Page 46 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
“Whatever. I’d be down for pretty much anything but EDM right now. Maybe something like Jack Johnson—chill.”
“Jack Johnson. I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” I walk to the tablet on the wall and tap play on his top hits.
We silently work as the music fills the room.It’s always better when we’re together.Staring at Taylor, watching her peel the potatoes, I agree. I love how at ease and peaceful I feel with her. Texting her the past few weeks has been nice, but nothing like spending time with her in person. I’ve just kept myself busy with work, training, and hanging with my friends, although she’s always on my mind.
Her phone starts ringing, and her brows furrow. “It says ‘maybe Chad Braun’ … I think this is Nicholas’s friend. They must have been emailing about me since the meeting.”
“Take it,” I encourage.
“Hi. This is Taylor,” she answers, and I like her professional voice. It’s sweeter than her regular voice. After seasoning the chicken, I slide it into the oven as she continues speaking. “One sec,” she says. “I need to get my laptop. Let me put you on hold for a minute.”
I look toward her, and she flashes an awkward smile. “There’s a small library down the hall you can use.” I pointtoward it, and she nods, then runs to the front door, leaving her muted phone on the island. I hear it open and then seconds later she sprints back to the kitchen with her laptop in hand. “You’re too cute.”
She smiles, picks up her phone, and makes her way down the hall.
Hopefully she lands this. Then, she’ll be halfway to her goal.
As I’m portioning the brussels sprouts from the air fryer across two plates, Taylor returns to the kitchen. “Oh my God. I am so sorry. I did not think that would be such a long call.”
“It’s cool,” I say, happy to have her full attention again. I'd like to say I didn’t know exactly how long that call was, but these twenty-seven minutes without her reminded me just how much I love spending time with her.
“But guess what?” she asks, beaming.
“What?”
“I’m now doing social media for a boat rental company.”
“That’s amazing! Congrats.” I step to her, wanting to hug Taylor. She jumps up, and I spin her, then set her down on the counter. I get the urge to kiss her again, but instead whisper, “We’re really bad at being just friends.”
“Can’t be good at everything.”
Staring into her eyes, I want to kiss her, but I shouldn’t. Each little thing is making it harder to not do more. I squeeze her thighs. “Time for dinner.”
She slides off the counter. “Thanks for cooking.”
“Anytime.”
I would love to do this again, even as friends.
Taylor eats quickly, and I don’t know why I find that cute. “Did you skip lunch?”
“I’ve been so slammed all day. Preparing for my kickoff with Nicholas, driving up here, I forgot to eat.”
“How about you steal some snacks before you go?”
She taps her phone. “If I leave now, I’ll get home at about nine …” Then it looks like she is debating about something. “You’re going to find this annoying about me,” she says, putting her napkin on the plate. “I hate driving at night.”
“That’s not annoying, grandma,” I tease. “Stay here then.”
“Mmmmm …”
“This isn’t a one-bed situation, Taylor. There are dozens of beds for you to choose from. Get your Goldilocks on.”
A smile spreads across her face. “How do you know about one-bed situations?”
“Fromthosebooks.”
She squints at me. “How do you know aboutthosebooks?”
