Page 5 of Faking it With the Player Next Door

Chapter Five

Taylor

“ W hat is going on here!” Hunter shouted, and I almost lost my balance on Van’s lap, but he tightened his grasp around my waist to secure me.

“Hunter!” I exclaimed and pushed off Van. “What are you doing back here?”

“I was going to…” He glared at me; his fists balled up at his side. “What are you two doing?”

Glancing at his face, I could see a little redness growing up his neck onto his cheeks, and I knew he was upset. More like furious. The last time I saw Hunter this mad was when we did a video chat after I broke up with Travis.

Hunter was ready to jump in his truck and drive all night to get to me, and he promised he wouldn’t hurt Travis. But I knew my brother all too well. He may be a very reserved person, but when he was pushed and became angry, there was no telling what he would do.

“Nothing’s going on,” I pushed off Van, stood, and rubbed my hands on my denim shorts. For some reason, my palms felt clammy and moist.

I was about to speak when I saw movement from behind my brother.

“Didn’t seem like it from where I’m standing,” his bulky frame stepped outside the back door and approached me, blocking out who was behind him.

“Taylor,” Pastor Rick Pierce peeked around Hunter’s body. “I caught Hunter in town and he mentioned you’d returned home, so he thought to bring me by and see you.”

“Hello, Pastor Pierce. What a pleasant surprise!” I responded awkwardly.

As Hunter got closer, it seemed as though his towering body was covering up the sunlight. Glimpsing up at him, I thought I saw a vein in his neck throbbing. I felt my face drain with humiliation with the local pastor catching Van and me in a compromising position, and having to defend myself to my brother over something I wanted to happen.

“Hunter… come on,” I shook my head, hoping to diffuse the situation. “I was going to give Van a massage on his bad arm, and I lost my balance…”

“And his lips saved you from falling?” Hunter crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes.

“Hey, man,” Van jumped up from the chair, standing next to me. “Nothing was going on…”

“Really?” Hunter turned his attention to his best friend. “Do tell?”

“I dropped my beer,” Van pointed over his shoulder, “And Taylor was just trying to pick it up, and she…”

“Lost her balance,” Hunter finished his sentence.

“Look!” I exclaimed, pointing to the upturned bottle on the table. The spilled beer had spread across the table, and I looked back to Hunter and avoided eye contact with the pastor. “I don’t know why you’re getting all worked up about this.”

“Yeah, come on, Hunter,” Van threw his hands up. “Nothing happened. It was just a kiss.”

“A kiss with my little sister,” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “The same sister that just got out of a long relationship…”

“I know that, Hunter,” Van sighed.

“Maybe I should come back another time,” Pastor Pierce took a step back.

“She’s still vulnerable,” Hunter added, and I gasped.

Who did Hunter think he was? Me? Vulnerable?

“Hey!” I shouted, placing my hands on my hips. “I’m not vulnerable!”

“You’re still dealing with Travis’ deception,” Hunter challenged me.

“I’m not saying that’s true,” I jutted my chin upward. “But if that were the case, it’s my problem. Not yours.”

“Not now Taylor,” Hunter growled.

“Not now!” I shouted as Pastor Pierce took a few more steps toward the back door. “Pastor, I’m sorry about this,” I felt the need to apologize.

“It’s quite fine, Taylor,” the man of the cloth smiled. “I’ll just see myself out and come by… I’ll see you on Sunday.”

The man reached for the door handle, opened it, and slipped away. I turned my attention back to Hunter and inhaled to control my anger. I’m not sure why I was so mad, but I was not going to allow my brother to run my life. I was twenty-five years old and didn’t need him to be my keeper.

“What I do is my business,” I glowered and crossed my arms. “I don’t need, or want, you to tell me what I can, or can’t do.”

“Taylor,” Hunter shook his head and began pacing around the deck.

“Hunter,” Van broke in. “It was all innocent.”

“Innocent?” Hunter scoffed and stopped walking. “I saw my best friend kissing my little sister, who, if I remind you, is still getting over a bad relationship.”

“I know that,” Van replied.

“You do?” I frowned, glancing at Van.

How did he know? I never told anyone but Hunter.

“I do,” Van replied, not taking his eyes off Hunter.

“How?” I gasped. “Did you tell him?” I darted my eyes to my brother. “What did you tell him?”

Mortification filled my body, and tears welled up in my eyes. If Hunter had told Van, or anyone else in town what happened between Travis and me, I would be so embarrassed.

“Just that Travis hurt you,” Hunter replied.

“Oh, Hunter!” I threw my hands up and walked away from the two of them. “Why would you do that!”

I followed where Pastor Pierce had disappeared into the house, slamming the door in my wake. I marched through the kitchen, ran up the stairs, and stomped into my bedroom. Walking to the window, I glanced down at the back deck and saw Hunter still talking to Van.

Hunter’s anger seemed less evident, and Van seemed to be explaining the situation. Van was pacing the back deck, tossing his hands in the air every so often as he spoke, and every so usually Hunter would say a few words.

Watching the two of them softened my anger, and I sighed. Hunter had always been the best brother to me, from protecting me when we were kids and I was being teased to making sure I was taking my studies seriously when I was in college.

When Gram passed away, Hunter drove to my school and picked me up. He didn’t want me to drive the long distance alone, and I was grateful. I was devastated by Gram’s passing and remembered crying back to Coleman, as Hunter held my hand across the front seat console.

He began telling stories from our childhood, and the silly things Gram would say or do. By the time we arrived in her driveway hours later, we were laughing so hard we were crying—tears of happiness and love instead of sadness and pain.

When we exited Hunter’s car, Van was standing on Gram’s front porch waiting for us. He strode to Hunter first, shook his hand and they hugged. They whispered to one another, then Van walked up to me.

He opened his arms, and I immediately fell into his embrace. He held me for what seemed like an eternity, and when we parted, he took my face in his hands and smiled. I’ll never forget the way his dark brown eyes connected with mine that night.

Van was not only Hunter’s best friend, but I also considered him one of my closest friends. He knew most of my secrets and was my second protector when Hunter wasn’t around. Van was there when I accidentally crashed my bicycle into the hedges down the road and was a tangled and scraped-up mess.

He helped me get my bike tires out of the bush and wiped away my tears. He carried my bike home, as the front tire frame was bent beyond being ridden again. After we got into Gram’s garage, Van promised to fix the bike for me, and I told him not to bother. I was never going to ride that bike again.

Glancing at the garage, I wondered if that pink bike, with a banana seat and purple glitter tassels hanging from the handlebars, was still in there. Bent tire frame and all.

Van walking back to his childhood home broke me from my reverie, and I saw Hunter glance up at my bedroom window. He didn’t smile. He didn’t wave. He didn’t acknowledge I was watching him. He just shook his head and walked into the house.

I heard the screen door slam behind him and was waiting for his stomping up the stairs, leading to the bedrooms. Seconds later, I closed my eyes and held my breath. I was half hoping Hunter would come up here so I could go off on him more about sharing my private circumstances with Travis and the breakup.

Revving up my anger again, I listened for Hunter’s arrival. When I heard the front door close, my eyes sprung open and I actually felt relief. As much as I wanted to have my say, and let my brother know how mad I was at him, I knew having this conversation now would result in some words that I shouldn’t say.

The last thing I wanted was for everyone to know that Travis had a drug problem and that I was a goody-two-shoes for not wanting to be with him because of it. It just wasn’t my preferred way to have a relationship, or marriage, with someone with an addiction.

I was amazed that Travis had hidden his illegal habit from me for who knows how long. When his father learned about what happened after I called off the wedding, he blew up. I had been in my office, which was next to Travis’ when his father barreled into his offspring’s office.

I could hear Duncan’s booming voice through the walls, and I shuttered. After about five minutes, Duncan’s voice disappeared and I heard a door slam. Hearing the abrupt noise caused me to jump in my seat. I expected Duncan to slam through my door, and I recalled sitting behind my desk, holding my breath and waiting.

When my office door remained closed and the towering man didn’t evolve in front of me, I released the breath I’d been holding.

Swallowing hard, I waited for Travis to come into my office, and when he didn’t, I considered myself lucky. I didn’t want to speak to Duncan or Travis. All I wanted at that moment was to shrivel away and disappear.

That’s when it struck me to take an extended vacation. Well, not a real vacation, but time away from Travis, work, and all the problems associated with what was happening.

The movement outside my window pulled me from my thoughts. When I looked down, I saw Van and Hunter had returned, and I couldn’t help but wonder why they were both back.

Biting my lower lip, I watched as the two men in my life continued talking, it appeared their tempers were calming down, and they were taking turns when speaking. A small grin evolved on my lips, and I saw Van glance up at me. He smiled, then nodded. Raising his hand, he signaled for me to come down.

“Oh, boy,” I sighed and nodded.

Taking my time, I went down the stairs one at a time and wondered what I was being summoned for. From what I can tell, Hunter and Van were on good speaking terms, and the rough patch had passed.

I should take that as a relief, but for some reason, my stomach wasn’t believing it. I had a sneaking suspicion I was in for a rude awakening, and I didn’t like it one bit.

“Yes?” I hesitated when I reached the kitchen door leading to the back deck.

“Van explained things,” Hunter said when I was visible through the screen door.

“He did?’ I frowned, glancing at Van, who nodded.

“And?” I opened the screen door, stepping onto the deck.

“Well, he told me how you guys are seeing each other,” Hunter began.

“What?” Shaking my head, I glimpsed at Van, who smiled.

“Yeah,” Van interrupted. “I told Hunter how we’ve spent a few evenings together, and talked about old times, and how we just acted on old feelings.”

“I didn’t know you both felt this way,” Hunter added.

“Yeah, we just…” Van paused.

“Connected?” I offered, and Van nodded.

“Yeah, connected,” he smiled.

I glanced at Hunter and saw him nod, but he was also frowning.

“What?’ I asked my brother.

“I feel bad for blowing up when Pastor Pierce was here,” Hunter replied. “I need to apologize to him.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine,” I replied, not wanting my brother to lie to a man of the church. “I’d just let it go and if he mentions it, you can explain.”

“True,” Hunter agreed. “So, how long have you both been pining for one another?” He looked at me. “Van said he’s had feelings for quite a few years.”

I opened my mouth to reply but didn’t know what to say. Did I tell the truth that I’d had feelings for Van since we were teens? Or did I tell a small fib and say it was more recent?

“Taylor?” Van prodded.

“Uhm, well,” I bit my lower lip. “I guess I wasn’t fully honest with Van when we talked…”

“Huh?” Van frowned.

“What?” Hunter said in unison.

If I was going to lie, I was going to make it a whopper.

“Yeah,” I glimpsed at Van. “When I told you the other night that my feelings were sort of recent, I wasn’t completely honest.”

“Taylor, you don’t need to say another word,” Van whispered.

The look on his face was priceless, and it let me know he was scared that I’d give up his lie to my brother. I smirked, and I saw Van’s face become pale.

“No, no, Van,” I smiled and laid a hand on his forearm. “We need to be honest. It’s not right to start a relationship on a lie.”

“Taylor…” Van mumbled, warning me to not give his lie up.

“It’s fine,” I continued grinning. “Hunter, I’ve had a crush on Van for as long as I can remember, and I just never told him.”

“You have?” Both Hunter and Van replied.

“Hmm,” I murmured. “I have.”

“I had no idea,” Van replied.

“I had my suspicions,” Hunter laughed.

“Well, guys,” I glanced between my brother, and the man I’d vowed to marry when I was a little girl, and walked back to the screen door. “I have some things to do.”

Disappearing into Gram’s kitchen, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

What did I just do? Not only did I cooperate with Van and his lie to Hunter, but I admitted to both of them that I’d been in love with Van since we were all kids.

“Oh, no, Taylor Miller, you’re so stupid,” I grumbled and ran up the stairs back to my bedroom.