by Brenda Bone
The next week brought more invasions of her privacy and more hassles from the media. Lindsay felt as if she were on a Ferris wheel that went round and round, never stopping at the bottom so she could step off it. No longer did her new life in New York feel thrilling. She envisioned a fresh start, a promising career, new friends, but now she felt as if the new world she entered crumbled around her. There was no one whom she met that she became close to yet and now her job was in danger as well as her reputation.
Mornings were the worst. She once loved mornings, but lately she felt sluggish and unenthusiastic about going to her job. When she started working at WCIT, she entertained high expectations that she’d be such a good host that she’d make a difference at the radio station. Did she leave her mark? She couldn’t be sure, but ever since the messy scandal spilled out about Derek, she thought, why bother?
Fearing that she might be on the verge of a case of career burnout, she vowed to spend more time relaxing at home. Yet she discovered that she had a hard time being alone, too. Wherever she went, whatever she did, she felt disappointed as if someone slipped up behind her and crushed every dream she ever had.
The following Sunday afternoon Lindsay felt at an all-time low, worrying that her job was no longer secure and neither was her inner peace. When she heard a knock and opened the door to see Brant standing in front of her, she feared that her imagination had conjured him up. “I read about the scandal you’re caught in, and I thought you might need a friend,” he told her.
“Oh, I do!” She fell into his arms and embraced him. For the first time in days she smiled. “You’ll never know how much your friendly face means to me at this moment!”
She didn’t let go of his hand as she ushered him inside. Seeing the clothing strewn about, he laughed and remarked, “Still the same ol’ Lindsay—the world’s worst housekeeper.” His expression turned serious again when he asked, “Why didn’t you write or call me?”
“What was the point? If we kept hanging onto each other and trying to retain the closeness we shared, the pain of being apart would’ve been too strong.”
Leading him over to the sofa, Lindsay sat down beside Brant and felt a surge of happiness at being close to him again. It had been too long since she saw him and lately she denied herself even the memories of their love because they would’ve increased the agony of being separated from him.
“You don’t know how many times I wanted to contact you,” Brant confided to her, “but I thought you might not want to see me, especially after I read about you and Derek Eden. Finally, I decided to take the chance anyway, so I asked Serita for your address.”
“I’m glad.” She felt his arm slip around her and then he pulled her closer to him. “My stubborn pride got in the way or I would’ve called you, Brant. Also, I didn’t think there was any use in writing if our relationship was over.”
“Never mind. How’s the new job going?”
“Fine, but I’m finally realizing that my career isn’t everything.”
His brow raised, but he didn’t seize the opportunity to coax her to return to Columbus. This time he intended to give her space. She leaned against him, resting her head on his muscular chest where she heard the steady beating of his heart.
I feel like I just returned from a long, hard journey, she thought, savoring this moment.
Brant gently hugged her as his fingers traced tiny circles on her shoulder, making her skin tingle. As he held her tighter, she felt his warm breath tickling her neck. Tilting her head upward, she met his lips that brushed against her own, lightly at first, then firmer as they melded in a kiss so intense that it banished all the hurt of the past month. Safe in Brant’s arms, Lindsay forgot the recent scandal involving Derek, the continual pressure to maintain the high ratings on her program, and her loneliness. None of it mattered anymore. Only being with Brant, whom she almost shut out of her life for good, was important now.
“Would you like something to drink, Brant?”
“No, thanks. I just want to sit here and enjoy the view of you.”
“How long will you be in town?”
“I’m not sure yet. I took a week of my vacation.”
“Do you need a place to stay?”
He shook his head. “I have a room at the Essex House.”
Later that afternoon Brant slipped up on Lindsay while she held her hand to her forehead and hunched over the kitchen table. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked, concerned.
She looked up at him with tired eyes. “Uh, huh. I feel a little drained; that’s all. The tension that came with my new job never bothered me at the time, but this new scandal left its mark on me.”
“So I see.” Dark circles cast shadows under her eyes and her shoulders, normally straight and squared, slumped. For the first time since the night Rafe tried to attack her, Lindsay didn’t look like the woman who was in command of nearly everything in her life. “You worry too much about competing and keeping up a sparkling clean image. No one expects you to be perfect, Lindsay.”
“I’m in the public eye, especially after I was foolish enough to be seen in so many places with Derek. It’s important that I watch every move I make in the future to protect my job.”
“You go to extremes. Look at what it’s doing to you. You’re irritable and your eyes are so bloodshot that you look like you haven’t slept well in ages.”
“I am exhausted,” she admitted, rubbing her temples for several seconds.
“Take my advice—catch up on your rest, even if it means arranging to go on a vacation. Too much brooding about everything that’s happened recently will not only cause your spirit to feel low, but your health will start to deteriorate next.”
“I’ll be fine. Hard work and clean living never hurt anyone.”
“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll make sure that no one disturbs you.”
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep…too restless.”
“Then let’s get you some exercise. We’ll go to the tennis court. Change your clothes; get your racket and I’ll do the same.”
“I don’t play tennis well.”
“Then you’ll learn…c’mon!”
Forty minutes later on the court, Brant realized that Lindsay hadn’t been kidding when she said she played a poor game of tennis. When she attempted to serve the ball, she managed to get it across the net, but before she kept a good rally going, her devastating backhand sent the ball flying constantly out of bounds.
“Whew!” Brant muttered. “Maybe you could use a few pointers first.”
He proved to be a patient teacher as he instructed her on how to play a good game of tennis. As he stood behind her, showing her how to correctly hold her racket, his warm arms brushed against hers and she could feel his hot breath on her neck as he talked. How am I supposed to concentrate on tennis when his very nearness makes me dizzy with desire? she asked herself.
Amazingly, her game improved two hours later. “I even won a couple of points,” she chatted excitedly as she and Brant prepared to leave the court.
Perspiration dotted Brant’s forehead as the warm autumn sun shone down upon him. “Let’s go get something cold to drink,” he said, his mouth dry and parched.
She felt breathless, too. “Great idea. All that exercise wore me out, but oddly, I feel refreshed. It just dawned on me that I spent several hours without thinking about my problems a single time.”
“You’ll have dinner with me later, won’t you?” he invited.
“I’ll do better than that; I’ll fix it at my house.”
“Great. As soon as I drop you off at home, I’ll go clean up, then meet you at your place in about forty-five minutes.”
At home Lindsay took a cool, invigorating shower before changing into a pair of white cotton crops and a new lavender blouse. Brant did the same and arrived shortly, wearing tan pants and a brown knit shirt. As she walked with him to the small dining area, she smelled the light after shave that he wore.
“Perfect timing,” s
he said, pointing at crisp tossed salad, hamburgers with all the trimmings and refreshing iced tea with lemon slices on an oval-shaped table.
“Didn’t you say you were going to cook dinner?” he asked, noticing a sack with the words, BURGER PALACE, written on it. “I looked forward to sampling your culinary expertise.”
“I never said I’d cook. My words were that I’d get it ready for us. If you ever tasted my cooking, I guarantee you that you’d leave with indigestion before it was time for dessert.”
After an enjoyable meal, Lindsay showed Brant her movie collection. “Choose one.”
“All the classics are here…including you.” He smiled as he reached for her hand and entwined her fingers with his own. “Why don’t we talk for a while? I’ve missed that even though some of our discussions weren’t always so quiet.”
“I missed being near you, too. Brant?”
“Yes.”
“Will you ask me again to marry you and move back to Ohio?” If he would, she’d quit her job this time and return to Columbus with him. She wasn’t going to let him get away a second time!
Her heart stood still when he responded, “I’m sorry, but I can’t make you that offer anymore.” For a few horrifying seconds she feared that he might have married someone else. She assumed he hadn’t, but now a sick feeling formed in the pit of her stomach that made her wish she would’ve asked if anything changed in his life since she last saw him.
“Well? Aren’t you even going to ask why I’m not ready to carry you back to Columbus with me?” he said, a slight grin sneaking over his face.
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” she replied. “It should have dawned on me sooner—you’ve made some kind of a change in your life since we were last together, haven’t you?”
He nodded, and she held her breath, hoping that he wasn’t about to reveal that he committed himself to another woman and wanted to visit Lindsay one last time to assure they’d remain friends. “A long time ago I told you that when I wanted something badly enough, I’d travel to the ends of the earth to get it. Do you remember?”
“Yes.”
“You should have reminded me of what I said when I let you come to New York without me. At least your absence convinced me that I could never live happily without you, so that’s why I’m here. I came to look for a job in this city since I quit my old one in Ohio.”
Did she hear him correctly? “Brant! Do you mean--?”
“I want to be wherever you are, so here I am. If you’ll still have me, I’ll help you through this bitter scandal that you’re in the midst of, and we’ll share the good and bad times in the future as well.”
“If I’ll still have you?” she echoed, her voice turning hoarse with emotion. “I wanted you all along! Surely you must have known that I’ll always love you!”
“I hoped that you would because that’s how I feel about you.” As he pulled her into the warm haven of his arms, she knew that she finally arrived at the destination of her dreams and reached home at last.
She gazed at the face she adored and realized that the weekend team had one more song to play together. It would be their sweet melody of love that would last forever.
Table of Contents
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
