Page 27 of September’s Tide (Island Tales #2)

Chapter Nineteen

Taylor tried to get on with life.

He threw himself into the equipment hire business like a man possessed. Cleaned everything in sight. Rearranged shelves that didn’t need rearranging. Then cleaned things that were already clean.

Read everything but James Blanchette.

He ignored messages from Shane, Eric, and Mikey until finally he turned off his phone altogether, tired of the pings and the questions he couldn’t answer.

“It’s fine,” he muttered under his breath as he wiped the same countertop for the third time. “It’s not like I fell in love with the guy.”

Sure, they’d clicked. There’d been real connection, real laughter. Okay, so maybe it had felt bigger than anything he’d had before. But it had only been three weeks. And technically, David hadn’t lied. He’d simply… left something out.

A pretty big something.

Taylor lasted three days.

By Thursday night, his skin felt too tight. The house was spotless, his fridge was full of food he hadn’t eaten, and his thoughts were a mess. There was only one person he could think of to talk to.

Mum opened the door with a soft, “Hello, love,” and immediately wrapped her arms around him.

Taylor closed his eyes and leaned into her hug, breathing in the scent of lavender and the faintest trace of vanilla from her hand cream.

After a long, quiet moment, she pulled back, her eyes searching his. “Come inside.”

Taylor cocked his head, listening for any sign of who else was at home.

His mum gave him a knowing smile as they walked into the lounge.

“There’s only me and your grandmother here today.

Dad’s out with his friend Peter, so we can talk in peace.

” She folded herself onto the couch, tucking her legs underneath her, and patted the space beside her.

“Now. What’s got you so twisted up you had to come all the way over here to tell me? ”

Taylor hesitated. “You don’t know that’s why I’m here.”

She arched her eyebrows. “You haven’t come round unannounced in six months. You’re wearing that face you get when something’s eating at you. And your hair looks like you’ve been dragging your hands through it all day. So yes, I’m guessing this is definitely a ‘talk to Mum’ situation.”

Taylor huffed a dry laugh and dropped onto the sofa beside her. “You know, you really shouldn’t be this good at reading me.”

“I’m your mother. It’s my job.” She nudged his leg with hers. “Talk.”

Taylor ran both hands through his hair and sighed. “It’s David.”

Her expression didn’t change, but he saw the tiniest flicker of interest spark behind her eyes. “Ah.”

“I found out who he really is.”

She blinked. “He isn’t James Bond, is he? A spy?”

Taylor chuckled. “No, Mum. He told me he was a writer when we first met. But a few days ago I discovered his pen name.” He paused. “David isn’t just any writer—he’s James Blanchette . ”

Her brows shot up. “The thriller author? The one whose books you love so much?” Then she relaxed her features. “Oh. Well, that’s… unexpected.”

“I know, right?” Taylor sagged against the cushions. “He didn’t lie about being a writer. He just didn’t tell me the part about being that writer. And when I found out… Mum, I froze. I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t storm out or anything dramatic. I just… said I needed some time. And I left.”

“Have you talked to him since?”

Taylor shook his head. “No. I don’t even know what I’d say.”

Mum was quiet for a moment, her fingers playing absently with a loose thread on a cushion.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about David since you brought him to lunch on Sunday,” she said softly.

“Something about the way he looked at you. Calm, but focused. Like you were the most interesting person in the room.”

Taylor’s chest tightened. “He is focused like that. When he talks to you, it’s like there’s no one else around.”

“I liked him,” she continued. “And I think he liked you. Really liked you. Did you ever consider that maybe he kept his identity quiet because he wanted to be seen for who he was, not for the name on a dust jacket?”

Taylor’s lips pressed together. “That’s what he said. That after what happened with his ex, he didn’t want to lead with ‘James Blanchette.’ And I get it. I do. It… threw me, that’s all.”

“Because it made you question what was real?” she asked gently.

“Exactly.”

“But if you’re honest,” she said, “did it feel real to you?”

Taylor went quiet, but Mum wasn’t done.

“Your face changes when you mention his name. Your tone changes when you talk about him, in a way I’ve never heard you do before when you’ve mentioned past boyfriends.”

“It’s not as if there have been all that many,” Taylor protested.

Her gaze softened. “Sweetheart, you’re upset because it mattered. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t be here right now, tying yourself in knots.”

Taylor’s throat tightened. “He’s leaving at the end of September. That hasn’t changed.”

“No. But you’re not there yet.” She gave him a sad smile. “Why spend the time you do have building walls when you could be building something better? Even if it doesn’t last forever.”

Taylor looked down at his hands, twisting his fingers together. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start with the truth,” she said. “Tell him how you felt. Not just about the pen name. About everything . Let him decide what comes next. And maybe …”

“Maybe what?” he demanded, intrigued.

Her smile deepened. “The universe will surprise you.”

Despite his churning stomach, he laughed. “You sound like a fortune cookie.”

“Fortune cookies are often right.” Mum pulled the laptop toward her and opened it. “I have something I want to show you.”

She clicked open a file and Taylor was suddenly confronted with images of himself and David. David laughing. David smiling. Himself looking so happy that it made him catch his breath.

Oh fuck . This was what Shane had seen.

Her gaze flicked to the screen. “You do make a lovely couple, you know.”

Taylor stared at her aghast. “Mum, why are you doing this?”

She tilted her head. “I don’t understand. Have I got it wrong?”

Taylor narrowed his lips. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about David. He. Is. Going. To. Leave. So why are you trying to put us together? It’s only going to make it hurt all the more when he finally goes. And then I’ll never see him again.”

Her eyes gleamed. “You know that film you were forever making us watch when you were a teenager? The Princess Bride ? What was it Wesley says to Buttercup? Something about life being pain. So what if you get hurt? We can’t go through life hoping to avoid pain, because, let’s face it, that’s not going to happen.

So, we make the most of every situation and we roll with the punches.

And don’t assume you’ll never see him again.

Remember what I said about the universe surprising you?

” She smiled sadly at him. “You and I should have had this conversation a long time ago.”

Taylor frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mum took hold of his hands. “You and I never talked about sex, did we?”

Taylor felt the flush rise up his chest, neck and cheeks, until he was sure the tips of his ears were glowing. “ Mum. ”

“No, let me finish, please,” she insisted.

Taylor tried to ignore his burning face.

“When you came out to us, I wasn’t sure how to frame my thoughts.

I wasn’t unhappy that you were gay, but at the same time, I didn’t know what advice to give you.

I realize now I should have given you the same advice as the others, that sex is part of being in a loving, committed relationship. ”

Taylor became still. He couldn’t look her in the eye. She pressed on.

“Taylor, I may be more than thirty years older than you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how the world works these days.

I didn’t imagine you were a virgin”—there went his cheeks again—“and when I got to read your poems— all your poems—I was left in no doubt.” This time it was her cheeks that flushed.

Taylor stared at her in horror. “What do you mean— all my poems? The only one who’s read them all is Brian and…

” He put two and two together. “Oh God, he let you read them, didn’t he?

” Taylor had been careful how much of his poetry he’d shown to his parents.

Brian had wanted to see everything, and because the two brothers were close, Taylor hadn’t liked to refuse him.

She nodded. “I’ll be honest, darling. I cried when I read some of them.

You were looking for love, but in all the wrong places.

” She looked down at their clasped hands.

“And yes, I liked David the moment I met him. I had hoped he’d be the one who would give you what you were looking for.

” Her gaze met his. “Because seeing you together? You complement each other.” She stood up, smoothing her skirt. “Tea?”

He blinked. “Tea?”

Her lips twitched. “You know, hot brown liquid, often accompanied by biscuits?” “And my Go-To when faced with deep conversations.”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah. Please.”

As she padded toward the kitchen, Taylor sat back on the sofa and stared at the laptop, scrolling through the photos, gazing at the pair of them clearly so happy.

“He’s a good-looking boy.”

Taylor jumped. He hadn’t heard his grandmother enter the room. He stood up to hug her gently. She was nearly half his size. Taylor chuckled. “He’s hardly a boy, Grandma.”

She let out a wry chuckle. “He is to me.” She returned his hug and then pointed to the screen.

“Is he the one, then?” Taylor widened his eyes and his grandmother gave another chuckle.

“I have ears and eyes, boy. I may be ninety, but I’m not dead.

And just because I don’t talk about things, doesn’t mean I don’t know about them.

” She arched her thin eyebrows and looked at him over the rim of her glasses. “And don’t you forget it.”

Taylor couldn’t help his grin. His wonderful, remarkable family never ceased to surprise him. “Yes, Grandma,” he said meekly.

His grandmother returned her gaze to the laptop screen. “Yes, indeed. A fine-looking boy.” She peered at Taylor. “You have good taste.” And with that she exited the lounge, leaving Taylor to stare after her in wonder. He gazed at David, frozen on the screen as the pair of them laughed at something.

His head still buzzed with doubt, but beneath it, something steadier stirred.

Maybe it was time to stop freezing up.

Maybe it was time to talk.