Diamonds and Dreams (28 page)

She
didn’t let go of his hand as she ushered him inside.
 
Seeing the clothing strewn about, he laughed
and remarked, “Still the same
ol
’ Lindsay—the world’s
worst housekeeper.”
 
His expression
turned serious again when he asked, “Why didn’t you write or call me?”

“What
was the point?
 
If we kept hanging onto
each other and trying to retain the closeness we shared, the pain of being
apart would’ve been too strong.”

Leading
him over to the sofa, Lindsay sat down beside Brant and felt a surge of
happiness at being close to him again.
 
It had been too long since she saw him and lately she denied herself
even the memories of their love because they would’ve increased the agony of
being separated from him.

“You
don’t know how many times I wanted to contact you,” Brant confided to her, “but
I thought you might not want to see me, especially after I read about you and
Derek Eden.
 
Finally, I decided to take
the chance anyway, so I asked
Serita
for your
address.”

“I’m
glad.”
 
She felt his arm slip around her
and then he pulled her closer to him.
 
“My stubborn pride got in the way or I would’ve called you, Brant.
 
Also, I didn’t think there was any use in
writing if our relationship was over.”

“Never mind.
 
How’s the new job going?”

“Fine,
but I’m finally realizing that my career isn’t everything.”

His
brow raised, but he didn’t seize the opportunity to coax her to return to
Columbus.
 
This time he intended to give
her space.
 
She leaned against him,
resting her head on his muscular chest where she heard the steady beating of
his heart.

I feel
like I just returned from a long, hard journey,
she
thought, savoring this moment.

Brant
gently hugged her as his fingers traced tiny circles on her shoulder, making
her skin tingle.
 
As he held her tighter,
she felt his warm breath tickling her neck.
 
Tilting her head upward, she met his lips that brushed against her own,
lightly at first, then firmer as they melded in a kiss so intense that it
banished all the hurt of the past month.
 
Safe in Brant’s arms, Lindsay forgot the recent scandal involving Derek,
the continual pressure to maintain the high ratings on her program, and her
loneliness.
 
None of it mattered
anymore.
 
Only being with Brant, whom she
almost shut out of her life for good, was important now.

“Would
you like something to drink, Brant?”

“No, thanks.
 
I just want to sit here and enjoy the view of you.”

“How
long will you be in town?”

“I’m
not sure yet.
 
I took a week of my
vacation.”

“Do
you need a place to stay?”

He
shook his head.
 
“I have a room at the
Essex House.”

Later
that afternoon Brant slipped up on Lindsay while she held her hand to her
forehead and hunched over the kitchen table.
 
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, concerned.

She
looked up at him with tired eyes.
 
“Uh, huh.
 
I feel a
little drained; that’s all.
 
The tension
that came with my new job never bothered me at the time, but this new scandal
left its mark on me.”

“So
I see.”
 
Dark circles cast shadows under
her eyes and her shoulders, normally straight and squared, slumped.
 
For the first time since the night
Rafe
tried to attack her, Lindsay didn’t look like the
woman who was in command of nearly everything in her life.
 
“You worry too much about competing and
keeping up a sparkling clean image.
 
No
one expects you to be perfect, Lindsay.”

“I’m
in the public eye, especially after I was foolish enough to be seen in so many
places with Derek.
 
It’s important that I
watch every move I make in the future to protect my job.”

“You
go to extremes.
 
Look at what it’s doing
to you.
 
You’re irritable and your eyes
are so bloodshot that you look like you haven’t slept well in ages.”

“I
am
exhausted,” she admitted, rubbing
her temples for several seconds.

“Take
my advice—catch up on your rest, even if it means arranging to go on a
vacation.
 
Too much brooding about
everything that’s happened recently will not only cause your spirit to feel
low, but your health will start to deteriorate next.”

“I’ll
be fine.
 
Hard work and clean living never
hurt anyone.”

“Why
don’t you take a nap?
 
I’ll make sure
that no one disturbs you.”

“I
wouldn’t be able to sleep…too restless.”

“Then
let’s get you some exercise.
 
We’ll go to
the tennis court.
 
Change your clothes;
get your racket and I’ll do the same.”

“I
don’t play tennis well.”

“Then
you’ll learn…c’mon!”

Forty
minutes later on the court, Brant realized that Lindsay hadn’t been kidding
when she said she played a poor game of tennis.
 
When she attempted to serve the ball, she managed to get it across the
net, but before she kept a good rally going, her devastating backhand sent the
ball flying constantly out of bounds.

“Whew!”
Brant muttered.
 
“Maybe you could use a
few pointers first.”

He
proved to be a patient teacher as he instructed her on how to play a good game
of tennis.
 
As he stood behind her,
showing her how to correctly hold her racket, his warm arms brushed against
hers and she could feel his hot breath on her neck as he talked.
 
How am
I supposed to concentrate on tennis when his very nearness makes me dizzy with
desire?
she
asked herself.

Amazingly,
her game improved two hours later.
 
“I
even won a couple of points,” she chatted excitedly as she and Brant prepared
to leave the court.

Perspiration
dotted Brant’s forehead as the warm autumn sun shone down upon him.
 
“Let’s go get something cold to drink,” he
said,
his mouth dry and parched.

She
felt breathless, too.
 
“Great
idea.
 
All that exercise wore me
out, but oddly, I feel refreshed.
 
It
just dawned on me that I spent several hours without thinking about my problems
a single time.”

“You’ll
have dinner with me later, won’t you?” he invited.

“I’ll
do better than that; I’ll fix it at my house.”

“Great.
 
As soon as I drop you off at home, I’ll go clean
up,
then
meet you at your place in about forty-five
minutes.”

At
home Lindsay took a cool, invigorating shower before changing into a pair of
white cotton crops and a new lavender blouse.
 
Brant did the same and arrived shortly, wearing tan pants and a brown
knit shirt.
 
As she walked with him to
the small dining area, she smelled the light after shave that he wore.

“Perfect
timing,” she said, pointing at crisp tossed salad, hamburgers with all the
trimmings and refreshing iced tea with lemon slices on an oval-shaped table.

“Didn’t
you say you were going to cook dinner?” he asked, noticing a sack with the
words, BURGER PALACE, written on it.
 
“I
looked forward to sampling your culinary expertise.”

“I
never said I’d cook.
 
My words were that
I’d get it ready for us.
 
If you ever
tasted my cooking, I guarantee you that you’d leave with indigestion before it
was
time for dessert.”

After
an enjoyable meal, Lindsay showed Brant her movie collection.
 
“Choose one.”

“All
the classics are here…including you.”
 
He
smiled as he reached for her hand and entwined her fingers with his own.
 
“Why don’t we talk for a while?
 
I’ve missed that even though some of our
discussions weren’t always so quiet.”

“I
missed being near you, too.
 
Brant?”

“Yes.”

“Will
you ask me again to marry you and move back to Ohio?”
 
If he would, she’d quit her job this time and
return to Columbus with him.
 
She wasn’t
going to let him get away a second time!

Her
heart stood still when he responded, “I’m sorry, but I can’t make you that
offer anymore.”
 
For a few horrifying
seconds she feared that he might have married someone else.
 
She assumed he hadn’t, but now a sick feeling
formed in the pit of her stomach that made her wish she would’ve asked if
anything changed in his life since she last saw him.

“Well?
 
Aren’t you even going to ask why I’m not
ready to carry you back to Columbus with me?” he
said,
a slight grin sneaking over his face.

“I’m
almost afraid to ask,” she replied.
 
“It
should have dawned on me sooner—you’ve made some kind of a change in your life
since we were last together, haven’t you?”

He
nodded, and she held her breath, hoping that he wasn’t about to reveal that he
committed himself to another woman and wanted to visit Lindsay one last time to
assure they’d remain friends.
 
“A long
time ago I told you that when I wanted something badly enough, I’d travel to
the ends of the earth to get it.
 
Do you
remember?”

“Yes.”

“You
should have reminded me of what I said when I let you come to New York without
me.
 
At least your absence convinced me
that I could never live happily without you, so that’s why I’m here.
 
I came to look for a job in this city since I
quit my old one in Ohio.”

Did
she hear him correctly?
 
“Brant!
 
Do you mean--?”

“I
want to be wherever you are, so here I am.
 
If you’ll still have me, I’ll help you through this bitter scandal that
you’re in the midst of, and we’ll share the good and bad times in the future as
well.”

“If
I’ll still have you?” she echoed, her voice turning hoarse with emotion.
 
“I wanted you all along!
 
Surely you must have known that I’ll always
love you!”

“I
hoped that you would because that’s how I feel about you.”
 
As he pulled her into the warm haven of his
arms, she knew that she finally arrived at the destination of her dreams and
reached home at last.

She
gazed at the face she adored and realized that the weekend team had one more
song to play together.
 
It would be their
sweet melody of love that would last forever.