Chapter Six

Taylor

 

 

Files stacked up on my dining room table, mocking me for neglecting them so long. I shouldn’t have wasted time on that horrible date Madison set me up on. I should’ve stayed home and worked on these files.

Tomorrow would be my first day, and I knew I had a full day. I checked my schedule, gathered the names of my five patients I’d see, and then pulled their files from the stack.

Most were Navy veterans, which I loved. Even though my brother and now father were both gone, having Navy patients somehow made it seem as though a part of them was still here, still with me.

The first patient was Milton, an older retired Navy vet with major depression. His kids were all living in the States, and his wife had passed about a year ago. There were a lot of similarities between him and my father, making me eager to meet him in person. The only ones that stood out to me in the other four was a younger Navy veteran, suffering from PTSD.

Even though I wasn’t in New York, living out my dream, at least I felt I could be of some help to people who were close to my heart.

My stomach grumbled as I leaned back in my chair. It was getting late, and there wasn’t anything to eat in the house. A trip to the store would do me good. The sun had started to go down, and the air was nice and cool instead of the hot, humid air that plagued the island most of the afternoon.

I scooted the chair back and reached behind me, pulling my hair into a tight ponytail, wrapping it tightly with a band, and then curling it into a bun on top of my head. It was damp from sweating most of the day, and having it lifted from my neck was a sweet relief as the cool air kissed my nape.

My phone buzzed, vibrating across the table as Madison’s name flashed on the screen. I really didn’t want to deal with any questions about Johnny, and what I thought about him, but I knew I’d have to sooner or later. “Hello,” I greeted her as I slid my finger across the button to answer.

“Hey girl; how are you doing?” Madison asked in her usual chipper voice.

“I’m good. I was just headed out to grab some groceries,” I admitted, hoping that she’d get the hint that I didn’t have long to talk.

“What did you think about Johnny?” she probed, her voice obviously filled with hope.

“I don’t think were compatible,” I replied politely.

“He really liked you. You’re all he’s talked about,” she boasted. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “First dates are rough, and I think he was nervous. He said he wasn’t expecting you to be so beautiful,” Madison added.

I didn’t want to tell her I thought he was a jerk, that I thought her boyfriend was a bigger jerk. “There just wasn’t anything there for me. He’s a sweet guy, sure he’ll snatch up some lucky lady soon enough,” I offered, feeling pity for that so-called lucky woman. Poor girl.

“Why not give it one more chance? We can all spend the day at the beach next weekend, or maybe a picnic one afternoon this week?” she suggested.

“I think I just want to be single for a while. I just moved here, and I have this practice that will take up a lot of my time. It’s not fair to ask someone to put up with my crazy life just yet,” I explained, feeling I was being more than polite about the topic she continued to push on me.

“I understand. Stop by the shop tomorrow on your way into work and I’ll have one of my donut sandwiches ready for you,” she chirped. That I could handle, although if I ate them very often, I would be a hundred pounds overweight.

“I’ll do that,” I replied, and then said my goodbyes.

I shoved my phone into my purse and grabbed my keys on the way out the front door. The nearest grocery store was in town, about three miles, and didn’t have a very wide selection, but it was too late to make a trip across town to the larger market, so it would have to do for now.

There were a few cars in the parking lot of the store, and I noticed on the hours posted as I walked in; there were only about thirty minutes to shop and get checked out. It was a good thing it was a small store.

I grabbed a basket and started down the first aisle. I was used to New York prices, but these were even worse. I shrugged as I pushed a box of cereal into my basket, a few bags of cookies, and then a bag of chips. “You really should eat healthier,” a voice sounded from behind me. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, causing me to jolt as I turned around. Elijah Grant, my brothers best friend and SEAL brother, stood there with a wild smile and beautiful dark eyes.

“Oh my God,” I gushed, my smile tearing at my cheeks.

“Little Taylor, I thought that was you,” he said, his voice deep and delicious.

“Not so little anymore,” I smiled, still in awe that he was standing there in front of me. It had been years since I’d seen him; possibly the last time was at my brother's funeral.

“No, you certainly are not,” his words dripped like honey from his lips.

“What are you doing back here? I thought you moved to Miami or somewhere in Florida,” I diverted the topic and decided to brush off his flirting as simple small talk.

“I did. I’m here to get my dad’s house ready to sell. He passed away last week,” he explained so calmly it was eerie. I knew he didn’t have a great relationship with his father, my brother mentioned a time or two about how Mr. Grant was a mean drunk, and that he admired Elijah for becoming a better person than the one he was raised to be. Right now, I felt that distance when he spoke about his father’s death. I admired him as well. He was strong, kind, and from what I heard through the grapevine, pretty damn successful.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I consoled him, even though he showed no signs of needing it. My hand rested on his shoulder, and I was pretty sure my consoling was an excuse to touch him. His body was tight, muscular, and the longer my hand rested on him, the more aware I was of having a vagina between my legs. Damn, I’d forgotten Elijah was so good looking.

“I’m okay, really, but thank you. I just have to fix the house, get it ready to sell, and then I’m out of this place. Why are you back? Just visiting? I heard you flew off to New York to be a shrink or something,” he chuckled.

I blushed as his eyes stared into mine. “I did. My dad just passed away too, so I came back home. I couldn’t stand selling the house, so I’m staying for now, I guess. There’s a lot of work to do there as well. Guess getting older made it tough to keep up with,” I left out the painful details surrounding my dad’s death.

“Oh, Taylor. I’m so sorry to hear that. Your dad was a great man, one of the good ones.” He showed more emotion now than with his own father’s death.

The pain and sincerity in his eyes were both sexy, and comforting. “He was. Thank you,” I smiled, fighting back my tears. I still hadn’t accepted that he was really gone yet, and I certainly hadn’t accepted why.

“Why don’t you let me take you to dinner while I’m here?” Elijah suggested.

My stomach flipped as I thought about the blind date I’d just had. It had me convinced that being alone was much better, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to date ever again. But, this was Elijah, an old family friend, and he wasn’t staying. What could it hurt? The fact that he was dreamy and delicious, that was just a bonus. I knew I’d never let myself go with someone who wasn’t sticking around. He was safe. “I’d like that,” I agreed.

I pulled out my phone and asked for his number. I could feel his eyes on me as I entered the digits, and then clicked the call button. He reached for his phone, quickly opening it to answer my call. “Now you can call me to set it up,” I smiled.

“How about tomorrow night?” he questioned.

A lump formed in my throat at his eagerness. “Okay,” I agreed quickly, too quickly. “It’s my first day back to work, so we should plan on a late dinner if that’s okay with you,” I added.

“You’re worth the wait,” he grinned. “Better get your shopping done; they are closing up in a few minutes,” he warned with a mischievous smile that made my breasts ache.

I watched as he walked away and towards the cash register. When he turned back towards me, his smile caught me off guard, causing me to snap out of my trance. I quickly made my way through the store, grabbing the basics—frozen pizza, fruit, eggs, milk—and headed towards the front.

My heart raced as I realized I had a date with Elijah Grant.