They shared another long passionate kiss as the rain pounded down on them.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Brandon said, staring down at her.
“I got on the plane. And then I changed my mind. I decided I wanted to take you up on your offer. Instead of running away, I decided to fight for us. I wanted to give us one final chance. I didn’t want to leave on bad terms. You didn’t even kiss me goodbye.”
He cupped her face. “You didn’t get on the plane. Why didn’t you call me?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Marj, that plane crashed. They told me you were dead! It’s all over the news that you were killed in a horrible plane accident.”
She gasped. “I didn’t know that!”
“I was crazy with grief.”
“I’m so sorry. If I had known, I would’ve called you straight away and told you I was okay.” She glanced toward the road. “Now I know why I had to fight through all the press outside the gates. And why they all looked like deer in the headlights when they saw me. Guess I gave them a heart attack. Or a big scoop for the nightly news.”
“I thought I lost everything. And I pictured us having a family…and living this beautiful life together. And when I thought you were dead, I felt like my heart had been torn out and that my life was over. I knew my life would never be the same without you in it.”
“I’m gonna cry,” she said. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life loving you.”
“You made me see that there is more to life than just work. I don’t ever want to go back to the dreary and lonely existence ever again.”
“You can have both. You just need balance, baby.”
Brandon gazed over at the reporters peering through the black fence and snapping pictures.
“I think we gave them quite a show,” he said. “Maybe now they’ll finally realize we’re truly in love.”
“It’s about time.”
“We better get inside.”
Chapter 15
“Think we can get into Locust?” Brandon asked.
“We probably could, but I’d rather do something else,” she said mischievously.
He shot her a devilish grin. “What’s on your mind, Mrs. Cates?”
“There’s this thing I used to love, and I haven’t done it since I married a rich guy. Brandon Cates, you’re about to be acquainted with Redbox.”
He smiled. “Which is what exactly?”
“It’s this vending machine outside drug stores and discount stores where you can rent a movie for a dollar.”
“Rent a movie? On DVD? We have Amazon and Netflix. We can watch practically anything on demand. Why rent a disc?”
“Because, you can get the instant gratification of the DVD in hand for a buck or like a buck fifty if it’s a new release. We can seriously get all the Oscar nominees at once!”
“Do you like the Oscar nominees?”
“Yeah. And it’s available. Movies for the masses. Let’s go find something to rent.”
Marj led him out of the bar and down several blocks until she found a Redbox outside a dollar store. She showed him how to lift the sunshade, insert a debit card and scroll through the touchscreen menu.
“Many of these are children’s movies. And things starring comedians carrying guns.”
“Snob. Pick one.”
“We don’t have children, so I suppose it has to be comedians. Do you prefer a woman comedian with a gun or a male comedian with a gun?”
“The guy one looks like it has ghosts and the girl one has cops. Let’s go cops.”
“Why are the enormous firearms necessary on the poster?”
“So you know it’s irreverent, and also that it will involve a chase scene and someone getting shot in the butt. It’s standard,” she assured him as they made their selection.
Back at the house, Marj managed to locate a packet of microwave popcorn and prepare it. She upended the steaming contents into a bowl, the virulent orange fake butter clinging to her hands from opening the bag. She joined Brandon on the couch as he fumbled with the DVD.
“It’s been literally years since I’ve used a DVD player.”
“It’s a Blu-ray. You paid twenty-five cents extra for the enhanced disc,” she informed him.
“That would explain why it feels so elegant,” he deadpanned. The previews began, and he turned to Marj, “I don’t ever want this kind of misunderstanding between us again. I want to be with you, not just six months from now. I want us to be together for real. Forever. So I have to be up front about what’s going on with Lena on the legal front and with the press slandering us and all that. And you have to be open about your volunteering and your insecurities and why you went out and broke bacon with the Wicked Queen.”