Page 20 of Survivor
Chapter Fourteen
Taylor
The airport at the Vineyard was small and easily navigated, the entire building not much bigger than a large home, and it never took more than fifteen minutes to make it from the plane to the parking lot. Frank was waiting for them when they exited the air-conditioned building, the warm breeze and smell of salt water that hit Taylor as soon as the doors opened both familiar and comforting. Frank looked good in the blue polo, well-worn tan cargo shorts, flip-flops, and aviators he had on. Taylor knew that if he weren’t wearing the sunglasses he’d be able to see how the blue in the shirt brought out the blue in his eyes.
The man in question pulled the passenger side door of the Honda CR-V open for Valerie, sweeping his arm out to the left dramatically. “Your chariot awaits, my queen.”
Taylor and his dad both smiled wide when Valerie busted out laughing, swatting Frank on the arm as she climbed into the vehicle. Frank took her bags and closed the door, walking past Taylor to the back and popping the rear door. “I got this.” He took his dad’s bag and followed Frank, tossing everything into the vehicle and stepping back so Frank could close the trunk.
Before he could take one step away from him, Taylor reached for Frank’s arm to stop him. “Hey, can we talk later, alone?”
Frank shuddered and even if Taylor hadn’t seen the almost imperceptible movement, he would have felt it since he still held on to Frank’s arm. He wished the man wasn’t wearing those goddamn aviators. If he could just see Frank’s eyes, he would probably already know the answer to any question he could ask. Frank’s emotions could easily be seen in the depth of his eyes. Taylor had learned that little secret the summer he turned eighteen after catching Frank daydreaming in the Mustang. The way Frank looked at him as he climbed out of the car, shoving his way past Taylor and quickly sliding his sunglasses back on. But Taylor had seen the flash of interest that Frank thought to hide behind the mirrored lenses.
The memory of that look, as brief as it was, sparked a fire inside Taylor that no one else could extinguish. When Frank pulled away from him, Taylor’s fingers itched to touch him again, so he shoved them into the pockets of his jeans. How long had they been standing there? Likely less than a minute but it felt like an eternity before Frank responded. “Yeah, I’d like that. It’s been too long since we sat on the beach talking and watching the sun set.”
Unable to resist andsowanting to see Frank’s reaction, Taylor grinned and said, “It’s a date then,” biting down on his bottom lip to stop from laughing when Frank froze, hand on the door latch. He quickly shook it off and they both climbed in. Valerie turned sideways in her seat, pushing her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose so that Taylor could see the wink she gave him before she turned around, facing the road again. He thought his face might split in two, his grin was so wide.
On the drive back, Frank and Valerie made plans for sailing and dinner the following day while Taylor stared out the window, not really seeing anything. His mind was already on the beach with Frank, rehearsing what he would say once they were alone. It would be the perfect setting as well; moonlight and stars in the night sky would be the backdrop for their first kiss. And by God, he was going to get a taste of Frank’s lips before the day ended if he had to tie the man up to do so. Thoughts of him and Frank alone in the dark with rope had Taylor half-hard in an instant, so he focused on the conversation between his parents and Frank once again and that helped alleviate the situation.
~ ~ ~
Hubert was sitting on the back porch with a pitcher of lemonade and four empty glasses when they arrived, his legs up on the ottoman as he sipped from his full glass. “I’d stand up and greet you, but I’m old and tired and my ass seems to be stuck to the chair,” he joked.
“Oh, you’re fine,” Valerie assured him, going over to where he sat and bending down to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Is the salmon in the fridge?” she asked, glancing at her watch as she headed into the kitchen.
“Yep.” Frank stretched out on the couch, kicking his flip-flops off and reaching for the pitcher and a glass.
“I’m going to go get dinner started then; it’s getting late and I want to get to bed at a decent hour since we’ll be up early to sail.” Charles held the screen door open for her, following behind, the door swinging shut with a bang. Taylor loved that bang, the sharpness mixing with the crisp, clean air and the sound of the water roiling on the beach. The door to the locker room back in Austin slammed shut with a similar sound and it always made him stop, sit back and smile, made him think of home. Yes, his home was back in Dallas in Highland Village with Valerie and Charles. But Martha’s Vineyard was home too.
“You okay?” Frank leaned into him.
Taylor turned toward him, their faces mere inches apart, and it took every ounce of self-control he possessednotto kiss the man. Damn Frank and that smile and those beautiful blue eyes. “Y…yeah, fine, why?” Taylor finally managed to string two words together for a response, though his voice was pitched and throaty.
One corner of Frank’s mouth lifted, his eyes dancing with mirth. Taylor grinned, cocking his head to the side and watching, waiting to see what Frank would do or say. He was already so attuned to the man that he knew the instant Frank’s mood shifted. His posture stiffened and that cocky lopsided grin fell away, but it was those goddamn expressive eyes that said it all. One second they were light and airy like the sky on a breezy summer day, then the next they were gray and cloudy like an oncoming storm. Before Taylor could ask the question, a familiar voice answered it for him.
“Hey Hubert, Charlie, beautiful day, isn’t it?”Billy-fucking-Scranton.
Frank stood abruptly, and Taylor reached for his hand but he was already too far away. “I’m gonna go help Val with dinner,” he muttered. This time when the screen door slammed shut, Taylor jerked involuntarily.
Billy plopped down onto the couch beside him, the cushion likely still holding some of Frank’s body heat. “Hey gorgeous, my grandparents are handing over the keys to the boat tomorrow and I’m heading out with some of the guys from Edgartown. You should join us; it’ll be fun.”
When Billy reached for his hand, Taylor lifted his, running his fingers through his hair. “Can’t, we’re all going sailing tomorrow, early.” He tried to shrug but his shoulders felt stiff. Billy looked properly dejected, bottom lip poking out for posterity. It wasn’t his fault, really, Taylor realized. He’d have to take a few minutes to have a heart-to-heart with the guy and make sure he understood that whatever it was Billy was hoping for wasn’t in the cards.
He looked up when he heard his mom call his name; never had he been so happy to see her. “Taylor, sweetie, can you come help me in the kitchen?” Her eyes darted to the young man beside him. “Oh, Billy, I didn’t know you were already here. I’d invite you to supper, but I wasn’t expecting company so there’s not nearly enough to go around. Some other time, though.” She turned and went back into the house.
Thank you, Mom!Taylor gave her a silent shout-out, standing and stepping around the table as Billy stood as well. “I guess I’ll see you later then.” Taylor smiled and nodded; with a wave, Billy was walking back to his house.
“Thank you for that.” Taylor stepped into the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge, grabbing an ice-cold beer. “Where’s Frank?”
Valerie looked over her shoulder toward the stairs that led up to the second floor. “Said he wanted to wash up before dinner. When are you going to talk to him, Taylor?”
“Tonight after dinner; we spoke briefly at the airport.” He took a swig of beer, leaning back against the cabinet. Taylor watched his mom stir the pot of rice with one hand while she flipped the pieces of salmon she was steaming in a pan with the other. “Need help with anything?”
She waved him off. “No, I was just throwing you a life raft. You looked like you were drowning out there.”
“Ha, ha,” he quipped, picking up a slice of lemon from the cutting board and tossing it at his mom.
“Taylor George Langford!” She bristled, grabbing a wooden spoon from the white porcelain utensil holder and turning, advancing on him. “You’re gonna pay for that.” She tried to sound perturbed, but the smirk she wore gave her away.
He jumped back just as she swung the spoon toward him, barely missing him as he darted away. “Gotta be faster than that, Mom.” He egged her on, moving quickly and putting the island between them.
Hand on her hip, Valerie pointed the wooden utensil at her son and attempted to glare at him. “You just wait.” Taylor laughed, taking a few steps back and walking right into someone. “Get him, Frank, hold him still.” Valerie came around the island with a gleam in her eyes, smacking him on the thigh as soon as he was within reach. Taylor snatched the spoon out of her hand and held it above his head. Since he had several inches on both of them, it was easy enough to hold it out of arms’ reach.
And that’s where Hubert and Charles found them, in the corner of the kitchen, Valerie climbing onto a chair to try and regain control of the spoon, the three of them laughing like hyenas and acting like damn fools. His leg still stung where she’d gotten one good hit in as they sat down for dinner, plates full of salad, rice, and salmon that had inadvertently been blackened.
