Page 12 of The Wedding Driver
“Good night, Foster.”
“Sweet dreams.” He ended the call, tucking the cell in his back pocket. For the first time in a long time, the blood in Foster’s veins ran hot.
4
“Thanks for coming over.” Tonya handed a cup of coffee to her sister before easing herself down into one of the Adirondack chairs on the side yard that Jared and his wife allowed her to use. It hadn’t been easy for her to call her sister. Part of her had thought about chatting with Ryan. Their love story had been more similar because Ryan had known Jared her entire life. They had been friends long before they had ever started dating. Jared had also lost a child and understood Foster’s pain.
However, Ryan took their youngest child to an event and wouldn’t return for a few hours. It was probably for the best. Foster had always been a private man and his history with his ex-wife had played out in a very public way. The fire and the death of Lisa had been front-page news, but Foster did his best to remain out of the public eye. He didn’t comment when the reporters stuck microphones in his face. He didn’t once do an interview.
The only thing he did was appear in court to beg the judge for leniency when sentencing his wife for the involuntary manslaughter of their child and to ask that Victoria receive treatment for her addiction. Not many men would do that. The judge heard Foster, and Victoria spent a year in jail and two years on probation.
But her rehab didn’t stick.
“I know you’re busy with the new line and the boutique sale this weekend,” Tonya said. “So it means a lot to me that you’d drop everything to spend a half hour with your little sister.”
“Gael headed over early this morning,” Tayla said. “He and my assistant can handle opening the shop, no problem.”
“I’m a little surprised by how good he is with a sewing machine.”
“He’s not that good.” Tayla laughed. “I only allow him to do hems. And only under the strictest of supervision, but he’s to be commended for his dedication. Not to mention, he’s the best husband ever.”
Gael had been by Tayla’s side through a lot of shit. He’d helped her see how she’d put her career before everything and how it was slowly destroying her sense of self.
Not to mention her relationships with her family, especially her sisters. When Tayla had moved to New York City, she had promised Tiki and Tonya that she would always be there for them, but slowly, that changed.
Tayla changed. She became selfish and was so wrapped up in her career and becoming the best designer the fashion world had ever seen, she stopped being a sister.
Until she came home for a family reunion and met Gael. He showed her what was at stake.
Of course, Gael had lost so much. He’d been hyper-focused on his job and being at the top of the game. In doing so, he’d forgotten what was truly important, and by the time he did, he’d lost everyone he held dear.
“He is one of the good guys.” Tonya blew into her mug before taking a slow sip. She stared out at the boats humming up and down the shoreline. It was a beautiful start to a Sunday morning. She had only a half hour left before hopping in her car and heading over to Foster’s place.
She’d wanted this for so long but never thought it possible. Her sisters had told her to go for it, but she always came up with reasons to give Foster his space.
It was either Victoria was missing.
Or Victoria was using.
Or Victoria was in the hospital and drying out. There was hope she might get clean again and Foster needed her to be supportive, not trying to get in his pants.
Foster needed her friendship more than she needed a different kind of relationship. Eventually her sisters gave up pushing her, only nudging her every so often.
This last year, they went out of their way to comment about random men and how sexy they were and suggest that Tonya ask anyone out, but she never did. She was too hung up on Foster.
Now that she was about to go on an actual date with the man of her dreams, she wasn’t sure how to proceed. It wasn’t like she hadn’t gone out with a man in the last few years. She’d had a few boyfriends. Foster had even met a couple of them. The whole point had been to get Foster out of her head.
And her heart.
But she ended up comparing everyone to Foster. Were they as kind and considerate to those around them? Did they tip as generously as he did? Were they as compassionate about other people and what they might be going through in their lives? If any man she went out with didn’t measure up to the man she knew Foster to be, that was it, the relationship was over. That certainly didn’t help her move beyond her feelings for Foster. If anything, it kept her in this never-ending cycle.
“Thank you for letting me steal a bathing suit that hasn’t hit the market yet,” Tonya said.
“Anything for you. Besides, you’re a walking advertisement for me,” Tayla said. “But that’s not why I’m here, so let’s get to the heart of the matter.”
“I’m so nervous. Foster called me last night. For no reason. He’s never done that before. At first I thought he was going to cancel, but then he started asking me questions about our plans. It was weird.”
“Did you ever think maybe he’s feeling all the same things that you are?”
