And if so, was the same thing going to happen to her?
Denise felt a knot form in her stomach, and she glanced at Taylor uncertainly. From the corner of his eye, Taylor caught her glance and turned to face her, seemingly oblivious of her thoughts. Outside the car window, the trees whistling past were black and clumped together, solidified into a single image.
“Did you have a good time tonight?”
“Yeah, I did,” Denise answered quietly. “I like your friends.”
“So how did you and Melissa get along?”
“We got along fine.”
“One thing you’ve probably already learned is that she’ll say the first thing that pops into her head, no matter how ridiculous it is. You just have to ignore her sometimes.”
His comment did nothing for her nerves. Kyle mumbled incoherently as he adjusted himself a little lower in the seat. Denise wondered why the things Taylor hadn’t said suddenly seemed more important than the things he had.
Who are you, Taylor McAden?
How well do I really know you?
And where, most important, are we going from here?
She knew he would answer none of those things. Instead she drew a deep breath, willing herself to keep her voice steady.
“Taylor . . . why didn’t you tell me about your father?” she asked.
Taylor’s eyes widened just a little. “My father?”
“Melissa told me that he died in a fire.”
She saw his hands tighten on the wheel.
“How did that come up?” he asked, his tone changing slightly.
“I don’t know. It just did.”
“Was it her idea to bring it up or yours?”
“Why does that matter? I don’t remember how it came up.”
Taylor didn’t respond; his eyes were locked on the road ahead. Denise waited before realizing he wasn’t going to answer her original question.
“Did you become a fireman because of your father?”
Shaking his head, Taylor expelled a sharp breath. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Maybe I can help-”
“You can’t,” he said, cutting her off, “and besides, it doesn’t concern you.”
“It doesn’t concern me?” she asked in disbelief. “What are you talking about? I care about you, Taylor, and it hurts me to think that you don’t trust me enough to tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “I just don’t like to talk about my father.”
She could have pressed it further but knew it wouldn’t get her anywhere.
Once again silence descended in the truck. This time, however, the silence was tainted with fear. It lasted the rest of the way home.
After Taylor carried Kyle into his bedroom, he waited in the living room until Denise had changed him into his pajamas. When she came back out, she noticed that Taylor hadn’t made himself comfortable. Instead he was standing near the door, as if waiting to say good-bye.
“You’re not going to stay?” she asked, surprised.
He shook his head. “No, I really can’t. I’ve got to get to work early tomorrow.”
Though he said it without a trace of bitterness or anger, his words didn’t dispel her unease. He began to jingle his keys, and Denise walked across the living room to be closer to him.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
She reached for his hand. “Is something bothering you?”
Taylor shook his head. “No, not at all.”
She waited to see if he would add anything else, but he didn’t go any further.
“All right. See you tomorrow?”
Taylor cleared his throat before answering. “I’ll try, but I’ve got a pretty full schedule tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll be able to swing by.”
Denise studied him carefully, wondering.
“Even for lunch?”
“I’ll do my best,” he said, “but I can’t make any promises.”
Their eyes met only briefly before Taylor glanced away.
“Will you be able to take me into work tomorrow night?”
For a brief, flickering instant, it almost seemed to Denise as if he hadn’t wanted her to ask.
Her imagination?
“Yeah, sure,” he finally said. “I’ll take you in.”
He left after kissing her only briefly, then walked to his truck without turning around.
Chapter 22
Early the next morning, while Denise was drinking a cup of coffee, the phone rang. Kyle was sprawled on the living room floor, coloring as best he could but finding it impossible to stay in the lines. When she answered it, she recognized Taylor’s voice instantly.
“Oh, hey, I’m glad you’re up,” he said.
“I’m always up this early,” she said, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over her at the sound of his voice. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you, too,” Taylor said. “I probably should have stayed. I didn’t sleep too well.”
“Neither did I,” she admitted. “I kept waking up because I had all the covers for once.”
“I don’t hog the sheets. You must be thinking of someone else.”
“Like who?”
“Maybe one of those men at the diner.”
“I don’t think so.” She chuckled. “Hey, are you calling because you’ve changed your mind about lunch?”
“No, I can’t. Not today. I’ll be by after I finish up to bring you into work, though.”
“How about an early supper?”
“No, I don’t think I’ll be able to make that, either, but thanks for the offer. I’ve got a load of drywall coming in late, and I don’t think I’d be able to make it over in time.”
She turned in place, the phone cord going taut against her.
They make deliveries after five?
She didn’t say that, however. Instead she said brightly:
“Oh, all right. I’ll see you this evening.”
There was a longer pause than she thought there would be.
“Will do,” he finally answered.
“Kyle kept asking about you this afternoon,” Denise said casually.
Good to his word, Taylor was waiting in the kitchen as she collected the last of her things, though he hadn’t come by with much time to spare before she had to head off. They’d kissed only briefly, and he seemed a little more distant than usual, though he’d apologized for it, attributing it to the hassles at the work site.
“Oh, yeah? Where is the little guy?”
“Out back. I don’t think he heard you come up. Let me go get him.”
After Denise opened the back door and called for him, Kyle came running for the house. A moment later he burst inside.
“Hewwo, Tayer,” he said, a big grin on his face. Ignoring Denise, he surged toward Taylor and jumped. Taylor caught him easily.
