Chapter 3

When Taylor awoke, she was surprised to find that her neighbor had left. She looked at her bedside table and realized it was almost nine and she still hadn’t prepared the house for her parents who would be arriving in an hour. Jumping up, she began frantically organizing the guest room that Conner had left much more organized than she thought him capable. There was a thank-you note on the bedside table and his number in case she changed her mind about his proposal.

She trashed it and continued prepping the house. Conner was the type of guys she always avoided. He was tall, handsome in a boyish way, and he was very aware of his charms. Guys like him were a dime a dozen and they weren’t generally the most faithful. The only things she liked about him were his blue eyes and captivating smile; she had nothing against those qualities. As she continued to clean, her mind kept going back to the image of him standing on her steps. 

Deciding to shrug off the events of the previous night, she called the catering company she had contracted for her parent’s visit and reminded them of the delivery she had planned. She was not the world’s worst cook, but she didn’t like to cook especially if her mother would be eating the food and judging her. Half an hour later, the door-bell rang, and she ran to the door glancing around the room as she went to ensure that nothing was out of place.

“Taylor!” her father exclaimed when she swung the door open.

He stepped inside and pulled her in for a hug that pushed all air from her lungs.

“Dad,” she managed to choke out as he released her.

Her father, Timothy, was a large man. After playing professional football in his younger years, he had retired to work as a doctor, but he hadn’t allowed himself to wither away. He went to the gym often and kept his fitness up more rigorously than she did.

“Hi, sunshine,” he said while stepping into the house.

Behind him, her mother Elizabeth stood back and smiled up at the house.

“Darling,” she said looking up at me and flashing her pearly whites. “Lovely house.”

“Thanks, mom,” Taylor replied.

When both parents were inside, she proceeded with a tour of the house. Her father was always approving while her mother stood back and appeared more subdued. It was the same old good-cop, bad-cop routine that she never got used to with these two.

“It’s a beautiful house,” her father said when they were back in the living room. “You did this all by yourself?”

“I had contractors,” she replied, “but the design ideas were my own.”

“Now that the house is done,” her mother said, “I want to hear about what’s happening on the boyfriend front.”

Her father looked over at her mother swiftly.

“What? I did say I would ask.” Her mother said defensively. “You want to know as well.”

She looked at both her parents and tried to figure out what they were hiding from her.

“What’s going on?” she asked

“Well, your mother and I were hoping you would let us set you up,” her father said slowly. “I know a nice young man who you would do great with.”

“Dad, no!” Taylor replied. “I cannot have my parents set me up.”

“I told you she wouldn’t accept it like that,” her mother said.

“What do you mean?” she asked, wondering why her mother had said that.

She didn’t need to be tricked into going on a blind date. Neither did she need her parents setting her up with one of their friends’ sons. It was embarrassing enough that she didn’t know how to do this dating thing herself and even more embarrassing that everyone else had to know.

“I meant, darling, we just want to help you out,” her mother said, switching her tactic and becoming more pleading. “We think we know the perfect guy for you.”

“Really, now?” Taylor asked skeptically. “He’s perfect for me?”

“He is, daring,” she replied. “He’s almost thirty, no kids, recently divorced, and he’s an architect.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. He sounded as exciting as a lump of dirt.

“A divorcee?” she asked. “Mom, I don’t want to marry a divorcee.”

“He was only married for a year,” her mother said. “The girl was a little ditsy.”

“So, you think maybe he will push it to two years with me?” she replied.

“It’s not about that,” her mother said. “He’s perfect because he’s a charming man and he’s just as brilliant as you are. You should see the things he designs. They’re out of this world.”

Taylor rolled her eyes and stood.

“It’s just one date,” her mother said as she followed her out of the room and into the kitchen.

“Mom, it’s crazy. Why would you think it’s even necessary to set me up?”

“Well, you haven’t really ever dated” her mother replied. “You’ve never been that girl but we don’t want you to live a lonely life without someone to share your bed.”

Taylor thought for a moment of saying that she had just had a man in her bed the previous night. It didn’t matter which specific bed, it had been technically her bed. Instead, she shrugged.

“I can find someone on my own,” she said.

“I don’t doubt it,” her mother replied. “You don’t have to fall for this man we’ve found for you, but I want you to give dating a try. Your father and I have a longing for grandchildren. There was only you to love growing up and now we want more.”

Taylor couldn’t help laughing. Her parents had tried very hard to have more children but after being told that her womb could not accommodate another child, her mother had put all her effort into Taylor and the rest into charities for underprivileged children.

“I can have a baby without a man mom,” Taylor replied. “We both know this.”

Her mother gave her a disapproving look and she knew exactly what her mother was thinking. She didn’t want her to be a single mother. She wanted her to have a family and be happy. Even if she eventually ended up as a single mother, her mother would most certainly try to take the child and raise it herself.

“Fine,” she said. “One date with this man you think is good enough me.”

“I knew you’d come around,” her mother said, hugging her and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Taylor needed to find a way to say no to her mother or the woman would always have her way. She was the master of manipulating Taylor which came from years of perfecting her art.

“Now, tell us about this new practice of yours,” her mother said as she led her back into the living room where her father had already managed to turn on the television. He was lazily scrolling through the sports channels.

Taylor sat next to her mother relaxed as she talked about her new offices.

“I had to leave the hospital,” she said. “It gets crazy, so I opened up my own offices nearby.”

“Oh, you should take us there,” her mother said. “Who do you have working with you?”

“I got a few good doctors” she replied. “They use the space, pay a small fee, and take their patients there. I have my patients come in and any ‘walk-in’ gets distributed evenly.”

“Sounds good to me,” her mother replied. “You know we’re proud of you, right?”

Taylor looked at both of her parents and she knew they were. They were never the type to be over-bearing or pry into her life. They had allowed her to grow and develop at her own pace and she had pushed herself in ways they never had. She was convinced that if she had become a dancer as she had envisioned as a child, they would have been fully supportive.

“I know,” she replied.

“Good,” her mother said. “We want to help in any way we can, so don’t hesitate to call if things get too overwhelming.”

“Sure,” she replied.

“And even though you have your brand-new home, we still expect you once a month for dinner,” she made herself clear.

Taylor laughed, knowing her mother would always try to find some way to slip that in.

“I know, mom,” She replied. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“That’s the daughter I raised,” her mother cooed.

Together, they sat and chatted about everything and nothing. The catering service delivered their lunches and dinners not long after and both her parents took turns critiquing her choice of restaurants and mocking her poor cooking skills. It was a good thing that she was such a strong person. Otherwise, her feelings would have been hurt terribly by their ridicule. By the time they went to bed, she felt good that her day had gone so well. She had impressed her parents and now they would get off her back.