Taylor made it to Mobile as the sun was setting. Needing some water, she pulled into a fast-food restaurant. Before heading back onto the interstate, she turned on her phone and was pleased to see a long text from Joules outlining the details of a private beach house she had secured and the directions to it.
Taylor was not surprised that Joules had done what she had asked in such a short amount of time. Fixing things was Joules's specialty. A force of nature, she had a knack for making the impossible possible.
As she was plugging in the address for the beach house in her phone, Taylor's phone rang. She picked up the first ring and heard Joules say, "Thank God. I have been so worried. Stop turning your phone off!"
"Stop trying to make me come home!" Taylor responded hotly.
"I have," Joules shot back, "You have the beach house you wanted. I am doing everything I can to help you, TJ. Work with me here. You can't keep disappearing and not staying in contact by phone."
"Fine, I will leave my phone on if you promise to make Bennett stop calling me. I need some time," said Taylor.
"Done," retorted Joules. "But TJ, you are going to have to talk to him eventually. I know he did a stupid thing, but you two need to talk. There is a lot you don't know yet, and it is not my place to tell you. I am not defending him, but he is going wild with worry. I know this sounds ridiculous, given the day's events, but he does love you in his own way. It may not be how you wanted or needed it, but he does love you. He has been out of his mind since you took off."
"Yeah, well, seeing my husband devouring another woman on top of a table in the middle of the country club is not my definition of love." Taylor could feel herself getting angry and upset all over again. Any sense of calm she had garnered on the drive vanished in a haze of hurt and humiliation. She didn't want to argue with Joules. She needed her too much as a friend to risk a huge fight. And, if Joules started defending Bennett, Taylor would totally lose it.
Trying to end the call on a positive note, Taylor said, "Look, I am okay. I am headed to the beach house. Is there anything I have to know tonight? If not, I will check in with you tomorrow. I love you, but I have got to get off here. I can't talk about this anymore right now."
"Just that the house you are staying at is Edna Stone's. Her nephew lives nearby, and his number is in the kitchen if you need anything."
"Edna Stone? Really? Will that woman not get out of my business? She is everywhere I turn today," Taylor snapped.
"Well, you need to be grateful to Edna. She has been a real help today. I don't know what we would have done without her. That woman makes me look like a teddy bear," replied Joules.
Mentally and emotionally exhausted by the day, Taylor did not have it in her to listen to Joules sing Edna Stone's praises. So she said, "Look, I have got to go. I will call you tomorrow. And Joules…"
"Yes?" Joules answered.
"Thanks for everything you did today. I know I don't sound like I mean that, but I do. It's just been a lot, and I need some time."
"I know. No matter what, you can always count on me," Joules responded. For the first time all day, Joules sounded like the friend she needed instead of the political handler Taylor was positive Joules had been most of the day.
Taylor knew she had to end the call quickly, so she said, "I love you. Talk tomorrow."
It took Taylor another two hours of driving to get to the beach house. Once she reached Gulf Shores, she rationally surmised that it would be best to stop at an all-night drug store and purchase some basic toiletries.
Planning only to get the essentials, she was quickly surprised by the store's massive amount of merchandise. Everything from groceries to wine, pajamas, and various articles of clothing. Obviously, she was not the first person to show up at the beach at midnight with nothing but the clothes on their back. Her list of needed items quickly grew from essentials to clothes, flip-flops, and a swimsuit. As she was heading for the checkout, she added two bottles of the best Chardonnay the store had to offer, screw top and all. After spending a small fortune at the all-night pharmacy, Taylor stuffed her purchases into her front seat and drove the remaining miles to her beach house.
She had to turn off the main road for the last half mile, which was super dark. Taylor worried that she might have a hard time finding the house in the dark. But she needn't have. The property had motion lights that activated as she pulled into the drive. The house lit up like a Christmas tree as she approached. She was relieved at not having to get out in a dark, strange place. She was also pleasantly pleased with the beautiful wooden cottage.
The code that Joules had sent worked on the first try. Stepping inside, she realized that the house was smaller than expected.Given that Edna Stone owned it, Taylor was half expecting an overdone mansion similar to what Edna lived in Searcy. This was a pleasant surprise. Making a quick trip through the small cottage, she saw it only had two bedrooms. Cozy and well decorated in hues of turquoise and white, a nautical theme filled the space.
Exhausted after spending hours driving and dealing with the trainwreck that had become her life, Taylor searched for the bags with the wine. Having located them, Taylor twisted off the top of one of the bottles of wine and drank heartedly from the bottle. Several times. Deciding she had enough alcohol to be able to sleep soundly in a strange place, she went into the master bedroom, where she stripped off the beige sheath she had been wearing all day. Letting it fall on the floor, she crawled into bed in her underwear. She contemplated washing her face and brushing her teeth before bed. Both seemed way more trouble than they were worth. Deciding she might need at least one last swig of wine before bed, Taylor put the bottle to her lips and gulped. Then, she put the top back on the bottle, set it on the nightstand, and let sleep claim her.
Chapter 4
Carrington Office
Searcy, Arkansas
November 24, 2023
"Wow! You literally caught them red-handed in the club in front of half of Searcy? Man, I am impressed. Joules must be worth her weight in gold to have kept the story quiet so long. I know you said Edna killed it, but Joules has kept it dead all these years. That took some fancy footwork. I researched all of you before coming today. I did not find anything about that," said Harvey Cox, impressed at how well it was buried.
"I really didn't do any of that. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself and having a full-blown pity party to know or care what was happening," replied Taylor.
"Totally understandable after what you had been through. I am shocked you were able to drive to the beach all alone after that," said Harvey.
"I would have driven to the moon if it got me out of that town and away from all that had happened," said Taylor. "In some ways, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It forced me to take a cold, hard look at my life and face some facts about myself. It also led me to Greer and gave me Rosie. My life wouldnot be complete without them," said Taylor, smiling for the first time since the interview started.
