Chapter 10
“This our home for the night,” Oz announced, opening the hotel room door. "I need to go take care of business. I shouldn't be long.” Oz reached into his bag before tossing it onto the bed. "If you need anything, my number's in here.”
Taylor took the phone. "I'm sure I'll be fine." She smiled. "You always carry an extra phone?"
"Only when I have a pretty woman to stay in touch with.”
She laughed. "I'll let her know when I see her."
"We have a lot of work to do on your confidence.” Oz gave her a wink and walked out.
Taylor dropped her backpack onto the empty bed and walked to the window. The view was gorgeous. When she moved to Louisiana, she had flown and missed the breathtaking mountain views. How she wished she had an extra day to look around. But that wasn't important. Oz had no time to spare. Even if he did, she wouldn't ask him to.
He had been so sweet to her. Something she wasn't used to. It made her feel good and she smiled inside each time he spoke to her. Why couldn't she have found someone like him years ago? She blew out a deep breath. That didn't matter now. It was too late for a happy-ever-after for her. Not that she really expected one. Well, not anymore. She had grown up expecting one. Now she only dreamed of one. That was something she had only read about in books. Her parents hadn't been happy. Oh, they had remained together for appearances. But neither of them appeared happy when not in public.
Her fingers tightened around the phone in her hand. Should she call? Oz had found her parents’ phone number and address when he agreed to take her there. Before she let her mind run through the possibilities, she realized she should let them know she was coming and pulled out the paper with the number and dialed.
"Arison residence."
"Mama, it's Taylor."
"Taylor, how sweet of you to call. How are you baby?"
"I'm fine Mama. I’m not far from you and, well, I’d like to come home.”
"That would be nice. Your daddy and I would love to see you.”
Taylor heard voices in the background but not well enough to distinguish who. "I have to run. We're expected at an event and the car is waiting.”
She opened her mouth to tell her mother that she'd see her the next day, but the line went silent. At least she didn't say don't come home. She didn't agree for Taylor to come there, either. Or at least not to stay. She tossed the phone onto the bed. Maybe she could start over someplace like this if everything fell through.
Taylor didn't know how long she had sat at the window staring at the sun dipping toward the mountaintops when Oz walked through the door.
"I'm all yours the rest of the night."
Taylor turned from the window, mustering a smile. "Did your meeting go well?"
"On point as always." He glanced toward the phone in the center of the bed. "Call your parents?"
She sucked in a breath, answering as she pushed it out. "I did."
"They excited to see you?"
Taylor huffed a laugh and spun back toward the window. "It's really pretty here. I don't believe I've ever been in the mountains before.”
"Then I know the perfect place for dinner. That is, unless you're in a hurry to get home.”
"Dinner sounds great and I'd love to see more of the area,” Taylor confessed.
"It's a little drive, but it's worth it.”
Taylor grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.
"You forgot something."
She spun around to see Oz scoop the phone up and close the space between them and drop it inside her purse. "Thank you."
***
Oz was right. The drive took most of an hour, but the scenery was breathtaking. Mountain tops stretched toward the sky on one side of the road while the other fell away, giving a view of treetops and roof tops. Occasionally a stream of water trickled from cracks in the stone sculpting the mountainside. Soon a wooden tower appeared. It looked as if it had weathered many seasons with its faded structure. She focused on it as it grew larger and larger.
Before she realized it, they were coming to a stop in a gravel lot surrounding the tower she was leaning and stretching to see the top of.
"The tower has been here as long as I can recall," Oz told her. "We can climb if you want. There are viewing machines up there.”
Taylor shook her head. "No, that's okay.”
"The view from the porch is magnificent. You ready?"
Taylor stepped from the truck. Where had this place come from? Her silent laugh erupted into a smile. She had been so focused on the tower piercing the skyline, she hadn't noticed the long brown building balanced on the edge of the cliff.
Oz guided her inside and through a small gift shop before reaching tables filling a balcony.
"How about this?" he asked, pulling back a chair at a table next to the railing.
Beautiful. Treetops covered the mountainside dipping deep below. She settled into the chair but couldn’t tear her gaze from the captivating view. A peek over the rail and a breeze whipping through her hair reminded her there was no barrier between her and the valley below. They were a part of it. A part of this breathtaking view. Her fingers twitched to reach out and touch the birds swooping by. She flashed Oz a grin and caught sight of hummingbirds. Dozens of them dancing around feeders hanging from the end of the building. A butterfly. Its bright yellow wings carried it past the hummingbirds toward her, closer and closer until it landed next to their table.
Oz said something. Maybe the waitress did. She wasn’t sure. “What?” She glanced around. Where had the drinks come from?
“Beautiful, isn’t it? An experience you can’t get from many other places.” Oz dipped his finger into his glass and eased his hand near the butterfly, stopping next to it.
Why wasn’t it darting away? Taylor’s focus was trained on the motionless creature. It inched forward, climbing onto Oz’s finger. Her eyes felt as if they would jump from their sockets. She jerked her head toward him. “How do you do that?” she whispered.
“Get a little sweet on your finger. They like that. And hold out your hand. But move slow.”
Taylor vibrated inside. She did as Oz instructed and waited. The tiny feet were so light moving across her skin. If she hadn’t been watching, she would not have known it was there. This right here trumped anything she could ever imagine. This moment would become her rock, her happy memory to fall into when her courage failed her.
She didn’t know how long she sat there in awe of the tiny creature she held. And she could have sat there all night if it had stayed with her. Just her and the butterfly. When she watched it float away on a breeze, she only then realized their dinner was waiting for them. Neither plate had been touched.
Heat crept up her neck. “Oh, I must have gotten carried away. I’m sorry.”
“Never be sorry for doing something that makes you feel at peace. We can sit here as long as you like.”
Her chest tightened and she glanced away. “Looks delicious.”
***
Night had taken over by the time they walked back to the truck. Oz opened the passenger door and Taylor climbed into her seat, holding the delicate suncatcher in her hands that he had bought for her. She had never experienced such a perfect evening. The breathtaking setting and the captivating conversation, not to mention the amazing man, made the perfect date. If only it was a real date. She glanced toward Oz. His profile in the dim light made her smile. He was a complete package. Handsome, interesting, wise, and caring.
At least she had memories of this night to hold on to. She looked down at the souvenir she held, her thumb sliding back and forth across the smoothness of the colored glass. She had stopped dreaming of a perfect future, but if she still did, this would be her goal. She smiled; her eyelids drifting closed only for a moment as she tucked away this feeling to help get her through the upcoming days she knew would be tough.