CHAPTER THREE
Justin was stunned speechless, and his heart was racing as though he’d just sprinted around a track. All because the girl he’d tried like hell to forget was standing in front of him…and she definitely wasn’t a girl anymore.
Taylor had always been long and lean, with warm brown eyes and a cheerful smile. But he could swear she’d never had curves like these in college. And her mouth hadn’t been so full, either, had it? Or her gaze so full of innate sensuality?
He swallowed hard, belatedly realizing he was standing there staring at her like an idiot. He’d planned what he was going to say during the drive, but none of his grand apologies sounded right anymore.
“Taylor.” He couldn’t keep the emotion from his voice as he said her name. “It’s been way too long.”
The next thing he knew, she was running into his arms and he was holding her the way he’d secretly dreamed of for the past five years. Longer than that—since the first time he’d set eyes on her during freshman year at Stanford.
“Justin.” She drew back just enough to look into his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Then she pulled him close and rested her cheek on his chest. “Promise me we won’t ever go that long again without seeing each other, without talking to each other.”
“I promise.”
He’d been an idiot to go dark on her in Germany. Just as he’d been a fool to assume that things would be awkward between them now, that their conversations would be stilted, that there would be lingering guilt or blame.
He should have known that Taylor would only ever welcome him with open arms, no matter how badly he’d screwed up. She’d always been forgiving, ready to see the best in people.
When she stepped back, her cheeks were flushed, and he was pretty sure he’d never seen her look more beautiful than she did standing in the Napa Valley sunlight, surrounded by flowers. It struck him how right she looked. More right, he suddenly realized, than she’d ever looked on campus or inside a chemistry lab.
“So this place is yours now?”
She grinned as she turned to take in the Victorian building, painted a cheery yellow with purple trim. “It sure is.” He could see how proud she was, and he wanted to tell her how proud he was of her too. He could only guess at the work she must have put in to make the B&B look so sparkly and welcoming. “I can’t tell you how fun it is that you’re my first guest.” She cleared her throat and asked in an officious way, “May I help you with your bags, sir?”
He laughed, glad for the easy emotion. He hadn’t laughed much these past years, not the way he used to whenever the two of them were together. “I’ll grab my things from the car later. How about a quick tour before the rest of your guests show up?”
“Tonight it’s just you and the Belmonts, a family of four, so hopefully we’ll get some time to catch up. I’ll show you around the house first, and then we can head out into the backyard.”
He reached to grab her hand, a touch that was instantly electric, at least for him. There was so much he had to apologize for, but first he needed her to know, “I was sorry to hear about your grandfather.”
Her face fell, and she gripped his hand tightly. “I really miss him. And I still can’t believe he left his home to me.”
“He knew how much you loved it.”
“I really do. Even more now that I’ve had these past few months to make it mine.”
He hadn’t yet let go of her hand, couldn’t quite bring himself to break contact. “Why didn’t you tell me about him? And your new career?”
A guilty look crossed her face. “Last we talked, you were on the verge of a big breakthrough in the lab. I figured I’d tell you about everything when you came up for air. And with Drew and Ashley’s wedding, I knew I’d at least see you there.”
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling like a complete ass. She wasn’t the one who should be looking guilty, he was. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend.” All because their one drunken kiss hadn’t turned into the happy-ever-after he’d been hoping for. “I have no excuse for the way I’ve behaved since leaving the country. I should have made more of an effort.”
“Stop it.” She might look like a ray of sunshine, but she could be surprisingly firm. “I won’t let you beat yourself up for doing such important work. You’re on the verge of curing breast cancer. That’s more important than helping me figure out the best paint color for my B&B.”
He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t want to hear his apologies. She’d never been one to hold a grudge—if she had, maybe she would have dumped Boring Bruce one of the many times he’d disappointed her. Justin hated knowing that he was no better than her boyfriend.
Which was why he made himself say, “Much as I wish I was actually curing cancer, I’m not quite there yet. My research is just one piece of the puzzle.”
“A really big, important piece.”
“What you’re doing is important too, Taylor. Your grandfather’s legacy is living on because of you. And,” he added with a grin, “the purple paint looks great with the yellow.”
“Thank you.” She beamed at him as if he’d just given her the greatest compliment ever. “I just made chocolate chip cookies, if you’re hungry after your drive.”
His mouth was already watering as he asked, “Double chunk?”
“I wouldn’t make them any other way.”
How he didn’t kiss her then, he had no idea.
Somehow, he kept his mouth off hers as they headed up the porch steps and she pointed out the fountain she’d installed in the garden, along with new floorboards on the porch and new sashes in all of the windows.
“You did all of this by yourself?” He’d always loved working with his hands—his father had passed on his love of woodworking to Justin when he was just a little kid. This would have been a heck of a great project.
“I never knew I had any of it in me until I got here,” she said as they walked into the bright and welcoming entry. “Never even held a hammer before. At first, I was really intimidated by each new thing I needed to learn, but along the way, I realized that as long as I don’t give up, I can do almost anything I set my mind to.”
“Of course you can.” He’d known that about her all along. The only thing he was surprised by was that she hadn’t known it too, until she’d decided to open the B&B.
She gave him another radiant smile, then picked up a tray of cookies sitting on a table by the front window and held it out to him. The sound that came out of his mouth as he bit into one would have been embarrassing if he’d made it in front of anyone but Taylor. “Thisissoogood.” He shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth while he was still talking, already reaching for another.
She laughed, looking delighted as she watched him gorge on the cookies. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you? If you’re not careful, I might not let you get back on that plane to Germany next week.”
His chest ached at the thought of leaving her. His vow not to fall head over heels in love with her again hadn’t lasted even ten minutes.
“I won’t be on the other side of the world forever.”
“I know you won’t. It just feels like it sometimes.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and after she looked at the message, she said, “My other guests will be here in fifteen minutes, so let’s do a quick tour, and then I’ll come find you once I’ve got them settled in. Come into the kitchen, and I’ll show you what I’ve done to it.”
She gestured to the tiled countertops, white cupboards, and old-fashioned red oven. “I was able to salvage the cupboards by sanding and repainting them. Most of the tiles were in pretty good shape, thankfully, and I replaced the ones that were too badly cracked with special accent tiles. And the Heartland dual-fuel range is a classic that I would have never gotten rid of in a million years.” She ran her hand over its glossy surface. “It took a while to stop burning everything, but now that I’ve got her figured out, I can’t imagine going back to cooking with a modern stainless-steel oven.”
“Apart from making the best double chocolate chunk cookies in the world, I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I couldn’t. But evidently, bed-and-breakfast guests expect a well-cooked meal in the morning,” she said with a crooked grin. “Fortunately, the Culinary Institute of America is just up the block. I’ve taken so many classes there in the past few months, I’m on a first-name basis with the entire staff. Like I said, tenacity is my middle name lately.” She led him from the kitchen into a dining room, set up with several small, square tables that could be combined into larger ones if necessary. “Here’s the breakfast room. It’s also where I’m planning on doing afternoon tea for more than just guests a couple of times a week once I’ve got the rest of this B&B gig down.” The windows looked out on the back garden—complete with a swimming pool. “We came in through the parlor.” She grinned at him as she added, “Just like today, that’s where the cookies will be every afternoon, along with coffee and tea.”
“Good to know.” He grabbed another cookie as they headed outside into a riot of color. “Your grandfather must have been a heck of a gardener.”
“He was certainly ambitious. Even after cutting everything back a ton, I ended up having to pull out about half of it. I’ve been poring over gardening books at night, but when it comes to the outdoors, I’m just faking it until I make it. Turns out I’m way better with a hammer than a trowel.”
“You’re a woman of many hidden talents, aren’t you?”
“More like a desperate woman.” She picked a lavender stem and held it up to her nose. “I wasn’t happy in Silicon Valley anymore, but I didn’t want to go back to Rochester either,” she admitted in a soft voice. “So when Grandpa left me this house, I pretty much decided I would do whatever it took to make it work.”
“What about Bruce?” Despite the fact that Justin wasn’t going to be an idiot again and make another play for her, he still needed to know where things stood between Taylor and her boyfriend. Namely, how close were they to the altar? Even the thought of it made his gut twist. “Is he still in Rochester, or has he moved out here?”
“This B&B was the final nail in our coffin. One I should have pounded in a long time ago.”
Justin could barely keep from pumping his fist into the air. Which wasn’t at all the appropriate response when coming here, seeing her again, was supposed to be about rekindling their friendship—and nothing more. Likewise, he shouldn’t ask the question that was burning a hole in his tongue. “Any winemakers swept you off your feet?”
“Dating is the last thing I’ve been worried about. Between getting this place redone and dealing with—” She abruptly cut herself off, coloring slightly before saying, “What about you? Any pretty fräuleins getting lucky with you in Germany?”
Was it just his imagination, or did her voice suddenly sound a little funny? As though she was invested in his answer in a way that went beyond friendship.
“I haven’t had much time to date.”
“Come on, this is me you’re talking to.” She shot him a knowing look. “You had to beat girls off with a stick in college. I can’t imagine things would be any different now. Surely you haven’t been a monk for the past five years.”
Of course he hadn’t, but none of the women he’d been with had meant anything serious to him. He hadn’t led them on, so there weren’t any broken hearts as far as he knew. He’d told himself he was too busy with work to worry about a relationship, had convinced himself that he had gotten over, gotten past, his unrequited feelings for Taylor. But now that he was with her again, he had to admit the truth to himself.
He had been waiting for her.
And despite knowing better, he always would.
* * *
Why was she going on and on about Justin’s prowess with women?
The problem was that he looked so good, Taylor was afraid that if she didn’t keep saying all those other inane things, she might accidentally blurt, I love you. I’ve always loved you!
She felt her cheeks burn with mortification at the mere thought of it. She could only imagine how awkward things would get if she ever lost hold of herself and admitted how deep her feelings for him ran. There were few things Taylor regretted more than having forced that kiss on him during their last night together in Palo Alto, especially when she’d seen countless girls try any- and everything they could to snare him.
“Hey.” He reached out to brush a lock of hair away from her face. “You okay?”
If he only knew just how not-okay she was. But she didn’t want to ruin their reunion with bad news and tears. “I am.” And when she looked into his eyes, she realized it was true. Because despite the constant worries that had been hanging over her since her diagnosis, and the huge amount of self-control she needed to exert not to throw herself into his arms, just being close to Justin again made her happier than she’d been in years. “Why don’t I show you to your room so that you can settle in?”
He stared at her for a long moment, as though he knew she was keeping something from him, before dropping his hand from her cheek. “Is there any way I could help? Maybe by bringing up your other guests’ bags?”
“Thanks, but based on what I know about your nonstop work schedule, you should take some time to relax while you can. There are some great wine-tasting rooms down the street, or restaurants I could recommend if you’re hungry.”
“I’m happy to stay right here in your garden, eating cookies.”
Hugely grateful that the weird place they’d left each other in five years ago seemed to be nothing but water under the bridge, she looped her arm through his the way she used to, took him back inside and up the stairs. His room on the second floor overlooked the garden and pool. “The furniture is all antique, but the mattress is brand new. The Belmonts will be staying in two connected rooms on the other side of the landing, so it should be nice and quiet here for you.”
“Where’s your room?”
She pointed out the window. “I converted the old garage out back into a one-bedroom studio for myself.” The bell over the front door chimed. “They’re here! Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, Taylor.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m happy for you. You’re going to do great here, I just know it.”
“Thank you.” It was barely a whisper. Her heart was so full from his lovely words…and the friendly kiss had her body far more revved up than it should be.