A Taste of Temptation(49)
“He’s just scared, and doesn’t want to get hurt again.”
“But he doesn’t mind me feeling the pain, huh?”
“This may be little consolation to you, but you still have me.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard lately. Oh, speaking of news, Derrick came by yesterday and told me Monica was arrested.”
“That’s great! Also a little sad. I thought she had more sense than that.”
“You never know people. She tried taking away your scholarship, destroyed computer and student files, and God knows what else. Anything she could do to break us apart, she tried.”
“Unsuccessfully.”
“That’s the awesome part, because I still have you.”
Thank God!
“I can’t wait to get out of here and finish the last few days before the semester ends.”
“I think the people handling your classes are more than prepared to fill in for you for the next few weeks.” His eyelids began to get heavy, and she gently kissed his lips. “You go back to sleep. I’ll be back later today. All I want now is to crash on Aunt Theresa’s spare bed and sleep.”
“Why there?”
“Tell you later.”
* * *
The elevator doors opened, and out stepped Greg and Destiny. Brandi could hardly believe it; he was the last person she expected to see in Queens. “Greg?”
He flashed a sheepish grin. “Yeah, it’s me and the rugrat!”
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“What can I say? Your words really made me think. I need my brother, and he needs me.”
“I’m so glad you decided to come.” She hugged Destiny. “You finally get to meet your Uncle Tim.”
“He’s all Dad talked about in the car.”
Greg pulled Brandi’s arm, looking at her with sad eyes. “I don’t get a hug?”
“Of course you do.” They embraced one another with a heartfelt hug. Greg pulled back, smiling. “Are you and Tim on better terms?”
“I have my Tim back. Does that answer your question?”
“The joy on your face tells it all.”
Brandi pointed down the hall. “He hasn’t been sleeping long, but I know you’re anxious to see him. Destiny can’t go in, though.”
“You know the routine, Destiny.” He pointed to the waiting room. “The only way I could bring her up here was to promise the nurse I would leave her in the waiting room…that and dinner with her tonight.”
“Is she cute?”
“Not my style.”
“Really? What is your style?”
You. “No one, lately.” He turned in the direction of the room. “I guess I had better do this.”
Brandi sensed his hesitation. “Don’t be afraid of your brother.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. I can see it on your face.”
“I’m just a little nervous. After all, I haven’t seen him since he was about eighteen or something. I just don’t know how he’ll react to me.”
“There’s only one way to find out. Open the door and go in.”
“Will you come with me?”
“Sure, but don’t you want to spend some time alone with him?”
“Brandi, I don’t know how to be alone with him. I mean, when he wakes up he’s not going to want to see me, a stranger. He’ll be looking for you. I’m probably not what he needs right now.”
“You’re exactly what he needs, so stop second-guessing yourself.”
He slowly walked in, approached the bed and looked down at his brother—wanting to smile, wanting to hug him for the first time ever. Then he noticed the bruises. “Still a fighter, I see.”
“He got those from the fall.”
“Right.” He inspected Tim a bit longer. “We really do look alike, don’t we?”
“The eyes and personalities are different.”
As if not hearing her comment, he kept talking, half to himself. “He really grew up on me. No more baby brother; look at those arms.”
“No, he is not a baby. He turned thirty in January.”
“I remember, January ninth. What I don’t remember is what he’s like. It’s been so long, you know.” He felt so ashamed getting that kind of information on his own brother from a relative stranger.
Brandi leaned over Tim and smoothed his hair back. “He’s wonderful, kind, a good man. He always tries to do the right things, always sees the good in people despite how they act, at least until they betray him.”
“That’s a professor for you. Where does he teach?”
“Columbia. He teaches English lit there.”
“Columbia! I knew the guy was smart, but I didn’t know he was that smart. I guess I’ve let too many ghosts keep us apart.”
“So you really didn’t read any of his letters.”
“No, that’s why I don’t know my own brother.”
“But you will. You’ll have plenty of time to do that. Speaking of that, where are you and Destiny staying?”
“Nowhere! But if you don’t think he would mind, I’d like to stay at his house.”
“Are you kidding? He would love that. Tell you what, after classes today I’ll go over and clean up, have it all ready for you two. I’ll even make dinner. But just stay here and visit with him; he’ll wake up soon.”
“Can’t you stay?”
“You need time with him. There’s so much to know, and you might as well start today. When you get to the house maybe I’ll have everything done. Hey, maybe I’ll invite my aunt. You’ll like her.”
Greg smiled, and then turned back to Tim with a concerned expression on his face.
After the dinner dishes were cleared, and Destiny shipped off to play on Tim’s computer, she and Greg started talking, getting to know one another better. Greg sipped his piping hot coffee. “I’m glad you’re in his life. Maybe you can give him something our family never gave him. That’s why I’m here; I want a brother again. I actually missed the guy.”
“He wants the same things. Didn’t he tell you that today?”
“He didn’t wake up. But like I said, I was trapped inside a ghost and it was hard getting away from it. As kids, we were taught to avoid emotions at all costs. Entertaining a humorous thought just wasn’t done, but Tim was always a little different, always a free spirit, from what I remember. I guess our lives finally caught up with him, though. That’s why I was actually glad for him when he turned eighteen and entered Princeton. I thought he could finally be happy, but I understand he wasn’t.”
“He’s getting there, but it’s a slow road, Greg.”
“I heard his marriage to Charlotte was a sham.”
“From what he told me, yes. I just hope I can make him happy. God knows he’s had his share of disappointments.”
“I can already tell by the look on his face as he sleeps that he’s more at peace, and I think you’re the reason.”
“I want to be.”
“The only time I remember being truly happy was when Destiny was born. She was so beautiful and perfect, and I knew it was my task to take better care of her than our parents had us. She is really all I have; But at twelve, she can really be something.”
“That’s a tough age for girls. I was hell on wheels at that age.” She leaned back in her seat, her coffee mug held between her hands. “I guess I’m still boy crazy—but over one boy. I can’t believe I almost lost him. Thankfully, I grew up, enrolled at Madison and got the scholarship.”
“I had no idea all of this was going on with him. Pays to read the mail, doesn’t it?”
“I doubt he had time to write about us. We spent every waking second together, outside his work and my classes. At first, he would hardly talk about you. I had to drag it out of him.”
“When something bothered him, he always kept it to himself.”
The doorbell rang and Brandi jumped up. “That’s got to be my Aunt Theresa. She has this giant crush on Tim, so I know she’ll go hog-wild over you.”
“Why is that?”
She kept talking as she ran to the door: “Because you two are just about the spitting image of each other.”
Brandi returned with her arm around the shoulder of a woman as pretty as she, but older. “This is my Aunt Theresa; she just got back from some conference in Boston. Theresa, this is…”
“Brandi, I already know Timothy. Who could forget him?”
Greg stood and kissed her hand. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not Tim. I’m his brother, Greg.”
Theresa’s mouth flew open. “Oh, God!” She turned to Brandi. “Two of them? How delicious!” She immediately took his hand and walked into the living room with him, still speaking to Brandi. “You have one, and I have one. A cool deal, don’t you think?”
Brandi saw the interested look in Greg’s eyes and decided to let them get acquainted.
* * *
When Brandi walked into Tim’s room the next morning, he and Greg were talking. That’s when she knew for sure finding Greg was no mistake; the look on Tim’s face confirmed it. She walked to the bed and kissed his waiting lips. He tried to put his arms around her, but the pain in his ribs wouldn’t permit it.