Unexpected Love (3 page)

Five

With a shocked look on her face, she gazed into Sean’s eyes.  She was aware of him.  Very aware.  His body was hard and soft at the same time.  She could feel his breathing.  The arm not pushing off the dog was around her waist.  Her sweater had ridden up a little and she felt a warm hand on her bare skin.  She wanted to sigh, but she was embarrassed by the goose bumps breaking out all over her arms along with a sensational chill.  What was with her?  Normally she would not have appreciated the warm hand of a strange man on her.  But right now, with this man, she liked it.

She burst out laughing.  He started laughing too as he continued to try to push the slobbering dog off them.  Walter rushed over, grabbed the dog by the collar and hauled him over to the front door, apologizing profusely.

They stared at each other for a moment.  They were both breathing heavily.  Sean finally looked at her with an amused grin, “I can’t get up.”  Not that he wasn’t enjoying her laying on him.  Her bare skin was warm and soft under his hand.  But he didn’t want to embarrass her or himself, he thought wryly.

She blushed when she realized she was still sprawled all over him, hands on his solid chest.  She slid off him onto the floor.  She heard Walter fussing over them and Sean reassuring them they were both fine.  She felt him get up but did not look up. 

As if he sensed her embarrassment, he bent down, put a strong arm around her waist, one hand under her arm, and covered picking her up by saying, “You are okay, right?”  Once on her feet, he held a hand lightly on her arm to make sure she was steady before withdrawing. 

She nodded but kept her eyes down.  She could feel the goose bumps running up and down her arms.  Darn it, she should have pulled her sleeves down.  This time, she wrapped her arms around her body. She looked over to see Sean glance at her arms.  Great.  Could she be any more obvious?

Walter broke the brief silence.  “I’m really sorry about the dog.  Buddy loves people and I usually don’t let him in the house with company unless I watch him first because he gets so excited to greet people.  I got off the phone with Billy.  He’s the garage mechanic and owner.  His son will be picking up your car in about 20 minutes.  It’s a family business and he’s a good mechanic.  They’ll do right by you.”

Twenty minutes?  It would take her that long to walk back there on these tired legs.  “Thank you for your help.  I really appreciate it.”  She moved to the front door.  Her legs felt like rubber.  From weakness or her encounters with Sean, she was not sure anymore.

Maggie had come back on hearing the commotions and she had a big grin on her face.  Did she think it was funny?  Or had she seen Sean literally picking her up off the floor?

Maggie said, “Sean, call me to let me know about her car and what is going on.”  This is working out perfectly, she thought.

Sean followed Taylor out.  “Need a lift?  I can take you to your car and you can get your stuff before it gets towed.”

She glanced at him before traversing the steps slowly, holding onto the railing tightly with one hand.  She was trying hard to look normal.  Sean walked slowly next to her.

She heard Maggie behind her, “It’s okay, honey.  I can vouch for Sean.  He’s not a serial murderer or criminal or rapist or anything.”

She glanced over just in time to see Sean roll his eyes and say sarcastically, “Thanks a lot.”

Taylor snickered as he was opening the passenger door of the big blue truck.  “The thought never crossed my mind.  Well, maybe once. But very quickly.”

He gave her a defeated look and shook his head, “I’m glad we got that settled, then.”

He watched her stare into the truck and down at the running board.  He hadn’t realized what a big step up it was.  He said softly, “Sorry.  Turn towards me.”

She turned to face him with a slight frown.  “Remember, I’m not a vicious criminal or serial killer or whatever she said.”  He smiled as he put his hands on her waist.  “Watch your head.”  He quickly lifted her up and onto the seat.  She swung her legs around and he closed the door.  It felt good to be sitting since her legs were so tired.

After he got in and started to back out of the driveway, she commented “Nice truck.”

He grinned, “Yeah. I like it.”

She looked at him curiously, “Where are you from?”

“What, the accent gave me away?”’ he smiled at her.  “I was born in Australia to an American father and Aussie mom. Dad traveled a lot for his job and mom wanted to stay close to her family so I was born in Australia but I have dual citizenship.  I came to the U.S. when I was seventeen.”  That was more information than he usually shared with someone.  Especially someone he had just met. 

“Your family is here now?”

“No, still in Australia.  I came here on my own.”

“When you were seventeen?”

“Yeah.  I hate to say it, but I lied about my age to get here.”  He quickly added, “But it’s the only crime I have ever committed.”  He grinned at her.

He pulled up to her car.  “I can get your stuff so you don’t have to get out, if you’d like.”  He had started to feel a little uncomfortable talking about himself.  But she was easy to talk to.  He didn’t feel like he had to impress her.  But he did wonder about the goose bumps she got when he touched her.  Was that a normal thing for her?  Did she get goose bumps when men touched her?  Walter had laid a hand on her arm when they were leaving and he had not seen any.

She handed him her car keys.  “Suitcases are in the trunk and a laptop.  My jacket is in the front seat.  Thank you.”

“Sure thing.  We can take your keys over to the garage later.”  He hopped out of the truck.

Later?  Was he going to stick around or drop her somewhere?  He didn’t seem like he would go and leave her alone, but then again, she knew nothing about him. One thing she knew for sure, she was not going to play damsel in distress.  But she had a gut feeling he was not going to leave her stranded and alone.  Was her gut being honest and hoping he was a good guy? 

She wasn’t sure how she felt about being alone in a strange place and knowing no one.  And no means of transportation.  That put a damper on independence unless there was public transport available.

She watched him walk to her car and retrieve her things.  Yep, he was definitely worth looking at.  It reminded her of a car commercial she had seen last night on the hotel TV.  A guy was bending down looking at a new car while some older women were checking him out and one of them had said something about a
rear end
event and the other one had said it was a
year end
event.  That guy had nothing compared to the man she was gazing at.  His well-fitting jeans looked just fine.

As he slid back in after putting her stuff behind the seat, he looked at her, “Are you hungry?”

She looked at the clock on his dash and realized it was lunch time and she was very hungry.  “Yes, starving.”

He started the engine.  “Good, we can eat at the diner and then go check on your car.  That will give him time to look at it.”  He kept up a conversation during the fifteen minute drive into town and she was grateful.  She was not sure what to say and she felt oddly tongue-tied around him.  Usually she talked to everyone, stranger or friend.  It came easily to her but with him, it was different.  She didn’t understand why.

When they pulled into the parking lot of a cheerful place called Sunshine Diner, he said before getting out, “They have great food here.”

Before they got out, he plugged her phone in to charge it.  She murmured a thank you but was suddenly more interested in the food.  She really was hungry.

He came around, opened her door and held out a hand, “Do you need a lift or a hand?”

“Hand.”  She hadn’t forgotten his warm hand on her bare skin.  She took his hand and leaned on him for balance.  When he held out his other hand she took it and slid awkwardly to the ground, bumping into him. 

Bumping was a mild term, maybe jarring was more like it.  Chest to chest, faces close.  He put his arms around her so she did not fall.  They stared at each other and Taylor felt like she could barely breathe.  So much for being graceful. 

“Sorry.”  She said it very softly.

Sean was having trouble concentrating.  He could feel her soft body against his as he looked into her soft brown eyes.  He stepped back.

Six

The place was clean and looked like the typical idea of a diner with a narrow aisle, dark blue cushioned booths and a long counter with build-in light blue swivel stools.  The walls were decorated with pictures of sun lit meadows, a rainbow over a river, and sun streaming through trees.  She slid into a comfortable booth as he took the side opposite her.

Their server was a pleasant and friendly older woman who told them the daily specials.  They chatted after ordering. At first, he did most of the talking but she soon relaxed.  She talked about her adventurous road trip and he told her more about Maggie and Walter and the town.

“How long have you lived here?”

“In this city, about four years.  I met Maggie and Walter my first week here.  They’re nice people.”

“How long have you been in the U.S.?”

He thought about it, “I guess around nine years.  Where do you live?”

“Oh, Cumbersmith for a couple of years.  I was lucky to get a really good job there.”

The waitress came back and refilled their drinks and brought their food.  The food was delicious.  She had the special for the day, fried chicken and Sean had followed suit.  She didn’t order fried chicken very often but this was really good.  The coating was crunchy and flavorful and the chicken was juicy.  It was served with a sweet cornbread muffin, homemade cole slaw, and hand cut French fries.  She loved to cook and appreciated good, homemade meals. 

She thought about the popular local restaurant where she had worked as a sous chef before the accident.  The restaurant was usually busy when it opened for lunch and dinner.  Even though they were not open in the morning, they were usually in the kitchen prepping food for the day.  They never knew the specials for the day until the morning.  The chef liked to come up with specials daily decided the night before.   The restaurant had a good reputation so it was not uncommon for there to be a waiting line.

She thought about the smells, the busy atmosphere, the line cooks, wait staff and noises of chopping, pots and pans, spoons clanking, staff shouting out needs.  The chef had to let her go because they needed someone in her role and it was going to be a long recovery time before she could hold up in a fast paced, sometimes stressful kitchen environment. 

She understood even though it did not make her feel any better about it. She had also been disappointed when wait staff and kitchen help had sent her cards while in the hospital, but the head chef had never even checked on her.  She tried not to be negative, but past experiences sometimes made her that way.  She usually tried to be a positive person and she was trying to get back to that state of mind.

It was a good thing she had saved up a portion of her checks so she could afford to go for a short time without a job.  She had been saving it up in the hopes of buying a house and getting some pets.  She really wanted a couple of dogs, but there were no pets allowed at her small apartment complex. 

She loved animals and would have a houseful if she could.  Dogs, maybe a cat, a couple of birds, fish.  They would probably be too much to care for with her schedule, but she liked to dream about it.  She wasn’t sure how long her money would last so she was being very careful.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized Sean was talking to her.  “Did I lose you?” he asked.

She shook her head and smiled at him.  “Sorry.  I was thinking about how good this food is and how much I love to cook.  I was a sous chef at a restaurant before the accident but they had to let me go.”

He frowned, “I’m sorry.  You can’t work there now?”

She shrugged, “No, can’t keep up with the kitchen pace so I was let go.”

He leaned back in the booth bench across from her.  “I think you are the first professional chef I have ever known.”

“Sous chef de Cuisine.”  She said sassily.

“What does a sous chef de cuisine do?”  His tone was light and almost teasing.

“Well, I prep, cook, and take over on the rare occasions when the head chef is not there.  Or I did.”

He nodded, “I see.  Did you like it?”

“Other than the long hours, lack of personal time, and the pressure?  Yes, I did.  Now, I don’t know.  I miss it, but not as much as I thought I would.  I guess life has a way of teaching you what is important and what is not.”

“Very true.  By the way, we call chicken, chook in Australian slang.”

She raised her eyebrows, “Chook?”

He laughed at the look on her face, “Yes, I can see you need some education, chef.”

She giggled, “Guess so.”  She squeezed some ketchup on her plate and offered it to him.

“No tomato sauce for me, thanks.”

She gave him a puzzled look and he laughed.  “Tomato sauce is Australian slang for ketchup.”

She giggled, “How interesting.   I’ll have to remember that.”

“So, what’s in Windsor?”

“Oh. I’m going to visit my grandparents.  They are my dad’s parents.  My dad died five years ago.  My mom has re-married and lives in Washington near Seattle but I’ve never met her husband.  Anyways, I haven’t seen my grandparents for a long time and their health is not that great.  Granddad has trouble getting around and has gone to using a cane.  I need to see them and spend a little time with them.”  She was having no trouble talking to him now.  He had made her feel comfortable and it seemed like he was really interested to hear what she had to say.

“That’s nice.  I haven’t seen either one of my parents since I left Australia.  They were on their way to a nasty divorce and I left before it was official.  They both have re-married, but I don’t know much more than that.  I wasn’t the easiest kid and our relationship was difficult.”  There he goes again, sharing information that most people did not know.  In fact, he could not think of anyone who knew that much about his past.  His friend John knew his childhood had been difficult but even he didn’t know what he had just told Taylor.

“My parents were divorced too.  My mom didn’t even come to dad’s funeral.”  That had hurt more than she had admitted at the time.

He saw the hurt in her eyes.  Her mother and she must not get along very well.  Even so, the fact that she had not bothered to attend the funeral of her ex-husband for her daughter’s sake did not escape his notice.  He decided to change the subject.

They chatted easily until he looked at his watch and told her that Billy should know something about her car.  He picked up the check and handed it to the waitress with his card.

“Wait, I don’t expect you to pay.  You’ve done enough already,” she protested.

“No, my treat. “

They stared at each other challengingly. She broke the silence.  “Really. I can pay for my own food.”

“So can I.”

“I will pay my bill, really.  I insist.”  She glared at him but he was not fazed by it.  Darn it.  She’d have to work on her no-nonsense, determined, and won’t back down look. 

She narrowed her eyes and tried looking sterner.  “You are not paying, get it?”  She tried a determined look.

He looked at her and grinned, “I’ve been up against fiercer than you, Taylor.  It’s not going to work.”

She gave him a thoughtful look, her head tilted ever so slightly to the side and then smiled, “I’ll have to work on it.”

He laughed, “You do that.  It might get better.”

“Might?”

“You’re not exactly the scary type.”

She gave him a prim look, “For your information, I don’t have any intention of being scary.”

He grinned again, “Good.”

“But I could be scary if I had too.”

He lifted a brow, “How would that go exactly?”

She thought for a moment, “Well, I, I just would.”  She couldn’t think of anything to say.  How did one go about being scary?   He didn’t look like the type that got scared very often, if ever. 

He grinned, “Thought so.”

The waitress brought back his card and he signed for it. She reached into her purse for her wallet.  “I can at least leave the tip.”

“Too late.”  He grinned at her. 

She gave up and gave him a big smile, “Thank you.”