Anna
I'm nervous, and the closer that I get to Sid's house, the more nervous I become. The dinner with Taylor will be casual but very important. I stopped at the hotel to get changed after work. The jeans and shirt I'm wearing are probably more appropriate for a casual dinner at home than the suit that I wore to work. Maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing but I want it to be perfect. Taylor is as vital to Sid's life as breathing and I can't even comprehend the implications if she doesn't like me.
"Is this it?" the driver asks.
"Yes" I tell him. "You can drop me at the gate."
I pay him and get out of the car. After a deep breath, I enter the gate code and walk up to the front door after it opens. Now what do I do? I decide to knock. Sid and I aren't living together so I don't want to make any assumptions that I can simply walk in.
The door opens and Sid smiles broadly then kisses me thoroughly before I even completely walk through the doorway.
When we pull apart, he's smiling again.
"Hi" he says.
"Hi."
I give Sid one more quick kiss as I pass by him, take off my coat and shoes, and then walk toward the bright light in the kitchen. Taylor is there drinking a glass of wine. I'm glad I decided to wear jeans because that's exactly how Sid and Taylor are dressed. Her hair is in a ponytail and she wears no make-up and minimal jewelry. When she smiles, I can see that it matches Sid's.
"Taylor, Anna" Sid says. "Anna this is Taylor."
Taylor stands and we shake hands.
"How was your trip here?" I ask as I sit with her at the kitchen table.
Sid pours me a glass of wine and then joins us while Taylor tells me that her trip was smooth.
"I guess you spend a lot of time on planes like Sid does" I say.
"Not as many as Sid does but I do know a lot of airports intimately" Taylor responds.
"I think the whole family can navigate the terminal in Toronto with our eyes closed" Sid says.
"I would think that you saw your share of airplanes during the campaign" Taylor says to me.
For a very brief moment, I would swear that I see Taylor's eyes become dark and hard but then she quickly continues.
"Sorry about that" she says referring to her comment about my previous life.
"No problem" I tell her and smile. "We actually went around the state in buses stopping at each town along the way. We used very few planes unfortunately."
The mood in the room is very uncomfortable so I change the subject.
"Sid tells me that you're playing for team Canada again in the World Cup" I say to Taylor.
That has her smiling.
"Yeah, I'm going to be the starting goalie this year. I was only the back up the last two years" Taylor tells me.
"You should have started last year" Sid says.
"So you've told me over and over. You more than anyone should know that the coach makes the decision" she argues.
I can tell that this is a familiar conversation between them and I'm not surprised. Sid is very proud of his sister's accomplishments and I can imagine that he would stand up for her fiercely.
"Was your choice to be a goalie because your dad was one?" I ask her.
Taylor looks surprised.
"Yeah, I guess that was part of it. I also started hockey later than Sid did and goalie fit me more naturally than any other position. I liked the idea of stopping this guy's shots too" she nods towards Sid.
"I hear there have been epic battles between you two practicing that transferred off the ice too" I look between them.
They glance at each other and then both laugh. I smile now hearing the same laugh and watching their same smiles. For a moment, I wish that I had that kind of relationship with my sister. We missed so much both as children and now as adults.
"Mom had to lay down the law" Sid says.
"Yeah" Taylor agrees. "If we can't leave it on the ice then we can't practice together."
"You just couldn't handle it when I went top shelf" Sid says.
"You couldn't handle it when I stopped your famous backhand" she retorts.
"I suspect that you are two of the most competitive people that I've ever met and doubt that will ever change" I tell them. "Are you able to practice together and leave it on the ice?"
The look at each other again and laugh. I guess they can't.
"We're going to see tomorrow" Taylor says.
Sid gets up and goes outside to light the BBQ while Taylor and I go into the kitchen. I look in the fridge and see that Sid bought potatoes and vegetables to grill too. I pull them out of the fridge, place them in the sink and start washing them.
"You seem to know your way around" Taylor says to me.
How do I answer that? She must know that I spend time here with Sid, we have known each other for a while, but she is his sister and it's weird to discuss my relationship. I decide to be honest but careful too.
"You know Sid" I tell her. "If I want to eat then I cook. He heats, reheats and orders. Oh, he BBQs too but how much grilled meat can you eat."
She smiles.
"Mom had to teach him that meat shouldn't be 'blackened'," she tells me. "He charred everything when he first got the grill at his place in Cole Harbour. Sid insisted in having us over for dinner so mom stepped in so we didn't have an entire summer of indigestion."
"Are you still complaining about my BBQing?" Sid says as he walks into the kitchen. "It was ten years ago Tay, let it go."
Taylor grins at her brother and it's clear how much she adores and loves him. I feel a little nervous again hoping that she likes me. Taylor is as important to Sidney as he is to her.
"Do you want to grill the vegetables?" I ask Sid.
Sid agrees and takes the potatoes back outside with him. Taylor begins creating the marinade for the steaks and I cut the vegetables.
"How are you enjoying the new role with the Pens?" Taylor asks me.
"It's crazy busy, even more than I thought, and I love every minute of it. The PR team is phenomenal so I'm very lucky to have them or else it would be too much. I think I've finally figured out a rhythm to the days between planning and strategy and the firefighting can be wild."
"You mean like when Sid punched Rossi?" I must look surprised because she continues. "Sid tells us everything."
The way she emphasizes that last word catches my attention. It makes me wonder if there really is something underlying the word or if I'm simply reading into it because I'm nervous. I quickly decide to ignore it and focus on Rossi.
"Yeah, Sid put us in a spot there but we figured it out. I wish I could have seen it though" I tell her lowering my voice. "Rossi had a vivid shiner. It was awesome."
I wink at her and she chuckles.
"Yeah, he deserved it. Did you see any of the shit he wrote about Sid during his concussion?"
"No but I did hear about it. Taylor, do you mind me asking about that time? Sid doesn't want to talk about it. How tough was it during his concussions?"
Taylor puts the meat into the marinade and then sits at the breakfast bar in front of me. She takes a deep drink of her wine before speaking.
"It was tough Anna. At first, he was frustrated that he kept having setbacks, which is the same any player goes through with any injury. They can never heal fast enough. But as it dragged on, weeks turned into months, he became more and more depressed. That first summer was the worst I've ever seen him. The headaches and sensitivity to light were debilitating and it was horrible on my parents too. They didn't know how to help him or what to do for him."
"It must have been difficult for you too" I say softly.
"Mostly because I was at Shattucks during the school year and couldn't see him myself. Once he came out to a tournament I was playing in but that's when he could fly. For most of the time he wasn't allowed on planes."
"It must have been a very happy day when he went back on the ice" I reply.
"For us, sure, but for Sid it was beyond happy because, essentially, it was like getting his life back. I'd really never seen him so lost as during those eighteen months until you left him two years ago. He completely closed off and wanted to discuss nothing, do nothing, except play hockey."
I'm stunned by her words and desperate to ask her a million questions; but, Sid comes into the kitchen and our conversation needs to stop.
Sidney
It's clear that Taylor and Anna are getting along and I couldn't be happier. If I'm honest then I'll admit that I was nervous about them meeting because it's essential that they get along. Actually, it's more than wanting them to get along. We're all going to be family one day and those relationships begin now. My parents will come down in a couple of weeks for Christmas and I know that time will be important for my parents and Anna to get to know each other better. This year we have three full days off that the five of us can spend together.
I can see Anna and Taylor in the kitchen together from my spot at the BBQ. They're clearly talking and enjoying each other while they get dinner together. It's sweet how nervous Anna was when she came in the door. Sure, she thought that she was hiding it and she did pretty well with Taylor; but, it's been a long time since she could hide anything from me. Of course I am equally unable to hide anything from her either.
The steaks are almost finished so I take off the vegetables and potatoes and bring them into the kitchen.
"Tay, take these please" I say at the door.
That finished, I return to the steaks. Thank god I've learned how to BBQ properly. Those first few tries at my grill in Cole Harbour were almost inedible and I was secretly grateful that my mom helped me learn how to cook properly. Dinners were much more enjoyable after those lessons.
I turn off the grill and bring the steaks inside to where Anna and Taylor are sitting down at the kitchen table. More wine has been poured and all of the food is on the table. It may be sappy but I don't know that I've been this happy in a while. I've missed Taylor and having her here, alone and without my parents, is rare and I savour every moment.
"This is delicious" Anna says after trying the steak.
"It's the marinade."
"It's the cooking."
Taylor and I say at the same time which, of course, leads us into a sibling 'conversation' which many might call an argument. She brings up all of the singed meals she had when I first started BBQing and I tease her about how easy it is to follow a marinade recipe. As we continue to go back and forth, I look at Anna across from me and catch her smiling at us. It makes me wonder if she ever had these kinds of moments with her sister. Unfortunately, I suspect she never did.
Later, after we've finished dinner and cleaned up, the three of us sit in the family room talking. Anna and Taylor are on their second or maybe it's their third bottle of wine while I long ago switched to water. They are giggling together like old friends and have decided to bond over making fun of me. I guess I didn't think carefully enough that I've brought two girls together who know me extraordinarily well. They are currently ripping me on my pre-game rituals.
"Once I stopped him to ask a question, I don't remember what it was about, and he was on the way to his pre-game PB&J. He stopped but I could tell that he was clearly anxious. He very hesitantly and calmly asked if we could walk and talk. It wasn't until we were in the players' lounge that I realized why he asked. He would have been late for his sandwich if we hadn't kept going. Actually, it was kind of cute" Anna says.
The most recent annoying thing is how they're speaking about me in the third person as if I wasn't in the room. Of course they are doing it on purpose.
"You definitely don't want to interfere in the PB&J" Taylor agrees. "Do you know that he hasn't talked to my mother on game day in eleven years?"
"Good grief, why?"
"The last time that he did, he injured his ankle in the game so he doesn't talk to her before games."
"Ok, ok, ok" I say. "You guys have had your fun. Yes, I have routines before every game, but so do you" I look at Taylor. "Which pad do you always put on first? And isn't there a particular teammate that you don't talk to an hour before the game?"
"Yeah but that's because she doesn't want to talk to me, it's not my 'routine,' and everyone has a specific pad or skate that they put on first. It's not unusual" Taylor argues back.
It was a momentary diversion but the girls quickly go back to chirping me. It isn't until Taylor starts yawning that the party breaks up.
"I really have to get some sleep" she says and we all stand.
"We're on for lunch tomorrow, right?" Anna asks her.
"Definitely, after practice" Taylor answers.
The girls hug and Taylor says goodnight. Anna picks up her phone.
"What are you doing?" I ask her.
"Calling a cab."
"You're not staying here?"
"No, I'm not sleeping here with your sister in the house."
"Oh."
"It's not going to happen Sidney."
I know when to retreat.
"Ok, but I'm driving you home" I tell her.
"Ok" she says and smiles wistfully.
Wow, she really is drunk if she's not arguing with me. She gave me a pretty good argument when I wanted to pick her up after work and drive her here. Clearly she won because she took a cab.
I tell Taylor that I'm driving Anna home and then meet Anna in the truck.
"I like your sister" Anna says as I turn out of my driveway.
"I'm glad. She really likes you too."
"Maybe" Anna replies.
"What do you mean by 'maybe'?"
"Hmm?"
I glance at Anna and she's looking at me, smiling. There is no way that we'll be able to have a real conversation seeing how drunk she is right now. I pull my attention back to the road.
"You're so damn hot" Anna says and I feel her fingers on the nap of my neck. "Even with clothes on, you're really hot; but, without your clothes, mmm."
I chuckle. She's going to regret this if she even remembers it in the morning. I can only make out the outline of her face now as we drive down a dark back street but I can tell that she's turned completely toward me.
Her fingers slide over my shoulder, arm and then rest on my thigh where they slowly stroke up and down. Hmm, maybe I can take Anna up to her room and indulge in some fun. I won't be able to stay all night because my sister is at home but that doesn't mean that I can't 'visit'. Anna seems to be thinking the same thing; at least I suspect so since her fingers have moved from my thigh to my trace my dick over my jeans.
"Anna?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm driving here."
"Who's stopping you?"
I chuckle. Drunken Anna is a lot of fun. Her fingers become more aggressive as they press down with more pressure and cup my dick fully. I reach down and grab her wrist.
"Anna, seriously, I'm driving."
"Then pull over" she says and uses her other hand to unzip my jeans.
I'm afraid that I'm going drive us off the road so I pull over to the side of the dark road. The only illumination is from the car dashboard.
"Good idea" she says.
No sooner do I have the car in park then Anna has unzipped my jeans and pulled out my dick.
"Anna, wait" is all I can get out.
She holds my now hard dick at the base and leans down so that her lips enclose over the tip. When did she undo her seatbelt? All other thought leaves my head as her lips and tongue go to work. I must let go of her other wrist because I feel her hand settle on my thigh.
Her mouth is hot and wet and slides silkily up and down my length. I groan every time I hit the back of her throat and every time I groan her fingernails dig into my thigh. God, she is so fucking hot. Her hair falls over her face so I reach down and wind it around my hand to hold it back. When she looks up at me, the blue light of the dashboard shines off half of her face and she smiles before licking me base to tip. Fuck!
Her head hits the steering wheel so I grab for the controls and push the seat back away from the steering wheel.
Just when I don't think she could get any hotter, she lowers her head again only this time taking one of my balls in her mouth. Fuck, when did she start doing that? Her hand starts stroking my full length while her mouth continues to suck.
I look down to watch her again and I notice that, from the waist up, she's almost climbed completely onto my lap. There is a gap between her lower back and her jeans which gives me just enough room. I slide my hand into her jeans, between her cheeks, she shivers as I pass over her anus, and then I slide lower. She's wet, god how wet, so my middle finger slips inside her. Anna moans, long and deep, and I feel the vibrations over my balls. They slip out of her mouth and her hand stops stroking, simply grasping my dick at the base.
I take advantage of her preoccupation and push my finger in deeper, swirling around and pushing against her wall. She cries out so I repeat the action again and again which causes her hand to tighten around me and I groan. I'm not going to last much longer.
I slip my finger out of her heat but don't give her time to think because I slide my finger further this time until I reach her clit. She's moved at the same time and takes my dick deep in her mouth again. I move my fingers to alternate between rubbing and pushing down on her clit which is easy to do since she my fingers are so wet from being inside of her.
"Ow" I exclaim when her teeth tighten a little too hard.
"Sorry" she says and moans when I push down and rub simultaneously.
Anna closes her hand over my dick but remains still while work over her clit. I increase speed and pressure and Anna moans which quickly becomes panting. My palm gets wetter as she responds to my fingers working her clit. She's leaking steadily. I move as fast as I can and her panting gets faster and faster until she gives up a long moan and cums all over my hand.
While her orgasm washes over her, I indulge myself and slide two fingers inside of her and feel the vibrations and slick, wet heat. Holy shit, she really is fucking hot. When Anna sighs, I remove my fingers and have to wipe them on her jeans they're so wet. I get harder when she sighs.
"Mmmm" she moans.
Slowly, her hand slides up and down my engorged dick and I know that it won't take long now, not after hearing her moan as she cums.
I finally give up trying to keep my eyes open, even if she is hot to watch, and let my eyes close and my head fall back against the headrest.
Her mouth moves back to my dick and pulls it in to the hilt. Her nimble fingers roll my balls around in her hand and squeeze and tug simultaneously. Fuck! She has to toss her hair to the side since I've let it go and then she picks up the speed. It really isn't going to take long now.
When I hit the back of her throat one last time, I give up and let my orgasm wash over me as Anna sucks me dry. Afterward, it takes a few moments for me to collect myself so that I can open my eyes and become aware of my surroundings.
When I do open my eyes, I see that not only has Anna sat up but her head is lying on the backrest and she is either asleep or has passed out. I give thanks that we're on a deserted back road, pull my myself back together, and continue our drive back to her hotel.
Once out front, I try to wake her up but she won't wake to full consciousness. Instead, she tells me she wants to sleep and to leave her alone. Not wanting anyone to see me carrying her into the hotel, I get out of the car and ask the valet where their back door is. Thankfully he recognizes me and tells me where to go. I drive around to the back in time to see the valet open a door.
He helps us up the cargo elevator and to Anna's door. I give him my car keys so that he can bring it around to the front door and he leaves. I undress Anna and put her into bed all without her making more than a sigh. After leaving a kiss on her forehead, I leave the room with some regret that I can't stay.
It only takes me a few moments to tell the front desk to set up a wakeup call and then get my keys from the valet.
"Thanks Sid" he says to me enthusiastically when he sees the tip I give him.
I'm actually humming as I drive away. It turned into a really great, if unexpected, night.
Anna
What the hell is that incessant ringing? When I open an eye, I see the red light on the night table phone light up with each ring. Oh, that's what it is.
"Hello" I say when I pick up the phone.
The automated wakeup call plays so I hang up. I think back over last night and try to remember how I got home. I remember dinner, Taylor and I finishing off a second or maybe third bottle of wine, and then Sid drove me home, I think. Oh. Ohhhhhh. Everything that happened after we left his house washes over me.
Wow, I guess we had some fun in his car although I don't remember anything after that until the phone woke me up. Sid must have set the wakeup call for me for my usual 6am. There's no way that I'm going to be able to run like I usually do but it will take a little extra time for me to get going this morning.
It's only after a litre of water, a couple of aspirin and a very cold shower that I'm able to become fully -alert. They crisp, almost winter air does the rest of the job to bring me back to my regular self. The office is quiet, as usual, which allows me to fly through the emails that I didn't get to last evening because I turned off my phone. I didn't want anything to intrude on my evening with the Crosby siblings.
"Ready for another Starbucks?" I hear Adam call to me from my office doorway.
A look at my clock tells me that I've been working for hours.
"You are my hero" I reply.
Adam chuckles, comes into the office and sits in a chair across from me. I can smell the coffee even before he hands it to me and I almost salivate. The first sip tastes like ambrosia.
"So" Adam says. "How did dinner go?"
Adam knows that I met Taylor last night.
"I got a little drunk" I tell him. "Actually, Taylor and I drank a few bottles of wine; but, it went really well. At least, I think it did."
"What do you mean?"
"It's not something that I can really put my finger on but she made a few comments that had me thinking, I don't know. I just wondered if something was going on."
"You're making no sense" he says.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not making sense to me either."
"Ok, fine" he says and holds up his hands. "You're having lunch with her today, right?"
"Yeah I am."
"Maybe you'll know then."
That reminds me of practice and I look at my watch.
"I'm going down to watch practice. You want to come down with me?"
"I have a couple of emails to send and then I will" he tells me.
We walk out together, I go through the intern's bullpen and stop to chat with those at their desks, and then I continue down to ice level. The locker room is empty so practice must be under way. When I pass the trainer's room, I see Taylor.
"Good morning" I say. "How is your head?"
Taylor smiles and replies "better after a few aspirins. You?"
"Same."
"That's good. I'll see you after practice."
"Great. Oh, I forgot to ask you Taylor. If the media wants to talk to you, do you want me to tell them that you aren't speaking to the press or do you want to give them some time?"
"If they ask then I can give them a few minutes after practice" she tells me.
It's exactly what I expected. Taylor is as accommodating as her brother and the rest of the Crosby family.
"Ok. Adam will let you know and help you out."
"Cool."
I leave to go out to the ice and find my favourite seat in the stands. The guys are still warming up and the coaches are skating around too. It only takes a few more minutes before practice begins.
I answer emails on my tablet while practice continues. Adam joins me about halfway through and works on his own tablet.
"Oh, if a reporter wants to talk with Taylor, she's agreed to give them a few minutes. Would you take care of it and her?" I ask.
"Sure."
When practice ends, Adam goes to the locker room and I stay because I want to watch Taylor and Sid skate together. Sid is currently practicing tip-ins with Kris Letang. A couple of younger guys are at the other end with Matt Murray practicing specific plays under the direction of Rick Tocchet.
Taylor slips onto the ice quietly as I've come to expect from the Crosby's. The one thing that they all have in common is that they are quiet and unassuming. They don't seek attention and even try to shy away from it when it's centred on them. That's often difficult for Sid since he has a high profile in the NHL and I suspect that he has come to a resigned easiness with the attention.
I give my full interest to ice level and watch Taylor skate to the empty net where Sid and Kris are currently. She completes the usual goalie routine of sweeping snow from the crease and practices side to side movements. When she's ready, she assumes the `ready' position and Kris and Sid begin shooting to warm her up. When Taylor is ready, she stretches out and then nods her head to Sid. I can't hear what he says, but Sid calls to the guys at the other end of the ice. Rick is gone ,and so is Matt, so it's only the couple of forwards and defense.
When they're all at the same end, the guys start the familiar practice routine that they use for pre-game warmup. I'm impressed that Taylor is stopping most of their shots. Of course, this is just warm up but even I can see that she's good.
The players come together at centre ice, talk for a few seconds and then the defensemen get into position. The forwards, led by Sid, set up and then the play begins. I primarily watch Taylor. It's fascinating to watch goalies track the puck because, no matter what their body does, their eyes always stay on the puck. Taylor can be pushing Patric out of the crease but her eyes are on the puck the entire play. Sid taps her pads as he skates by after she makes a particularly good save. If I didn't know hockey, I would assume that this is a brotherly gesture; but, I've seen Sid do this hundreds of times with Marc and Matt. It's a gesture of respect.
They continue to run plays for the next fifteen minutes and then set up for penalty shots. One after another, they guys fly in and take uninspired shots, at least it looks that way to me. When it's Sid's turn, he looks the same as I've seen him in every game and every practice. He skates fast, stick handles and toe drags to confuse, and then goes back hand, blocker side. I take a quick moment to be impressed that I know what all of those words mean and then notice that Sid has a huge grin on his face that gets even wider when Taylor says something to him. I think it began with an 'f'.
The guys begin their second passes and I can tell that they have taken Sid's lead. The shots on Taylor are more difficult and half of them go in this time. Taylor is frustrated that she's letting so many go in but I suspect that she's happier that they aren't taking it easy on her right now. After a few passes, one guy at a time waves and leaves the ice until it's only Sid and Taylor left. They chat for a few minutes and then Sid begins to take different paths from centre to the net. He does something different each time but mostly aims at top shelf blocker. This must be her weakness if he's helping her work on it.
Periodically, he stops and they talk. Taylor gets better as they go on. Of course I can't tell the exact changes that she's making but Sid is getting fewer shots in the net. When they stop, both Crosbys are bent over trying to catch their breath. I can see the smiles they exchange even while they try to breathe. I get up and walk down to the runway meeting Sid and Taylor as they skate off the ice.
"Looks like you guys had fun" I tell them.
"She did great" Sid says.
"I did ok" Taylor retorts. "Can you give me an hour or so?" she asks me.
"Sounds good. I'll be in my office" I tell her.
She leaves down the runway and Sid and I are alone.
"How's your head?" he asks me.
"It's fine now. Thank you for taking care of me."
"It was my pleasure" he winks at me. "Do you want to have dinner with us tonight?"
"Actually, I have a so much work to catch up on that I'll need to stay late. I'm sorry" I tell him and can see how disappointed he is. "Are you going out tonight? I could meet you guys for a drink later."
He smiles again.
"Ok. Some of the guys want to get together. I'll let you know where we go and you can meet us there, sound good?"
"Sounds great" I tell him.
He's even taller with his skates on so, even with heels on, I have to stand on my toes to give him a kiss.
"I'll see you later" he tells me and, after one more kiss, he disappears down the runway on his way to the locker room.
I'm sure that my team has the media scrum handled so I go back to my office. I want to give them more opportunities to handle things themselves and give Adam the opportunity to support them as required. Of course that means I need to be around less so they don't default to asking me for help. They are a talented group and I have faith in them.
In my office, I am drawn into a few issues that have come up with the casino night being planned for the Lemieux Foundation. I'm deep in reviewing event press releases when there is a knock on my door. I look up and see Taylor.
"Is this still a good time?" she asks me.
"Yes, definitely. This will all still be here when I get back" I tell her.
I close up my work and pick up my purse. I've made reservations at Taylor's favourite Pittsburgh restaurant that's a short cab ride from Consol. We chat amiably on our way and we're quickly at the restaurant then at our table.
"It looked like you had fun practicing with the guys" I tell her.
"Once they finally started playing" Taylor retorts.
"Yeah, I noticed that they were taking it easy on you in the beginning. Did I see it right? Was it when Sid went in on you, full speed, that they started really playing?"
"Yeah, he never takes it easy on me."
"Would you want him to?" I ask.
"Never. Even when I'm cursing him for being that good, I'm still glad that he always plays his best. I'm not going to get better if he takes it easy on me."
"It's great how close you guys are. I'm envious of your relationship."
"You don't have a good one with your sister?" Taylor asks.
"No, our relationship is, well, let's just say that we aren't close."
"Hmm" is all Taylor says.
The waiter brings our ice tea and then we're alone again. I guess this is as good a time as any to ask Taylor about yesterday.
"When we were preparing dinner, I, um, I got the impression that you didn't like me" I say softly.
"I don't know you Anna. How can I like or dislike you?"
I've been around enough politicians to know when I'm given a 'non-answer' as an answer to a question.
"That doesn't really answer the question" I say.
"No, I guess it doesn't."
I think about my next words carefully. The last thing I want is to make Taylor upset but we really need to clear the air for us to build a relationship.
"And still, that's not an answer" I say softly, trying to keep any malice out of my voice.
"It's very hard to like the woman who broke my brother's heart" Taylor tells me. "How dare you come back and try to pick up your relationship as if nothing happened and expect you and I to be best friends."
I physically sit back in my chair. Taylor's eyes are dark, her voice is hard with distinct malice in it, and she looks pissed. It's a complete change from her earlier, easy and friendly demeanor, and I'm stunned silent. This is not how I anticipated this lunch beginning.