Chapter Four

Taylor

 

Birds sang outside my window, their cheerful melody pulling me from my sleep. I slid up in bed, staring around my childhood room; nothing much had changed. Posters lined my walls of my favorite bands from high school, awards, trophys, and pictures were all in the same place where I’d left them a decade ago, and for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to change anything. I kept thinking that one morning I’d wake up and hear my dad calling me for breakfast, or my brother yelling at the TV during a basketball game. But, each morning I woke up to silence, to emptiness, to the reality that they were both gone.

The hardwood floors were cool against my feet as I stepped out of bed. I hurried for my slippers and walked out of my room to the hall. I adjusted the thermostat, turning off the cold air, and stopped at the sofa table where a picture of my brother, dad, and me sat. It was the last picture the three of us had taken together, and as I picked it up, I realized it was the last picture ever taken of my brother.

The aroma of coffee floated through the house, pulling me towards the kitchen. I poured a cup of coffee and carried my mug and the photo out to the back porch.

Tommy looked so young. Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the last time I saw my brother. We were both home for a holiday, Christmas I think. He looked so handsome in his Navy SEAL uniform, and I was envious that he was stationed in Hawaii, not far from home. Dad was so proud, boasting about his own days as a SEAL over our meal.

I laughed as tears rolled down my cheeks, remembering how Tommy used to tease me, and how he’d defended me when dad complained about me moving to New York. I missed him so much!

“Hey, I’ve been knocking for five minutes,” Madison appeared with a cardboard tray of coffee and bag of something that smelled delicious in her hand.

I wiped my tears as she approached. Her expression obvious that she’d noticed my sadness. “Are you okay?” she set the goodies on the porch and wrapped her arms around me. I let the warmth of her embrace soothe me, melting into her as if we’d never parted as friends. “Wow,” she gasped as she pulled back and picked up the photo in my lap. “Remember the crush I had on him?” she giggled.

Madison sat down beside me, enjoying the photo and her own memories of Tommy and my dad as the heaviness finally began to lift from my heart.

“Yeah, I remember you trying your best to get him to notice you,” I laughed. “I figured that was the only reason why you wanted to be my friend.”

Madison let out a loud laugh, her eyes dancing on the photo, and then turning to me. “I didn’t know he was your brother when we became friends, so it was just a bonus.”

“I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t notice you,” I said softly, realizing how painful that would’ve been for my dear friend.

“I guess,” she agreed, leaning down to reach the goodies she brought.

The coffee I’d made in the house was black, no creamer, and no sugar since I hadn’t been shopping, so I was grateful for the French vanilla flavored one she handed me. “This is something new I’m adding to the menu, so I wanted you to try it out first, Ms. New Yorker, and tell me what you think,” she said, pulling out two large balls of aluminum foil.

I opened the foil carefully after she handed me whatever her new creation was. A glazed donut was cut in half, and in between the halves were three thick slices of bacon, a perfectly cooked over-easy egg, and a few leaves of baby spinach. “This looks amazing,” I smiled, my belly grumbling from hunger.

Her eyes locked onto mine as I took my first bite. The egg burst, creating a juicy sauce with the yolk, and all the flavors blended together perfectly. “Mmmm,” I groaned, unable to speak with a mouthful of the amazing sandwich in my mouth.

Madison giggled, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Yup, she still couldn’t handle a compliment, even one that was unspoken.

“So, you think it’s a good addition to the menu?” she asked.

“Hell yes,” I exclaimed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “This is better than anything I found in New York.”

Her cheeks turned a little brighter pink, and her eyes filled with pride.

“You didn’t have to come all the way out here to bring me this. I would’ve happily come to you for this,” I gushed, and then took another large bite.

“Well, there is another reason I came by,” she confessed. “I wanted to know if you’d be up to going out tonight and meeting a friend,” she stammered.

Oh God, what was she up to?

“A friend?” I questioned.

“My boyfriend, Joey; it’s his brother. I was gushing all about seeing you, and he’s a super nice guy, and he really wants to meet you,” she bubbled.

“A blind date?” I grimaced.

“Sort of.  Before you say no, Johnny is tall, tan, loves to surf, loves animals, and is built,” Madison babbled.

“If he’s so great, then why no girlfriend?” I probed.

Madison paused a moment, and let out a soft sigh. “Well, he just got dumped. She was cheating on him, and he’s just now over her,” she disclosed. “It will be fun, and you’ll get to meet Joey,” she added cheerfully.

I wanted to say no, but something inside of me tugged towards agreeing. A blind date, ugh, the thought made my stomach spin, but Madison was my only friend on the island, at least the only one I felt close to. “Okay, I’ll go,” I reluctantly agreed.

She let out a squeal of excitement and then proceeded to tell me all about this mystery man. From what she said, he sounded like a decent guy, so what could it hurt? I was tired of being lonely.

Madison told me to meet them at a club not far from my office. I’d remembered seeing it when I first arrived; it was new, and looked like a pretty happening place.

She left, leaving me alone to get some things done around the house. My dad’s depression was obvious from the looks of the place. He’d let things go pretty good. That wasn’t like him. He’d always been so proud of his home, and worked hard to keep it nice. Now, the weeds overtook the flower beds he’d tended, grass grew through the dirt where he’d always kept a garden, and the gutters around the home were filled with birds’ nests, leaves, and other debris that had blown in over the months of neglect.

I worked most of the day cleaning the outside, even climbing up on a ladder to clean the gutters. By the time I came inside to get ready for my blind date, I was a horrible mess.

I stripped out of my dirty clothes and stopped at the full-length mirror before turning on the shower. I let my hands slide down my sides, tracing my curves, and then move to breasts, cupping them in each hand and giving them a slight lift. Thirty was coming quick, just a couple years, and my breasts were beginning to show signs of sagging, even if barely noticeable. I stayed thin, kept my slim waist and firm ass, but I knew it wouldn’t be long for those to start fading as well. Maybe it was time for me to find a man; I hadn’t had much time for dating in college, and in New York, it seemed everyone was too busy. The only men I met were the ones in my office, and they all had serious issues, making me wonder if all men were as messed up as they were. Now, I had time. The partnership in the practice gave me plenty of income to live comfortably without working so many long hours, and things in Hawaii were just so much slower and relaxed than in New York.

I stepped into the shower, turned the water on to just a lukewarm, and washed all the grime and dirt from my body. I pulled the pins from my tight bun on my head, letting my long, dark hair fall to my back, nearly touching my tailbone. I hated fussing with it after washing, but there was no avoiding it after the work I’d done in the yard for hours.

Outside the shower, I spent over thirty minutes trying to dry my thick hair, and then another thirty styling it. I wasn’t used to wearing it down, but tonight I was going to let loose and try to have some fun.

Panic set in as I pushed through the items in my closet. Most of my clothes were for business and didn’t exactly scream club-goer. I didn’t want to be a stick in the mud, or have this great guy think I was too serious or conservative, so I grabbed the suitcase I hadn’t unpacked yet and set it on my bed. Inside, a beautiful, red dress was perfectly pressed and still in the thin plastic from the dry cleaners. I’d only worn it once, and that was to a fundraiser in Manhattan, where I’d met Gary, a famous journalist with an edgy weekly column. Gary ended up being a dud, but the dress proved to be a winner, so I figured I’d give it another try.

It felt like everyone was staring at me as I entered the club. I stopped near the bar, scanning the room for Madison. “Taylor!” my name exploded over the chatter and music. I turned towards the direction of the voice yelling for me and found Madison standing at a table near the dance floor with her arm swaying in the air.

I pushed through the crowd, made my way to the table where Madison motioned for me, and was pleasantly surprised by the handsome men on either side of her. “This is Joey,” Madison introduced me to her boyfriend, a blond, tan surfer type, and then to Johnny, my date, the dark, handsome man she’d promised to deliver. Wow.

“You look amazing,” Madison gasped, causing me to blush. I felt out of sorts in a pretty dress and with my hair down. I was more comfortable when I was bundled up in business clothes, and my hair nestled into a bun atop my head. I still had my glasses, unwilling to fight with the contacts my doctor had given me, but other than that, I didn’t feel like myself at all. Maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe the old Taylor is a stick in the mud.

Johnny immediately reached for my hand, gently pulling me to the seat next to him. “Damn, you’re hot,” he blurted, instantly making me notice his immaturity. Maybe he’s just nervous.

He was hot too, but I didn’t think it appropriate to blurt it back at him. Instead, I smiled, and waved the waitress over to order a drink. “I got this,” Johnny announced, quickly ordering a pitcher of the house special, whatever that was. I found it a little rude not to ask what I wanted, but I decided to play along. I didn’t have to be in control all of the time. Tonight was my night to let loose, and let go.

Joey kept squeezing Madison’s ass, making her jump and squeal, but I noticed his eyes wandering to every woman that walked by. Johnny kept his attention on me, but his overbearing, overly eager personality made me wish he’d look for someone new.

“Gotta squirt,” Joey announced rudely and leaned down to kiss Madison with full tongue. It was uncomfortable to be around, and when Johnny announced he too had to ‘squirt’ and tried to lean down to kiss me, the uncomfortableness increased ten times over. No fuckin’ way dude. I moved quickly out of his way, grinning nervously as he displayed a disappointed frown.

“Isn’t he cute?” Madison asked after the guys disappeared.

I watched through the crowd, keeping an eye on Joey, who stopped to talk to a tall brunette with way too much exposed cleavage. “Sure,” I agreed, not giving any more detail of what I truly thought about him, or his brother.

When the night was finally over, I couldn’t have been happier. I’d watched Madison be disrespected long enough by her boyfriend, ‘Joey the tool,’ and it appeared that she hadn’t even noticed his bad behavior. Johnny had tried all night to put his hands on me, and each time I would move away, excuse myself from the table to go to the restroom, or slap them away. It was exhausting. He was exhausting. Maybe I was better off alone.

“You want to go get breakfast? I can open up the shop,” Madison offered as we left the club.

I was already walking towards my car and away from Johnny. “No, I’ve got a long day tomorrow,” I explained and quickly made my escape.