Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
As she walked to her car, Taylor automatically checked the pockets of her dad’s jacket. Her breath caught when her fingers touched a scrap of paper.
Taylor was sure it hadn’t been there this morning. She had developed the habit of checking her pockets every morning and evening.
Taylor slipped the paper out and read it.
Trust your instincts.
She frowned. She’d never been one to rely on gut feelings or her intuitive senses when making decisions. She liked weighing the facts in a calm, logical manner.
Her dad, on the other hand, had been big on trusting instincts. He’d talked a lot about the need to trust his gut or honing his gut instinct when he’d been with GraceTown PD. He’d told Taylor that to stay safe, he’d had to get good at spotting suspicious behavior, recognizing deception and even predicting danger.
She’d listened intently when he’d told her stories about spotting someone loitering around a closed business late at night, trying to avoid being seen. Or the woman who, during a routine traffic stop, had appeared unusually nervous and provided inconsistent answers to simple questions. These types of incidents had had his gut telling him something was off, leading him to investigate further.
The stories that had always sent her heart racing into the stratosphere had been the ones involving danger and a gut feeling that had him calling for backup before entering a residence.
No, this particular message from him didn’t surprise her, though he had to know that she would always balance instincts with rational analysis. It would be nice, though, if she could trust her gut the way her father had trusted his.
Just as she reached her car, her phone rang. The number on the display had a Chicago area code.
“This is Taylor.”
“Taylor, this is John Baumann from Meyer, Nicholas & Stoddard. How are you this morning?”
Meyer, Nicholas & Stoddard was the firm that had absorbed Sauer & Ferrand. While Taylor didn’t know John Baumann personally, she knew he’d taken over HR duties from the previous HR director.
“I’m well.” Taylor tightened her grip on the phone. “What can I do for you, Mr. Baumann?”
Taylor listened as the man explained that it appeared that the assessment deeming her position redundant had been an error. The firm very much needed someone with her experience and skill set.
The galloping of her heart made hearing difficult, but she listened as he relayed the salary increase she would receive and that they hoped she could return to the office as soon as possible.
The last part made her stop pacing. It was as if they assumed she didn’t have another position and was desperate to return to a firm that had fired her.
“Thank you for the call, Mr. Baumann. I’ll consider your offer and get back to you, say, by the end of the month. ”
“The end of the month?”
“Yes. I’ve relocated to Maryland. I need to consider if moving back to Chicago and rejoining the firm is in my best interests.”
“Have you accepted another position?”
“As I stated, I will be able to give you a decision by the end of the month.” Taylor kept her tone calm and businesslike. “If that timetable doesn’t work for you and you must fill the position before then, I completely understand. If that happens, I would appreciate it if you could let me know the position is no longer open.”
“Of course.” For a second, the man sounded puzzled, but he didn’t ask any other questions. “I look forward to hearing back from you.” He rattled off his number, the one that had shown up on her caller ID, and then ended the call.
Did she want to return to Chicago? It had been her home for the past seven years, and the city and surrounding areas had much to offer. Not that she’d had much time to enjoy the offerings, as most of her days—and nights—had been spent working.
Still, being asked to come back, and at a higher salary, was flattering. She wondered what had happened with the attorney they’d thought could slide effortlessly into her place. Had she—or he—not had the experience needed? Or had they balked at the hours they were expected to work?
Angi lived with her boyfriend now, so if Taylor moved back, she would need to find a different place to live.
Taylor didn't experience the excitement she expected to feel over such an offer. Instead, she felt a mixture of apprehension and dread.
Trust your instincts .
Right now, her instincts were telling her to turn down the offer. But that would be impulsive, and a decision of this magnitude demanded that she balance instincts with rational analysis before accepting—or rejecting—such an offer.
On her way back to the office, Taylor swung by a bakery to purchase pumpkin muffins and tried not to think about the law firm wanting her back or about Sara changing course midstream. She accepted that the woman needed to be sure of her decision and prayed Russell would get his act together.
It was nearing three when Taylor waltzed through the door of Elite, barely noticing the bells that she’d once found irritating.
Glenna looked up and smiled.
Taylor handed her the white bakery sack. “These muffins had your name all over them.”
Glenna opened the sack and peered inside. She looked up, puzzled. “Pumpkin with cream cheese frosting. You know the way to my heart. I’d say we could cut one in half and share, but since there are two in here, we each get our own.”
Taylor opened her mouth, but Glenna shot her a warning look.
“I don’t want to hear any nonsense about spoiling your dinner.”
Taylor chuckled and sat in the visitor’s chair. They enjoyed the muffins while Taylor updated Glenna on Sara Rogers’s case.
“So you won’t be moving ahead with the petition,” Glenna said before taking another bite of her muffin.
“Not right now.”
“You put in a lot of work on that one.”
“I did, but what I learned can be applied to other cases.” Taylor tried to channel Abigail’s calm acceptance. “I don’t believe any knowledge gained is wasted.”
“I happen to agree.” Glenna studied her for a long moment. “Jameson told me you helped him close his case.”
Taylor couldn’t hide her surprise. “He did?”
“He texted me about it. He didn’t tell me how you helped, though.” Curiosity shone in Glenna’s eyes. “I’d love some details to go with this muffin.”
“I was having lunch at the Black Apron when Jameson unexpectedly joined me. ”
She went on to explain everything that had occurred. The tale must have been enthralling enough to keep Glenna’s attention because she didn’t take a single bite of her muffin while Taylor was talking.
“That worked out so perfectly.” Glenna grinned. “You made a difference.”
“I think he’d have gotten the pics without me,” Taylor said, nibbling on her muffin.
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Well, I was happy to help.” Taylor couldn’t help but smile. “It was fun.”
Glenna took a contemplative bite of muffin and chewed slowly as if they had all the time in the world to chat. “You’re building connections here.”
“Slowly,” Taylor drawled. “Very slowly.”
“Just remember, building a tribe doesn’t happen overnight.” Glenna’s expression remained serious as she gazed at Taylor, her eyes large and intense. “You have to work to build those relationships.”
An alarm sounded on Glenna’s phone, and she jumped. “It’s my reminder.” The woman popped the last bite of muffin in her mouth and pushed to her feet. “I need to reserve the pickleball court for tomorrow. My friends and I love to play.”
“That’s nice.”
Glenna must have heard the wistfulness in Taylor’s voice, because she smiled. “You put yourself out there, and I guarantee next year you’ll have more friends than you know what to do with.”
When Taylor arrived home, her first impulse was to head inside and make dinner for herself. Contrary to Glenna’s prediction, the muffin hadn’t spoiled her appetite .
Instead, she paused and thought of Glenna's admonition to put herself out there. Glancing down the street, she saw Emily’s and Chloe’s cars in their driveway.
Before she could change her mind, Taylor changed course and strode down the sidewalk.
She reached the driveway just as Chloe stepped out the front door, broom in hand. Her childhood friend began sweeping leaves off the porch but stopped when she spotted Taylor. Her lips lifted in a brilliant smile before she turned and called back into the house, “Emily, Taylor is here.”
The announcement still hung in the air when the front door opened, and Emily stepped out.
The fact that both women appeared delighted to see her eased Taylor’s nervousness.
“I don’t know if you have dinner plans, but I have a pizza crust and a bunch of ingredients.” Taylor rushed ahead, wanting to get it all out. “I’d love for you to join me. I realize it’s short notice, but?—”
“I’d love to come.”
Chloe and Emily had spoken simultaneously and then looked at each other and laughed.
“Last minute is how we roll.” Chloe smiled.
“I have a lettuce salad I can bring?” Emily shot a questioning look at Taylor.
“I picked up several strawberry tarts at the bakery today,” Chloe added.
“You don’t have to bring anything?—”
“We know we don’t have to,” Emily said softly. “We want to. We share with you. You share with us. It’s more fun that way.”
“Well, then.” Taylor waved an airy hand. “Bring on the salad and the tarts.”
Emily glanced down at the Crestwood Academy uniform she still wore. “Let me get out of this. Fifteen minutes work for you?”
“That’d be great.” Taylor nodded .
Emily headed inside, leaving Taylor alone with Chloe.
“I guess I’ll see you both in fifteen.”
On her walk home, she thought about what Glenna had said. Was it true? If she put herself out there, would she have more friends by next year than she’d know what to do with?
Maybe. Possibly.
Right now, she’d start with two.
After dinner, while Chloe dealt with a call from a frantic front-desk manager at the Oasis over a water leak, Taylor told Emily that she’d done some work with Abigail Moyer and was dipping her toe into family law.
“Abigail is a wonderful woman.”
“You’ve met her?” Taylor didn’t bother to hide her surprise. Though everyone joked about the six degrees of separation in GraceTown, she couldn’t see how Emily would have any reason to know or associate with Abigail.
“She came over to the house to see your dad several times.” Emily’s lips lifted for a moment. “They were good together.”
“Do you think they’d have ended up getting married?” Taylor asked before considering whether she wanted to go down this road. After all, what did it matter now?
“I don’t know.” Emily finished off the last of her tart, and her gaze grew thoughtful. “I believe they were in love, but I got the feeling they were both afraid to trust.”
“Trust?”
“Their instincts.” Emily shrugged. “Both had failed marriages and spent a lot of time second-guessing their feelings.”
“They told you this?” Taylor’s voice rose in disbelief.
“Not exactly, but while it was obvious—at least to me—that they loved each other, their relationship appeared stuck in neutral. ”
Taylor tried to recall how long Emily had lived in GraceTown and when she’d moved in down the street. Whatever time it had been, it didn’t seem long enough to come to that conclusion. Before Taylor could respond, Emily continued.
“I think it's easy to dismiss gut feelings and go with rational thought.” Emily slanted a glance in Taylor’s direction. “You’re probably facing some of that now.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
If she expected Emily to hedge or to change the spin on what she’d said, that didn’t happen.
“You’ve returned to GraceTown and started to build a new life here. Now, you have to decide if this is the life you want or if you’re better off building that life somewhere else.”
“The firm I worked for in Chicago has asked me to return.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“It surprised me.” Taylor gave a half laugh. “They offered me more money.”
“You didn’t accept.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“No, but if you had accepted, you’d have said you’d taken the job instead of just that it was offered.”
“I told them to give me until the end of the month.”
“So you can rationalize why it’s the best choice?”
“No, so I can consider everything and make the best choice possible.”
“If you say so.” Emily smiled. “Chloe and I are thinking of starting a multigenerational book club. We’d love to have you join us.”
“Multigenerational?”
“All ages welcome. Well, not kids, but adults of all ages.”
“If I stay, I’d be interested.” Taylor thought wistfully of all the books on her Kindle. “I love to read and can’t imagine anything better than talking books with friends.”
“Did you belong to a book club in Chicago?” Emily asked .
“Oh, no.” Taylor chuckled. “No time. The job kept me too busy.”
“Will it be the same if you go back?”
“Maybe. Hard to say.” Taylor couldn’t believe the blatant falsehood had made it past her lips. Hard to say? She already knew it would be more of the same if she returned to Chicago.
Yet, all her experience since getting her law degree had been in tax law. Didn’t it make sense to stay the course and continue to build her career on the foundation she’d established over the past seven years?