Far From Home

“Usually,” I agreed. Unless, of course, I couldn’t sleep. To be honest, I didn’t nod off until almost four in the morning.

“Guess I was restless. Unfamiliar territory and all.” I shrugged and left it at that, stifling a yawn a second later.

Taylor wasn’t convinced, cocking an eyebrow at me as she canted her head to one side. “Sounds like my one time at summer camp. I don’t think I slept the first three nights I was there. Too many strange noises.”

I followed her down the stairwell and into the kitchen where Sue had placed out large platters and was in the middle of cooking up a fresh batch of eggs and bacon. A man I could only assume was Brad sat at the head of the table, paper in hand.

“You must be Sam.” He held out his hand which I shook once I was within range. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

So I’ve been told. I released a nervous laugh.

“All good things, I assure you,” Taylor cut in as she took her place at the table.

Noting the empty chair to her left, I joined them, and after a handful of niceties, we dug into our food. Watching Brad and Taylor go on about which team they wanted to win on game day made me think of my dad and uncle Charlie back home.

I’d never caught the sports-fan bug, but it was easy to see Taylor had.

“What about you, Sam?” Brad asked, pulling me from my thoughts. “Do you think the Redskins will pull ahead?”

“Oh, I’m not sure,” I said as I dropped my gaze. “I don’t really watch the games. They bore me to tears, really.”

“Finally, someone who can sit with me and bake while those two whoop and holler at the television screen,” Sue said as she placed a plate of toast between us.

“I’ll gladly take up baking over that,” I said, silently thanking her before taking a piece of toast from the center of the table. “My folks back home love to watch the games, but I never saw the point of them chasing a ball around. Back and forth. Back and forth.” I rolled my eyes, and Sue grinned.

“If I’m going skating, you have to watch one game with me,” Taylor said as she pointed her fork in my direction.

“You think I won’t?”

“Nope.”

“Rather, you’re hoping I won’t agree so you can get out of it.” Not a chance. If there was one thing I planned to do during break, it was to get Taylor out on the ice.

“Pretty much.”

Then, knowing a challenge when I saw one, I said. “As lovely as baking sounds, I think I may have to take a rain check this time.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Sue assured me, turning her attention to Brad as the conversation stalled.

Awkward silences were the worst, and if that wasn’t enough, Taylor’s eyes on me only seemed to complicate things even more. I’d seen that look before, but it’d never been directed at me. Her eyes had a shine to them, and when she looked at me then, she blushed.

You’re seeing things.

Wishful thinking, that’s all it was.

Then again, how come she hadn’t looked away? She’d stopped shoveling food into her mouth and everything, and she was always a quick eater.

“What?” I asked after a long moment, struggling to get the air moving from my lungs. “Do I have something on my face?”

Taylor shook herself out of her trance and glanced down at her food. “Just that smug grin of yours.” And damn her, she almost said it with a straight face, but even as the last word tumbled from her lips, she started to laugh.

“Look who’s talking,” I said, joining her in her laughter.

“Sue, breakfast is delicious.”

“A quiet guest and someone who likes my cooking?” Sue put a hand to her chest. “Taylor should bring you around more often.”

“So are you two a thing now? I knew Taylor was—”