Turning the Page (3 page)

"Taylor, please."

Taylor shut her eyes against the pain in the voice imploring her for another chance. This

pitiful, childlike begging was something Taylor always had a difficult time fighting. It was

usually at this point that she gave in and took Maggie in her arms, crying with her, holding her,

rocking her, murmuring reassurances that everything would be okay. She swallowed hard,

barely able to find her voice.

"I have to go." She hung up the phone quietly. After a couple of seconds, she took the handset off the hook and let it dangle, the dial tone changing to an angry beeping as she went out to

the backyard and slid back into an Adirondack chair with a weary sigh.

"THIS PLACE IS really something, Sammi." Melanie was pleasantly surprised by the taste and class with which her cousin had surrounded herself. "When you said you were living in a

carriage house on somebody else's property..." She left the sentence unfinished, mildly

embarrassed by her initial expectations.

"You were thinking run-down trailer park, weren't you?" Samantha accused with a grin.

" ‘Fraid so. Sorry."

"No problem, Baby Cousin. Beer?"

"Absolutely."

Samantha's carriage house was cozy and comfortable, small, but not stifling. Melanie took in

the earthy colors, smiling at the warmth they created. The front door opened into the small

living room where a natural-colored couch sat against the front wall beneath a large picture

window, through which the afternoon sun shone in all its brilliance, making the room seem much

bigger than it actually was. Soft, fluffy pillows of rust, yellow, and various shades of brown

were strewn about the couch, as well as the hardwood floor and the matching oversized chair

that sat against the opposite wall. There was a handmade afghan folded neatly over the back

of the chair, and a halogen floor lamp stood commandingly behind it. Melanie immediately

pictured herself tucked under the afghan, her feet stretched onto the chair's ottoman, a cup

of tea on the end table and a good book in her hand.

"Here ya go."

Melanie was brought back from the lazy Sunday afternoon in her mind by a stinging cold bottle

against her bare shoulder. She took it from her cousin and swallowed a healthy swig of the ale.

"The colors in here are beautiful," she commented.

"Aren’t they? Ben's wife was quite the decorator, from what I understand."

"Ben?"

"Yeah. Ben Rhodes. My landlord." She pointed out the window toward the main house. "He lives there."

"So, you didn't do this?" Melanie gestured at the room, trying to hide her disappointment. She should have known that Samantha hadn't done the decorating. Too time consuming for her.

"Are you kidding? I don't have the patience for interior design," she snorted, as if reading Melanie's mind. "Ben's wife did it just a couple months before she died."

"His wife died?"

"Yeah. Couple years ago. Car accident, I think."

"So he lives in that big house all by himself?"

"No, his daughter Taylor lives there, too. She moved back home after her Mom's death to look

out for him. Wait 'til you meet him.

He's a doll." She gently tugged on Melanie's arm. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the

place... what little there is."

There was no denying that the carriage house was small, but Melanie continued to marvel at

the decorating. The tiny kitchen, the cozy bedroom and even the bathroom each radiated its

own personality and charm. The colors all blended perfectly, from the deep greens of the

bathroom to the lighter sage of the bedroom. Nothing stood out on its own. Everything

blended into the rest of the items in the room as if they were not separate objects, but

simply pieces of something on a grander scale. The effect was beautiful and incredibly calming.

Melanie felt immediately at ease in this place, so far from the hustle and bustle of her office,

not to mention her barely furnished apartment.

"That's it. Tour's over."

"It's beautiful, Sam. Really."

Samantha smiled, showing perfect white teeth. "Thanks. The couch pulls out into a bed, so

that will be your room."

"What, I don't get to have a slumber party in your bedroom like when we were little?" Melanie joked.

"Not if I've got company, Baby Cousin." She winked. "I'm up for almost anything, but a threesome with you isn't one of them."

TAYLOR WAS JUST about to head inside when she noticed Samantha and her cousin rounding

the back corner of the garage, walking in her direction. They were both laughing, carrying

half-empty bottles of beer. Samantha stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Taylor lounging

in the redwood chair.

"Hey, girl," she called, scrambling toward Taylor and plopping sideways into her lap, her feet dangling over the arm of the chair.

Taylor couldn't help but smile. "Take me away from here. Please," Samantha drawled in a

painfully bad southern accent, laying the back of her hand across her forehead in mock woe.

"You tell me where and when, my little sugar dumplin'," Taylor drawled back.

"Ah, you couldn't handle me," Sam laughed with a wave of her hand and climbed back to a

standing position. She held out her beer. "Sip?"

Taylor took the offered bottle and chugged the remainder of the contents, handing it back to

Samantha empty. "Bull dyke." Sam sneered.

"Hardly."

At the sound of a discreetly clearing throat, they both turned. Sam smacked her hand against

her forehead. "Duh. Where are my manners? Taylor, this is my cousin Melanie Larson. Mel, this

is my friend and pushover, Taylor Rhodes. She lives here."

They shook hands, both impressed by the firmness of the other. Melanie smiled warmly at the

dark-haired young woman.

"Pushover?"

"Just because Sam can have anything she wants from me at any time, no matter what, she

thinks that makes me a pushover.

Frankly, I don't see how."

Melanie laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Pleased to meet you. This is a beautiful

place you've got here."

"Thanks. How long are you staying?"

Melanie and Sam exchanged glances. "We're not sure yet," Samantha offered. "She just left her job, and I'm going to try to convince her to hang out for a while and enjoy the summer."

"Really. What do you do?" Taylor asked.

"Wel , I was in marketing for a pretty large firm—" She was cut off by Samantha's upheld

hand.

"No. Don't even start with the job talk, 'cause I'l never see the two of you again." She

pinched Taylor's cheek. "Let me have her for a while. Hey, wait. Why don't you come to dinner

tonight? Rob's coming. We'll have a foursome. 'Kay?"

"Rob?" Melanie asked.

"Flavor of the Month," Taylor confided.

"Hey." Samantha slapped Taylor playfully on the arm. "I just invited you to dinner. Be nice."

Coming to the realization that if she were not home, she wouldn't be forced to field any more

phone calls from Maggie, Taylor accepted, promising to bring wine. She left the pair to

continue their tour of the Rhodes property and went inside, watching them out the kitchen

window.

Melanie was nothing like her cousin, but Taylor liked that. Physically, she was smaller and

seemed to have a more classic look.

Where Samantha was very Hollywood, with the blonde hair, big breasts, year-round tan, and

constant make-up, Melanie seemed more sophisticated, almost a level above what Hollywood

said was attractive. Her hair was a very unique shade of rust and cut in a simple, professional

style...one length, reaching about to her collar. She didn't have the voluptuous figure Sam did,

but she was definitely feminine in all the right places. Her curves and shapely legs hadn't

escaped Taylor's attention. Next to Sam, Melanie seemed paler than she actually was, and

Taylor was willing to bet she'd never even seen a tanning bed. Her soft, pretty face had been

virtually free of make-up, but her big, blue eyes had stood out just the same. Taylor guessed

she was around the same age as Sam, although she seemed years more mature, which would

put her in her mid-thirties or so. Sam had never given Taylor an exact age, claiming it would

destroy the mystery. Melanie was definitely more professional, and Taylor was surprised to

find herself looking forward to dinner. It would be nice to talk to somebody in a similar field

of employment.

Feeling infinitely better than she had an hour before, she bounded upstairs to gather her

workout paraphernalia and headed to the gym.

Chapter Four

ROB WAS EXACTLY what Melanie expected him to be. She expected him to be dark and

incredibly good-looking with a rough, dangerous edge. He was. She expected him to paw at Sam

most of the evening and to appraise Melanie with a predatory up-and-down-very slowly,

animalistic look. He didn't disappoint her...he might as well have licked his lips. She expected

to dislike him immediately. She did.

Taylor and the delivery boy from the Chinese restaurant arrived at the same time. Taylor

looked fresh and vibrant in khaki shorts and an olive green T-shirt. Her dark hair was pulled

back in a ponytail, she wore brown leather Teva sandals on her feet, and Melanie thought she

smelled like soap and sunshine. Taylor winked at Melanie, who was paying for the food.

"I see Sam spent the day slaving over a hot stove again."

"Honestly, I don't know how she does it," Melanie joked back. "She's a regular Julia Child."

She smiled her thanks as Taylor helped carry the bundles to the tiny kitchen.

"Hey, get a room, you two," Melanie scolded Samantha and Rob, who were joined at the

tongues, leaning against the kitchen counter. They pulled apart, showing no embarrassment

whatsoever.

"Rob," Taylor acknowledged coolly.

"Taylor." He nodded back.

She doesn't like him either, Melanie thought with a grin, mentally giving Taylor points for good

taste.

It was such a beautiful evening, not to mention the carriage house was so small, that they

opted to sit and eat at the picnic table behind the house. Taylor poured three glasses of the

Merlot she'd brought; Rob preferred his Bud Light.

Samantha and Melanie played catch-up, updating each other on mutual friends and family,

pausing every now and then to give Taylor or Rob background on the person they were talking

about. Taylor sat smiling quietly, enjoying the interaction between the cousins. Rob made

various noises to indicate how bored he was, absently peeling the labels off his beer bottles.

As dusk settled, Melanie finally decided to broach the subject she had promised her uncle she

would. "How's the bookstore doing?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Damn waste of time."

"Not good, huh?"

"Jeff always took care of it. What do I know, or want to know, about running a business?"

"But, didn't you help Jeff with it?"

Sam shrugged. "At first, yeah. Then... I don't know. I got bored, Mellie. You know how I hate

to be stuck in one place all the time. Jeff seemed into it, but with Barnes & Noble down the

street and Borders around the corner, it's hard to make it work."

Melanie sighed. This would not be good news for Uncle Phil. "What's the deal with it now?"

Sam took a large gulp of her wine. "Wel , since Jeff decided to take off with our only

employee, I closed it indefinitely."

"You closed it?"

"Yup."

Melanie tried to hide her frustration. "You mean, it's just sitting there, full of inventory and costing rent and it's not even open for the possibility of customers?"

Taylor and Rob glanced at each other in an unusual silent agreement to keep their distance

from the conversation. Both swigged simultaneously from their drinks.

Sam shot Melanie a warning look. "Don't you go getting all preachy on me, Baby Cousin. I didn't ask for the damned shop, and I don't want it."

"Sammi, your dad was just trying to help you and Jeff get on your feet. He thought you loved

books."

"Yeah, well, I love cars, too. Doesn't mean I want to be a car dealer."

Rob snorted a laugh at that, earning a searing glare from Melanie.

"The fucking thing's like an albatross around my neck, Mel ie. I wish I could just sel it, but of course, it's in Daddy's name."

Melanie rubbed her forehead with her fingertips, hoping to stroke away her frustration with

her cousin. She remembered her promise to her uncle. "Okay, look. How `bout if I take a look

at it? I'll check out the numbers, the inventory, all that, and see where you're at. Then we can

look at your options."

With that simple suggestion, Samantha's entire demeanor changed. Her face lit up, and she

reached across the table to throw her arms around her cousin's neck. "You are just the best,

Mellie. Rob and I have plans, but I'l leave you the keys and directions, and you can go

tomorrow. It's not hard to find."

Taylor rolled her eyes at the look of disbelief on Melanie's face. She was very fond of

Samantha, but also found her very frustrating at times, her priorities so far out of whack it

wasn't funny. Here, her cousin had been with her for barely half a day, and she was bailing on

her already. To be with her white trash boyfriend. "I'll take you, Melanie. I'm going to the

gym in the morning. I can drop you off on the way and pick you up when I'm done. If you want."

Melanie smiled with gratitude, then glared at her cousin. "That would be great. Thank you,

Taylor."