A Taste of Temptation(34)
“Maybe it would be believable if everything else wasn’t true.”
“Like?”
“My father scaring you. He knows I’m mad at him.”
“So am I.” He stared into her eyes. “Are you okay?’
“Do I look okay? Look, make this quick because Dad will be home soon, and I don’t want to hear his mouth. I don’t want to hear yours as well, trying to explain to me why we can’t be together. Nothing would have happened to me. You just got spooked.”
“Brandi, that’s so untrue. Someone doesn’t want us together and I…”
“I think that’s you and Dad. So, why are you here?”
“If I was scared of being with you for whatever reason, would I have moved to Columbia just so we could be together?”
Made sense, but she was mad. She lowered her eyes to the floor. “Maybe it’s that fear of relationships thing haunting you again. I don’t know what it is, but what do you want?”
“Just to see if you’re okay. I’m concerned about you, and I’m sorry things have happened this way.”
“So am I.” Tears started welling in her eyes. “Can you please leave, since you’re not interested in working things out.”
“There’s nothing to work out. All we have to do is wait.”
“How long? We’ve had this conversation before. It wasn’t convincing then, and it still isn’t.”
“Please, just trust me.”
“I trusted Eric, and look what it got me.”
“I’m not Eric, and I just need a little time.”
Tiring of the conversation, she walked to the front door and opened it. “What do you really want, Tim?”
The opened door meant that things were over between them. He had forgotten the gift was in his briefcase. When he remembered, he opened it, placing the small package in her hand. “I just want you to have your gift.”
“I don’t want it. Take it back.”
“It’s yours, keep it.”
“Look, all I want is for you to leave, and take this gift with you. You left me cold, now want to warm up all of a sudden. You’re nuts.”
“You and I are not over, whether I’m nuts or not. Please, can’t we go somewhere and talk?”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous for us? Now, do I need to call the police to get you out of my house?’
His eyes bore into hers. “You would do that?”
Tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks over the sound of his voice. “Tim, just leave. If you love me like you say you do, you’ll leave me alone. This on and off thing is terrible.”
“I can’t believe this.”
She pushed the door further open, and he moved to the screen door. Before he stepped out, he tried one more plea but she stopped him. “Just leave!” Her words choked through the tears, rolling down her face.
He put her gift into his pocket and watched as she slowly closed the door. Through the closed door, he could hear her crying, and hated himself for somehow letting her down.
Tim woke to the sound of his doorbell ringing. He peered through his curtains and saw his co-worker, Dean Mori, at his door. Tim cursed under his breath. What the hell is it now? He opened the door. “Dean. What’s going on? I thought you were preparing for surgery?”
“Something last minute came up. My doctor wants me to have the surgery earlier than April, and I won’t be able to go back to work so soon after that. Colletti can’t do it because of midterms, so Mr. Moore told me to talk to you and get you signed up immediately. I have the paperwork.”
“Do we have to do this now?”
“Afraid so. The new school year starts soon, and they need the paperwork as of last week. After all, this is your project. You’re second in charge after Colletti. They wanted me to have it first, since you were new to the school and still getting used to being there. This is really important, Tim.”
“I know, Dean, but April is when my class will have their midterms as well.”
“Adams will take care of that. Besides, Niagara Falls in April is beautiful; wish I could go.”
Thoughts of Brandi entered his mind. She and I will be there together, in a motel. No problem, she hates me anyway, so how could anything happen? “Dean, this is just a little much on me right now. I don’t think I’ll do it justice with all that’s going on with me.”
“What’s going on?”
“Too much to talk about in one night.”
“Are you going to be okay over the holiday? Seems like there’s some heavy stuff going on with you.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“You should be with your family on the holiday.”
“I should have a family worth being with.”
That took the man by surprise. “Well, you could come over. Sasha and I are having a few friends over. You’re always welcome.”
“Maybe. Thanks for the invite.”
“So, pal, will you do Niagara?’
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not this time, guy. You will do a good job.” He looked at his watch. “Gotta go. I’m on my way to the airport to pick up my youngest son, Jeremy. Think about the invite.”
“I will.”
Tim walked him to the door. After he was gone, Tim looked at the bottle of liquor on the table, and it was looking better and better by the minute.
The day after Christmas, Tiffany slowly opened Brandi’s bedroom door; she was lying across her bed whimpering. She walked in and sat next to her friend. “Brandi, your mother called me.”
Brandi took a tissue, patting her eyes dry. “Why?”
“Why do you think? You cried all day Christmas day and now. Is it still about Tim?”
“You really are a smart one, aren’t you?”
“Brandi, this is serious.”
“It is serious. Tim and I are through. He was looking for a way out because of my father and society’s views on interracial relationships.”
“Don’t blame it on that.”
“I’m not. He is.”
“And you know this for sure? He told you this.”
“Not in so many words.”
“Then ask him, Brandi. Get to the real dirt and ask him. Stop being so stupid. The man has a good reason. Someone’s been attacking him. I think that you wanted him so much that the least little mishap has clouded your mind. Brandi, listen to reason. The man is crazy about you and you’re messing it up. I sure wish I were in your shoes. A good man is hard to find.”
Brandi wiped her eyes. “I…I know. I’ve been thinking about that all day and last night. I tried calling him, but couldn’t reach him.”
“Did you go to his house?”
“Although he told me not to, yes, I did, but he wasn’t home, Tiffany. He, he wasn’t home.”
She started crying and Tiffany took her into her arms, trying to console her. “Brandi? Brandi. Call him now. He may be home, since his favorite movie is on television.”
“Animal House? He must be home.”
“Then call.”
Brandi reached for the tiny cell phone, stared at it for a while, and then punched in Tim’s number. They held their breath as the phone rang…and rang. Then his recording came on: “You have reached Timothy Polaris. I can’t take your call now. Leave me a message at the beep.”
Brandi’s voice shook as she spoke. “Tim, please pick up. I really need to talk to you. I’m really, really sorry for doubting you, and I need to tell you this face to face.”
She started crying again and Tiffany quickly took the phone, trying to console her. The crying continued as Tiffany held her tight. “He’ll call you back. I know he will.”
On his end, Tim heard Brandi crying. He lay on the couch, replaying the message over and over in his mind. He felt awful for Brandi, but felt she was right about him not being secure with relationships. But he loved her beyond reality, and in such a short amount of time. The last thing he had wanted to do was hurt her. Yes, staying apart would definitely be best. She would get over him—but would he get over her was the question?
He picked up his glass of wine and continued watching Animal House, but not even it could take his mind from the only woman he knew he had ever loved. His phone rang again. He quickly answered it, thinking it was Brandi. His spirits dropped when he heard Monica Shang on the other end. “Yes, Monica, what is it?”
“I have an extra ticket all of a sudden for Breck’s Dinner Theater. My wonderful boyfriend was called out of town for his job. Would you like to go with me?”
“When is it?”
“The thirtieth of this month.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Sure. I’m not doing anything else. I’ll be back in town by that time.”
“Where are you going?”
“Maybe to find my brother, or go to my cabin up north. I could use some family right now; even the worst family is better than nothing.”
“Has something happened?”
“A lot, but I don’t want to get into it.”
CHAPTER 16
Brandi listened to the exchange between Eric and her father. They were still a little strained around each other because of what went on between her and Eric, but Mr. Miles tried to be tolerant because of his friendship with Mr. Fontaine. Eric would have been her father’s top pick if he had kept his hands off other women. She knew Eric still wanted to try again, but her heart wasn’t having any part of Eric romantically. They were friends; they had agreed on that, and there was no slipping back. She watched her father being friendly with Eric, wishing he could be that way with Tim. Her dad still had a color problem, though ultimately the problem was hers, because Tim was nowhere around. That was why Mr. Miles was smiling like a Cheshire cat. He said it was the Christmas holidays, but Brandi knew better.