Call Me Babe

Chapter 20

Following the most delightful dinner, Joe and Taylor walked out of the coffee shop, to his nearby car. They both felt like they were floating on cloud nine, wholly enthralled with the perfect little secret they were keeping, feeling like nothing could ever burst the joy-filled bubble they were living in. Unfortunately for them, they did not make it to his car unnoticed. Fortunately for them, however, Andrea merely smiled to herself and let them continue their night uninterrupted. 

On her last full day in town, Taylor was padding across Joe’s floor, as she packed a picnic dinner and waited for him to get back from the cafe for the day. They planned on driving out to a nearby town, finding an empty meadow, enjoying their dinner, and waiting until the stars came out. Taylor had a few other plans in mind to help them kill the time if they were able to find a truly empty field. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and answered it without glancing at the caller id. “Hey babe! Are you gonna be home soon?” Her stomach lurched when she heard her mother’s voice reply. 

“I certainly wasn’t expecting you to call me babe, but I guess that works.” Her laugh echoed through the phone. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you that I know you were in town this weekend. Am I correct in assuming that you came to visit Joe again?” 

Taylor weighed her options. She could lie, but who knows how much her mother’s informant had seen. Carefully, she began, “You...weren’t supposed to find out. We’re not really telling anyone yet, but yeah, I’m here to get to know Joe better.” She braced herself for the I told you so, but it never came. Instead, her mother changed the topic, and let her know she could come visit before she went back home if she wanted to but that she wouldn’t be mad if she spent the whole time with Joe.