“Oh.” He scribbled something else onto the form and took a step back. “Okay, just let me give Mr. Taylor a call. I’ll be right with you.”
The cab driver swiveled in his seat again, hooking his elbow over the back of the chair. “Leo Taylor is your guy? Leo the Lion?”
I gave him a weak smile. “Well ... yeah. I mean, that’s who I’m coming to see. We grew up together.”
“Huh.” He wagged his head. “I was a fan when he played for Carolina, and I saw him play this year. Kid’s got game.”
“Ms. Russell?” The guard was back, handing me my driver’s license. “Mr. Taylor said to send you right on back. Sorry about the delay, ma’am.” He looked at the cabbie. “You’re going to go straight, then make your second left. That address is in the first block, on the right hand side. Have a pleasant evening.”
Stepping back, he reached into the booth, and the gate went up. As we drove forward, I felt as though my heart was pounding in my throat. I was so close now ... and what was Leo thinking? Would he be annoyed that I’d come down without letting him know first, or would he be excited to see me? I was almost afraid to find out.
The taxi rolled to a stop in front of a grouping of three different townhouses. Each porch shone with a soft light, and the minute the cab driver stepped out of the car, the front door of the center house opened. I knew it was Leo the minute he jogged down the steps, even though I couldn’t see his face.
He wore sweat pants that hung low on his hips, a T-shirt that stretched tight over his broad shoulders and thick wool socks. I knew it was freezing cold outside, and I shivered in empathy before I even pushed open my door.
Leo didn’t look at me, not at first. He smiled at the driver, extending his hand. “Hey, there. What do I owe you?”
I struggled to climb out of the backseat, yanking my bag with me. “Leo, I’ve got it. You don’t have to pay my cab fare.”
As though I hadn’t spoken, the driver answered him. “Uh, it’s twenty-four sixty, but hey, you’re Leo Taylor. You don’t have to—I mean, shit. It’s such an honor to meet you. You play some damn good ball.”
Leo smiled as he flipped through some bills in his hand. “Nah, you drove all the way out here. Thanks.” He pressed the money into the cabbie’s hand. “And thanks for the kind words. It’s always so cool to meet Rebels fans.”
“Yeah.” The driver seemed to remember me all of a sudden, standing against the car, shivering. “Oh, uh, your girl here, she’s a peach. Listen, she came all the way down to surprise you. So you treat her good, huh?”
“It’s what I always try to do.” Leo shook the cabbie’s hand. “I better get her inside before she freezes. Thanks again, man.”
“No, thank you.” The driver climbed back into the front seat. “You folks have a good night, you hear?”
I mumbled a good night and thank you, and the car rolled away from us.
Finally, Leo turned to me, his face unreadable in the dark. “Do you have a bag?”
I patted my duffel. “Just this. I got it.”
Without answering me, Leo reached around me and lifted the bag from my shoulder. His hand slid down to the middle of my back, pressing me gently forward. I had no choice but to walk ahead of him up the walkway to his front porch. When we reached the door, he leaned down to turn the knob, opening it for me.
My first impression of the front hallway was warmth, and it was more than just the toasty temperature. The decorating was subtle and tasteful, with a narrow table skillfully designed to look rustic, although I was willing to bet it was new. A simple lamp glowed softly, and the wide-planked hardwood floor gleamed.
“Come on in.” Leo shut the door behind us and guided me through a doorway into a cozy family room. A long sofa ran down the opposite wall; it was flanked by two overstuffed chairs, and in the middle was a wide, low oak coffee table. A single glass of red wine sat there—on a coaster, which made me bite back a smile, knowing that it must’ve been Lisa’s influence. On the sofa, a hardback book was turned upside down.
But by far the most overwhelming element in the room was the huge fireplace that dominated the far wall and in which a fire burned, the heat emanating from it so great that I could feel it even where I stood.
Leo dropped my duffel bag behind a chair and straightened slowly. “So ... Mia. This is a surprise. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming down? Is everything okay?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Yeah, everything’s okay. I mean ... mostly. I’m all right. I just needed to get away. To get out of the house. I had to just—go, and the first place I thought of coming was here, to you.” I gazed at him through my eyelashes, trying to gauge what he was thinking. I was painfully aware that he hadn’t made any move to hug me, as he always did. “I’m sorry I didn’t call or text first. I made the plans, and the next thing I knew, I was on the train. I thought I would surprise you.” Jamming my fingers into the back pockets of my jeans, I hunched my shoulders. “I guess I did.”
“Yeah, kind of.” Leo smiled a little. “But it’s a good surprise.”
“Did I interrupt your plans?” I tried not to glance at his book and wine.
He chuckled. “Sure, big plans.” Pointing to the book, he shrugged. “My dad gave me a biography of Robert E. Lee for Christmas. You know Dad; he figures since I’m living in Virginia, I need to read up on her most famous sons. Anyway, I had a pretty brutal workout this afternoon, so I just ordered in Chinese food, had a shower and was settling down to read when the guard called.”
I cocked my head. “I thought you were still on break from practice and conditioning.”
Leo shrugged. “I am. This was a different kind of conditioning. I work with an after-school program twice a week, running drills and basically having fun. Nothing big or fancy, but it keeps me busy.” He looked toward the fire. “Turns out, I’m not used to having this much free time, and I was getting bored. So my buddy Corey hooked me up with these kids. He’s been part of the program since he started with the Rebels, and he thought it’d be a good fit for me, too.”
I couldn’t hide my sigh. “Leo Taylor, just when the world thinks you can’t get any more perfect ... now you’re helping out kids in your free time.”
