“There’s another pan in the oven,” Smoke told her. “Archer learned really quickly to make double and triple batches of everything.”
Sighing in relief, Taylor watched in amusement as Eagle, after hearing there was more, put the last small piece of the delicious-looking lasagna on his plate. “Is that enough, or do you want more?” he asked, using the spatula to gesture toward the oven.
Taylor couldn’t help it. She laughed. “I think the ten pounds you already put on my plate will be plenty.”
A woman joined in, laughing as well, and Taylor turned. Bull had his arm around the woman’s shoulders, and she was leaning into him. She was on the shorter side, but looked like she fit perfectly against Bull. She had curves Taylor envied and seemed completely at ease in the room filled with over-the-top alpha men.
“Hi, I’m Skylar,” the woman said.
“I’m Taylor.”
“It’s really good to meet you,” Skylar said.
“Same,” Taylor returned. Eagle had told her a little bit about Skylar and how she’d been kidnapped. Looking at the woman now, Taylor couldn’t find any hint of what she’d been through. She knew she was a kindergarten teacher at an inner-city school, and that she was loved and respected by both the students and faculty alike.
Taylor envied her. The other woman looked so put together and content, neither of which was something Taylor ever felt.
Skylar’s auburn hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of her head, and she had on an honest-to-God jumper dress. It was so stereotypical and screamed kindergarten teacher so loudly, Taylor almost wanted to laugh.
She heard Smoke chuckle and looked over at him.
“I can guess what you’re memorizing about Sky,” he quipped. “She dresses like that Monday through Friday. Even I have a hard time recognizing her in jeans and a T-shirt.”
Instead of being put out, Skylar grinned at Smoke’s comment. “I know, I look exactly like what I am. But the school has a dress code, and after all the years of teaching, I find that I’m most comfortable in dresses and skirts when I teach now. But I do like my jeans on the weekends.”
“Well, if I see you on a Saturday or Sunday, please remind me who you are so I don’t get mad at Bull for making those googly eyes at another woman,” Taylor said without thinking.
Skylar’s eyes widened. “Oh crud, I forgot! Hang on!” Then she ducked out from under Bull’s arm and rushed for the same door Taylor and Eagle had entered when they’d arrived.
“Where’s the fire?” Eagle asked.
Bull shrugged. “I hope you don’t mind, Taylor, but I told her about your condition. She asked me a million questions about it, and then said she had an idea.”
Eagle brought both their plates over to an empty spot at the bar while they waited for Skylar to return. They didn’t have to wait long. She rushed back into the room with a huge smile on her face.
She gave something to Bull. Then to Smoke, Gramps, and the two men at the bar, who’d finished eating their lasagna and were now sitting back, relaxing. Then she walked up to Taylor and Eagle and held something out to each of them as well.
“I thought about your condition and how hard it would be . . . especially to meet a bunch of people you don’t know. I mean, who you really don’t know. I had a hard time keeping everyone who works here straight when I first met Bull, and I don’t have the condition you do. So I made name tags for everyone.” She smiled uncertainly. “I thought maybe it would make it easier for you. If everyone wore them around here, you wouldn’t have to wonder who anyone was. They’re magnetic, so they won’t poke holes in our clothes.” She glanced at Eagle. “And they won’t hurt the uniforms either. I know you guys decided not to put name patches on those overalls everyone wears, but I thought, at least around here, people could wear them?”
When no one said anything, Skylar continued on, talking faster, as if uncertain now. “I can make a board to put by the door that’s magnetic. Everyone can leave them there when they go home, and pick them up when they come in. Maybe they can even wear them while they work. I mean, Bull made me see the error of my ways when I didn’t call to confirm his identity when he showed up in his tow truck. The dispatchers could tell callers that their driver will be wearing a name tag, and what his or her name is.”
Bull came up behind Skylar and pulled her back against his chest. Her brows were furrowed, as if she was worried about what everyone might think of the idea.
Taylor looked down at the name tag in her hand. It wasn’t anything special. Oval shaped, plastic, black on the back side with the magnet and white on the front side, where her name was printed in black bold letters. Big enough to see from a good distance away. Looking over, she could see Eagle’s name in the same large letters.
Swallowing hard, Taylor felt her eyes burn, and she looked back down at the name tag in her hand, trying to get control of her feelings.
Eagle lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. “Taylor?”
At the same time, she heard Skylar say, “I’m sorry! It was stupid. Just ignore me. I wasn’t trying to be offensive. I just thought it might help.”
Not wanting the other woman to think for one second that she was offended, Taylor turned to her. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “This is one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you.”
The sigh Skylar let out was not only audible, but visible as well. “Whew. I didn’t want to overstep, but I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be surrounded by strangers every minute of every day.”
And that was exactly what it was like. How Skylar understood that, Taylor didn’t know, but it was obvious the woman was compassionate and empathetic. She had a feeling she was an amazing teacher.
“And it’s a great idea for the drivers to wear the name tags on the road,” Smoke added. “It might take some time for them to get used to wearing them.”
“It’s not that hard,” one of the men from the counter said. “You think we’re idiots or somethin’?” He smiled when he said it, so Taylor knew he was kidding.
“Hi, Shane,” Taylor said, reading the name tag he’d attached to his overalls. “Jose,” she said, nodding to the other man, who’d also put his tag on.
“Ma’am,” both said, nodding at her.
It was stupid to be so emotional over being able to call someone by their name, but this was literally the first time in her life she’d been able to do so without introduction. Everyone always had to tell her who they were before she could greet them by name.
“This is a safe place for all of our employees,” Gramps said quietly. “We try to go out of our way to make sure everyone has what they need here. You’re no exception.”
“Thank you,” Taylor whispered.
“Did you save us any?” Bull asked, and Taylor was grateful for the change in topic. She was still too emotional to talk about how much Skylar’s gesture meant to her.
Eagle held out her stool, and she climbed on, then he surprised her by stepping closer. Looking up, Taylor licked her lips, noting just how close he was. If she leaned forward even an inch, she could rest her cheek on his chest.