Page 36 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)
“I don’t know what else to say other than I’m sorry.”
Continuing to stare at the interview, Taylor stiffened, and Jamison understood the feeling. Seeing Toby was like watching a car wreck happen in real time.
“He really looks bad, doesn’t he?” Taylor whispered.
Jamison glanced over. The sound was muted so Rowan could sleep, but the adoration shining in Toby’s eyes said the video was in the section of playback where he and Evie were speaking. “Prison will do that to you.”
“I remember how handsome he was when he was arrested and thinking, how could a gorgeous, articulate doctor be considered a monster?” Taylor’s lip curled in revulsion. “But like I said a second ago, dangerous people hide behind pretty faces. ”
“Toby’s pretty face once had an army of people willing to do anything for it.”
“Not anymore.” Shaking her head, Taylor turned away from the screen.
“At first, I thought those people who wanted to get involved did so because they were going through some phase, depending on where they were in life, but no. It really grew, didn’t it?
Almost overnight, there were legions of people proclaiming his innocence regardless of what the evidence showed. ”
“That kind of crap happens every day. Humans love to live in denial as long as they’re accepted,” Jamison replied, and smiled sheepishly when Taylor arched an eyebrow. “Sorry, being around Liam and his dad so much, I’ve listened to their discussions, and I guess some of it has rubbed off on me.”
“No, I think you’re absolutely right. Acceptance is incredibly powerful and can be an excellent manipulation tool if handled correctly.”
It was Jamison’s turn to arch an eyebrow, and Taylor grinned. “Hey, I can be insightful. I watch Dr. Cohen’s documentaries all the time. Don’t tell him because it’ll make it weird, but I’m a huge fan and geek out every time I see him.”
Jamison chuckled. “I won’t tell him.”
“Speaking of Dr. Cohen,” Taylor began coyly. “What’s this I hear about you and Liam getting married in a week?”
“Six days.”
Snatching up the water bottle next to her laptop, Jamison took a giant gulp. This might be the first non-hostile conversation she’d had with Taylor, and it was nice and all, but a piece of her wanted to keep things quiet.
“We’re doing it here,” she said, knowing Taylor wouldn’t leave it alone until she had more information. “Something small with only us.”
“Let me know when you go to get the license so that I can brief your department. The second a county clerk sees the name Fairweather on a marriage certificate, they’ll be running to the press.”
Realizing she had a point, Jamison felt relieved that Taylor was willing to handle things. While her father worked to keep his stress levels even during all this, she was the opposite. Her job had been the furthest thing on her mind since stepping back through the doors of Haven House .
“I’ll draft a statement for Tammy to have on file and then copy you on it,” Jamison said, thinking she was long overdue for a gossip session with her assistant.
Tammy would have questions about what was happening, and while she couldn’t answer most of them, she could at least check in on her friend.
“You should have the email by this afternoon.”
“Perfect.” Taylor shot her a smile, her face blooming into something beautiful as she stood.
“I hope everything goes well with the wedding. If you need me to do anything, don’t hesitate to ask.
Liam doesn’t want you off the property without him, but we can wrangle up an FBI agent or two if you need to get out and pick something up personally. ”
Jamison checked the time on her phone. “I wish he would hurry. How long does it take to have stitches looked at?”
“He went to Samuel’s house first.”
The polite smile on Jamison’s lips faltered. Samuel’s house? That didn’t make any sense. Liam knew she wanted to see Evie, and he had promised to take her the first chance he had, so why go there without her?
A sharp knock sounded on the doorframe as her father passed. “Taylor, we’re starting. Let’s go.”
“He never takes a break.” Taylor rolled her shoulders while heaving out an annoyed puff of air.
“I can’t wait to get back to the office.
I mean, I love Haven House. It’s beautiful, and honestly, I would kill to live here, but being in such close quarters with your dad is intense sometimes.
When he gets going, there’s no stopping him. ”
Jamison fired off a text to Liam, asking for an ETA, and tried not to grin at Taylor’s comment. It would appear that the honeymoon phase of being her father’s assistant was officially over. “My dad is interesting.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Taylor wrinkled her nose. “Do you think he’s going to freak out when I ask for time off next week?”
“I doubt it, and if he needs an assistant, I can fill in.” Jamison laughed at the idea of taking orders from her father. The two of them would butt heads like crazy. “And I don’t blame you for needing a break from all this.”
“It’s not that. I’m going to visit some family and help them move into their home, and well...” Taylor bit her full bottom lip and looked everywhere but directly at Jamison. “There’s someone I want to see again. He’s in the area, and I thought it might be a good time to reconnect.”
“Yeah?” Jamison refused to fist pump the air at hearing Taylor was interested in someone who was not a Fairweather. “That’s cool.”
“I don’t want to jinx it. He’s incredibly attractive, but also the corporate type who might not have time for anything long term.”
The handsome corporate type could easily translate into being the Taylor-type. This was perfect.
“But it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun,” Jamison pointed out. “Especially if he’s going to be in the same area.”
“Oh, I plan to have fun with him.” Taylor sighed wistfully. “So much fun.”