Page 39 of Oz Wisdom

“I love cooking for those babies.” She appeared again. “Now why is she here?”

Say something. Something nice like, I’m sorry for being a pain in your behind. Taylor opened her mouth, but nothing would come. She stood. “I have things I should be doing. Thank you for letting me drop by.”

“What happened to you?” Edna blurted.

“Edna!” Nealy scolded.

Edna threw her fists to her hips. “Oh, no. You’re not hushing me,” she snapped at Nealy, then twisted back toward Taylor. “Girl, you look like skin and bones. What happened?”

Taylor stared at Edna. Thanks for the reminder of how bad she looked now. Most likely as bad as she felt.

“Sit down. I’ll get you something to eat,” Edna ordered, and disappeared into the kitchen.

A moment later she returned with a container in hand, tugging open the lid. “And don’t think I’m being nice. This doesn’t change the dynamics of our relationship. But I can’t dog on you looking so frail. We gotta get some meat back on those bones so you can give me hell too.”

Taylor smiled. Maybe things weren’t as strained between them as she thought.

***

Taylor returned home to a dark and lonely house once again. Eager to finish the book on Oz's laptop, she hurried to get comfortable and settle down to read. As before, she was instantly sucked into the story with no concept of passing time until she read “The End.”

She closed the laptop and fell to her side, hugging the device to her chest as she lay there. An amazing story. From an amazing man. And he trusted her enough to allow her to read it before being published. Come to think of it, he had trusted her unconditionally from the beginning. Like now. He had given her his credit card and left her alone for days in his home. His own private space that she had learned he allowed no one to invade.

Taylor rolled from the couch and stood. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed the credit card and her phone, dialing Oz as she walked toward his room. She placed the credit card and the laptop on top of the bureau next to the door in his room as she waited for him to answer.

“Hey there.”

“Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter if you do, you call any time you want."

Taylor could hear lively music and voices in the background. Images of what he could be doing flashed through her mind. "Sounds like you're having a good time."

Oz laughed. "Depends on who you ask. How was your day?"

"I finished the book."

"You read the entire book I left for you?"

"I did.”

"Well, was it to your liking?"

"It's amazing! Oh my gosh! How the rogue seduced his woman was wicked. Panty-melting, amazingly wicked.”

Oz laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Did I really just blurt that out? Taylor shook as if to shake off the flames of embarrassment. “But when the heroine stood up to that big bully of a man. . . I loved it. It inspired me.”

"Glad to know."

"I um. . .” Taylor pushed out a breath. "I went to see Nealy today.”

"So I heard."

"Really? Already?"

"I heard things went well."

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