Page 30 of Oz Wisdom

“Apparently not.”

Oz burst into laughter.

Taylor began fidgeting. He didn’t intend to hurt her feelings. Lord knows she’d had enough of that. But he believed in being honest and she needed to know.

“You have to admit this is kinda' funny.”

“I wanted to do something nice for you and I feed you this. It’s so bad you couldn’t even pretend to like it.”

“If I pretend, then you may cook it again.”

Taylor grinned at that. “Not a chance. This stuff is awful.”

“Go ahead. It’s okay to laugh,” Oz said as he reached for the dish in the center of the table. “How about we toss this and make a sandwich?”

Taylor bit her lips and breathed a soft laugh.

“Let it go,” he told her.

Taylor looked up toward Oz and joined his laughter. “Okay.” She stood. “Please let me do that. You relax.”

“But I can help.”

Taylor shook her head. “I’ll feel better if you let me do it. It’s the least I can do for the horrible meal I offered you.”

Oz leaned back into his seat. “Alright.” He watched her float across the floor like she owned the place. He groaned inside and adjusted his jeans before she turned to face him. "What type of job are you wanting to find.”

“Not a bank.”

Her slight grin was confirmation she was joking about her bad situation. A step in the right direction, he thought. “Do you miss your job at the bank?”

“I wish I could say yes. But not really. I miss school and sewing more. My sister came here because her…” Taylor paused, twisting her mouth as if choosing her words. “Because a man was willing to put her up in a house. A house that she blackmailed him for the deed to eventually. Anyway, our father thought she shouldn’t be alone this far from home and sent me along with her. He then pulled strings and used connections to give me the job. In his words, I could ‘find a wealthy husband’ that way.” She shook her head and placed the top slice on one of the sandwiches.

"Anyway, I don’t have the luxury of being choosy. I just need something that pays enough to live on. I'm basically beginning over. Although I don’t miss the bank, I had come to like the people there, but I have no references from them.”

"If you want, I’ll help you find openings to apply for. And until you can afford a car of your own, you can use mine.”

"I'd love the help.” She glanced up from preparing the sandwiches. “But I can find something nearby and walk to and from work.”

"Absolutely not. Your way fell through. It’s my way now. I’ll not have you walking all over town alone. It's not safe. I have my bike. You’ll use the car. I will not do things for you, but I will help if you ask.”

"I really do appreciate your help.”

"I will advise you to get another bank account. You'll need it to get paid, along with a permanent address. A trip to the bank first thing tomorrow and you'll have both. Then you can job hunt.”

“What do you want in return for helping me?” Taylor’s arms fell lax against the countertop, pulling down her shoulders.

Oz was silent. What could he say? He had the feeling nothing he requested would be out of the question. “For starters, you can learn to cook.”

Taylor laughed. “I can do that.”

“And when you get a flow coming in, we’ll discuss rent.”

Taylor’s smile grew. “Sounds good,” Taylor agreed as she carried two plates toward him. “I promise these are edible.”

And they were. It was the perfect meal, as far as Oz thought. When they'd finished, he stood, insisting on clearing the table.

A glimpse of bright yellow on the countertop flashed in the corner of his eye. Taylor’s suncatcher. He placed the dishes in the sink and picked it up.

---