GYPSY
Winn sat out on her small, back deck that overlooked the lake. The evening air was chilly and she sat there in a sweater and socks, a blanket wrapped around her waist, gripping a cup of hot tea. She watched the water ripple in front of her as the breeze blew over it and she took the moment to focus on the water and clear her mind.
The house that she'd relocated to was a small, one-bedroom lake house that had been in foreclosure. That was the only way she would have been able to afford it. Depending on how you spent your money, living alone could either deplete your funds or make them unlimited. Winn's funds weren't near unlimited, but she chose to live simply and within her means. She didn't require much.
She looked out at the small pier that extended into the water from just below the edge of her yard, that sloped down toward the lake. If you wanted to call it a yard. Her house more or less sat in a wooded area in perpetual shade. In the summer time, sunbathing out on the small pier would be nice.
One of the many things she knew about Taylor Hanson, from being a fan, was that he was heavy into photography. She looked around her and smiled, wondering if he'd ever been out here. There was a plethora of excellent photo opportunities out here. The landscaping was beautiful. Maybe she'd mention it to him sometime.
She repeated the last part in her head. Maybe she'd mention it. Casually. Like she just talked to Taylor Hanson all the time. No big deal. Right? Why was she even thinking about him at all?
Because he was Taylor fucking Hanson and she'd only been a fan for seventeen years! Okay. That had to stop. Even if it was in her head, it had to stop. No more fangirling. No more thinking like a fan. No more--no more swooning or hyperventilating or melting--no matter how gorgeous his smile was in her office earlier that day. Or the way his voice sounded when he said her name, horrid as it was. Maybe Tina was right. Maybe she should take him up on that coffee...
No. Absolutely not. She didn't have time to date right now. Not with the office in the condition it was in. Not with the delinquency sky high, loan volume barely making it, the past due customers not wanting to pay--and she didn't even want to think about the seriously delinquent accounts. No. She had no time for dating. She had to get the office running acceptable standards before she could even think about that again.
She sighed and sipped her tea. Still, though. The life of a workaholic was a lonely one.
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Taylor promised he wasn't stalking her. Especially when he conveniently rolled through Brady at eight in the morning on a Saturday with his eyes glued to only one side of the street. He certainly didn't smile at the sight of her red Kia on the street in front of her office and he certainly hadn't parked his own vehicle behind 3CG with the intent of walking over to Gypsy and picking up a couple cups of coffee...
As he stepped out the door of the coffee shop, he stopped short in surprise, his eyes widening. He had nearly collided with Winnie--Winn--once again. It was nearly deja vu. She stood in front of him, looking as surprised as he had, her auburn bangs whisked to the side, bundled up in black tights, a purple scarf, and a tan pea coat. Even in her stiletto ankle boots, she still stood a few inches shorter than him. "Uh, Winn, hi," he said, trying to recover from the surprise. "What, uh, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
She blinked at him for a moment before she glanced above his head. "Coffee?"
Snapping back to reality, he thrust the extra coffee toward her. "Uh, here. For you."
She looked at the cup in his extended hand and narrowed her eyes. "For me?"
"Yeah. I saw your car outside your office and thought I'd surprise you, but--well, look there, you surprised me."
"Um--thank you," she said as she hesitantly took the coffee from his hand.
He stepped aside, out of her way. "Did you still need to go in? Didn't mean to bombard you at the door or anything."
To his delight, a small smile crept across her lips as she shook her head. "No," she said shyly. "This was all I came for."
"Oh!" He shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed a fistful of condiments. "I didn't know how you took your coffee so I grabbed some creamer and sugar--"
"It's okay," she said, shaking her head, smiling gratefully. "I take it just like this. Black. You got it right."
He smiled in relief as he brought his empty hand from his pocket. He adjusted his scarf and stepped toward her, nodding in the opposite direction. "Shall we?"
Taylor and Winn walked side-by-side, slowly, down the sidewalk. The walk from Gypsy to their respective jobs was a short one and Taylor wanted this walk to last. So he strolled slowly, forcing her to keep the same pace. "So you work Saturdays, too," he observed. "When do you not work?"
"I could ask you the same question, being in the same place I am at the same time. I'm assuming you're working, too?"
"Yeah, I had planned to get a few things done. Sometimes I work Sundays, too."
"I don't take it quite THAT far," she said with a small laugh. "But I've been easily getting in six days a week, twelve to fourteen hours a day, easy."
"Ouch."
"It's exhausting, but it needs to get done. And I don't have anywhere else to be, so..."
"Sometimes I spend the night in the studio. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day."
"Well I wouldn't dare spend the night in the office. But I understand what you mean."
He paused and smiled at her for a moment. He knew that she would never know how much it meant to him for someone to simply tell him that they understood where he came from. Sure, his brothers did, but they didn't really count. Socializing could be difficult sometimes with people who just didn't "get it."
They walked in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Um, so what do you do in your spare time? I mean, you know, when you're not working."
She scoffed a laugh he didn't expect to come out of her. "I take my work home frequently."
He was momentarily confused. "At a loan company?"
"Not enough hours in the day, you know. I mean, I address mail, crunch numbers for goals and such. Stuff like that."
"Um, okay...what do you do when there isn't work to take home?" He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow. He let out a breath. "Hypothetically," he clarified.
Winn shrugged. "Don't know yet. Haven't really stepped out of my house as far as the porch. I just enjoy the peace and quiet, I guess. I mean, back home I had a social life and stuff but, you know, when you're new in a place..."
Taylor wished he could relate, but the truth was, he couldn't. He'd grown up in Tulsa. Torn up the streets and been in every nook and cranny there was to see. He could walk the city with his eyes closed.
He gasped inaudibly when he realized that this was his chance. This was it, time to go for it! However, just when he was about to offer his services as a tour guide, they'd reached her office and she spoke first. "Well, uh, thanks for the coffee. I really appreciate it. I gotta get in the office, though, these accounts won't move themselves. Maybe I'll see you later, though."
"Uh, yeah. Later..." It was all he could get out before she disappeared into the office.
'Maybe,' she'd said. 'Maybe' she would see him later. Defeated, he walked across the street to the studio.
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Winn didn't see or hear from Taylor for the next four days. And for four days, she couldn't get their conversation out of her head. 'What do you do in your spare time?' He had asked her. Spare time? She didn't even know what that was anymore. But if she was going to be happy at all, and adjust in this new place, she was going to HAVE to do SOMETHING. Besides discovering less than desirable neighborhoods while chasing accounts, that was.
Choosing to think outside the box that day for lunch, she stopped and bought a sandwich to go and decided to walk over to Guthrie Green and grab herself a bench in the park. The October air was a little brisk, but bearable as long as she sat in the sun. Looking around, seemingly alone in the park, she made herself comfortable and ate in silence. Most people she knew hated eating alone. She, personally, enjoyed the peace and quiet. She never minded doing anything solo, including eating and shopping. She could do anything alone. She liked the solitude.
As she finished her sandwich and sipped on her ginger ale, she heard a voice in the distance. Looking up, she spied a tall, dark-haired man in a suit, pacing the concrete not too far from her, talking loudly into his phone. Winn sighed in defeat. This apparently marked the end of her silent lunch and she began to gather up her trash and glanced up and around for a can to throw it all in. At that moment, the man hung up his phone and turned around, his eyes landing on her. He smiled and she felt herself start to blush. He had a nice smile. Self-consciously, she looked around to see who he was actually smiling at. She found herself alone in the park.
He walked over to her. "I'm sorry, I thought I was alone out here. I didn't mean to disturb you." He held his hand out to her as she stood to shake it. "Patrick Brady, Brady Real Estate. You are?"
"Um, Winif--uh, Winn Douglas. Good to meet you."
"I know this is kind of strange, meeting like this. I skipped lunch to take a conference call. Ended up being shorter than I thought it would be. What, uh, what brings you out here to the Green?"
Winn found herself smiling at his bright smile, his square jaw, and his bright, green eyes. His dark lashes made his eyes even brighter and his complexion made her wonder about his origin. Was he Greek? Italian, even? At this point, did it even matter? "I was actually just finishing my lunch up," she said.
Patrick smiled again. "Oh. Well. Impeccable timing, then, huh?"
"I guess."
"Do you work nearby? I mean, since you're taking your lunch here."
Winn tucked her hair behind her ear, sweeping her long bangs to the side, out of her face. "First Class Finance. I'm the branch manager, I transferred from Abilene."
"Oh, so you're new here. Welcome to Tulsa."
She hadn't realized they'd begun to walk until they got to the corner of the block. "Thank you."
"Kinda odd having a finance company square in the heart of the Brady Arts District, isn't it?"
"Um, I really wouldn't know much about it. They just moved the office there, told me that's where I was working. I didn't question it."
Patrick chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you wouldn't. Makes sense." They came up on her office faster than she thought they would and he fished his business card out of his pocket. "So, listen, maybe one of these days we can do lunch for real sometime. My office is right outside the district, not too far from here. Or, hey, you should come to a Chamber meeting sometime. We have one coming up in a couple of weeks."
Winn smiled, finding a card of her own and trading with him. "You know, you people around here sure seem dedicated to that Chamber, I'll say that."
Patrick looked at her, confused. "How so?"
Blushing, she shook her head. "Nothing. It was--it's nothing. I don't know if I'll end up at any Chamber meetings anytime soon, I'll be honest. But it was nice meeting you, though, and maybe I'll take you up on lunch sometime."
Patrick beamed at her. "I won't take no for an answer."
Winn laughed. "I don't imagine you will."
As they went their separate ways, Winn walked into her office. She could feel the blood rising slowly into her cheeks. Patrick Brady was slightly charming. She may have to look out for that one.
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Taylor sneered at the scene he witnessed out the window. He thought that past Saturday morning had gone so well. But damn if he hadn't been busy as hell, having to fly out of town for a couple of days, only to get back in enough time to miss Winn at the office the day before. It occurred to him that he didn't have her personal phone number, so contacting her could only be done during her business hours. Not his. But hers.
But apparently, he was too late. He leaves town for two days and already a black suit was all over her like--well, like a cheap suit. Except that guy's suit didn't look cheap. As a matter of fact, he just knew he was planning to wine and dine her at Tulsa's finest, dazzling her with the best money could buy. Typical corporate scum. But, hell, maybe she liked that type, who knew?
Taylor must have worn a particular expression of disgust on his face because his younger brother, Zac, the band's drummer, walked to the front of the studio and stopped short. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What?"
"You look like you're ready to--I dunno, kill something. Or something..."
Taylor blinked his eyes as if to ward off his current mood. "Oh, uh--uh, I don't know, I'm not--I'm not upset or anything. I dunno..."
Zac narrowed his eyes at him, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "Yeah, okay..." He glanced up out the window and then back at his brother. "Hey. I've seen you go across the street a couple times. What's the deal over there?"
"Huh?" Taylor followed Zac's gaze and scowled at the window before he turned back to him. "Oh. It's just a small loan company. Nothing special."
"How 'bout that redhead that's always in and out of there?"
Taylor glared up at him from the paper he was looking over. "What's it to you?"
Zac looked surprised. "Nothing, I just--you know, new people in town and all."
"She's the manager," Taylor muttered, not wanting anything more to do with the conversation.
"Oh," Zac said, nodding and eying his brother. "Okay..."
"What?"
"What, what?"
"Why are you talking like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like...I dunno, like THAT."
"Because I know you? And because it's obvious that you like her."
Taylor's head darted up and his eyes bored into Zac's. "You don't even know what you're talking about." He glanced out the window and then back at Zac. "I don't even know her."
And with that, Taylor pushed past his brother and headed for the back of the studio.
Winn sat out on her small, back deck that overlooked the lake. The evening air was chilly and she sat there in a sweater and socks, a blanket wrapped around her waist, gripping a cup of hot tea. She watched the water ripple in front of her as the breeze blew over it and she took the moment to focus on the water and clear her mind.
The house that she'd relocated to was a small, one-bedroom lake house that had been in foreclosure. That was the only way she would have been able to afford it. Depending on how you spent your money, living alone could either deplete your funds or make them unlimited. Winn's funds weren't near unlimited, but she chose to live simply and within her means. She didn't require much.
She looked out at the small pier that extended into the water from just below the edge of her yard, that sloped down toward the lake. If you wanted to call it a yard. Her house more or less sat in a wooded area in perpetual shade. In the summer time, sunbathing out on the small pier would be nice.
One of the many things she knew about Taylor Hanson, from being a fan, was that he was heavy into photography. She looked around her and smiled, wondering if he'd ever been out here. There was a plethora of excellent photo opportunities out here. The landscaping was beautiful. Maybe she'd mention it to him sometime.
She repeated the last part in her head. Maybe she'd mention it. Casually. Like she just talked to Taylor Hanson all the time. No big deal. Right? Why was she even thinking about him at all?
Because he was Taylor fucking Hanson and she'd only been a fan for seventeen years! Okay. That had to stop. Even if it was in her head, it had to stop. No more fangirling. No more thinking like a fan. No more--no more swooning or hyperventilating or melting--no matter how gorgeous his smile was in her office earlier that day. Or the way his voice sounded when he said her name, horrid as it was. Maybe Tina was right. Maybe she should take him up on that coffee...
No. Absolutely not. She didn't have time to date right now. Not with the office in the condition it was in. Not with the delinquency sky high, loan volume barely making it, the past due customers not wanting to pay--and she didn't even want to think about the seriously delinquent accounts. No. She had no time for dating. She had to get the office running acceptable standards before she could even think about that again.
She sighed and sipped her tea. Still, though. The life of a workaholic was a lonely one.
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Taylor promised he wasn't stalking her. Especially when he conveniently rolled through Brady at eight in the morning on a Saturday with his eyes glued to only one side of the street. He certainly didn't smile at the sight of her red Kia on the street in front of her office and he certainly hadn't parked his own vehicle behind 3CG with the intent of walking over to Gypsy and picking up a couple cups of coffee...
As he stepped out the door of the coffee shop, he stopped short in surprise, his eyes widening. He had nearly collided with Winnie--Winn--once again. It was nearly deja vu. She stood in front of him, looking as surprised as he had, her auburn bangs whisked to the side, bundled up in black tights, a purple scarf, and a tan pea coat. Even in her stiletto ankle boots, she still stood a few inches shorter than him. "Uh, Winn, hi," he said, trying to recover from the surprise. "What, uh, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
She blinked at him for a moment before she glanced above his head. "Coffee?"
Snapping back to reality, he thrust the extra coffee toward her. "Uh, here. For you."
She looked at the cup in his extended hand and narrowed her eyes. "For me?"
"Yeah. I saw your car outside your office and thought I'd surprise you, but--well, look there, you surprised me."
"Um--thank you," she said as she hesitantly took the coffee from his hand.
He stepped aside, out of her way. "Did you still need to go in? Didn't mean to bombard you at the door or anything."
To his delight, a small smile crept across her lips as she shook her head. "No," she said shyly. "This was all I came for."
"Oh!" He shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed a fistful of condiments. "I didn't know how you took your coffee so I grabbed some creamer and sugar--"
"It's okay," she said, shaking her head, smiling gratefully. "I take it just like this. Black. You got it right."
He smiled in relief as he brought his empty hand from his pocket. He adjusted his scarf and stepped toward her, nodding in the opposite direction. "Shall we?"
Taylor and Winn walked side-by-side, slowly, down the sidewalk. The walk from Gypsy to their respective jobs was a short one and Taylor wanted this walk to last. So he strolled slowly, forcing her to keep the same pace. "So you work Saturdays, too," he observed. "When do you not work?"
"I could ask you the same question, being in the same place I am at the same time. I'm assuming you're working, too?"
"Yeah, I had planned to get a few things done. Sometimes I work Sundays, too."
"I don't take it quite THAT far," she said with a small laugh. "But I've been easily getting in six days a week, twelve to fourteen hours a day, easy."
"Ouch."
"It's exhausting, but it needs to get done. And I don't have anywhere else to be, so..."
"Sometimes I spend the night in the studio. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day."
"Well I wouldn't dare spend the night in the office. But I understand what you mean."
He paused and smiled at her for a moment. He knew that she would never know how much it meant to him for someone to simply tell him that they understood where he came from. Sure, his brothers did, but they didn't really count. Socializing could be difficult sometimes with people who just didn't "get it."
They walked in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Um, so what do you do in your spare time? I mean, you know, when you're not working."
She scoffed a laugh he didn't expect to come out of her. "I take my work home frequently."
He was momentarily confused. "At a loan company?"
"Not enough hours in the day, you know. I mean, I address mail, crunch numbers for goals and such. Stuff like that."
"Um, okay...what do you do when there isn't work to take home?" He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow. He let out a breath. "Hypothetically," he clarified.
Winn shrugged. "Don't know yet. Haven't really stepped out of my house as far as the porch. I just enjoy the peace and quiet, I guess. I mean, back home I had a social life and stuff but, you know, when you're new in a place..."
Taylor wished he could relate, but the truth was, he couldn't. He'd grown up in Tulsa. Torn up the streets and been in every nook and cranny there was to see. He could walk the city with his eyes closed.
He gasped inaudibly when he realized that this was his chance. This was it, time to go for it! However, just when he was about to offer his services as a tour guide, they'd reached her office and she spoke first. "Well, uh, thanks for the coffee. I really appreciate it. I gotta get in the office, though, these accounts won't move themselves. Maybe I'll see you later, though."
"Uh, yeah. Later..." It was all he could get out before she disappeared into the office.
'Maybe,' she'd said. 'Maybe' she would see him later. Defeated, he walked across the street to the studio.
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Winn didn't see or hear from Taylor for the next four days. And for four days, she couldn't get their conversation out of her head. 'What do you do in your spare time?' He had asked her. Spare time? She didn't even know what that was anymore. But if she was going to be happy at all, and adjust in this new place, she was going to HAVE to do SOMETHING. Besides discovering less than desirable neighborhoods while chasing accounts, that was.
Choosing to think outside the box that day for lunch, she stopped and bought a sandwich to go and decided to walk over to Guthrie Green and grab herself a bench in the park. The October air was a little brisk, but bearable as long as she sat in the sun. Looking around, seemingly alone in the park, she made herself comfortable and ate in silence. Most people she knew hated eating alone. She, personally, enjoyed the peace and quiet. She never minded doing anything solo, including eating and shopping. She could do anything alone. She liked the solitude.
As she finished her sandwich and sipped on her ginger ale, she heard a voice in the distance. Looking up, she spied a tall, dark-haired man in a suit, pacing the concrete not too far from her, talking loudly into his phone. Winn sighed in defeat. This apparently marked the end of her silent lunch and she began to gather up her trash and glanced up and around for a can to throw it all in. At that moment, the man hung up his phone and turned around, his eyes landing on her. He smiled and she felt herself start to blush. He had a nice smile. Self-consciously, she looked around to see who he was actually smiling at. She found herself alone in the park.
He walked over to her. "I'm sorry, I thought I was alone out here. I didn't mean to disturb you." He held his hand out to her as she stood to shake it. "Patrick Brady, Brady Real Estate. You are?"
"Um, Winif--uh, Winn Douglas. Good to meet you."
"I know this is kind of strange, meeting like this. I skipped lunch to take a conference call. Ended up being shorter than I thought it would be. What, uh, what brings you out here to the Green?"
Winn found herself smiling at his bright smile, his square jaw, and his bright, green eyes. His dark lashes made his eyes even brighter and his complexion made her wonder about his origin. Was he Greek? Italian, even? At this point, did it even matter? "I was actually just finishing my lunch up," she said.
Patrick smiled again. "Oh. Well. Impeccable timing, then, huh?"
"I guess."
"Do you work nearby? I mean, since you're taking your lunch here."
Winn tucked her hair behind her ear, sweeping her long bangs to the side, out of her face. "First Class Finance. I'm the branch manager, I transferred from Abilene."
"Oh, so you're new here. Welcome to Tulsa."
She hadn't realized they'd begun to walk until they got to the corner of the block. "Thank you."
"Kinda odd having a finance company square in the heart of the Brady Arts District, isn't it?"
"Um, I really wouldn't know much about it. They just moved the office there, told me that's where I was working. I didn't question it."
Patrick chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you wouldn't. Makes sense." They came up on her office faster than she thought they would and he fished his business card out of his pocket. "So, listen, maybe one of these days we can do lunch for real sometime. My office is right outside the district, not too far from here. Or, hey, you should come to a Chamber meeting sometime. We have one coming up in a couple of weeks."
Winn smiled, finding a card of her own and trading with him. "You know, you people around here sure seem dedicated to that Chamber, I'll say that."
Patrick looked at her, confused. "How so?"
Blushing, she shook her head. "Nothing. It was--it's nothing. I don't know if I'll end up at any Chamber meetings anytime soon, I'll be honest. But it was nice meeting you, though, and maybe I'll take you up on lunch sometime."
Patrick beamed at her. "I won't take no for an answer."
Winn laughed. "I don't imagine you will."
As they went their separate ways, Winn walked into her office. She could feel the blood rising slowly into her cheeks. Patrick Brady was slightly charming. She may have to look out for that one.
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Taylor sneered at the scene he witnessed out the window. He thought that past Saturday morning had gone so well. But damn if he hadn't been busy as hell, having to fly out of town for a couple of days, only to get back in enough time to miss Winn at the office the day before. It occurred to him that he didn't have her personal phone number, so contacting her could only be done during her business hours. Not his. But hers.
But apparently, he was too late. He leaves town for two days and already a black suit was all over her like--well, like a cheap suit. Except that guy's suit didn't look cheap. As a matter of fact, he just knew he was planning to wine and dine her at Tulsa's finest, dazzling her with the best money could buy. Typical corporate scum. But, hell, maybe she liked that type, who knew?
Taylor must have worn a particular expression of disgust on his face because his younger brother, Zac, the band's drummer, walked to the front of the studio and stopped short. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What?"
"You look like you're ready to--I dunno, kill something. Or something..."
Taylor blinked his eyes as if to ward off his current mood. "Oh, uh--uh, I don't know, I'm not--I'm not upset or anything. I dunno..."
Zac narrowed his eyes at him, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "Yeah, okay..." He glanced up out the window and then back at his brother. "Hey. I've seen you go across the street a couple times. What's the deal over there?"
"Huh?" Taylor followed Zac's gaze and scowled at the window before he turned back to him. "Oh. It's just a small loan company. Nothing special."
"How 'bout that redhead that's always in and out of there?"
Taylor glared up at him from the paper he was looking over. "What's it to you?"
Zac looked surprised. "Nothing, I just--you know, new people in town and all."
"She's the manager," Taylor muttered, not wanting anything more to do with the conversation.
"Oh," Zac said, nodding and eying his brother. "Okay..."
"What?"
"What, what?"
"Why are you talking like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like...I dunno, like THAT."
"Because I know you? And because it's obvious that you like her."
Taylor's head darted up and his eyes bored into Zac's. "You don't even know what you're talking about." He glanced out the window and then back at Zac. "I don't even know her."
And with that, Taylor pushed past his brother and headed for the back of the studio.