Chapter 5
She felt her face drop out of shock. His son? That was a little more than she bargained for or expected.
“Your... son?” she tried to recover.
“Yeah,” Taylor said softly as he studied her carefully.
“That’s cool,” Jody replied as she continued to wipe down the mess on the table. He continued to watch her, waiting for a sign that she would run or freak out or something.
“You’re uncomfortable,” Taylor said as he threw out the mess of paper towels.
This caught Jody by surprise. “Not so much uncomfortable as...surprised. I just didn’t expect you to...”
“Have a child?”
“No,” Jody said incredulously. “To become a father.” Now it was Taylor’s turn to be shocked. “It’s really admirable that you didn’t run away from the situation. You took responsibility, and that’s...” She paused to try to find the right phrase. “It shows a lot of character.”
They finished cleaning up the spilled apple juice in silence as Ezra happily kicked the chair because he wasn’t being paid any attention.
“Hey you,” Jody said as she took hold of Ezra’s shoe. “I got your foot.”
Taylor looked at her and smiled. Ezra laughed as Jody shook his foot gently. She really was good with children, making Taylor helplessly intrigued.
Taylor continued to bring Ezra in once every week or so to the point where he nearly jumped out of his father’s arms and over the counter at Jody. With Ezra in tow, Jody was able to see a different side of Taylor- one that knew nothing of the darkness he once shuffled in with. He was filled with nothing but happiness and an almost insurmountable joy. Without Ezra, Taylor continued to be a very quiet young man who didn’t make eye contact with anybody except for Jody.
One day, two weeks before Christmas though, things were dramatically different.
The holiday hustle and bustle had thrown the Christmas season into full swing. The store smelled like coffee, gingerbread cookies, peppermint, and snow. Jody found it all delightful, even going so far as to don a Santa hat to greet customers.
A heavy door slam burst Jody’s cheerful, seasonal bubble.
She saw as Taylor stamped the snow off his boots and all but curled into a ball at the register. Something had happened, but finding out exactly what would be the trouble. Over the past few months the two had formed something of a friendship, and seeing Taylor so upset greatly disturbed Jody.
“Hey, um, just make me anything.” He wasn’t looking at her and he was speaking very low- much like the way he was when he had first started coming in.
“How does a peppermint hot cocoa sound?”
“Make it a coffee and it sounds great.”
She looked up at him and saw that he only wanted to retreat to his table. “Um, why don’t you go sit down. It’s warmer by your table and you look a little frozen.”
Without saying anything, Taylor turned and disappeared into his corner.
“Horace, I’m going on break,” Jody called into the back as she took off her apron and tossed it under the counter.
“It’s busy out there Jode.”
Jody rolled her eyes. “I know, but it’s always busy. Give me 20 minutes and I’ll stay an extra hour,” she bargained.
“Go. See you in 20.”
“Thanks Horace!”
With that, Jody grabbed the peppermint coffee, a couple creamers and sugars along with a tea bag and a cup of hot water for herself.
“Hey,” Jody greeted softly as she placed everything down on the table and gently sat down across from him. She pushed the coffee in his general direction and opened a few packets of sugar to add to her tea. “I know it’s not any of my business, but are you OK?”
“Do I look OK?” he replied sarcastically.
A few moments passed before she spoke again. “You, uh, wanna talk about it?”
“Not really,” Taylor replied without any sort of emotion as he aimlessly used the stirrer to distract himself.
Jody shrugged. “Fair enough.” She took a sip of her tea and tried to relax in the busy shop.
“She gave me the papers this morning,” Taylor confessed after several minutes.
“Who?” Jody inquired delicately.
“Natalie. She gave me the divorce papers this morning.”
“Oh,” Jody said trying to hide her shock. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, well...” His eyebrows were furrowed and a scowl was on his face.
There was another pause. Jody was so caught in shock, and more in trying to hide it, that she was at a loss as to what to say. First he brings in Ezra and then he breaks the news that’s he’s getting divorced. It was a little much for her to take in.
So why had he come to her for some sort of comfort?
Taylor asked himself the same question as he aimlessly stirred his coffee. Something about Jody was safe. She was always cheerful and kindhearted, not to mention the fact that she charmed Ezra the first day he introduced them. She seemed to just accept his situation and what he had to offer. The fact that she had big, expressive eyes that showed a sincere concern for him was a bonus.
“Um... I should be getting back,” Jody quietly stated. Taylor nodded, still stirring his coffee. There was an uncomfortable silence as neither knew what to say. Another moment passed in silence.
Jody shifted in her seat. She really hated seeing Taylor so upset, yet she knew there was nothing she could do about it. No words would make it better. So, for lack of a better thing to do, Jody reached across the table, put her hand on top of his, and squeezed it.
With that, she was gone and back behind the counter.
Index
Chapter 6
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