by Dara Girard
“Years ago, Seattle and surrounding suburbs implemented a law that all water heaters had to be installed by a bonded and licensed firm, and before being activated, had to be checked by someone from the county and have a certificate put on. There was none. It appears that this lady bought a bum heater and then had some friend of hers install it.”
Dominic stood immobile, his mind racing and fueling his anger.
Brenda lightly touched his arm. “At least I’m all right.”
He nodded, unable to speak.
Lincoln approached them shaking his head. “Thank God you’re all right. You could have been killed.”
“I know,” she said, sending Dominic a worried glance.
“I heard of a story where the water heater burst and killed the entire family. Shot right through the roof and took the house off its foundation.”
Dominic didn’t move.
Brenda forced a light tone. “Yes, luckily my house is still standing.”
Lincoln didn’t take the hint. “What if it had happened while you were sleeping? Those fire fighters would be searching for your body.”
“That’s enough, Lincoln.”
“Have you been checked out by the EMTs? You could have burns from the steam. Saw one guy with steam burns and his skin started peeling off.”
“I’m fine,” she cried when Dominic lunged for her.
She stepped back and held up her hands. “Really, thanks.” She led Dominic away before Lincoln could upset him more. “I’m telling the truth.”
Brenda was briefly allowed into her house to gather some personal items. Luckily little damage had been done to the kitchen, and most of her clothing and furniture survived. Things she had stored in the basement were the ones that sustained the most damage, but the metal trunk survived intact.
Dominic helped her pack her car and his with what they could and then drove to his house. The events of the day had left her exhausted and he stayed with her until she fell asleep, but he knew he couldn’t. He had something to tend to first.
Thomas leaped out of bed when someone pounded on his front door. Natalie woke up too.
“Who is that?” he asked her.
“I don’t know, but you’d better answer.”
Thomas waited. “Sounds like they’re trying to bust the door down.”
“Then answer it before they do.”
“It could be a burglar.”
“Burglars don’t knock.”
Thomas grabbed his robe and slippers, then marched down the stairs. He checked through the peephole and opened the door. He smiled. “Dominic, what brings you over at this hour?”
Natalie came up behind him, holding her robe tight. “Is something wrong?”
It was clear that something was wrong. Very wrong. Dominic looked furious. “I want to talk to you,” he said softly.
Thomas placed a hand on his chest in surprise. “You want to talk to me? Couldn’t you have just called?”
“Yes, but I didn’t come over here to talk to you. I came over to beat the crap out of you, but I want to talk to you first.”
Thomas swallowed, wondering if he was joking. “Would you like a drink?”
“No.” Dominic walked past him, made his way to their family room and sat.
Thomas turned to Natalie. “Pour him something strong.”
“But he doesn’t—”
“Just do it.”
She rushed away and he took a seat on the couch. “What is the problem?”
“Brenda is staying at my house because she can’t stay at hers. Do you know why?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Because her water heater malfunctioned.”
Natalie set the brandy down on the side table with a clatter. “My goodness, is she okay?”
“I found her watching firefighters securing her house, but yes, she’s okay.”
“Thank God for that,” Thomas said.
“But I’m not okay. I don’t like when my instructions aren’t taken seriously.”
Thomas forced a laugh. “It was an honest mistake. What do I know about water heaters? I had a friend of mine—”
“Stop lying to me. I know that you didn’t give Brenda my messages. I later discovered that you didn’t choose the loft, but that someone else did. You initially tried to place Brenda in a crime-infested back alley.”
“That’s not true.”
“But someone else circumvented that. I learned it from the former owner who told me he spoke to a female. I thought there had been a misunderstanding so I investigated. When I learned he’d dealt with Natalie I assumed you’d given her the task instead. Now I know you didn’t.”
Thomas spun on Natalie. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
She lowered her head.
“Why are you shouting at Natalie for saving your butt?”
“Look, the studio thing was just me trying to find a place fast and this heater business was an accident. I didn’t know the damn thing would blow. I thought he was a professional and I was trying to save cost.”
“Really?”
Dominic’s unrelenting stare forced Thomas to be honest. “She was getting in the way. She’s got you all confused again. Who’s been there for you? Who was there when she left you? Remember that? Remember being handed your divorce papers? You think she’s changed? She just wants your money. And I was going to make sure that she didn’t get it.”
Dominic leaped up and slammed Thomas against the wall. “You could have killed her.”
“And you would have been better off.”
“Maybe I should kill you instead.”
“Go ahead,” he scoffed. “At least I’d know she hadn’t completely cut off your balls. You’ve gotten soft. We made each other a promise, remember? We weren’t going to let any woman trap us, but you did. You were rising to the top faster than anyone I’ve known and then you let her back into your life and filled your time with dinners and dancing.
“Does she even know you’re up for the Monahan Award? That next week you’re going to be honored by your peers?
“Yes, but will she be by your side? Of course not. She doesn’t want to hear about your accomplishments. She was always jealous of you. Now as much as before. Everything’s fine between the two of you when it’s all about her. She’s with you when it suits her. I noticed she wasn’t with you at the last two banquets. Do you like going alone?”
“That is none of your business.”
“You are my business. You’re my family. You know she’s going to leave you again. You’re holding on so tight because you know the moment you let go, she’ll walk out of your life again. I sort of did you a favor with this water heater business. You get a chance to play hero. But what happens when she doesn’t need you to rescue her anymore?”
Dominic stepped back and released him. “Yes, I see your logic.”
“Good.”
“You were just looking out for me as you always do.”
“Right.”
Dominic straightened his tie. “But you forgot about something.”
“What?”
“You forgot to think about how I feel about her. You didn’t think that her safety means more to me than my own life. Or yours.” He turned to Natalie. “Will you please excuse us?”
Thomas stared at him. “What are you going to do?”
“You know you’re fired.”
“Yes.”
He rolled up his sleeves. “Good, then I’ve finished talking.”
Natalie jumped up from her seat on the stairs when she saw Dominic come out of the room. “Is he okay?”
Dominic sent her a cool glance, then said, “He’ll live.”
She nodded.
He headed for the door, then stopped and looked at her, curious. “Why do you stay?”
She shrugged. “Convenience, but I’m not going to stay anymore.”
“Good, because I would like to hire you.”
“Me? To do what?”
“Be my manager.”
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She shook her head, frantic. “But I couldn’t do that.”
“You’ve already done it,” he said calmly. “It takes a clever woman to outsmart a man like Thomas. And I wouldn’t have been there for Brenda if you hadn’t made me talk to her. I didn’t hire you to be my assistant because Thomas asked me, I hired you because I knew you could do the job. Now, you’re getting a promotion. What do you say?”
Natalie hesitated, then asked, “Are you going to ask her to marry you again?”
Dominic paused. He hadn’t expected that question. “It’s still too soon.”
“You’re afraid she’ll say no.”
Dominic folded his arms and frowned with mock impatience. “You’re supposed to manage my career, not my love life.”
“One affects the other, and I want to make sure you’re balanced. I could help you pick out rings if you want.”
Dominic opened the door and couldn’t hide a smile. “I’ll let you know.”
Chapter 14
Brenda called in to work the next day and told Chuck what had happened. After spending ten minutes calming him down she assured him that she was all right and that her house was still standing. Later that morning she and Dominic drove to the house. Thankfully, everything was not destroyed, but it was not livable. The steam and water had done its damage. She spoke to her insurance company and a restoration company came right away to assess all that needed to be done.
“Thousands of dollars worth of water damage,” Brenda said with a sigh as she and Dominic sat in his sunroom. Sergeant sat by her feet. “I won’t be able to go back for weeks.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll cover it.”
“My insurance will cover it and they’ll pay for me to stay at a hotel.”
Dominic stiffened. “Why would you want to stay in a hotel when you can stay with me?”
“I think it’s better that I don’t stay here.”
“How can it be better? You should stay here. It’s my fault your house got ruined.”
“No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know that it hadn’t been installed correctly. I don’t want what has happened to change things between us.”
“Change what?” he demanded. Sergeant looked up at him worried.
“How things are working. This relationship has been great, but I think we should take it slow.”
“Slow? We’ve been seeing each other for over six months. It’s time we made a decision. I want you to move in with me.”
Brenda shook her head. “I don’t want to live with you.”
“Then marry me instead.”
She sat there blank. “What?” she choked.
“Marry me.”
Brenda lowered her head. At last she’d heard the question she’d wanted to hear, but her response surprised them both. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you deserve better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m too ambitious. I want a name of my own and with you that’s impossible. It’s petty, it’s wrong and I’m ashamed to say it but I don’t want to be in your shadow again.”
He stared at her, perplexed. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re not supposed to because it’s not your fault. You deserve a wife who will bask in the spotlight of being Mrs. Ayers. I never carried the title well.”
“Thomas told me once that you were jealous of me and I didn’t believe him.”
“He was right. At that time I was jealous. Okay, I am still a little jealous, and it’s an awful thing to admit.” She looked at her hands because she couldn’t look at him.
“Not really,” he said, forcing her to look up in surprise. “I’ve been jealous of you. You were doing research and taking the time to really make a difference. While I did fluff, by making films and lots of money. I haven’t been in a laboratory in years. I always admired your commitment to solving whatever problem you set out to.”
“I haven’t solved anything yet.”
“But you will. My name may be famous now but one day your name will go down in history.” He sighed. “I know I’ve been blind to a lot of things, and I know it’s hard being connected to me. If I could change it I would, but I can’t. But I promise you this, in our home only we will matter. You won’t have to fight for my attention; you won’t have to fight for my time. It will be yours.” He gathered her hands in his and searched her eyes. “I want you back. Not as my lover or my girlfriend but as my wife. And I won’t accept anything less.” He let her go and stood. “I know it’s a lot to think about so I’ll give you time, but I won’t have you staying in a hotel. I have a guesthouse. You can stay there for as long as you need. In a week I’ll ask you my question again. Your answer will determine whether I stay in your life or not.” He left. Sergeant sent her a canine look of pity, then followed his owner.
Five days later Brenda sat alone in the guesthouse wondering how her life had come to this. A home that was presently uninhabitable, a man she loved but couldn’t live with, and a life that suddenly seemed small. Nearly a year ago she had cared only about her project. Her entire existence depended on its success, but it no longer had that hold on her.
Months before, she’d been determined to find her Ideal Man, now she had found him only to discover that she was the problem, not him. She didn’t deserve all that he’d given her or the support of the club. She opened her wallet and looked at the membership card. She’d failed them. They’d done everything to help her and she had ruined everything.
She searched through her papers, found Rania’s number and called her.
Rania picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hello, this is Brenda.”
“Hi, Brenda, how are things?”
“I want to withdraw my membership from the Society.”
Rania was quiet a moment, then said, “Why?”
“Because I don’t have what it takes. I should be happy with my life, but I’m not. I have fantastic clothes, I learned how to cook, I’m back to illustrating and doing what I love, my project got the funds it needed, and the man I love asked me to marry him, but I can’t marry him. I don’t want to be a member anymore. This Society thing is wasted on me. Please write to whomever needs to be notified and remove all my privileges.”
Rania laughed. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“What do you mean? Marci told me she could get my privileges revoked.”
“Marci was exaggerating, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that you really don’t know what marriage is all about. You’re used to being center stage. You grew up as the only girl in a family of boys, you were always the smartest in the class. You haven’t learned how to be with others without trying to compete. Marriage is about equals.”
“That’s the problem. We’re not equals. Dominic was always better than me. I tried being a freelance illustrator and failed. He tried filmmaking and succeeded. I tried teaching and failed. He tried teaching and made an industry out of it. How can I compete with that?”
“Why do you need to?”
“Because I want to be noticed too. I need to be. I can’t spend my life as just his helpmate. That’s all my mother was. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with being a wife and mother. They’re important roles and she was happy. She is happy. But I don’t want that for myself. I want more. I want to make a difference.”
“You do make a difference every day. You’ve spent your life comparing yourself to Dominic so much you don’t realize the lives you’ve touched. Not all of us are meant to be known around the world, see our names in papers and be heard on the radio. Dominic is like a tree. You’re like a flower. Both have their place is this world and can live in harmony. Once you accept that your role is not as his shadow, but as his source, happiness will be yours.”
“His source? His source of what?”
“Brenda, no matter how strong someone is, all anyone ever needs is to be loved.”
Brenda thought about Rania
’s words as she worked late in her office. Tonight he expected an answer. She loved Dominic, but could she love him the way he needed her to? She had to go home and find out. She was about to shut off her computer when Franklin ran into her room.
“You have to help me,” he said, terror filling his voice. “You have to make him understand. He trusts you and listens to you. Tell him I didn’t mean to do it, it just happened that way.”
“What are you talking about? Tell whom what?”
He searched frantically around the room. “Please, Brenda, help me hide.”
“But I don’t understand.”
Seconds later Kendell burst into her office holding a knife.
Chapter 15
He looked awful, as though he hadn’t slept in days. His expensive shoes were cuffed and the hole on his jacket sleeve had grown larger.
Brenda stared at him. “What is going on?”
“Get out of the way, Brenda,” Kendell said. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“Kendell, put down the knife.”
He pointed it at Franklin. “I will after it has his blood on it.”
“You don’t understand,” Franklin said, desperate. “I had to do it.”
“You had to steal my ideas? You had to publish three of my papers as your own? You had to take my book proposal and submit it under your name? You really had to do all that?”
“Look, they wanted an expert on the subject. I thought I was doing you a favor. I was going to hire you as a ghost writer and split the profits.”
Kendell slowly approached him with the knife held out.
Franklin hid behind Brenda. “Do something! Talk to him.”
“There’s nothing she can say. You stole my work. I’ve slaved for months. You know my wife is divorcing me? She said that I spend too much time working. She doesn’t get how important it is to me, but you do.”
Brenda slapped Franklin’s hand away when he clutched her arm. “Kendell, he’s not worth it.”
“I may lose my job,” he said miserably. “My performance reviews aren’t the greatest and I haven’t published enough.”
“I can make sure that doesn’t happen,” she assured him.
