A New Foundation Rochelle Alers (read aloud .txt) 📖

“Good morning. Have you been waiting long?”

“Not too long. I give myself extra time when driving down, anticipating traffic delays on the Thruway.”

Sonja did not have time to react when Taylor’s hands circled her waist, lifting her effortlessly and settling her on the leather seat of the late-model Infiniti QX80. She peered over her shoulder at the three rows of seating before fastening her seat belt. “Your car is gorgeous.” She pretended interest in the SUV rather than Taylor Williamson. Fortunately for her, he wasn’t able to see her lustful stare behind the lenses of the dark glasses. He was wearing the same cologne, but had exchanged the tailored suit for black jeans, an off-white cotton pullover and well-worn work boots. Dressed up or down, he had the ability to turn heads.

Taylor smiled as he slipped behind the wheel. “Thank you.”

“It smells new.”

“I bought it as a birthday gift to myself.”

“When was your birthday?”

“November first.”

Sonja went completely still. “You’re kidding?”

Taylor checked his mirrors and then pulled out into traffic. “No. Why?”

“Because my birthday is November second.”

Throwing back his head, Taylor laughed loudly. “What are the odds that we would almost share a birthday?”

She stared out the windshield. “What would be even more weird was if we were born during the same year.”

“I’ll be thirty-six in November.”

“You have me by a year,” Sonja admitted. “I’ll be thirty-five.”

“So, I’m a day and a year older than you.” Taylor paused. “I’m curious to know if we like the same things.”

“If you believe in astrology then we probably do.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” he said cryptically.

Sonja turned to look at Taylor as he stopped for a red light and met his eyes. “How?”

“There’s a pad and pen in the glove box. I’m going to mention certain categories, and you write down your favorite. Then you can give me your choices, and I’ll let you know if I agree or disagree.”

If Taylor was curious about her likes and dislikes, then she was equally curious about his. She’d told her aunt and uncle that she had to think about whether she was willing to leave the gallery, but during the walk from the apartment building to the restaurant to meet Taylor she had made her decision to accept his offer. After earning her MFA, she’d worked temporary jobs as a museum docent and a substitute art history teacher for an Upper West Side prep school. And when her tenure ended, she was left looking for future employment. She had discovered her current position when she saw a help-wanted sign in the window. She contacted the owners of the gallery and was hired on the spot when she was able to correctly identify every item on display. Now, after nearly two years, it was time for a change.

She retrieved the pad and pen. “I’m ready, Taylor.”

“What genre of music do you like?”

Sonja jotted down her choice. The list grew with each interest. “Let’s see if we’re alike or polar opposites. We’ll begin with music. I picked hip-hop and R & B.”

“Cool jazz.”

She put an X next to her choice. “Sports.”

“Baseball.”

“That’s our first match,” Sonja said, smiling. “How about books?”

“Legal thrillers.”

“Romance or art,” she countered. “But I have read John Grisham.”

“Then, that should be a half match,” Taylor argued quietly.

“Have you ever read a romance novel?”

“Yes. Viola is addicted to them, and one day I read one to see what the allure is. I must admit I enjoyed the book because the writer didn’t treat the hero like a jerk. In fact, I really liked him, while I was pissed off that the heroine made him jump through hoops before she admitted she wanted to marry him.”

“That’s the genre, Taylor. It’s boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and then boy finds girl and they live happily ever after.”

“But all of the novels are the same.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Sonja countered. “The theme is the same because it’s a genre, but the plots vary and the protagonists are different.”

Taylor tapped the navigation screen displaying the programmed route. “Like the movies on the Hallmark Channel?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “For someone who is into legal thrillers, you know an awful lot about romance novels and the Hallmark Channel.”

“That’s because I’m the only one Viola could convince to sit and watch them with her. My brothers always found something to do whenever she asked them to join her.”

“So, you’re the good brother,” she drawled.

Taylor smiled. “No. Currently, I’m the one living closest to her. Two of my brothers live in California and the other one is in Kentucky. Whenever I drive down to see my mother, I try and stop by Viola’s apartment to hang out with her for a few hours, and her television is always tuned to the Hallmark Channel. What I don’t understand is why they show Christmas-themed movies during the summer.”

Sonja had no intention of getting into an exchange with Taylor about the channel that had become one of her favorites. “They feature them because viewers love Christmas anytime of the year,” she said with a hint of finality.

“I’d like you to answer one question for me before we go to the next category.”

“What’s that?”

“Why do you read romance novels?”

The seconds ticked. “Well, for me it’s the predictability. I know it’s going to end happily for the hero and heroine.”

“But it’s fantasy, Sonja.”

“It’s not fantasy, Taylor, but escapism. For a few hours I’m able to escape into a place where two people will overcome the obstacles and conflicts threatening their happiness.”

“So, it’s not that you’re living vicariously through the characters?”

“Not at all,” she protested. “Even though I’m not married or in a relationship, that in no way translates into my identifying with fictional characters.” She didn’t see the smile tilting the corners of Taylor’s mouth at the same time she glanced at the notations on the pad. “The next one on the list is color.”

“I’m partial to blues and grays.”

“That doesn’t