Chapter 3: Completely blindsided

Ewan

              Bollocks, I’m such a git. I can’t believe I kissed and touched Taryn, then insulted her. I try not to think about the fact that she felt incredible in my arms. Or that I was taken the moment I saw her. Who knew that little Taryn turned out to be quite the beauty? I guess I never considered it.

              After I left her near the beach, I thought about how lonely she seemed, and my heart thawed. It was only on impulse that I stopped at the coffee shop near the pier to buy her the cupcake. I didn’t like the idea that she was spending her birthday on her own. Something about her response made something inside of me ache. She seemed resigned, and it broke my heart.

              I remember all of the birthdays I spent alone, and it resonated with me. I was also curious as to why she made every effort to evade my questions. Why would she need two jobs? The last time I saw Tamsyn, she was living well, so why is her sister struggling?

              I lied when I told her that I was thinking about Tamsyn when I kissed her. The reality is that I wanted her─Taryn. It was surprising to find myself enthralled by the breathtaking sight of her naked body. She was so uninhibited and sensual that I was intoxicated.

              Perhaps I should let her be. The last thing I want to do is get involved with my former love’s sister.

              For days, I dissect our conversation, and I can’t help but come back to the idea of her telling me she had two jobs or that she might be hiding something else. Unable to bear it another moment, I look up her address. It takes me a couple of minutes, but I eventually find out where she and Alan live. To my shock, they live in a dangerous part of L.A. How is this possible? I’m sure my father pays well, and I know that Tamsyn lives in Beverly Hills. Things are not adding up, and I don’t like it. There’s something Taryn was hiding from me, and I’m determined to find out what it was.

              It doesn’t take me long to get to Alan’s apartment. The door opens on my second knock, but it’s not Alan or Taryn who answer the door. The woman who answers is older, with ebony skin and long curly hair.

              “Well, hello there.” She whispers in a sweet southern drawl.

              Clearing my throat, I take a step back and mutter. “Forgive me for the disruption; I must have gotten the wrong address. Would you happen to know a gentleman by the name of Alan Larson? Or his daughter, Taryn Larson?”

              The woman’s smile widens with pleasure. “As a matter of fact, you’re in the right place, sugar. Alan just finished eating dinner and would enjoy some company. Whom may I ask is calling?”

              “My name is Ewan Blake. Alan is my father’s driver.” I state firmly.

              The woman frowns. “Oh, hon, I highly doubt that he’s the man you’re looking for. This Alan Larson is confined to a wheelchair.”           

              “Who is it, Willa?” A familiar voice calls out from the other side of the room. I look behind Willa’s shoulder and wince when I see an older version of the man I used to know as he slowly rolls his wheelchair into the hall. This is definitely not the vital, healthy man I knew as a child. Instead of thick red hair, his head is bald and scarred. His once fit body is fragile, his eyes are sunken, and his cheeks are sallow.

              My chest heaves with emotion as I gaze into his morbidly twisted face. His left eye is colorless and cracked. When he blinks, only his right eye moves. When he sees me, his droopy lip quirks into a clumsy smile.

              “Ewan? Is that you?” He slurs out.

              “Hello, Alan. It’s been a long time.” I reply carefully. I don’t want to show the sadness that I’m feeling. The least I can do is leave the man his pride.

              Shrugging, Alan waves his hand towards the living room and mutters in invitation. “Yes, it has, boy. Please, come in.”

              Giving them both a congenial nod, I follow Alan into the small living area and take a seat.

              Willa follows us both and mutters. “Can I get you both something to drink?”

              I shake my head. “No, thank you.”

              Alan clears his throat and gestures to his companion. “Please, let me introduce you to my nurse, Willa. Willa, this young man is the son of the man I used to work for. He also dated my daughter.”

              Willa gives me a gentle smile. “You dated Taryn?”

              I shake my head, surprised by her response. “No, I dated Alan’s eldest, Tamsyn.”

              At my words, Willa’s lip curls into a disgusted grimace. “Oh, that one. Well, it looks like you saved yourself some trouble, boy.”

              Alan scowl. “It’s not nice to talk about my girl that way, Willa.”

              Willa snickers in reply. She isn’t easily cowed by Alan’s chiding tone. “Are you chastising me, Alan Larson? For nearly eight years, I’ve cared for you after your strokes, and I have yet to see that girl step foot in this door. Poor Taryn has had to take care of her sick daddy on her own since she was sixteen. If Tamsyn has a problem with what I say, then she should come here and tell me herself.”

              I’m stunned by her revelation. Tamsyn abandoned her father and left Taryn to care for him. How is that possible? The Tamsyn I knew would never do that to her father.

              “I’m sorry about what happened, Alan. I was not aware that you were ill. Nor was I aware that you no longer worked for my father.”

              Alan’s face falls into a mishappen grimace. “I haven’t worked for your father in years, Ewan. Stuart, let me go soon after my surgery.”

              My body grows cold with remorse. For years, I assumed that Alan was fine. I know that my father paid for his surgery. Yet, here he is, a broken man. What went wrong after I was shipped away?

              Alan leans back in his chair and releases an exhausted sigh. “What happened to you, boy? One day you were here, and the other, you were gone. Stuart refused to tell us where you were, so I assumed he sent you back to England─ or worse.”

              “I was not shipped back to England. Father sent me to a military academy.” I answer evenly.

              Alan nods his head. “I should have known he’d do something like that. Stuart was always a bastard. However, I’m glad that he didn’t hurt you.”

              His head twitches for a moment, and his eyes begin to blink erratically.

              I look at Willa, who sighs and rests a throw blanket across his lap. “It's time for you to go to bed, Alan. You can talk to Ewan another day.”

              Alan’s objections are weak as he struggles to stay awake.

              “It’s alright, Alan. I’ll visit another time. Just go and sleep.” I say with an encouraging smile.

              Alan nods his head. “Very, well. Goodnight, Ewan. I hope we can talk again.”

              “Of course,” I mumble.

              Willa gives me a grateful smile, then rolls him away.

              “Do you need any help?” I ask Willa.

              “No, honey, I’ve been doing this for a long time. You stay here, and I’ll let you out in a minute.”

              Willa shows up a couple of minutes later, her lips stretched into a tight smile. “I’ll show you to the door.”

              “How did this happen?” I ask her.

              “Well, you already know about his brain surgery. According to Taryn, Alan had a challenging recovery. He was having a difficult time talking, and his motor functions were well below normal. Your father released him from his employment soon after that. Several months later, he had a stroke that he couldn’t recover from. Taryn cared for him, but she was only a child.”

              “What about Tamsyn?” I ask, unsure whether or not I want to hear the answer.

              Willa snickers. “From what I gathered, she up and married some rich guy and never looked back.”

              “And Taryn’s been taking care of her father since?”

              Willa nods. “Yes, and she’s done everything she could to take care of her daddy. That girl loves him fiercely.”

              I look around the small, neat apartment, then back at Willa. “Where’s Taryn?” I ask.

              Willa hedges for a moment. She looks uncomfortable, which makes alarm bells go off in my head. “Taryn’s working tonight. She usually comes back after midnight. That poor girl works like a dog. I was surprised that she took her birthday off, but she deserved it.”

              My stomach boils with regret at that moment. I ruined her day off by being a complete sod. I wish I could take back what I did now. Taryn didn’t deserve for me to treat her the way I did.

              However, I don’t regret coming here because now I know what Taryn was hiding from me.

              “It was nice meeting you, Willa.” I hand her my card before I step out of the door. “Here’s my number in case there’s anything you need. Please, don’t hesitate to call me. Alan was always a very kind man to me, and it would be an honor to help him.”

              Willa gives me a polite smile and takes the card. “Thank you for stopping by.”

              I nod my head. “Good night.”

              That night, I lie awake in my bed, lost in thought. I don’t know what to do. My father is such a bastard, but I’m not surprised. Any man who’d blackmail his son and threaten him is not a good father.

              What I do know is that I want to help Alan. However, I don’t want to step on Taryn’s toes. Because she didn’t tell me about her father and how angry she was with me after we kissed, I gather that Taryn is a very proud woman. This means that I’m going to have to speak to Taryn and see what I can do to help Alan.

              Anticipation vibrates through me at the thought of seeing Taryn again. She’ll probably call me on my rubbish and give me hell when she sees me. I truly don’t know why the mere idea exhilarates me?