The Suite Life (The Family Stone Book 1) Read online

  I stashed the paper coffee cup in the cup holder that was in my door, sighing as I sat back up. I stared out of the window, trying to get a hold of myself. The air being sweet? Goodness, Blue.

  I pressed the button to roll down the window, cracking it just enough that cool air rushed into the backseat. I took a slow, deep breath, calming myself before rolling it back up.

  Chapter 7

  Taylor

  Blue Stone was the most intriguing woman Taylor had ever met. He couldn’t believe the chain of events that had occurred after meeting the one and only Alec Stone, lead singer of The Kicks. Alec was awesome. In addition to being a legend in music, Taylor liked the guy and was happy to realize they had a lot in common.

  It was an extremely busy time for Taylor, yet he still made time to hang out with Alec when invited. First, he had invited Taylor to a NFL game, which would take place at 1pm the following day. Then, out of nowhere, he called and asked if Taylor had dinner plans for that very night. Mitch Applegate was a music producer friend of Alec's who lived in Boston. Alec invited Taylor to dinner at Mitch's house, and Taylor agreed to go even though he was probably too busy.

  Taylor was determined to accomplish what he had come to do at The Birmingham, but he would have to just stay up later or wake up earlier to make up for the time. He wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to hang out with Alec Stone.

  He told himself that Alec's daughter, Blue, being there had nothing to do with it, but that was simply untrue. Alec had made it clear from the very beginning that his daughter would be at dinner. He even asked Taylor to meet her in the lobby at 6pm so that he could accompany her to Mitch's house.

  He would have gone to dinner anyway, just for the chance to hang out with Alec, but the news that Blue was going had Taylor feeling pumped all afternoon. He liked that girl from the moment he laid eyes on her. She was completely exhausted when they met, yet she still had a quirky, sweet smile and he could tell just by the way she looked at him that she was real. She didn't put up a front.

  Alec had asked Taylor to bring some breakfast that morning right after he met Blue, but she had already gone to her room when he brought it up. He hung out for a while, talking to Alec, and hoping Blue would emerge from her room, but she didn’t.

  Nothing could have prepared him for seeing her in the coffee shop that afternoon. She was dressed in jeans with a black shirt. Her dark wavy hair was pulled back with a red flower that matched the tank top that showed at her shoulder.

  He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

  The unfortunate part of all of this was that he was not at a time in his life when he could start dating anyone. The next four months leading up to the opening his hotel, and the following year or so (as he worked out the kinks) would be the busiest time of his life. He knew that. He was prepared for it. He was determined and focused, and there was just no way he could let himself become distracted with trying to start a relationship with someone right in the middle of all this.

  He found it difficult to remember those things after spending some time with Blue. He sat in the backseat with her on the way to dinner that night thinking he would just about do anything to continue getting to know her. He couldn't possibly start a relationship with just any old girl—with a regular girl. But, Blue wasn't regular, was she? Taylor caught himself trying to believe Blue was different than all the others—that she could somehow fit into his life without disrupting his plans. Like a relationship with her could magically be the type that helped him reach his goals rather than distracting him from them.

  Taylor never had thoughts like these, he had to take a step back and evaluate his feelings. Maybe he was just attracted to her because she was Alec Stone's daughter. He tried his best to tell himself that, but he knew it wasn't the truth.

  He was drawn to her in every way.

  He had impulses with Blue that he had never experienced with other women. Even on dates, he never had any trouble keeping his hands to himself, but as he sat in the backseat with Blue that evening, he found it really difficult to refrain from reaching out to touch her—he wanted to hold her hand, or at least touch her hand. He hated the space between them.

  They talked during the entire trip. She was effortlessly funny and real, just like he knew from his first impression. They discussed both of their jobs, which led to talking about other things. Blue was humble and approachable for someone who had grown up in her circumstance. She was born into a life of rock star status, and physically she could easily fit into that role, but instead of being showy or pretentious, she was sweet and sincere. She was strong and confident, and yet she was a little shy and vulnerable.

  Taylor was swept away by the contradictions.

  He was taken aback by how much he felt for her and how quickly he felt it. He had no idea if his infatuation with Blue Stone would lead to anything, but he was definitely taken with her—he had never been so intrigued by a woman.

  The driver pulled up at Mitch's house.

  He rolled down the glass that separated the front seat from the back as he parked in the circular driveway. "We're here," he said, warning Taylor and Blue as the glass was coming down.

  "Thank you," Blue said. "Don't worry about getting out. I'll go out on Taylor's side."

  Harry gave her a nod. "Yes ma'am. Your dad has me coming back at 9:30 to pick you up, but you know where to reach me if you need me before then."

  Taylor had no idea they would be over there so long. Alec had asked him 'to dinner', but he hadn't mentioned what time they'd be finished or given him any details. Taylor would have normally been stressed at the thought of being occupied all evening, but that night, the opposite was true. When Harry said what time he'd be back, Taylor felt a stab of disappointment like that wouldn't be enough time with Blue.

  He was correct to assume that.

  The time at Mitch's went by far too quickly.

  It was a fun, laid-back evening with good company.

  Alec, Blue, and Taylor were the only guests at Mitch and Rhonda's house, so it was a quiet evening. Their place was full of all sorts of fun things, though. They had recently installed two bowling lanes in their basement, so the first order of business was to bowl a game. They all sat around, talking, and laughing, and telling stories in between frames. Alec and Mitch told stories about the good old days on the road and in the studio. They were funny stories that had everyone laughing.

  Rhonda and Blue chimed in quite a bit, but Taylor found himself listening a lot. It wasn't very often he got to sit and share quality time with someone as legendary as Alec Stone—that never happened, actually. The thing was… Taylor was so distracted by Alec's daughter, that he hardly knew Alec was in the room. She was wonderful. Easy and peaceful. She didn't seem to be worried about things other girls worried about. She was honest, funny, and even a little goofy. She was so very beautiful. Taylor felt the inexplicable urge to call her his own. He had to have her. He barely knew her, and yet he felt like he had to have her. These types of thoughts were previously foreign to Taylor, and yet they were hitting him in a very real way.

  He had never been one to feel very much.

  Even as a boy, he was responsible, disciplined, practical. He loved to laugh, and he had a good sense of humor, but he wasn't the type who felt deeply about things. He was unemotional—unattached. He had empathy for people and knew how to make them comfortable; it was what made him good at his job. But that was different. This girl was different. He had met her only today, and he felt oddly attached already.

  In Taylor's mind, the only reasonable thing to do was to pretend he wasn't feeling any of this.

  He observed their conversation, and even engaged in it himself, all while trying to pretend that he was casual and indifferent about Blue Stone.

  He did this all evening.

  They bowled and then they ate dinner, which was followed by dessert.

  Time flew, and the next time Taylor glanced at his watch it was time for the driver to arrive.

&
nbsp; "We'll head back in a minute," Alec said, noticing Taylor look at his watch.

  "Oh, no, it's not that," Taylor said. "I'm not in a hurry at all."

  He had gone onto the balcony with Rhonda to see a chair. She had described it to Taylor as a good fit for his hotel balconies, and they had stepped out onto the balcony so she could show it to him. Rhonda had gone back inside, but Taylor stayed for a minute to enjoy the view.

  He hadn't even seen Alec come out. The larger than life rock star came to stand next to Taylor, looking out at the city.

  "She's a good girl," Alec said. "Seriously, one of the good ones, and I'm not saying that just because she's my daughter."

  Taylor's heart leapt.

  His stomach dropped.

  Had he been that obvious?

  He must have been if this was the first thing out of Alec's mouth. He wanted to assure the man that he had no intentions, or that his intentions were good. He wanted to say something about intentions, but the words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't think of what to say or how to say it. He turned and looked at Alec who was staring straight ahead.

  "She used to have a crush on her science teacher," Alec said, smiling.

  Taylor knew it was ridiculous, but he felt a wave of jealousy hearing the word crush in reference to Blue.

  Alec glanced at Taylor. "She had this science teacher when she was a kid who was really into his job. He was a young guy—real good with the kids, and passionate about science or whatever. He used to do all these experiments—they did them like every week. Blue would call me from her mom's house, telling me about it. She was so impressed by that. I think she thought that guy was magical or something with all those science experiments. Her mom found notes that said she was gonna marry him. His name was James something. It started with a B. My oldest daughter had a crush on Justin Timberlake, the second one had a crush on my bass player's son, and Blue falls in love with her science teacher." Alec let out a little chuckle and shook his head. "He wasn't even that good-looking. I think she just liked him for his science. I'm surprised she didn't become a scientist herself."

  The two gentlemen heard the door open, and they turned to see who it was. Blue smiled as she stepped out onto the patio.

  "I was just telling Taylor how you had that crush on your science teacher for so long."

  "Oh, thanks, Dad," she said comfortably but sarcastically. She walked toward the two gentlemen who were standing on the far side of the patio.

  "James," Alec said. "What was his last name?"

  "Connor."

  "Connor. That's right. I thought it started with a B. I was telling Taylor I'm surprised you didn't become a scientist after that." Alec gave his daughter a teasing grin and tickled her ribs as she approached.

  Blue dodged her dad, shaking her head and rolling her eyes a little. She made eye contact with Taylor. "That was sixth grade, and here we are, all these years later, and he's still teasing me about it. And my whole class had a crush on him. It wasn't just me."

  "There are worse people you could have fallen for," Alec said, shrugging and making a face like he was trying to contain a smile. "The P.E. teacher, for instance."

  Blue squinted at her father for teasing her, and he laughed, pulling her in by the shoulders.

  "Did you see the chair?" Blue asked, focusing on Taylor since she knew he had gone outside for that purpose.

  He nodded and pointed to the chairs Rhonda had shown him. "They're nice," he said. "Really comfortable."

  "We better get going," Alec said. "Harry will be here to pick us up, and I promised Taylor we'd have him back at a reasonable hour." (Alec had promised no such thing, but he had only asked him to dinner, which was basically the same.)

  "Harry's here," Blue said. " I saw him out there a few minutes ago when I went to use the restroom. She glanced at Taylor. "Looks like we'll have to take a raincheck on finishing that game. I'm sure you're happy to get off without me embarrassing you any further." She was being silly, because Taylor was winning the game when they quit bowling to have dinner. He wasn't trying to devastate everyone, but he wasn't the type to miss on purpose, either. He wasn't an expert, but he was fairly athletic, and he'd been having a good game. They had quit bowling in the eighth frame, and Taylor was winning. Mitch had been practicing a lot lately, and Taylor was even beating him by a couple of points. They weren't being competitive, though. In fact, the game had felt like a background activity to the real objective, which was hanging out.

  The three of them headed into the house to say goodbye to Mitch and Rhonda. Blue smiled at Taylor on their way in, and his heart sped up. He knew better than to try to start something with this girl. His life was too busy for that.

  "I would love a raincheck," he said even though he knew he was getting himself into trouble.

  Chapter 8

  Blue

  Harry, the driver, worked for a service. They had all sorts of cars to choose from. He had driven us in a limo before. Tonight, however, he was driving a sedan—the same one I had already ridden in twice that day. I wanted to give my dad a huge hug for having Harry drive this car because it meant that I would be forced to sit right next to Taylor in the backseat. It was with great eagerness that I settled into the middle seat on the way back to the hotel.

  My dad had worn the same cologne for years, and I could smell him, but I could also smell Taylor. I turned around in my seat, fidgeting unnecessarily with the seatbelt so that I could look at him—get closer to him. Goodness. I was a grown woman and I felt like a kid with a school crush. Not like the one I had on Mr. Connor, either. This one gave me a whole host of other feelings. Grown woman feelings.

  Taylor was sitting next to me, and I made eye contact with him after I supposedly found my seatbelt. He grinned. He was completely irresistible, and I made myself look away right after I smiled back at him.

  I was used to being around a bunch of rockers. I had always been around guys who looked edgy, and I was drawn to the way Taylor dressed differently, like a hi-end clothing model—polished and tailored.

  I loved how he looked.

  I had been doing my best all night to not be obvious about it, but I liked him. I liked him a lot. He was smart and he knew just what to say and when to say it. My dad and Mitch both liked him as well. We joked around a lot, but there was time for deeper conversation, too. They asked him tons of questions about his book and his business philosophy.

  Taylor spoke to my father in a way few guys ever did. Usually, people were so consumed with making an impression on my dad, that they accomplished the exact opposite. Taylor, however, was honest—easy. My dad loved him and so did Mitch and Rhonda.

  I realized, during the course of that evening, that Taylor had chosen the perfect profession. He was an absolute legend at making people feel comfortable. You could feel it simply by being in his presence. It was like the air around him was made of velvet. (Yes, I knew this was also a crazy thing for me to think, but it was the truth.) I was relishing in this velvet air in the backseat when his leg brushed against mine.

  He turned in his seat, shifting to stare out the window and, when he did, his leg accidently pressed against mine. I took an unsteady breath as I stared wide-eyed at the spot where it happened. My dad had pointed out a restaurant, and Taylor turned to look at it, but the side-effect of this whole conversation was that Taylor's leg was now touching mine. He left it there even after he turned and said something else to my dad.

  I barely listened to them. They discussed the fried chicken and waffles that could be acquired at that restaurant. I had eaten those exact fried chicken and waffles for myself, but I did not offer my opinion because I was completely useless on account of the physical contact. It was an accidental leg-touch, for goodness sake, and I couldn't breathe properly.

  Taylor and my dad got to talking about different types of food after that. I kept waiting for him to pull his leg away or readjust, but he didn't. It was one of those moments where I felt like energy or electricity was bei
ng produced at the place where we made contact. I had no idea if he was feeling the same thing I was. We were, after all, sitting right next to each other in the car. He could very well have not even noticed we were touching. I really hoped he noticed, though. And there I go again, thinking like my former teenage self. Taylor Patterson reduced me to this.

  I let out a sigh.

  "Are you coming upstairs with me?" Dad asked.

  I nodded instantly. I certainly wouldn't mind hanging out with Taylor, but I knew he had to get back to his work, and rather than make him feel bad about refusing me, I said, "I'm gonna head into my room. I'll probably just read a little or see what's on Food Network. I'm still tired from that whole ordeal in London."

  My dad leaned over me to look at Taylor. I could have sworn he glanced down at the spot where our legs were touching, but if he did, it was quick and he played it off. Again, Taylor left his leg in place.

  "We have to be at the field early tomorrow," Dad said, reminding Taylor. "I know you'll be there closer to kick-off. Karen will be in touch with getting your pass and everything."

  Taylor glanced at me. "When are you going?" he asked.

  "I was planning on going up there with Dad."

  "She likes to hang out with Tom and all the boys in the locker room. Not while they're changing or anything, but you know. Blue's been tagging along with me to places like this since she was a little girl. All those football players treat her like she's one of the guys."

  Taylor's leg, no joke, tensed up and pushed toward me slightly as a result of my dad's words. He had not meant to do it to get my attention. He didn't even move, really, but I could feel the slight movement as his muscles tensed. I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling. It was true, I had been tagging along with my dad for as long as I could remember. I did know all the football players on the team and have a good rapport with them.