JACK THOUGHT ABOUT TAYLOR’S DREAM WHILE THE SHOWER water beat down on him. He wasn’t superstitious, but maybe Taylor’s subconscious had registered some kind of threat she wasn’t fully aware of. Crosse was dead, and for the life of him, Jack couldn’t think of a reason his followers would come after Evan or Taylor. Still, he was feeling a little bit leery about leaving her today.
He decided he would give Jeremy a call and see if he could check in on her later. Despite Jeremy’s upbringing at the hands of Crosse, he was a warm and gentle soul, filled with goodness and integrity. And even though he and Taylor had only found each other two years ago, their bond was unshakable. When Taylor had discovered that her real father was Damon Crosse, the only thing that had mitigated her horror was the fact that she found her brother. His mother, Maya, and her mother were sisters. Unfortunately, Taylor had never met Maya as she’d died in childbirth with Jeremy. Jeremy was only a forty-minute drive away in Stamford, Connecticut, where Alpha Pharmaceuticals, the company he’d inherited from his father, was now located. Perhaps he’d be able to drive down and have dinner with Taylor and Evan while Jack was out of town.
As Jack was getting out of the shower, he heard Taylor return to the bedroom, so he quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. When he came out of the bathroom, he found Evan in her arms. She leaned over and kissed Jack, her hand resting a moment on his chest.
He gazed at her as a wave of affection overcame him, then he reached out to tousle Evan’s dark curls. “Hey, buddy. Good morning.” He looked at Taylor. “What time is your meeting again?”
“Not till this afternoon. We’re going to go over the research and decide where we want to focus the story. But I have two interviews later this morning, so I’m going to drop Evan off at the company daycare first then drive to see my sources.”
“Do you have a definitive angle yet? I mean besides the fact that the insurance company tricked people into exclusions?”
“Still working on it.”
Evan started fussing, and Jack reached out to him. “Come here, big guy.” He gave him a gentle kiss on the head. “I’ll feed him while you get dressed.”
Jack took Evan to the kitchen and put him in his highchair while he made him some eggs. He laughed as he watched Evan pick up the television remote next to him and point it to the TV. His chubby fingers pressed the buttons, and he looked perplexedly at Jack when nothing happened. The kid was a fast learner.
“How about a book instead?” Jack grabbed a few board books from a basket on the floor and put them on the highchair tray while he finished getting breakfast ready.
When Taylor came in the kitchen, he inclined his head toward the dog. “I fed Beau, too, but it looks like he’s still hungry.”
The golden retriever was sitting at Evan’s feet, his attention laser focused on the toddler, and was soon rewarded when Evan threw a fistful of eggs on the floor.
Jack laughed. “You’re no dummy,” he told the dog. He turned back to Evan. “You’re supposed to eat them, not throw them.”
Evan gave him a somber look and put some eggs in his mouth.
Taylor smiled at Evan. “Yummy yum, you look like you enjoyed your eggs.”
He smiled and held his arms up. “Mama. Up.”
She took a wet cloth and cleaned his hands and face, then pulled out his tray and raised him out of his seat.
“I’m gonna take off,” Jack said, kissing the top of Evan’s head and then Taylor’s lips. He held her a moment longer, reluctant to let go. Finally he pulled back and walked to the door.
“Think fast,” Taylor said as she grabbed a protein bar from the counter and tossed it to him. “I don’t want you going all day with nothing to eat.”
“I’m a big boy. I can get my own breakfast.”
She laughed. “You can, but you won’t. Just take it. Otherwise you’ll end up eating a Snickers.” She shook her head. “Your eating habits are still appalling. We’re not kids anymore, you know.”
He walked back over to her and put his arms around her. “But you, my love, still make me feel like one.”
“And that”—she kissed him again—“is why I love you.”
* * *
As he drove toward the highway, Jack prepared himself for the meeting with Maggie Russell’s husband, Kent. The man would still be in shock—the murder-suicide had taken place only a week ago. Jack couldn’t imagine the horror he must have been feeling or how he’d explained to his nine-year-old son—who’d actually witnessed it—why his mother had done what she’d done. Jack had read a few more articles about it last night. Maggie had been a pillar of the community—a nurse who taught Sunday school. It made no sense, but then again, there was a lot in the news these days that made no sense.
Jack cranked the volume on the car stereo as AC/DC’s “Back in Black” blared through the speakers, then unwrapped the bar Taylor had given him and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard. Making a face, he threw it on the passenger seat and pulled a candy bar from the center console. Sorry, T, he thought as he took a bite. Some habits die hard.