"Why?" Nadine came closer to him. "Aren't you from around here?"
He could smell her perfume, a subtle sweet scent that made him feel nostalgic, like he had smelled that scent sometime before, in a different time, when life was better, when he was happier. Her hazel eyes were alive with curiosity.
He felt like shocking her and telling her that of course he was from around here. He was a professor at the university of technology, heading the engineering department. He was just a man without a place to stay. His wife had done the unthinkable and he just needed a chance to unwind and sleep tonight before he could process what on earth he was going to do next.
When he found himself saying just that, he watched as her eyes widened in shock. He sighed and got in the car. "Well, goodnight then."
"Wait," she said. "I have a furnished apartment, in Smoky Vale. It's not far from here. I usually reserve it for visiting artistes. It is close to the studio in a private and secure gated complex. It has a lovely view of the city and nobody is staying there now."
"You don't know me," Brandon said softly, looking into her concerned eyes.
"You are the guy that brought my sister back to us," Nadine said, "and it seems as if you need a place to crash…one is available. Wait here, I'll get the key."
Brandon relaxed in the seat and closed his eyes. He was feeling somewhat bemused. He hadn't counted on the fact that his one Good Samaritan deed would result in him getting a place to stay tonight.
She came back to the window and handed him the key. "It's apartment number three, Smoky Vale Terrace."
"Thanks, I'll bring this back tomorrow," he said, jingling the key. Suddenly he felt bone tired, like too many things had gone on and he needed to blank out.
"No worries," Nadine said, nodding. "Here's my card; you can call me."
He took the card and drove off, leaving her standing in the middle of the driveway staring after him.
Chapter Two
Nadine turned to go back into the house long after the car had reversed out of the yard. Tara was standing at the door with a cross look on her face.
"They are arguing about me and where I am supposed to live. Dad is the loudest one, as usual. Even the stepfather is here. What are they doing here, anyway?"
Nadine looked at her sister and frowned. "Can you imagine they actually care about you? They descended upon the house, all thinking that you had disappeared. Mom thought you had gone to Dad, as you sometimes do to freak her out, and Dad thought you had gone to Mom. Where were you for three days, T?"
"With Trey, but we were at a party at Roy's house and then Trey's girlfriend came over with her kid and then a fight started."
"A fight?" Nadine shuddered. "You weren't hurt?" She didn't even bother to ask who Trey was, or any of the other persons that Tara mentioned. Tara changed boyfriends regularly and short of locking her up in a mini-prison somewhere, the family was pretty much resigned to the fact that she was going to do what she wanted to do.
"The fight wasn't between me and Trey at first. It was with him and his skank girlfriend. I said I was leaving and then Trey threatened me and tried to hold me down and then I ran out of the place and..." she sighed. "It was ugly…shouting and screaming and then he pulled out his gun and... It was a good thing I met Brandon at the gas station. I just got out of there."
Nadine shuddered when she heard the patchy account of Tara's fight. "This Trey person had a gun?"
"Yep," Tara said. "It is legal, though. He is a security guard."
"Yeah, right." Nadine sighed. Her sister's life was more drama filled at fifteen than hers was at twenty-five.
"Daddy said he is going to get Trey locked up for statutory rape. He said he is going hunt him down, as if I am going to tell them who Trey really is. Trey didn't even know that I was fifteen, and he doesn't know that I am a Langley. I wish they would all go away. Mom, Dad, the witch!"
"Heather is not a witch," Nadine scolded. "She was the first one to tell me that you were missing. She was frantic with worry. She came here tonight and gathered the troops together. We had just gotten off the phone with a detective friend of Dad's when you showed up."
"It figures that it was the witch who was concerned about me, and she's just a stepmother," Tara sighed dramatically. "My real parents didn't even miss me for three whole days. I am just a waste of space."
Nadine stood in front of her sister and tried to work out what to say. As her big sister she had tried to counsel Tara in the past. Their parents had gone to counseling with her but Tara was determined to punish them for turning her world topsy-turvy. She wanted them to hurt for finding other partners, and she was succeeding.
Nadine felt impotent in the face of all of this teenage angst and rebellion. She and Tara were chalk and cheese, maybe because they had vastly different childhoods.
She had spent most of her time with her grandparents on both sides of the family. With Gramps Langley she had learned how to play several musical instruments and create sounds. She had literally grown up learning how to produce music. It had been a joy to spend so much time in the studio. That had been her life; she had not gotten the chance to be a rebellious teenager.
On the other hand, Tara had no such outlet. She found the whole musical side of things boring. Instead, she was fixated on the fact that her life had changed for the worse.
Tara had taken the divorce hard. She had just been ten, the center of their parents’ universe, and then it all changed.
"We have come to a conclusion," her father said behind Tara. "We are sending you to your grandparents in the country. When they are finished with you, I'll see if you will continue to be such a brat. Something has to be done before you end up on drugs, or worse."
"Oh Lord, not that," Tara rolled her eyes. “They don't even have Internet in their poky little country house, and they don't have cable television. Daddy, please, no!"
"It will do you good," Will Langley said gruffly. "Tara, you are just fifteen, and you went missing for three days. Do you know how that makes me feel?"
Tara snorted unrepentantly. "It should make you feel like you want your original family back."
Her father grunted. "It's not going to happen, Tara. Accept it."
"Never," Tara hissed. " I am not related to your wife or Mommy's husband and new baby. I hate them all and if you send me to the grandparents’ I'll just run away again."
Her father gave her an exasperated look. "Where would you run to? They live in a remote area of the Blue Mountains. You'll love it; you can help out at the Inn they operate there."
"No!" Tara turned to Nadine. "Nads, don't let them make me."
Nadine looked at her father, who had a determined expression on his face. She thought it was a brilliant idea. Away from the city and all the distractions, maybe Tara would learn some old-fashioned values.
She had stayed with her mother's parents in the Blue Mountains every summer until she was eighteen, and it had been rustic and fun. Her grandparents were strict, God-fearing people who subscribed to simplicity and good living, and there was always something to do and new people to meet when hikers stopped by overnight on their way to Blue Mountain Peak.
She then looked at Tara's pleading expression and shook her head. "Sorry Tara. I am actually siding with them this time."
Tara's face crumpled. "I can't believe you hate me too. I should have just spent the night with Brandon."
Will Langley threw his hands up in the air and turned to go back inside. "This girl, this girl, I don't know...get ready to leave in five minutes, Tara. We should get out of Nadine's hair; she needs her sleep. You are coming home with me."
"You'll be fine." Nadine patted Tara on her unyielding back.
"Thanks for nothing," Tara growled. "All of you make me sick."
She stormed back inside and then spun around. "Don't you go catching feelings for Brandon; he's married. I saw the way you were looking at him just now!"
Nadine chuckled dryly. "He was not that visible in the semi-dark."
"Yes, he was," Tara insisted. "He's really good looking and you spent a long time looking after him when his car went down the driveway."
"I don't think your judgment holds any credibility right now," Nadine said without heat. "I will never date a married man, no matter how fine he is."
She completely ignored the part of her that was eagerly waiting to see him tomorrow when he returned the key to the apartment.
Chapter Three
Ashley Blake sat in the spacious living room in a silk robe, a cup of tea in her hand. Her friend Regina sat before her.
"You should just divorce Brandon now. Cut off all ties; get full custody of the kids. Take the house. Do it before he does. I saw him tonight; he looked as if he was a man who could cause serious problems for you."
"No!" Ashley stood up and looked outside at the walkway. "This is all your fault, Regina."
"My fault? Really? Your time with Brandon ran its course a long time ago. Divorce him before he divorces you," Regina urged
Ashley felt like yelling for Regina to stop and get out but she kept her voice even. She learned a long time ago that Regina had to be handled with care; she could be dangerous and she knew too many secrets.
Ashley kept her tone even and turned to Regina. "I mean, I could divorce him now and he wouldn't put up a fight, but he will fight for custody of the kids. He loves them."
"That's your bargaining tool, then," Regina said. "Make him pay. You have something that he wants, and don't go all soft on him; Brandon is from a wealthy family. Isn't that why you married him in the first place and did that elaborate church-sister-thingy?"
"No!" Ashley yelped. "I love Brandon. That's why I married him. Love. Nothing else. I have always felt so unworthy of him in a way because of my background and...you know."
Regina snorted. "No, I don't."
"Brandon is so nice. He's caring and loyal and he's a family man. I feel so bad about him finding out..."
"Oh, shut up already about him finding out. I told him about that before you guys got married and he still got married to you. He wanted to marry you so much eight years ago that he ignored everything. Too bad for him. Nice guys finish last." Regina grinned wickedly. "Kick him to the curb. It is high time."
"I have to play this very carefully," Ashley moved away from the curtains and looked at Regina fully. "I can't just kick him to the curb as callously as you are suggesting. The boutique is finally in the black and we are doing quite well, but Brandon has always filled in if there is a shortfall, and he takes care of the house—and private school fees for the kids are not cheap. Besides, I feel very bad about this whole thing tonight."
Ashley sank into the armchair closest to her. She carefully placed the cup of tea on the side table and looked up at Regina, who was looking at her expectantly.
"You have to go, Regina. I need some time alone."
"No, Ashley," Regina said forcefully. "I am here with you through thick and thin. I got your back."
"I know that you have my back," Ashley said tiredly. "I am not sure what I want to do just yet. Maybe I still have a chance with Brandon. I could call him, beg his forgiveness."
"No." Regina crouched down beside Ashley's chair. "I am all you need."
Ashley frowned. She hated when Regina got all possessive and needy. She was feeling a little revulsion about what happened earlier and for getting caught. She didn’t want Regina around while she struggled to come to terms with the look of fiery condemnation that she had seen in Brandon's eyes, the look that said it was over.
He hadn't articulated it but she had felt it and it was making her feel afraid, repentant and slightly nauseous.
Her conscience, which she had thought was dormant, was well and truly awakened, making her feel like the lowest of the low. She felt exactly like the time when her dad had caught her stealing when she was in first grade. Back then she had wanted the floor to open up and swallow her alive. She was kind of feeling that way now, hours after Brandon had left the house.
She did not want to break up her family, at least not now. Though she had always thought that leaving Brandon would be a breeze, and to be honest she had considered doing just that at various times over the years, she had not prepared herself for him to do it first.
The first six months after their marriage, she seriously considered just leaving him and calling it a day. Carlos King, her colleague at the bank where she had worked, had inspired some wayward thoughts in her and she had tried to resist him, but seven months to the day after she said “I do” to Brandon she and Carlos had indulged in a very torrid affair. Carlos had made her feel normal. She could be herself with him, and not as if she was playing a role, which she felt she was doing 99% of the time with Brandon.
She had contemplated leaving Brandon then but she had stayed when Alisha was born and the affair with Carlos fizzled out. A pregnant married woman was not all that attractive to him.
Since then her rocky relationship with Brandon had seen many ups and downs. Mostly downs. To be honest, she was not the typical wife, at least not the kind of wife that Brandon wanted, and one day she just got tired of pretending.
She knew that Brandon wanted a woman that was patterned after his mother, the paragon of virtue, Beatrice Blake.
She hated the fact that she was not the best wife she could be; she liked to be the best at everything. She liked to win and her marriage pointed out to her every day that she had failed. Right now, she did not expect this feeling of guilt, which seemed to be humming along her nerves. It was telling her that she had gambled with her marriage and lost.
Regina clutched her hand and her nails dug into her wrist. Ashley shook her off and got up.
"It's late. Alisha has a field trip tomorrow and I have to pick her up from her grandmother's and take her to school earlier than usual."
"I can sleep over." Regina gave her a meaningful look. "It's not as if Brandon will be here glowering about my presence and there are no kids—just you and me, like old times."
"No, just go." Ashley went toward the front door.
"Can I come over tomorrow?" Regina asked, walking behind Ashley with no haste in her steps.
Ashley opened the door and waited for an eternity while Regina stopped and looked at her contemplatively.
"I'll call you," Ashley said, knowing she wouldn't. She had reached almost the end of her tether with Regina. If Regina hadn't come over earlier threatening to expose her latest secret she wouldn't be in this predicament now.
She slumped on the door weakly when Regina finally left. She was in deep trouble. She may have used up all her chances with Brandon.
Chapter Four
Brandon let himself into the two-bedroom apartment at Smoky Vale Terrace and breathed a sigh of relief. The place was a far cry from the dusty accommodations at his sister’s. It was spacious and simply furnished. It had black leather settees in the living room, a glass center table, and a black and white zebra rug.
The black and white theme continued into the bedrooms, and he chose the bigger one with the king-sized bed.
Before he threw himself down into the inviting bed, he opened the windows around the apartment to let in fresh air. It was chilly outside, especially since it had rained earlier and it was nearing December.
He then headed to the shower and looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn't changed physically, he reassured himself; he hadn't grown a streak of white hair from excessive stress. For a moment tonight he had thought that he very well could have.
He headed into the shower and closed his eyes under the driving water and tried to keep the recall at bay. The incident with Tara had distracted him somewhat and had turned out to be a blessing. At least he had a place to stay tonight but that had proven to be a small respite; it just helped him to sweep the rage aside for a while.
Now he felt his heart rate gathering speed as the day appeared in his mind's eye. He had woken up at six o’clock as usual, and he had gone to the children's room. Alisha had kicked off the cover
s and was curled up in a ball, her hands under her chin in a pose of supplication. He hated to wake her up when she looked that peaceful but he had to if they were going to beat the traffic and get to school on time.
He shook her awake and watched as her eyelids slowly fluttered and she opened her eyes sleepily.
"Come on, honey," he had whispered to her, "time to get going."
He always stood and watched that she didn't go back to sleep. When he was satisfied that she was functionally awake, he went over to Ariel's bed.
Ariel was a little harder to get out of bed but he managed it eventually, carrying her to the shower and giving her a quick warm bath and then getting her dressed.
He put her in the playpen in the living room and went to have his own shower. He did this as stealthily as he could because Ashley did not enjoy being woken up before seven.
She had no idea what their routine was in the morning. He was the one who concerned himself about what to get them for breakfast. He was the one who fielded the questions and listened to the comments about school.
This morning was the usual chitchat and banter with him and the girls. Ashley came down the stairs sleepily.
"Morning family," she said to them generally and headed for the teapot.
"Mommy, I have a field trip to the art museum tomorrow," Alisha said, talking with her mouth almost full of scrambled eggs.
"Good," Ashley said. "In my days at prep school we never had stuff like that."
Brandon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Ashley. She never went to prep school. Ashley had grown up rough in the ghetto and had gone to a government school near where she lived. These days she was creating a fantasy past in order to impress the people around her. He had spoken to her about it but that discussion ended up in an argument.
"Miss Jackson said that we can even paint our own pictures," Alisha said. "I am really looking forward to it."
"Who is Miss Jackson again?" Ashley looked at him curiously.
On the Rebound Page 2
