17. Talia

17

Talia

T alia was surprised when she easily fell asleep. She figured she would be too keyed up after what happened with Joe.

The sunlight drifting through the window caressed her face and gently teased her awake. She lay still, wrapped in Sebastian's arms.

This is pure heaven, she thought. I could stay here all day, except I have to pee.

"Good morning," he said when her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning," she replied.

"How do you feel?"

"Like it's early in the morning and I need coffee," she replied.

"I'm with you on that," he laughed, pulling his arms away.

He made breakfast while she showered and got ready for the school day. She called her insurance company and explained what happened, including the fact that the person responsible for the tires and her door had been arrested. They said they would get someone out to replace the door that day. The contractor would call Sebastian before he went over there so Sebastian could disable the alarm.

Talia hugged and kissed Sebastian and drove to school feeling as though a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn't have to dread seeing Joe and would be able to sleep well in her bed without worrying about an intruder.

The SRO knocked on Talia's classroom door. "I understand that you have some evidence I need to collect."

"Yeah," she said.

Talia unlocked the closet and grabbed the baggie with the two notes in it.

"You know, if you were having trouble with him, you could have said something. I would have put a stop to it. I'm here for the teachers as much as I am for the students." Deputy Stevens sounded offended that she hadn't come to him with her problem.

"I do know that and I appreciate it." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I know it sounds foolish, but I had hoped he would get the hint and leave me alone."

The deputy nodded. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to come to me."

"Thank you."

The first two classes went well. Talia was glad that none of the students seemed to know what happened. It would have been awkward.

Talia knew that Sadie would be dying to know what happened, so she took some books to the library, giving her an excuse to hang out with her friend.

Sadie jumped up from her desk as soon as she saw Talia. "Spill."

"News travels fast."

"This is Angel's Creek. If you sneezed in your own house in the middle of the night everyone would know you had a cold by eight this morning."

"True enough," Talia replied and repeated the same story she felt like she had already told a thousand times.

"Wow. I figured he would just keep bringing you presents until he got bored and honed in on someone else."

"That was my thought," Talia said. "Apparently, he had other ideas."

"So, you didn't need tall, dark, and handsome to rescue you," Sadie said.

"No. I was able to save myself. It feels good knowing that I can. I did like having him rush in to protect me and stay with me when I talked to the cops. Moral support and all that. Then, I stayed the night at his house."

"In his bed? With him?"

Talia blushed and nodded. "We made love and he held me all night long. Girl, I think that I've fallen in love with him."

"You should talk to him about that."

She shook her head. "No. We just recently talked about the fact that we have feelings for each other and we're going to see where the relationship goes. It's too soon to jump from that lily pad to one clear across the pond,if you know what I mean."

"I do," Sadie said. "It really sounds like he's in love with you, too, but I understand why you want to wait before taking that leap."

"Well, this frog needs to get back to class," Talia said. "Have a glorious day."

"You, too."

Talia started grading the astronomy projects when Joey walked into her classroom.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Of course."

Joey twisted his hands until Talia was certain he was about to rip them off of his wrists. He was shaking. Joey's skin was slightly green, and he looked as though he was about to be sick.

"I'm sorry that Dad was such a jerk. I'm glad that you're okay and you kicked his butt."

"Thanks, Joey. I know that your father's actions had nothing to do with you. I still love you and think that you're great."

He smiled, nodded, and left the classroom. Talia's heart broke for the kid.

She was glad to note that she had a new door when she got home. It looked better than the one she had before. The contractor had also installed a deadbolt and a chain on the inside of the door.

Sebastian knocked on her door soon after she got home. "Rory and Savvy want to know if you will come over tonight for dinner. Mom and Dad will be there, too."

Talia hesitated for a brief second. Parents? Then, she replied, "Sure."

The house was full of energy. Talia felt it as soon as she walked inside. Cat and Drake ran to the door and each grabbed one of her hands, pulling her into the dining room.

"Kids, please don't drag her around," Savvy said, laughing.

"No worries. This is the best welcome I've ever had," Talia replied.

Everyone made her feel instantly welcome. Rosa, Rory's cook, had made a huge ham, with mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, rolls, and a huge chocolate cake for dessert.

"Wow. This is incredible," Talia said.

She smiled when she saw that Rosa, along with Rory's housekeeper, Amy, and his groundskeeper, Colby, sat down to dinner with them. Amy and Colby had been married for eighteen years. They were considered part of the family as well.

Cat and Drake were adorable and had started school. Drake was in kindergarten and Cat was in first grade. They took turns talking about their teachers and everything they were learning. They also told her about what Savvy had taught them.

Drake fixed Talia with a look and asked in a very serious voice, "Are you going to be our teacher when we get older?"

Talia smiled at him. "I certainly hope so."

Everyone was relaxed and talked about everything under the sun, although no one mentioned her encounter with Joe the night before, for which she was very grateful. Talia was ready to put that incident in her past and forget about it.

Most mothers-in-law have a terrible reputation, but I bet Hollie would be amazing. She blushed at the thought and hoped that no one noticed.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room, and the kids insisted they play charades. Cat said that Talia had to be on her team, which made Talia smile. She stayed late, hanging out until the kids started yawning and rubbing their eyes.

Sebastian took Talia home. "Tomorrow is our charity ride. I have an extra helmet. Do you want to go? You can ride on the back of my bike."

Talia hesitated for a minute. She was slightly afraid of motorcycles, but she trusted Sebastian. "Sure. What time do I need to be ready?"

"Nine."

"I'll have breakfast ready at eight."

He hugged her and kissed her, and then waited to hear her engage the locks before he went back to his place. Talia had the urge to go after him and ask if she could spend the night with him, but she didn't want to push it. Two nights in a row might be too much for Sebastian.

Sebastian showed up the next morning right at eight with a bib tied around his neck. Talia laughed at his sense of humor.

"I can't show up for a ride with egg yolk on my shirt." He laughed.

"Or syrup." She put a plate of pancakes and bacon, as well as a glass of orange juice, in front of him.

She quickly cleaned up after breakfast, set the alarm, and locked the door before she followed him to his house. Talia still felt a little paranoid, even though she knew that Joe wouldn't be getting out of jail any time soon.

Sebastian gently pulled a helmet over Talia's head and buckled the straps. The helmet had a face guard. "That way you won't eat any bugs, and they won't get in your eyes."

"Everyone needs a little protein in their diet."

"There are tastier ways to get it. I've learned from experience that ladybugs are very bitter and gnats have a tendency to stick to your teeth."

"Ew," she said.

He straddled the motorcycle and held it steady while she got on. She was glad to see that he had a back that she could lean against. Talia put her feet on the pegs and took a deep breath as he pulled out of the driveway. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she shook slightly from nervousness but then relaxed.

This was fun.

They rode to the Griffins' clubhouse and met up with the rest of the club. Everyone welcomed her warmly. Rory hugged her and said, "The kids loved you."

"They are pretty terrific. I adore them."

Bikers from their sister club roared into the parking lot. They all brought their toys inside and put them on the tables. Rory collected cash from those who hadn't brought toys. "Savvy, Beth, and Taryn are going to have a lot of wrapping to do." Talia could tell by his voice that he was pleased.

"I'll help." Talia thought the prospect of hanging out with them and wrapping the gifts sounded fun.

"They would love to have you," Rory said. "Let's get this party started."

A cheer went up and everyone climbed onto their bikes. The roar of all the engines was deafening, and Talia couldn't stop smiling as she hopped on the back of Sebastian's bike.

They rode for a couple of hours and then pulled into a rest stop for potty breaks and water. Talia used the restroom and then waited by Sebastian's bike. A beautiful woman from the sister group walked toward her. She was wearing tight jeans and a t-shirt that covered her skin but left nothing to the imagination.

"I'm Sallie. Sebastian and I go way back."

"I'm Talia. He and I have known each other since I was in diapers."

"You guys are a thing, now, huh?"

Talia smiled. "Yeah. I had a super huge crush on him when I was a teenager, but he didn't notice me. I went to college for six years and came back. I changed a bit and he noticed."

"Sebastian is a really great guy." Sallie sounded wistful, and Talia had the idea that she had a thing for Sebastian.

"He definitely is."

"Why are you riding, bitch?" Sallie asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Talia laughed. "I have no balance or grace. I would probably wreck the motorcycle within the first ten minutes of getting on it if I lasted that long."

"You could get a trike. They are tons of fun and harder to wreck, unless you're riding stupid on it. You don't seem the type to do that." She smiled and her eyes lit up. "I know. You could get a sidecar and ride around in that."

Talia giggled. "My mother used to watch a British cooking show called Two Fat Ladies. One of them rode a motorcycle and the other was in a side car. They were the most unpolitically correct people in the world and cooked with copious amounts of lard. I might turn into one of them if I rode in a sidecar."

Sallie grinned and slapped her on the shoulder. "I used to watch that show with my mom, too. It was hysterical. They would stir things up with their fingers and break into songs. It's the only cooking show that I've ever watched. It was sad when Jennifer died from lung cancer a month after she was diagnosed."

"I know. We should hang out, drink some wine, and watch reruns." Talia giggled at the thought.

They both looked up when Sebastian rushed out of the men's room and hurried toward them.