Taylor had spent two weeks trying to figure out a way out of this “date” with Reed.
Instead she was on her way to her office wearing a new sundress that she’d purchased so she didn’t stand out too much.
Not that she’d know if she was going to stand out at all because Reed had barely spoken to her since she was suckered into going with him to this so-called party.
She was starting to suspect he’d kept his distance on purpose all along so that she couldn’t back out.
It was still a possibility in her mind to find an excuse even though she’d purchased this dress. But Jack had shown up to get Angie thirty minutes late this morning and it just set her off. She kept telling herself to stop letting him affect her that way. It was never going to end and she had to remind herself of that.
“You were supposed to be here at ten,” she’d told him.
He was still handsome as ever, but he looked a bit rough this morning, like he’d been out partying and having a good time rather than worrying about the fact he was going to be spending a long weekend with his daughter.
“I lost track of time,” he said, covering a yawn and then rubbing his hand over his face. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if those were yesterday’s clothes.
“Whatever,” she’d said, knowing that probably was the case. “Call me if you have any problems, please. She isn’t used to being gone this long.”
“It’s two nights, Tay, get over it.”
Jack was the only one that ever called her Tay. She hated it just as much now as she did back then. She suspected he shortened everyone’s name out of pure laziness rather than making a cute nickname. If something didn’t benefit him, he couldn’t be bothered more times than not.
“She only ever spends one night, not two. She might get antsy. You never tell me how she is when she is with you either.”
“She’s always fine,” he said, looking away. A mother knew a guilty face and she was seeing it.
“Does she ever spend the night at your house, or does she stay with your parents?”
“Does it really matter?”
Taylor ground her teeth. “You’re her father.”
“I didn’t ask for this and you know it.”
“Do you think I did?” she shouted back. Now wasn’t the time to get into this, even with Angie in her room playing so they could have this conversation. She’d had to put Mutt in there too because the dog couldn’t stand Jack and growled nonstop when he came over. Good dog.
“I have no idea what you planned or didn’t,” he said, shrugging. But he was lying because he still insisted that she got pregnant on purpose even though he wore a condom every time.
“Well, it wasn’t to be a single parent, I can tell you that much. I figured I’d be married when I had children someday.”
“Guess neither of us got what we wanted, but you’re getting a pretty hefty paycheck out of it.”
“You disgust me.”
“You weren’t so disgusted with me a few years ago when you were all over me in that club the night we met.”
Stupid alcohol. “I’ve got an excuse, what was yours?”
“I never make excuses when it comes to hot chicks.” His eyes lingered over her body some more and rather than feel the arousal that she had at one point, she felt repulsion. How had she gotten into this situation?
“Is Angie spending the weekend with you or your parents? Just be honest with me,” she said. She’d actually feel better if Angie was with Jack’s parents.
“Angela will be with me tonight and tomorrow. My parents are away, but they’ll probably bring her home on Monday morning, just so you know. They’ll be back late Sunday and will want to see her in the morning.”
It wasn’t lost on Taylor that Jack shorted everyone’s name but his daughter’s and she’d never asked why. She wondered if it was just to annoy her. She’d named her daughter and never expected to shorten it, but Angie just seemed to fit her daughter better.
“Fine. Please call me if there are any problems or Angie just wants to talk to me.”
“Just get her. I’ve got plans and I’m running late.”
She crossed her arms. “What are your plans?” She wanted to ask if it was to go home and shower.
“I don’t have to tell you everything I’m doing with my daughter, just like I don’t ask you to tell me everything you do with her.”
“I would if you asked, but you never do,” she said and knew he never would. He’d have to care and she was pretty sure he didn’t.
Taylor walked away and left him standing in the little entryway to her rental home, knowing that Angie was going to someplace much grander than she’d ever be able to provide her.
When they’d moved here, she wanted to see where Angie would be staying during her visitations with her father, but then wished she hadn’t when she saw how Jack really lived. Not in a house, but a condo, one almost twice the size of her little ranch.
At least Jack’s parents had gone in and made sure Angie had a room to herself fit for a princess. She even had a similar room at Jack’s parents. Better than Taylor could offer.
If her pride was bent over it, she kept it to herself, knowing that she didn’t have much of a choice and that if Angie was happy, that was all that really mattered.
The minute her daughter was driven away in Jack’s Mercedes, Taylor went about getting all her chores done and contemplating if she should cancel on Reed. But if she did that, then she’d be stuck in the house with thoughts of what her daughter was doing and if she missed her mother.
This would at least occupy her for now.
Hours later, Taylor pulled into the front lot of her office building and sat in her car waiting for Reed to show while trying to put on a good face when all she really wanted to do was cry over how her life had turned out.
***
Reed pulled into the parking lot of Chapman Construction at exactly three o’clock and saw Taylor sitting in her little SUV in the shade.
He wasn’t sure she’d be here waiting for him and fully expected to be going to the party stag.
It’d been hard to stay away from her for the past two weeks, but he kept his communication as limited as possible, not wanting her to find a way, or an opportunity, to back out.
He parked next to her and shut his truck off. She opened her door and he hoped to hell he wasn’t drooling.
One leg came out, and then the other. No jeans or shorts, but a dress. He’d yet to see her in anything other than casual clothing that everyone wore at the office. And though her sundress could still be considered casual it was a step up from what he was expecting.
A light-colored floral print that was sleeveless and stopped at her knees. It was fitted from the waist up and showed off a lot of her body that she’d been selfishly hiding from him.
This might turn out to be a huge mistake on his part when his dick twitched in his shorts and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to find the control to settle down.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be here,” he said, opting for honesty over diplomacy and knowing she’d appreciate it.
“I wasn’t sure I’d be here either,” she said right back. He could see she was forcing a smile and wondered what was going on in her mind right now.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said. “Tell me more about where we’re going and what this is all about, please, so I’m not taken by surprise. I hope I’m not overdressed. I did bring shorts and a shirt to change into.”
“You look great and will fit right in. Shorts would have too, but there will be plenty of women in dresses like you,” he said. He hoped anyway, because he didn’t want her to change and wasn’t going to even suggest it.
“Okay. I’m glad then. I guess it’s better to be a little overdressed than underdressed.”
He never cared one way or another but did have on a pair of tan shorts and a golf shirt. It was the closest he was coming to dressing for something like this. It was too hot for jeans, and if he showed up in a T-shirt, Rachel would never let him live it down.
“If you’re ready, we can go,” he said.
“How far away is it?” she asked.
He hadn’t realized he didn’t even tell her where they were going. “We’re going to Saratoga. The Brittens have a horse farm just outside of town. It’s a beautiful property.”
“How does your family know them?”
Reed laughed. “My father likes to bet on the horses.”
“Oh, I thought they were clients?”
“They’re that too. We’ve built a lot of stuff on their property or fixed things up. I’ll warn you now, it’s more like an estate than a farm, and no, we didn’t build the house, but we built a lot of the outlying buildings. Now my parents are close friends with them.”
Her eyes went wide and he tried not to laugh. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
“It’s going to be fine. They’re really nice people with a lot of money but very down to earth. My parents would have gone if they were here, but since they aren’t, I’ve got to go. It’s a business thing on top of a party.” At least that was what his father crammed down his throat as he guilted him into this.
“How long do we have to stay?” she asked.
The last thing he wanted to do was have her stress when she was ultimately doing him a favor. “We can sneak out after two hours if you aren’t having fun. I promise.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“We are already two hours late, so no one would know or care.”
“Reed, that’s horrible!”
He laughed. “Are you chastising me? If we showed up at one when it started then I wouldn’t be able to sneak out two hours after we get there. We’ll be there for dinner.”
He could see she was conflicted. “I guess. Do they know you’re bringing a guest?”
“It’s fine, Taylor,” he said. If he told her no, they didn’t know he was bringing a guest, she’d probably jump out of his truck while it was moving, so the last thing he was going to do was admit that. She’d just think he was irresponsible when that was the last thing he was. He just didn’t want to be bothered.