The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks [76]
“Of course you were.” He winked, letting it sink in, then lowered his tone. “But like I said, don’t worry. I’ve got a funny feeling she just might say yes to you. I’ll tell her you’re here.”
All Taylor could do was stare as Ray vanished from sight. Almost immediately Denise came out from the kitchen area, pushing through a swinging door.
“Taylor?” she said, clearly surprised.
“Hi,” he said sheepishly.
“What are you doing here?” She started toward him, smiling curiously.
“I wanted to see you,” he said quietly, not knowing what else to say.
As she walked toward him he took in her image. She wore a white, work-stained apron over her marigold yellow dress. The dress, short-sleeved and V-necked, was buttoned as high as it would go; the skirt reached just past her knees. She wore white sneakers, something her feet would be comfortable in, even after standing for hours. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her face was shiny from her own perspiration and the grease in the air.
She was beautiful.
She was aware of his appraisal, but as she neared, she saw something else in his eyes, something she’d never seen before.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I don’t know,” he muttered, almost to himself.
She stared up at him, concerned, then looked over her shoulder.
“Hey, Ray? Can I take a quick break here for a second?”
Ray acted as if he hadn’t even noticed that Taylor had come in. He continued to clean the grill as he spoke.
“Take your time, sweetheart. I’m just about done here, anyway.”
She faced Taylor again. “Do you want to sit down?”
It was exactly the reason he’d come, but Ray’s comments had thrown him off. All he could think about were the men who came to the diner looking for her.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come,” he said.
But Denise, as if knowing exactly what to do, smiled sympathetically.
“I’m glad you did,” she said softly. “What happened?”
He stood silently before her, everything rushing at him at once. The faint smell of her shampoo, his desire to put his arms around her and tell her everything about the evening, the waking nightmares, how he longed for her to listen . . .
The men who came to the diner looking for her . . .
Despite everything, that thought erased those of the night’s drama. Not that he had any reason to be jealous. Ray had said she’d always turned the others down, and he hadn’t established a serious relationship with her. Yet the feeling gripped him anyway. What men? Who wanted to take her home? He wanted to ask her but knew it wasn’t his place.
“I should go,” he said, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t be here. You’re still working.”
“No,” she said, seriously this time, sensing that something was troubling him. “Something happened tonight. What was it?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” he said simply.
“About what?”
Her eyes searched his, never turning away. Those wonderful eyes. God, she was lovely. Taylor swallowed, his mind whirling. “There was an accident on the bridge tonight,” he said abruptly.
Denise nodded, still uncertain of where this was going. “I know. It was quiet here all night. Hardly anyone came in because the bridge was closed. Were you there?”
Taylor nodded.
“I heard it was terrible. Was it?”
Taylor nodded again.
She reached out, her fingers gently taking hold of his arm. “Hold on, okay? Let me see what still needs to be done before we close up.”
She turned from him, her touch slipping from his skin, and went back to the kitchen. Taylor stood in the diner, alone with his thoughts for a minute, until Denise came back out.
Surprisingly, she walked past him toward the front door, where she reversed the “Open” sign. Eights was closed.
“Everything in the kitchen’s shut down,” she explained. “I’ve got a few things to do and then I’ll be ready to go. Why don’t you wait for me, okay? We can talk at my house.”
Taylor carried Kyle to the truck, his head on Taylor’s shoulder. Once inside, he immediately curled around Denise, never awaking in the process.
Once they were home, the procedure