Page 42 of Broken: Taylor

Chapter 18

Allison wasn’tsure what to do when a car pulled up in front of her shop. Moments later, Felicia’s face was visible as the woman leaned to the passenger side to look at her window.

Great. Just what she needed, some sort of jealous drama. Although Allison wasn’t sure what Felicia was upset about. She’d pretty much stayed away from Taylor the entire night except for a few moments during the board game.

The woman’s sharp gaze met hers as she walked in. “I am not here to buy anything.”

“Okay,” Allison said drawing out the ‘O’. “What can I do for you?”

“Look, I feel as if I was less than friendly last night. But my protective side comes out when it comes to Taylor. I thought y’all had something going on, so when you showed up with Ben...”

“Ben and I are just friends. Nothing will develop there. It’s not me you should be protecting Taylor from. He’s not interested in me in the least.”

Her right eyebrow lifted, as she seemed to consider what to say next. “So you and Ben...nada?”

“Nope. But it was a great first date.” It was interesting when the woman frowned at her insinuating there could be a second. “Can I ask why you’re so invested in this?”

She let out a breath. “Just what I said. Taylor’s going through a rough time... Making sure things don’t get complicated for him.”

Although it was none of the woman’s business and her visit made little sense, Allison decided it was best to tell it like it was.

“Things between Taylor and I fizzled. Not because of me, but because of him. I had not heard from him in almost two months. So up until last night we’d not spoken. Honestly, I don’t expect to in the future either. If he’s pining or interested in anyone, I can guarantee you it’s not me.”

Felicia’s one shoulder shrug annoyed Allison. “Yeah, well, I see things differently. Maybe you should talk to Eric. See you around,” Felicia said waving her hand dismissively over her shoulder as she walked out.

One thing was for sure, she and Felicia would never be best friends. Allison hated people who spoke in riddles. Why the hell would she speak to Eric? If anything, there were already too many people all up in her business.

Later that afternoon, just before closing, her cell phone dinged. Leah was inviting her for dinner. For a few moments she considered declining, but her friend was an amazing cook and her current plans for dinner were a bowl of pasta with butter in front of the television. So she texted back she’d be there and bring salad.

Through the windshield, Hamilton ranch came into view and as Allison passed Taylor’s house, she recalled those innocent days back when she was twelve. He’d been her girlish crush. Taylor was the boy who haunted her every daydream and late-night musings.

Something crossed the road, she didn’t see much more than a large shadow before swerving to miss it. The car went sideways when she over corrected and before she could turn the wheel, she slammed into some trees.

The airbag deployed slamming her in the face and everything went fuzzy. It made no sense, what happened? Allison attempted to catch her breath, but it was hard to. Her eyelids fell and she attempted to open her eyes only to fail. Finally the need to keep them closed was too strong to resist.

“Allison?” Everything was hazy, but Taylor’s voice was clear as a bell. “Don’t move. Someone’s coming.” His hand touched the side of her face. “You banged your head pretty good.”

“Damn badger,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Something ran across the road. I think it was a badger or a dog.” She grimaced and turned to look at him all the while blinking. “I’m okay. Just a bit woozy.”

“I called for an ambulance.” His face finally came into focus. The car’s lights were still on and the engine continued running.

“I should cut off the engine...”

“Don’t. They told me not to let you move in case of a spinal injury.”

Allison knew her eyes rounded as she wiggled her toes. “I can move my toes.” She tightened and relaxed her knees. “I think I’m okay. I don't want to go anywhere in an ambulance. That’s overkill.”

He looked back toward the road. “I saw your car when I was driving home just now.”

“Should you be driving?”

He didn’t reply, but instead turned to look to his right. “That’s probably Luke and Leah. I called them when I saw your car.”

Although not too far off the road, it had to have been hard for Taylor to manage to get there. “You shouldn’t be here. You could fall and reinjure yourself. Make sure to wait for Luke to get here before moving.”