Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,20

incredibly tired. She felt awful for that. And here he was supposed to be studying for his big test. When he got close enough to her, she ducked toward him and her arms went around his waist as his came around her.

“I think somebody has a date with an anatomy book tonight,” she said with half-a-grin up at him as she put her hand on his chest.

“Oh, man. That is so not funny.”

“Who’s laughing? Tell you what, I’ll swing by my place and grab my Anatomy book and meet you at your parents’.”

Greg let go of her. “Oh, gosh, Tay, you don’t…”

“No. Now no arguing with me, Mister. You need to study, and I am going to help you.”

He sighed. “Do I get a say in this?”

She laughed. “Nope.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Don’t worry about me for supper,” Taylor said when she got home and found her mother and Paige in the kitchen. “I’m going to Greg’s.” She went straight to her room and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. No need to impress. It was just studying with Greg.

Grabbing her anatomy book and her trusty lab manual, she checked herself in the mirror in case something had gone tragically awry with her appearance. It hadn’t. And with that, she headed out.

She wasn’t planning to do more than say goodbye, but before she could do that, Paige said, “So what’s up with Greg these days anyway?”

That stopped Taylor, and she turned at the apex of the island. “Oh. Uh. He’s just studying for a certification test Saturday. Something for his job.”

“Oh,” Paige said. It tried to sound off-handed, probably for their mother’s sake. “And you’re helping him?”

Taylor heard all the nasty things her sister wasn’t saying. “Yeah. Is that a problem?”

“Girls,” their mother said, a warning in the undercurrent of the word.

With one look at her mother and one at Taylor, Paige backed down.

“Good luck studying,” her mother said to Taylor, stretching hard for normal and happy.

“Thanks.”

“Just so you know, Taylor’s coming to study,” Greg said to his mom at the door to her home office where she was paying bills.

Taking her reading glasses off, she turned in her chair and lowered her gaze at him questioningly.

“She’s been through Anatomy and bio and chem,” he said by way of explanation. “Just trying to up my chances on this test.”

Not saying what she was clearly thinking, his mother nodded. “Is she staying for supper?”

He hadn’t thought that far. “Probably. Not sure though. Probably.”

The doorbell rang and he knocked his knuckle on the door frame. “That’s probably her. We’ll be in the den.”

“Okay.”

Going to the door, he opened it, and sure enough, there she stood. He had to check his heartrate for a millisecond to get it back in normal range. “’Bout time you get here,” he said because what he wanted to say, he couldn’t.

“Hey, I’d be nice to me if I was you,” she retorted. “I could leave, and you’ll be on your own, buster.”

“Yes. Yes. That would be a tragedy of epic proportions.”

“You have no idea.”

Except for eating a quick supper, they studied most of the evening and even into the night. Greg saw his mom casually walk by the windowed-French doors of the den a couple of times, and he knew she was wondering. But there was nothing untoward about this. They were friends, helping each other out. End of story.

He just wished his own heart would stop whispering otherwise every time Taylor teased him or pushed him or just was the Taylor he had grown up loving to the core of his being. She was that in spades tonight, and it was nearly impossible to keep pretending he didn’t feel it every single moment he was with her.

At eleven-thirty, he walked her to her car and gave her a hug for all of her effort. Her hand on his back was like trying to turn back Niagara even as the water tumbled over the cliffs.

“You going back tomorrow?” she asked, sliding her hand up and down his back.

“Yep. Duty calls.”

She nodded and stepped back, leaning on the car. It was cold, and he hadn’t worn a coat or shoes. But she wasn’t going anywhere, so he wasn’t either. “So. Guess I’ll be there on Friday.” Tipping her head, she shrugged. “Back to the dorms I go. Yeah me.”

Greg crossed his arms and nodded. “It’s only a semester. Maybe it won’t be too bad.”

With a half-nod, Taylor sighed. “I hope not.”

Seeing her there so fragile and vulnerable, Greg couldn’t