonight is for fun,” Hattie said, waving her hand in the air. “You’re going and that’s all there is to it, no more arguing.”
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Valerie said, giving a stunned Emily a hug. “I can lend you a dress if you don’t have one. You should come over to my place to get ready.”
“I didn’t…I’m not…” Emily stammered, then looked over at Hattie and saw the determination on her face. “I have a dress.”
“Well, then, if that’s settled, let’s get going. I’m sure you’re all starving,” Hattie said, starting across the parking lot. “It will just take me a second to set out the food, and then we can eat.”
Valerie, Kim, and Peggy followed along behind her, leaving the two of them standing there alone, an uncomfortable silence between them. “I’m sorry about that, we don’t have to go to the dance,” he said. “Hattie means well, but sometimes she gets carried away.”
“She’s going to be upset if we don’t go,” Emily said, still watching the older woman. “I wouldn’t want that.”
“Me either,” Taylor said. “Does that mean we’re going?”
She looked up at him, and for a moment, he thought he saw fear in her eyes. “I guess so, it seems like the only thing we can do,” she said. “But this isn’t a date; it’s just two friends going to a dance together.”
“Fine with me,” he said, grinning at her. “Then I don’t have to buy you flowers or do any of the other stuff women always expect men to do.”
“Wow, aren’t you the romantic,” she said, a smile on her face. “But that’s okay, this way I don’t have to endure that awkward goodnight kiss.”
The thought of kissing her made his entire body fill with warmth. “Sweetheart, if I decided to kiss you, there would be nothing awkward about it,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. “In fact, if I kissed you, I promise it would be something that you’d never forget.”
Emily let out a little gasp, her cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink and to astonishment, desire blossomed in her eyes. “I can’t…you can’t…” she stammered before taking a step back from him, her eyes darting between his lips and eyes, the desire changing to panic. “We can’t…”
“Taylor, you’d better hurry,” Aaron called, running over to them, completely oblivious to what was happening between them. “We have the first shift today.”
Emily’s face was filled with relief. “You’d better go,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I’ll catch up in a second.”
It was a shock to realize that if Aaron hadn’t come along, he might have kissed Emily.
Even worse, he still wanted to. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind, and for a second, he was tempted to give in.
But instead, he walked away, promising himself he’d do his best to stay away from her.
He didn’t want or need someone in his life right now.
He had big plans, and they didn’t include romance.
***Emily***
Emily handed the last container to Hattie. “Thank you again for lunch, it was delicious,” she said, smiling at the older woman, wondering if her mother would have been like Hattie if she’d lived. “Eating someone else’s cooking for a change is nice.”
“It was our pleasure, I always make enough to share,” Hattie said, smiling at her. “Do you like to cook?”
She nodded, “My father taught me, it was something fun we could do together,” she said. “I don’t have as much time as I would like to spend in the kitchen, but I cook when I get the chance.”
“It’s a good skill to have,” Hattie said, closing the lid on the cooler. “I’ve been teaching the boys this year, making them take turns cooking dinner. I think it’s important they learn to take care of themselves.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve done a good job,” she said. “Taylor and his friends all seem like they’ve got their lives together. I’m sure some of that is your doing.”
“They’re good boys, they do their best, but they’re still men,” Hattie said, laughing. “Still, I think they’ll all make good husbands someday.”
“Oh, I guess so,” Emily said, a weird feeling in her stomach when she thought about Taylor married to someone. “I never really thought about it that way, marriage isn’t high on my priority list.”
“You don’t have someone special?” Hattie asked, an innocent look on her face. “That’s a shame, it’s nice to share life with someone.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for that right now,” she said, shaking her head. “Someday maybe, but not right now.”
Hattie studied her for a second. “We don’t always get to choose when it’s our time to fall in love.
Fate usually has its own plans for us,” she said.
“It can be scary and overwhelming when it happens, but that’s the price you have to pay when it’s the real thing.
Take my advice, don’t run away from it. Face what fate has in store for you, ready or not; you’re about to be given a gift. Don’t waste it.”
She was speechless for several long seconds, not sure what to say, not sure she even understood what Hattie was trying to tell her. “That sounds like good advice, Hattie. Thank you,” she finally said. “I won’t forget it.”
“Good,” the older woman said, giving her a quick hug. “Now go find your friends and have some fun, there’s plenty to see and do over at the park.”
Just then, Valerie walked over to them. “There you two are,” she said. “Everything is all packed up in the van, and the boys are anxious to get over to the park, but I just wanted to say thank you again.”
“You’re welcome, it was nice to have some female company for a change,” Hattie said. “But I think I’ll be heading home now, you girls go have some fun.”
When Hattie was far enough away that she couldn’t hear, Valerie turned on her. “Okay, spill it,” she ordered. “What’s going on with you and Taylor?”
“Nothing, not a thing,” she answered too quickly. “We’re just…friends, I guess.”
“You must think I’m blind or stupid, or maybe both. I saw the way you two were looking at each other,” Valerie said, a scowl on her face. “I thought we were friends, Emily.”
“We are friends, and I’m telling you the truth, there’s nothing like that going on between us,” she said. “I don’t even like him half of the time.”
Valerie studied her for a second. “What about the other half of the time?” she asked. “How much do you like him then?”
She thought about lying, but one look at her friend’s face changed her mind. “More than I should,” she admitted. “More than I want to.”
“That’s always how it starts,” Valerie said with certainty. “And you’re going to the dance with him tonight. I bet he kisses you; I could tell that he wanted to, it was so obvious.”
“Were you spying on us?” she asked, feeling the panic beginning to rise again. “That’s not very nice.”
“You were right out in the open,” Valerie said, shrugging her shoulders. “Everyone was watching.”
“Oh great,” she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink. “No wonder Hattie asked me if I was seeing anyone.”
“This is so romantic,” Valerie gushed. “And I get to watch it happen.”
“Nothing is going to happen. I’m not ready to get involved with anyone right now, I have too much going on,” she said, shaking her head. “You’ll have to get your romance somewhere else.”
Valerie studied her for a second, then shrugged her shoulders, clearly defeated. “Okay, fine. Have it your way. Let a great guy slip away. I can’t stop you,” she finally said. “Maybe I’ll hang around and help him pick up the pieces when you crush him. I wouldn’t mind your leftovers.”
“My leftovers?” she asked, trying to ignore the surge of jealousy that erupted inside her. “That’s…well, I don’t know, gross or something. You wouldn’t really do that, would you?”
“You don’t want him, and it’s not like you two were ever involved. I think that means he’s up for grabs,” Valerie said, shrugging her shoulders. “Unless there’s some reason I don’t know about.”
“It would just be weird, that’s all. Besides, I’m the one who has a date with him tonight,” she said, a slight edge to her voice. “You could at least wait until after the dance to make your move.”
“Oh, I would never dream of doing anything at the dance, I don’t like drama,” Valerie said. “But if he’s a free man after tonight, I’m not going to back off.”
“Fine with me, he’s all yours after tonight,” she said, not meaning a word she said, a sick feeling in her stomach when she thought about Taylor with Valerie. “You deserve each other.”
“What does that mean?” Valerie asked.
She studied her new friend for a second, then let out a long sigh, not sure why she was fighting with her.
“This is stupid. I don’t want you to make a move on Taylor,” she finally said.
“I like him a lot, and it would kill me to see you with him. I’m just not sure I can be with him, or if he would even want to be with me.
I hate all this romance stuff, it’s so complicated, and there are things you don’t know. ”
“We did get a little carried away, didn’t we?” Valerie asked, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Emily, I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard. I was just trying to get you to admit that you like him.”
“Well, it worked, I’m just not sure how much good it will do,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not supposed to get involved with him, and don’t ask me to explain, it’s impossible.”
“How about we just forget about it for a while and go to the fair? I didn’t mean to ruin the day; we’ve been having so much fun,” Valerie said. “Let’s go find Kim and Peggy, I’m sure they’re ready to go too.”
“Okay, I guess that sounds good,” she said. “I just don’t want to see or talk about Taylor for a few hours.”
Valerie linked her arm through Emily’s. “That’s a deal,” she said. “We won’t mention his name even once.”