Magic in Our Hearts (2 page)

The friendship had grown and strengthened to the point where they considered each other family. Becoming business partners had followed naturally.

Jeb smiled at the incredibly beautiful woman who looked back at him. He loved Taylor without reservation, and she had supported him and been by his side for over fourteen years, never wavering in her love. He had given her many reasons to abandon him. Even when his wealthy family had thrown up their pro-verbial hands and cut off his money his last year of college, she had shared what little she had with him. After he had drunk himself nearly to death, she had bundled him into her broken down Volkswagen and driven him to the hospital.

Coming out as a “fag,” the term his father and brothers used to refer to Jeb, had been difficult for him. He was the oldest son of a wealthy family from Savannah, Georgia, and used to having everything that money could buy—everything but family acceptance. They were disgusted and ashamed of him and thought the best way to punish him was to cut off his access to the family money and deny his existence. He hadn’t spoken to a single relative since the fateful day he had been confronted by his father. That was a memory he chose to bury, the heartbreak deeply embedded in his soul. He missed his family very much, but he knew without a doubt he could live only by being true to himself. Jeb credited Taylor’s love and support for getting him through college with a business degree and his sanity intact. She had attended night after night of AA meetings with him, as he struggled to keep from falling deeper into the bottle. Now, he had been sober for almost thirteen years, and he was stronger than ever in his resolve never to let alcohol destroy his life. He still attended meetings whenever he needed additional support. It would be a lifelong struggle.

Taylor took one more sip from the cut crystal glass and watched Jeb sitting quietly next to her. He was such a gentle and loving person. “You’d better call Rex. He’ll be worried about you.”

“He knows I’m here, and he’s too busy to miss me,” Jeb responded, placing his large hand gently against Taylor’s cheek. Taylor’s looks had always been so amazing, with her red hair and pale blue eyes. Hers was not the red that came with a sprinkling of freckles, but was the deep dark red of cherry wood, thick, sleek, and straight to her shoulders. She stood all of five feet four without heels on, and her body was voluptuous and strong. Taylor prided herself on staying in superb shape, not only because her profession required it, but also because it was important to her. She worked extremely hard to maintain her well-toned body. “I saw you with Sadie. Why didn’t you take her up on her apparent offer?” Jeb grinned, as Taylor looked back at him with a smirk of her own.

“She was pretty obvious, wasn’t she? There’s nothing subtle about Sadie.” 

Taylor had found Sadie Lawrence’s pursuit of her flattering, and she had almost succumbed to her persistent attentions. It was no secret that Sadie wanted desperately to sleep with Taylor. Taylor had felt her body heating up as Sadie ran her fingers down her shoulder while they had stood quietly talking earlier that evening. Jeb and Taylor had attended a charity fundraiser put on by the local chamber of commerce. The charity, for handicapped and physically challenged children, was one that both Jeb and Taylor supported. In her work as a physical therapist, Taylor had occasionally worked with some of these same children. It was work that filled her heart as well as broke it, at times. Sadie Lawrence was a local newscaster for a morning news show that covered regional events. She was beautiful, intelligent, and indiscriminate in her pursuit of desirable women. Taylor had met her several years earlier while working with a famous male tennis star with a horribly damaged shoulder. He had attracted a lot of media attention due partly to his standing as the second best male tennis player in the world. He also attracted a lot of attention to his bold in-your-face lifestyle as a rich playboy.

Sadie had been one of the many newscasters who had vied for his attention. She was ruthless in her pursuit of the golden boy and had successfully gotten him to agree to an interview while working out at Taylor and Jeb’s facility. Having no objection to free advertising, they had agreed, and Sadie and her team had descended on the business like a platoon of infantrymen. For over four hours, she had interviewed the sexy and wildly entertaining athlete. He was not shy about giving credit to Jeb and in particular, Taylor, for his recovery. Sadie had taken one look at the physical therapist, whose looks alone could garner her a modeling career, and she was in hot pursuit. Not known for being hesitant in her pleasure seeking, Sadie became convinced that she had to sleep with Taylor, no matter what Taylor wanted. Arrogance was one of Sadie’s strongest personality traits.

She was a brilliant and beautiful woman who thought it was her due to sleep with anyone who was the least bit appealing. Taylor found her cavalier behavior disturbing and wanted nothing to do with the vivacious and determined news-woman. She was physically attractive, and Taylor couldn’t help but respond to her, but she would not sleep with her.

“Why are you here alone?” Jeb asked, as he gazed back at his friend. “There’s nothing wrong with a little consensual sex.”

“That kind of sex just makes me feel so empty. I want to be with someone who doesn’t view me as a notch on her belt.” Taylor’s looks generated a lot of attention. The fact that she and Jeb ran a very successful sports medicine clinic and spa made her a very popular woman. And Taylor did like the ladies—a lot. “Besides, I just wasn’t in the mood.” 

Jeb accepted the comment with a nod, but he knew there was more to it and he waited Taylor out. He knew that she would share her feelings in her own good time.

“Jeb, it just didn’t seem right to go home with Sadie. I don’t want to have a relationship with her.” Taylor spoke softly, as she gazed up at Jeb.

“Since when has that stopped you?” Jeb knew that Taylor didn’t sleep around a lot, but she was known to enjoy a casual sexual relationship with an attractive woman.

“I’m sick and tired of dating a woman once or twice and sharing a couple of nights of sex, then nothing more. I want what you and Rex have.”

“Honey, you
will
find someone.” Jeb knew Taylor’s innermost thoughts. She had lost both parents while in high school, and ever since college Rex had been her only family. Taylor wanted a family of her own, a woman to love, and a couple of kids. It was something she spoke about quite often.

“How will I do that? The only women I come in contact with are athletes—

arrogant, egotistical athletes.” Taylor’s opinion of them was mirrored on her beautiful face. Many of the finest and most well known athletes came to Taylor because of her skills as a physical therapist. Her close contact with them didn’t make her one of their fans. Taylor understood that arrogance was a large part of the reason most of them were world-class athletes. She didn’t have to like it, though.

“They seem to like you an awful lot, and they especially like what you do for them.”

“I know. I just want to meet someone who looks forward to more out of life than the next tennis or golf match.” Taylor laid her head against Jeb’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“You need some passion in your life, honey.”

“And how do you suggest I find that?”

“You might need to take some chances, honey. It means you have to love someone no matter what, and believe with your heart that they will love you back. Taylor, you can’t only be with women you can control.” Jeb spoke honestly. Taylor’s one fault in her relationships was that she chose women that she could easily manipulate.

“I don’t control anyone,” Taylor protested quietly, but she knew Jeb was right. She did pick women that she knew she could persuade to her way of thinking. “I’m just so tired of work right now.” Jeb glanced down and smiled as he looked at Taylor’s lovely face now scrunched up into a pout. She was a champion pouter. “Well, something came across my desk last week, and I was about to send the request to another clinic. Maybe you should hear about it.”

“What is it?” Taylor looked up at Jeb with renewed interest.

Normally, Jeb ran the business end of the clinic and spa and Taylor took care of the hiring and training. Taylor was a board certified physical therapist and sports trainer and was well known for her ability to rehabilitate injured athletes.

In fact, her reputation was widely renowned and respected in spite of that fact that she was a stern and demanding taskmaster who expected her clients to work hard. In return, she developed programs that gave her clients much more than hope. Taylor’s regime of total fitness returned them to the world they lived for, the world of sports. And there was no shortage of famous athletes with injuries that threatened their livelihood. The business was lucrative and bursting at the seams with clients.

“Mrs. Camden, the matriarch of a wealthy family in Boulder, Colorado, contacted me last week with somewhat of a unique request.” Jeb had spoken at length to Mrs. Camden. He had not, until that moment, let Taylor know about the unusual request. He knew the effect it would have on Taylor, and he didn’t want to see his best friend hurt in any way. He would protect Taylor from anything that could harm her but he now realized that it was exactly what she needed.

“What?”

“It seems that her only child, a young woman, was terribly injured while skiing. Her legs were broken in several places, her knees had to be replaced, and her left arm was badly crushed. She’s undergone seven surgeries and is now going through painful physical therapy.”

“What’s the request?”

“She wants to hire a physical therapist with sports training experience to help her daughter recuperate. She wants this therapist to commit to a six-month time frame, and she wants the therapy to be exclusive to her daughter. She’s willing to pay and pay well.” Jeb didn’t mention to Taylor that Mrs. Camden had a personal reason to hire her, beyond Taylor’s stellar reputation, and had wanted to speak directly to Taylor. In truth, she was the only physical therapist that Mrs.

Camden wanted for the job.

“We don’t do that.”

“I know, but I think this job might be right up your alley.” Jeb looked at her, his eyes serious. He expected once Taylor understood the request, she would not say no.

Taylor was intrigued. “Why?” 

“You know the daughter. She was a world-class downhill racer and a well-known party girl, Brett Andreson.”

Taylor’s head snapped around as she heard a name from her past. “I didn’t know she was hurt. I just assumed she had stopped racing.”

“The information about her injuries was intentionally kept quiet because of the circumstances surrounding her accident. She and another woman were party-ing quite heavily at the family home in Boulder when they decided to go skiing.

Brett was showing off on the downhill slope and lost control, slamming into a tree. That was nine months before the 2002 Winter Olympics. She was to be the shining star of the U.S. Ski Team. Her injuries were devastating.”

“I do remember noticing she wasn’t skiing anymore. I just thought she’d grown bored with it.” But Taylor knew in her heart that there must have been more than simple boredom that led to Brett’s disappearance from skiing and the Olympics. Brett’s lifelong dream had been to ski in the Olympics. Taylor just hadn’t wanted to know anything about Brett. It hurt too much to dredge up the past.

“I saw her medical records, Taylor. She was lucky to live through the accident.

She was in a private hospital for almost four months. The surgeries she went through must have been excruciating.” Jeb watched Taylor carefully. He knew how much she had grieved when the one serious relationship that Taylor opened her heart to had blown up in her face. She had mourned for over a year, never quite healing from the breakup.

“That all happened over two years ago. Why is her mother looking for a live-in physical therapist now?”

“The last one quit, and she wants her daughter to be more self-sufficient.” Taylor gazed up into Jeb’s face and waited. She knew that there was more. “Mrs.

Camden has been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and has only months to live.”

“Oh, my God! That will destroy Brett. She loves her mother more than anything.” Taylor’s mind flooded with memories of Brett Andreson, a woman she hadn’t seen or spoken to in over six years. Brett may have been a party girl but her family, especially her mother, had always come first. Jeb sat back and waited, his eyes watching the play of emotions on Taylor’s beautiful face. She could hide nothing from him. He was one of the few people who knew that Brett had broken Taylor’s heart so many years earlier and left her questioning her ability to ever have a successful relationship.

CHAPTER 2

After college, Jeb and Taylor’s business had started slowly with a big dream and a small office in Los Angeles. As the two of them networked and connected with other physical therapists in the area, Taylor started to make headway with her unique and well–planned program for injured athletes. She called it
the mind and
body program
, being a firm believer that without a positive mindset and healthy lifestyle, recovery would take longer and be less successful. The first four years they barely paid the rent on the two-bedroom apartment over their tiny clinic, but they loved every minute of the struggle. Working long hours, with little more than the bare essentials, they had flourished, building their reputation and their clientele one success at a time. And they supported each other in every way.

It had been Taylor’s connection with the sports teams in the area that had brought in several clients with serious injuries. Taylor’s successes created more interest and generated more clients, which meant the business needed a larger space and more employees. It was Jeb’s head for business that allowed him to design and develop the business plan for the clinic and spa as it was today. They called it “The Mind and Body Clinic and Spa.” Over the years the business had grown to encompass a staff of forty-three and had a yearly income in the millions.