Page 9 of Broken: Taylor

Chapter 3

The gateto the Hamilton lands was rarely closed and that day was no exception. Allison drove through the opening, guiding her late model light green Prius toward the house. Taylor was probably at the stables, but if she went to the house first and he was not there, she could claim to have tried to find him. She’d leave a big note so he’d know to call his cousins.

The ranch house was a beautiful log cabin with a wide front porch that spanned the entire length of it. On the spacious front area, there were a couple of rockers on one side and a swing on the other.

Luke and Tobias’ mother had often decorated according to the seasons. Allison remembered on several occasions when visiting the family with her mother, she’d hung out on the porch with either of the twins.

Between Luke and Tobias, Tobias was the more easygoing of the two and also the one whom she was closer to.

Back then, in her early teens, the last thing on her mind was dating or flirting. If anything, she found the twins annoying and stinky. It all changed when Taylor came to spend the summer during their sophomore year. Since his parents were planning to move to Laurel Creek, they had sent Taylor ahead so he could get to know the kids around there and start school. Of course, things had turned out horribly, and Taylor had ended up living with his cousins.

The first time she’d seen him, he rode up on a bicycle, dropped it on the ground and rushed inside the house. He’d not paid her the slightest attention, and Allison had been relieved. She’d barely been able to form a thought, much less speak.

That night she’d gone to bed thinking of the cute boy who lived with the Hamiltons and couldn’t wait for school to start so she could see him regularly.

Enough with the musings, she had to let Taylor know to call his cousins. After digging around, she found a notepad in her glove compartment and wrote a quick note instructing Taylor to call them. Satisfied no one was about, she got out of the car and hurried to the front door.

Guilt assailed her as she wondered if he’d see the note. What if he was already inside and didn’t see it until morning?

It wasn’t as if she was in awe of him like back in high school. It was more that at the moment, they were at a strange impasse of sorts. They’d not had a disagreement per se, more of an uncomfortable occurrence.

Taylor had been at her shop to order flowers for his ex-wife. She’d gone to stand beside him as he chose the bouquet on her laptop.

She’d turned to look at him, and he’d responded by staring back. One thing led to another, and they’d made out right in the center of her flower shop.

Just as they were about to head up the stairs to make the mistake even worse, a customer had walked in. Taylor had practically run out the door.

After that, they’d avoided each other.

So mature.

“Are you going to knock or just stand there?”

Allison screamed and the dogs that accompanied Taylor broke out barking. He’d walked up and she’d not heard him. Too busy musing.

So, while the dogs circled them, wagging tails and jumping, both she and Taylor did their best to look anywhere but at each other.

“Luke and Tobias have been trying to reach you all day.” She finally met his hazel gaze. “They need to talk to you before making a decision about something. You haven’t been answering your cell.”

His right hand went to his back pocket and then to his front jeans pocket. “Damn. Where did I leave that thing?”

She looked past him to his truck. “Truck?”

“Right. Hold up.” He signaled for her to wait and went to the silver truck. While he rummaged through the vehicle, she crossed her arms and waited.

Finally he came back to the porch. “Not in there. Can’t imagine leaving it anywhere else.”

She followed him into the house and was astounded by how pristine it was. From the entryway, there was what looked to be an office to the right and a dining room on the left. The furnishings were obviously high end, and she surmised had been left from when Taylor’s aunt and uncle lived there.

They continued into a spacious living room and kitchen combination. Even there, everything was in its place. There were comfortable leather couches with plush throws over one arm. Two recliners flanked on one side with tall tables perfect for holding a laptop and cup of coffee were centered facing the fireplace.

“Your house is incredible.” She couldn’t help walking into the center of the room to take in the décor. “That’s amazing,” she said, pointing to a metal modern art fixture above the fireplace.

Taylor looked to the piece. “My aunt decorated the place. We have a weekly cleaning service, so you can’t give us credit for it staying like this.”

“With two bachelors living here, I expected open pizza boxes and dirty underwear on the floor.”

His handsome face scrunched into a look of disgust. “That would be gross.”