Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two (23 page)

He smiled sexily.

“I meant I’ll drive there
on my own,” I clarified.

He still smiled like a
fool—a sexy fool, but a fool all the same. He was confused and he was making me
more so. “I’ll see you there,” he said in his you-know-you-want-me voice.

I shook my head and
walked off. I hoped Ashley would get the hint and follow. I was so glad
baseball season was over.

On the drive over to
Jessie’s I couldn’t stop thinking about Easton’s actions at the ballpark. What
was worse was I was alone with my thoughts. Ashley accepted Spencer’s
invitation to the movies. I almost told her she couldn’t go because I knew no
one would likely say anything about Easton in her presence—besides Cheyenne—but
I knew hanging out with a bunch of adults and kids younger than her wouldn’t
have been very fun for her. It was bad enough the town grapevine was going to
be scorching, but to now have feelings I had long buried coming up to the
surface? It quite honestly made me angry. Angry that it wasn’t my life, only
the life I had imagined I would have at this age, except with a couple more
children.

I wanted to be the wife
in the stands with our kids cheering on their dad and my husband. I hadn’t
thought I would be single at forty-two, and when we married I never imagined we
would get divorced. It seemed like an impossibility. We loved each other too
much.

I rested my forehead on
the steering wheel while I waited at a red light.
Why had we been so
foolish?

I planned my arrival so that
I would be a little late, and hopefully the last to the party. I didn’t want
Easton and I showing up at the same time. My plan worked. Easton’s truck was
there when I arrived, along with a dozen other vehicles.

Jessie and Blake’s home and
property were beautiful. It was my kind of house: country meets modern. I
remembered when Easton and I had looked at properties out this way a million
years ago, when we had had big dreams together. I tried to shake that thought
from my mind. I needed to focus on the future, my future.

There was a sign on their
front door that said, “Come on in,” so I did just that, carrying a small plant I’d
brought for Jessie. The inside of their home was as beautiful as the outside. It
was completely open and tastefully decorated. I particularly loved the large
painting of a stunning dark-haired woman looking toward a raging body of water.
She kind of reminded me of Rachel.
Rachel and Easton
, I thought. As much
as the thought hurt me, I felt it could work. She would be a great mother to
Emmy and like a friend to Ashley.

Jessie approached me all
smiles. “Taylor.”

I held out the plant as
soon as she reached me. “Thanks for inviting me. You have a lovely home.” I
looked back up at the painting. “I love the painting.”

Her smile brightened. “Me,
too. Blake bought it for me last year.”

“What a thoughtful gift.”

“Yes, it was, as is this
gorgeous plant. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said
uneasily. I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was being there. I felt like everyone
was staring at me.

I was beginning to
recognize most of them. The main room was filled with mostly women. I assumed
their husbands and boyfriends were all gathered together somewhere. It was
noisy, with several children running around. Sweet Emmy was not taking part in the
hustle and bustle—she and Avery were sharing an overly large chair near the
fireplace looking at an iPad. I smiled at the scene.

“
All
the men are
in the basement checking out Blake’s new theater room and office,” Jessie
informed me.

I appreciated her subtle
hint as to where my ex-husband was. I’m sure she knew this wasn’t easy for me.

“That’s fun,” I replied.

“We needed to move Maddie
upstairs, so Blake figured if he was going to finish the basement, he might as
well get something out of it.”

By this time, we had made
it to the kitchen where Abby was chopping vegetables and Cheyenne was popping
grapes in her mouth.

“You never told us why
you’re moving Maddie upstairs. Is she tired of hearing her parents in the next
room?” Cheyenne said with not an ounce of tact as she wagged her eyebrows.

“Could you please smack
her?” Jessie asked Abby. “You’re closer.”

Cheyenne deftly moved
away from Abby’s line of fire.

“Speaking of Maddie, where
is Connor?” Abby looked around the sea of people.

Jessie looked around, too.
“I bet they’re outside together,” Jessie surmised. She didn’t look too happy
about it.

Abby’s look also
indicated she was worried that was the case.

“I’ll go find the little
lovebirds,” Cheyenne offered.

“Don’t encourage them,”
Abby and Jessie said in unison.

Cheyenne laughed evilly as
she walked toward the backdoor.

“I hope she finds them
before Blake comes back up. He’ll flip if he sees them by themselves,” Jessie
lamented.

“Shane would probably
high-five Connor,” Abby added.

“Wait until Avery likes a
boy,” Jessie said.

“He’s already told her
he’ll pay her for not dating.”

We all laughed.

“Good luck with that,” I
threw in as a friendly warning. There’s really not a lot you can do to stop
that train once it leaves the station.

I heard the men trudging
up the stairs and braced myself. I felt silly. Why should I feel awkward around
Easton? Exes could be friends, but that was the problem. Easton’s embrace
didn’t feel friendly and I certainly hadn’t had friendly feelings when I was in
his arms or sometimes when I looked at him. Like right then, when he came out
of the basement in tight-fitting jeans and a white t-shirt that perfectly
showed off his tan physique. Why couldn’t he have gotten a dad bod or
something? Unfortunately for me, even if he had fallen prey to time and age I’m
pretty sure I still would have been attracted to him.

“Can I do anything to
help?” I asked Jessie. I needed to deal with my nervous energy.

“Would you mind making
some melon balls with the cantaloupe?”

“I’d love to.” I smiled
at the wrong moment, catching Easton’s eye.

His brown eyes lit up
from across the room. He didn’t follow the men out. Instead, he made his way to
the kitchen where I was. I felt like everyone stopped what they were doing and
watched him walk toward me.

I grabbed the melon
baller and began to make perfectly shaped circles out of the juicy cantaloupe.

“Tay, you made it,” he
said as he neared. He was using his nickname for me more and more.

“Yep,” I said into the
fruit bowl.

“Where’s Ashley?” he
asked.

I took a chance and
looked up at him. He was sitting down on a stool at the breakfast bar across
from where I stood at the counter. “She’s at the movies with Spencer.”

That news wasn’t exactly
to his liking. “Hmmm. I’m not a huge fan of his dad.”

“Oh. Should I be
concerned?”

His smile gave off reassurance.
“No. Spencer seems like a good kid. His dad is tough on him, though. I’ve seen
him at some of the high school football games. He expects perfection.”

“That’s too bad.” I went
back to focusing on my task at hand.

“So, how are you?” Easton
asked.

“Fine. How are you?”

“Perfect.”

I looked back up to find
him staring at me with sincerity. “Perfect?” I questioned.

“Yes, perfect.”

It began to feel a tad
warm in the kitchen. “I’m glad.”
Focus on the melon balls
, I told
myself.

Easton was not to be
deterred by my melon balling efforts. “I was thinking maybe we could take the
girls camping one weekend before school started.”

A hush fell upon the open
house.

I dropped the melon
baller out of surprise.

Easton either didn’t care
or didn’t notice we were the absolute center of attention. He smiled easily and
his gaze only rested on me.

“You know camping really
isn’t my thing,” I said as low as I could.

“I know,” he responded
through a mischievous grin. “That’s why I was thinking we could rent a cabin
for you while the girls and I sleep in a tent. It will be the best of both
worlds.”

I wiped off my sticky
hands with a nearby dishtowel, trying to buy myself some time. I rubbed my neck
and looked around at everyone who was paying attention to us but trying not to
look like they were paying attention to us. I felt like I was in high school,
or a really awkward dream. I was running through scenarios in my mind of what I
could say that would be the least gossip-worthy, but either way I went, it was
going to cause talk, and lots of it. I settled on, “Can we discuss this later?”

He looked around at the
room like he was just noticing we had an audience. “Sure,” he said through a
grin.

I knew that wasn’t going
to quash the rumors, but at least this way they couldn’t say I rejected him
cruelly or that we were madly in love and vacationing together. They would be
left to surmise which way it would go. I already knew I wasn’t going, but the
town didn’t need to know, at least not up front. I’m sure they would figure it
out sooner or later.

“I’m going to go see how
Blake is coming with the steaks. I’ll see you later.” He stood up and left me
there feeling unnerved.

The noise in the house
returned almost in an instance.

Jessie reached my side in
a split second. “A weekend getaway with the good doctor?”

I nudged her and she
laughed.

I was more than glad when
it was time to eat. Eating, at least, trumped gawking at me, or it did until I
found myself sandwiched between Emmy and Easton outside on the well-crafted
stone patio. Easton needed a girlfriend, stat. I decided then and there I was
going to mention Rachel to him when we could speak privately.

“Are you getting ready to
go back to school in a few weeks?” I asked Emmy.

She gave me a
noncommittal shrug. “I guess.”

I put my arm around her.
“I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for you. How about you come
with Ashley and me to buy new school clothes?”

I looked at Easton to
make sure that was all right, although I knew it would be. He looked beyond
relieved I made the suggestion. I’m sure he had been thinking of a way to ask
me to do it.

Emmy looked happy, which
made me happy.

Easton and Emmy never
seemed to be far from me, but I decided to take it in stride. What else could I
do? In a way it was comforting to know that I had people. It also allowed me
the opportunity to observe those around us. No one, it seemed, wanted to
disturb our little group other than to pass by and say a few words. It was
interesting to watch the dynamics of each family. Take Jessie’s, for instance.
You could tell Blake wasn’t overly fond of having guests over, but you could
tell he was trying to be sociable—or at least present—for his wife. Or maybe he
was trying to keep an eye on his daughter—she was a beauty. I had a feeling
they were in for a rollercoaster ride with that one.

Then there was Abby’s
family. They reminded me of a sitcom family from the nineties, right down to
the adorable yet sassy five-year-old.

I couldn’t forget
Cheyenne. She brought some over-muscled, tanned guy who was obviously way more
into her than she was into him. She had eyes for Easton. I thought it would
cause her to have contempt for me, but I think she knew it would be an
unrealized conquest for her. I almost felt sorry for her. I think deep down she
desired to have what her friends had, but I think she knew she would never have
it with the guy that was hanging all over her.

I also watched Easton. He
had obviously settled well into Merryton. He was definitely well liked and
respected. I wasn’t surprised. Maybe a little miffed at first. Though nobody
really stayed and talked to him, I think everyone there came by to greet him.
You could easily see how people felt about him.

Easton, Emmy, and I left
at the same time. Easton insisted on walking me to my car and opening the door
for me. On the walk to my car, I made sure Emmy was between us. I needed all
the buffer I could get. Besides, I liked her close.

He opened my car door. “I’ll
call you later.”

I nodded in agreement. I
was going to talk to him about Rachel, and I’m sure he wanted to talk about the
camping trip I wouldn’t be going on.

“Bye, sweet girl.” I
waved at Emmy.

They both watched me
drive off.

For a moment, I wished …
I wished for things that weren’t mine and could never be.

“Did Ashley make it home
safely?” Easton asked when he called later that night.

“Yes, and as far as I can
tell there were no tongues involved.”

Easton chuckled.

“Did Emmy have trouble
falling asleep?”

“Yes,” he admitted
reluctantly.

“Poor thing. Hopefully it’s
just a passing phase.”

“It’s been a long phase.”

“Have you taken her to see
someone?”

“I’m a doctor,” he
reminded me. I think I ruffled his feathers some.

“I remember.”

“Sorry,” he responded.
“It’s so frustrating not being able to fix it.”

“Maybe … you could get a
second opinion,” I suggested with great hesitation.

He sighed loudly on his
end.

“I know it’s not my
place. I’m just trying to help.”

“I know, Taylor. Anyway,
I wanted to talk to you about camping—”

“First, I want to talk to
you,” I interrupted.

“Okay.”

“What do you think about
Rachel Whitney?”

“She’s a great insurance
agent,” he said without even thinking.

“I agree, but what do you
think of her as a person?”

It took him a minute this
time. “Well, she’s competent, as far as I can tell. I admire her for raising
Drew so well, and from such an early age.”

“I’ve been really
impressed with her.”

“Great,” Easton
commented. “But what’s with the interest in her?”

“I was thinking that you
should consider asking her out.” It came out in a rush. I was nervous
suggesting someone for him to date.

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. I think you two are
well suited for each other.”

“I can’t believe you are
suggesting women for me to date. And to top it off, a woman that I could
practically be the father of.” He sounded angry.

“You are nowhere near old
enough to be her father, plus she’s mature for her age.”

“Taylor, I’m not the
least bit interested in Rachel.”

“Why not? She’s gorgeous,
not to mention smart and motivated.”

“We’re not having this
conversation,” he sighed in frustration.

“Fine. I was only trying
to help.”

“Let’s talk tomorrow,” he
snapped. “I need to go think.”

“Goodnight,” I said. I
don’t know why he was getting snippy with me. I was only trying to help him …
and maybe me.

I think he may have
mumbled goodnight, but he practically hung up on me.

I stared at my phone for
a few seconds after the call ended. I didn’t expect that reaction at all.

Easton was distant at
church the next morning. He didn’t even bring Emmy by for me to do her hair,
which disappointed me, but she was getting better at fixing it herself. I
missed her. I brought some barrettes to church just in case she wanted me to do
something with her hair before church started.

Easton and Emmy were
already sitting on our regular pew when Ashley and I arrived. Easton was
leaning forward on his legs with his hands clasped. It looked as though he was
praying, and I was suddenly hit with a sweet memory. I remembered the first
time I saw Easton kneel by our bed and pray after we were married. I had never
seen a man do that. I remembered watching him as he silently prayed and asked
him when he got off his knees what he prayed for. “For you; for us,” he had said.
In that moment I had never loved him more.

It had disappointed me
when we moved here and he stopped doing that, just like he stopped going to
church.

“Taylor, Ashley,” Emmy
said when we appeared.

The girls immediately
embraced each other.

Easton looked up and
smiled at his daughters before his eyes met mine. His smile was replaced with a
scrunched brow. He scooted over to make room for us on the pew. He placed both
girls between us.

“Good morning,” I said to
both Emmy and Easton.

Easton nodded and Emmy
asked if I would fix her hair.

As I combed her hair and clipped
two barrettes in, I felt Easton watching me, but as soon as I looked up, he
leaned forward and put his head back down.

Ashley looked between the
two of us and gave me a questioning glance. I shrugged my shoulders. What could
I say?
Your dad is unhappy with me because I suggested he date someone.
Perhaps
that news wouldn’t make her happy either.

The service was good, as
always, but I swear Pastor Bates always directed his message toward me. His
sermon was on letting go and letting God. Something I wasn’t remotely good at.

I slipped away after the
service and took myself up to the old musty room. I didn’t think Easton would
care for my company in Sunday school.

The room wasn’t empty. I
found Rachel there looking a little distraught.

“What’s wrong?” I asked
immediately.

She wiped at her
beautiful violet eyes. “Drew asked me if I could find his dad this morning.”

I sat down next to her
and touched her knee, but didn’t speak.

“Sometimes I worry when
he asks me who his dad is it means I’m not enough for him. That I’m failing in
some way.”

“Believe me, every mom
feels like that from time to time, no matter the circumstance. You’re a
terrific mom. He’s curious is all. I remember Ashley asking me all sorts of
questions about her dad and wishing he was around more. That’s not a bad thing,
and it’s not a reflection on you. They see their friends with both parents and
it’s natural to want that.”

“So it never bothered you
that she wanted her dad?”

I shook my head and
smiled. “I didn’t say that. It got under my skin. I wanted to be her
everything, but I guess dads bring something else to the table.”

“I don’t even know where
to begin to find Drew’s dad. My sister would never say who he was. I’m not even
sure the guy knows Drew exists. And judging by the losers my sister usually
dated, I don’t want to bring this guy into our lives.”

“Maybe you’ll meet
someone and make him the luckiest stepfather ever.”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s
no one in this town to fill those shoes.”

I was about to suggest
Easton when the door opened and there stood Jessie, shaking her head and
laughing. “I thought I might find you up here.”

Rachel and I looked
between each other, not sure who she was talking to.

Jessie pulled up a chair
next to us. “I just had a very interesting conversation with Easton and my
husband.”

“I thought Blake didn’t
do church,” Rachel said.

Jessie grinned
mischievously. “He has incentive now.”

“Incentive?” I
questioned.

“I’ll explain later.
Anyway, Easton grabbed us after the service and asked if he could talk to us. He
looked terrible.” Jessie grinned at me.

I tried to play it off
like I was an innocent bystander, but I knew it was about me.

Rachel went to stand up.
“I’m sure Dr. Cole doesn’t want me to hear this.”

Jessie took a hold of her
hand. “You’ll want to hear this since it involves you, too.”

Oh no,
I
thought to myself.

“Me?” Rachel asked with
surprise.

Jessie smirked. “Oh yes. It
seems Taylor has been trying her hand at matchmaking, and she suggested to her
ex-husband that he date you.”

“Dr. Cole?” she said as
if that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

Both ladies looked at me
like I had lost my mind.

“I merely suggested he
consider it.”

They both laughed.

“Why is that so funny?
You’re both single, intelligent, attractive people.”

Rachel took my hand while
still snickering. “For one, Dr. Cole is old enough to be my dad.”

“We’re not that old,” I
said defensively.

“Close enough,” she
countered. “But even if that weren’t true, the poor man is besotted with you.”

“Oh, no, no. See, that’s
why I suggested you. He’s lonely and his attraction to me is due to oxytocin
and dopamine.”

“I don’t know what
oxytocin and dopamine have to do with it,” Jessie said through some gut-holding
laughter, “but I’m certain that isn’t it.”

Rachel nodded and laughed
in agreement.

“Seriously, it’s true.
Once you’ve been with someone … intimately, when you spend time with them, it
releases oxytocin and dopamine into your system, making you feel a bond with
the other person. It’s purely a chemical reaction.”

I almost thought they
were going to fall over they were laughing so hard at me.

For some reason I felt
like crying.

When their laughter was
under control, I looked sternly at both of them. “I left him and he never came
for me. We’ve spent most of the last fourteen years hating each other. Easton
is confused and lonely right now. He and I aren’t a good idea.”

That wiped the smiles off
their faces. They each reached for a hand. It was then the emotion I had felt
swelling within manifested itself out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I’m not
even sure why.

“Taylor, we aren’t making
light of what you’ve been through,” Jessie said. “But trust me when I say
Easton’s feelings for you have nothing to do with a chemical reaction. He
deeply regrets that he didn’t try to save your marriage when he could have and
should have. I think he sees this as a second chance, a chance to right those
wrongs.”

“We just can’t. I can’t.”

Both women looked at me
sympathetically and squeezed my hands.

“Anyway,” I said through
a fake smile, “I thought you taught Sunday school, Jessie.”

“I used to, but I’m going
to be … a little busy, and Blake’s not really comfortable being here, so I
promised I wouldn’t leave his side.” She popped up. “Speaking of which, I
better get back to him.” She looked down at me with a sweet smile. “I think you
have a lot more than oxytocin and dopamine to offer Easton.” She didn’t let me
respond before she flitted out of the room.

I looked back toward
Rachel.

“She’s right, you know,”
Rachel said.

I sat there contemplating
and drying my eyes out for a while after both ladies left.
Why did I move
back here?
I thought. This was not turning out at all like I’d hoped.

I reluctantly made my way
back downstairs. Church was about over by that time. The first person I ran
into was Easton.

“Hey, can Emmy go home
with you?” he asked in a rush.

“Sure. Is everything all
right?”

“I received an emergency
call. I need to head over to the hospital.”

“Is it … Frank?” I asked
hesitantly. I thought about him more than I liked. I knew I couldn’t put off
visiting him forever, but knowing and doing are two entirely different things.
I mean, what would I even say to him?

He looked at me with
compassion before he shook his head no. It was better than the unhappy look from
earlier. It bothered me now to think he might be unhappy with me.

He briefly rested his
warm hand on my cheek. “Thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

I almost reached up and
placed my hand over his as it rested on my cheek—out of instinct or a long ago
habit—but I stopped myself in the nick of time. “Don’t worry, Emmy can stay as
long as needed.”

“You’re the best. I’ll
call you later.”

I nodded and watched him
walk off.

A couple of older ladies
that had attended my seminar—Gerri and Fran—took the opportunity to loop arms
with me, one on each side.

“Rekindled romances are
the hottest ones,” Gerri said awfully loud.

“Um … excuse me. We
aren’t rekindling anything.”

“You kids are so cute,”
Fran said.

We could hardly be
considered kids.

“I’m happy to see the
good doctor smiling again,” Gerri said with way more connotation than
necessary.

“If I were thirty years
younger,” Fran sighed, “I wouldn’t mind giving him a go.”

I cleared my throat.
“Ladies, we’re in church.”

“I’m not saying anything
God doesn’t already know,” Fran admitted.

I peeled myself away from
them. “Have a nice day.” I practically ran away to find the girls.

It didn’t get much better
when I returned home with my little schemers. If I didn’t know better, I would
have thought Easton had coached them.

I wasn’t allowed to lift
a finger for dinner or when it came time to clean the kitchen. That was when I
really knew something was up. I offered to do the dishes since they cooked, but
they emphatically declined. They pulled me to the couch, all smiles. They made
me sit and fluffed pillows around me and brought the ottoman over for me to
rest my feet on. They even thought to bring ice water with berries and lemon in
it, just the way I liked. Ashley even turned on my “old” music.