Smokescreen, page 6
Emily had liked high heels, too, before she got sick. She said they made her feel like she was more dressed up, and she had liked the way they made her taller. Of course, Emily had only been a couple of inches over five feet, while Taylor was probably around five six.
Quinn shook his head, annoyed at himself for comparing the two women. Taylor was alive. Emily was dead. The comparison needed to stop right there.
He knocked on Tristan’s door, not fully prepared to see Taylor answer it. He glanced down instinctively. Sure enough, she was wearing heels.
“Nice shoes.”
Taylor looked down at her feet as though she had forgotten which ones she had on. Then she lifted her eyes to meet his and gave him a hesitant smile. “Thanks.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“I am.” Taylor picked up her purse from a little table by the front door and called out over her shoulder, “Riley, I’m leaving.”
Riley’s voice rang out as Taylor stepped into the hall. “Have fun.”
“Thanks.” Taylor pulled the door closed and fell into step with Quinn as he started down the hall. “So where are we going?”
“Did you want to start with dinner?”
Taylor nodded and grinned. “Are we going to eat real food or just skip to dessert?”
The corner of Quinn’s mouth lifted. “Maybe we should look at a menu before we decide that.”
“Okay.” Taylor slowed down as they approached Quinn’s car and waited for him to open the door for her.
Quinn drove away from the beach and the few tourists who hadn’t yet realized that summer had ended. A mile inland, he pulled into a parking lot next to a seafood restaurant. “Is this okay?”
A smile lit Taylor’s face, and she nodded. “I love seafood.”
“I know.”
As soon as they stepped inside the restaurant, Taylor breathed in the scent of fried fish, fresh bread, and lemon butter. “It smells wonderful. What’s good here?”
“I’ve liked everything I’ve tried, but we should definitely start with the crab-stuffed mushrooms,” Quinn told her as a hostess led them to a table.
Taylor opened her menu and nodded. “I can live with that.”
When their waitress arrived, Quinn ordered the appetizer and then watched as Taylor shifted in her seat to face the woman more fully.
She jerked a thumb at him and smiled. “He said everything is good here, but do you have a favorite? I can’t decide.”
Quinn watched as the older woman’s features relaxed into a smile, appreciating anew how comfortable Taylor was with people. “Well, it depends on what you like.” The waitress leaned closer to point at the menu. “But these two are my favorites.”
Taylor looked down at the descriptions and then nodded. “I’ll go with this one.”
“I think you’ll like it.” The waitress smiled her approval before repeating back their order and heading for the kitchen.
Quinn looked across the table at Taylor. “So what did you do today?”
“I spent a little time on the computer looking for an apartment, and then I took my paintings to be framed,” Taylor told him. “What about you? What did you do today?”
He shrugged. “I jumped out of a helicopter.”
Taylor stared at him for a minute as though trying to decide whether to believe him. Then she let out a short laugh. “Okay, you win. Your day was more exciting than mine.”
“I think that’s a good thing,” Quinn reminded her. “After the problem with your car and what happened in Paris, I think your goal should be to have normal days for a while.”
“Maybe.” Taylor nodded. “I know I’ll feel better when I can get settled somewhere and start painting again.”
“Why can’t you paint now?”
“It’s just a hassle to organize all of my supplies when I’m staying with someone else. Besides, my mom wouldn’t be too happy with me if I got paint on the upholstery in her van,” Taylor said. She fell silent for a moment, and then she leaned forward. “Now tell me about jumping out of a helicopter. I thought you guys normally parachuted out of airplanes.”
“I never said I was wearing a parachute.” Quinn grinned.
Conversation was surprisingly easy over dinner. Taylor pushed her nearly empty plate toward the center of the table as a waiter walked by with another couple’s dessert order. She nodded at the waiter and then shook her head. “I can’t believe I forgot to save room for dessert.”
Quinn chuckled. “We can always stop somewhere and get dessert after the movie.”
Taylor seemed to consider his suggestion and then nodded. “Did you have a movie in mind?”
“I figured I’d let you choose since I picked the restaurant,” Quinn told her. “But I have a couple of ideas.”
“Of course you do,” Taylor laughed.
* * *
“So what did you think of it?” Quinn asked Taylor as they walked out of the movie theater.
“I think you should never be allowed to go to a movie about Navy SEALs again. Ever.”
“Why not?”
Taylor’s eyebrows lifted. “Because that was supposed to be a serious movie, and you spent most of the time laughing at it.”
“Did I embarrass you?” Quinn asked, turning to look at her.
Taylor tried to keep a serious face, but she couldn’t quite manage it. “Okay, so maybe it was a little unrealistic when those Navy SEALs were swimming in the water and trying to catch up with the cruise ship . . .”
“Yeah.” Quinn nodded. “And when the bad guys were shooting at them with automatic weapons and no one got hit. Not to mention . . .”
Taylor held up a hand to stop him. “Okay. Okay. You’re right. It was more of a comedy than a drama.”
Quinn nodded victoriously. He took her hand in his and pulled her away from the theater entrance toward the food court across from it. “Did you want to get some dessert?”
Taylor nodded and pointed at a smoothie bar. “I love those.”
“Are you sure? If you want, we can go find a place with cheesecake instead.”
“I don’t think I’m hungry enough for cheesecake,” Taylor said. “I think I’ll wait for that until tomorrow night.”
Quinn’s eyebrows lifted. “Did we have plans for tomorrow night?”
“I have plans for tomorrow night,” Taylor corrected. “I’m going to have some cheesecake. It’s up to you if you want to join me.”
“So that’s the way you’re going to be about it.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.
“Hey, you’re the one who ate the rest of the one Riley made.”
“It’s not like I did it alone,” Quinn reminded her. “In fact, I’m pretty sure Seth ate a lot more of it than I did.”
Taylor laughed as she stepped up to the counter. After they ordered their smoothies, Quinn asked, “What else did you have planned for tomorrow?”
“Just looking for an apartment. What about you?”
His shoulders lifted. “I should get off work around five. Maybe I’ll come over and hang out afterward.”
She smiled. “That sounds good.”
The cashier placed Taylor’s smoothie in front of her. “Here’s the strawberry banana.” He turned to Quinn. “I’ll have yours for you in just a minute.”
Quinn nodded and turned his attention back to Taylor. She picked up her smoothie, slid a straw into the top, and took a sip.
“Oh, that’s good.” She set it down on the edge of the counter, and a split second later it splashed onto the floor.
Quinn shook his head and rolled his eyes for effect. “So much for that being good.”
“Oh no!” Taylor scooped the cup up quickly, but not before the lid split open and most of the frozen concoction pooled at her feet. She shook her head as she stared down at the red goo splattered all over her toes, shoes, and jeans. “I don’t know how that happened.”
The man behind her suppressed a grin and pretended to turn away. “I don’t see a thing.”
“I guess they shouldn’t have counters with rounded edges,” another man added.
Taylor glanced at the counter, noticing for the first time the way the edge curved. Her eyes narrowed fractionally. “Does that mean I can blame this spill on the counter?”
“I don’t think so.” Quinn shook his head. When the cashier moved forward to hand Quinn his smoothie along with the napkins, Quinn pointed to the spill. “We’re going to need some more napkins.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how that happened,” Taylor told the cashier as he leaned forward to survey the mess. Taylor jerked a thumb at Quinn with humor sparking in her eyes. “But I’m sure it was his fault.”
“What?! I was way over here!” Quinn insisted.
“He has a point.” The cashier chuckled and handed a wad of napkins to her. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to blame him.”
Taylor looked at the cashier in mock disbelief. “You mean this is really my fault?”
“Yeah.” The cashier nodded and gave her a knowing grin. “It’s disgraceful.”
Taylor tried to keep a straight face as she took the napkins from him and then leaned down to wipe up the worst of the damage to her jeans and shoes, wiggling her toes as she tried to get the sticky mixture out from between them.
Then the cashier leaned over, apparently taking pity on her. “Don’t worry about the spill on the floor. I’ll take care of that.” He then pointed to the girl working with him. “We need another strawberry banana smoothie.”
Taylor looked at him with bright eyes. “You’re going to make me another one?” Then she stood up and smiled. “I knew I liked you.”
A few minutes later, Taylor and Quinn both had their smoothies, and they said their good-byes to the small crowd that had gathered behind them at the smoothie bar. As Quinn led her to the car, Taylor took a sip of her new drink and then grinned at him. “Did I mention that this is really good?”
Quinn looked down at Taylor and couldn’t help but laugh. He was still amazed by the way she seemed to take situations like this in stride, while so many others would have made a big deal out of them. Only Taylor could take what should have been an embarrassing incident and walk away with a half dozen new friends. He was still laughing when he pulled up in front of Tristan’s building. He didn’t have any trouble finding a parking spot now that the shops were all closed and the restaurant traffic had died down.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take your shoes off?”
Humor was still in Taylor’s eyes when she turned to look at him. “That’s okay. They’re only a little sticky.”
Still grinning, Quinn climbed out of the car and joined Taylor on the sidewalk. “I’ll walk you up.”
Taylor pulled out the key that Riley had given her and unlocked the door to the lobby. Quinn pulled the door open wider to let her walk through and then strolled with her to the elevator.
“Are you sure Riley and Tristan won’t mind if I drop by tomorrow?”
“You always hang out with them when I’m not staying here, don’t you?” Taylor asked. “Why would that change now?”
Quinn followed her into the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor and then turning toward her. “I don’t know.” Hundreds of memories flooded through his mind, but at the heart of them was the way Taylor lived every moment to the fullest and always made him want to do the same. He took a step forward, effectively boxing her in against the wall. “Maybe because I haven’t forgotten how much I liked to do this.”
He leaned down until their faces were close, and he could see the awareness in her eyes. Then he laid his lips gently on hers. His heartbeat quickened as he drew her closer. He hadn’t meant to do this, but now with her in his arms, he couldn’t remember why. Time blurred, and their months apart seemed to melt away. When he pulled back, he looked down to see the confusion on her face.
Taylor took a deep breath, and her eyes were wary. “I don’t understand you.”
“What’s to understand?” Quinn asked, even as he worried that the casual relationship he had planned with Taylor was already trying to point toward serious.
“Everything.” Taylor let out a frustrated sigh as the elevator doors opened. “You completely ignore me for months, and now you act like everything is great between us.”
Quinn stared at her for a moment, not sure what to say. He had hoped to avoid this conversation, at least until he figured out his own feelings. Then Taylor stepped out of the elevator and started down the hall, and he knew he had to clear the air with her whether he was ready for it or not.
“Taylor, wait.” Quinn caught up with her and grabbed her arm. He waited for her to face him before he continued. “I’m sorry about before. I just had a lot of things going on that made it hard to keep up with a long-distance relationship.”
Her body tensed. “So instead of telling me that, you just started going out with other people? I guess you figured that I’d find out about it and get the message that you lost interest.”
“I never lost interest in you. Besides, I wasn’t really dating anyone else,” Quinn started. When Taylor simply raised her eyebrows, he let out a sigh of his own. “A couple of girls from the singles ward asked me out. I only went because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.”
Taylor’s voice was barely louder than a whisper when she spoke. “So you hurt my feelings instead.”
Quinn swallowed hard, for the first time truly understanding the impact his actions had had on Taylor. He reached for her hand, slowly rubbing his thumb over the back of it. His voice was low when he spoke. “I’m so sorry, Taylor. I never meant to hurt you. In fact, a couple of months ago I started going to church with Tristan and Riley so I didn’t have to deal with the dating scene anymore.”
Taylor stared at him for a moment, her shoulders relaxing marginally. “Now what? I had a great time tonight, but I don’t want to set myself up to get ignored again.”
“I have no intention of ignoring you.” Quinn ran his free hand through his hair. He knew if he told her about Emily, she would understand, but he couldn’t do it. Impatience bubbled up inside him. How long would it take for him to be able to talk about the first woman he loved? Part of him wanted to start the conversation, but he knew he still wasn’t prepared to dredge up those old memories, not even for Taylor. Instead, he asked, “Can we just start over? Can you try to forgive me for being a jerk and give me another chance?”
“Maybe,” Taylor said hesitantly.
“If nothing else, you know that Tristan would love nothing more than a reason to beat on me if I screw up again.”
She offered him a timid smile. “Are you afraid Tristan is going to play big brother to me?”
Quinn stared at her for a second, trying to read her emotions. Slowly, he smiled. “Tristan’s been playing big brother to me since we were fifteen. And he’s only six months older than me.”
Taylor let out a soft laugh, and the tension in Quinn’s stomach eased. “Maybe I should bring the cheesecake to you tomorrow night.”
Relieved, Quinn shook his head, and his grin flashed once more. “That’s okay. I kind of like the idea of getting a rise out of Tristan.”
Taylor nodded, but she looked at him with new curiosity. “I just realized that I don’t even know where you live.”
“It’s not like I’m ever there anyway.” Quinn shrugged. He waved a hand toward the north. “But my apartment’s a few blocks down the road.”
Taylor moved down the hall until she was in front of her sister’s door. “Thanks for tonight. I had a great time.”
“Me too.” Quinn hesitated briefly. Then he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Taylor nodded. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. With a last glance over her shoulder, she lowered her voice and said, “Good night.”
“’Night.” Quinn stood in the hallway, waiting for her to close the door and flip the lock. He stared at her door a moment, suddenly relieved that the conversation he had been dreading was now behind him.
He turned and headed for the stairwell, thinking back to the smoothie bar. Most women would have been mortified or at least embarrassed to have a crowd of people mulling around after making such a mess. But Taylor had turned the whole incident into a bright spot in everyone’s night. Quinn had little doubt that those who had seen the spill and heard the good-natured ribbing would get home tonight and laugh about it. Perhaps it was that trait that made her so easy to be with. She just made everything seem so much lighter.
He pushed the stairwell door open and almost ran into someone standing on the landing.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be in here.”
The dark-haired man appeared to be about Quinn’s age, mid- to late twenties. He looked around nervously for a moment before he managed to find his voice. “That’s okay.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he immediately chided himself for being overly protective. His tried to sound casual. “Are you coming in here?”
“Uh, no.” He shook his head and then hurried down the stairs in front of Quinn.
Quinn followed more slowly. By the time he walked outside, he found himself already looking forward to tomorrow.
10
Vernon Riesenour blinked hard as he stared down at the image on his laptop, at the innocent faces of his two sons smiling back at him and the joy radiating from his wife as she stood beside them in front of her childhood home outside of Baghdad. He remembered debating whether to let his family travel to Iraq without him so that his wife could visit her family. She had been so eager to attend a cousin’s wedding and to see her parents and other relatives again.
The unrest in that part of the world had worried Vernon enough that he had originally denied her wishes, insisting that it simply wasn’t possible, not when his work with the French government was keeping him at their home in Marseille. Then the news reports had started about the successes in Iraq. The Americans had succeeded in stamping out the local uprisings, and the area around Baghdad was finally secure.
