Heroes Never Die (4 page)

He was forcing her to recall the events that led up to Kyle’s betrayal, the events she was trying to forget, and she wondered where to begin.  “There’s a lot more to the story, Dad.  I never wanted to send that letter.”

“I’m listening.”

“You remember Duke Brady, the guy who lived in the apartment next to mine?  He was parked on my couch celebrating the end of finals.  He had way too much to drink and when he found out that Kyle was coming, he turned into a belligerent monster.  He told me that Kyle was responsible for his father’s death during the Vietnam War.”

“Vietnam?”  His brow twisted with unbelief.  “Kyle was just a kid.  You weren’t even born.”

“That’s what I told him.  Then out of nowhere, Duke said he loved me.  I thought it was the beer talking.  The next thing I knew, he had me pinned against the wall.  I thought he was going to…”  She couldn’t finish her sentence.

“What happened next, Stephanie?”

“Kyle showed up.  He punched Duke so hard he went flying across the room.  I thought he was dead.  I panicked, Dad.  I didn’t want Kyle to go to jail, so I told him to leave.  Then Duke’s roommates and I followed the squad to the hospital.  When we arrived, the police were already there.  Duke had regained consciousness and filed an assault charge against Kyle.  I begged him to drop the charge, but he refused.  He finally said he would drop the charge if I would agree to break my engagement.  So I did.  Then Duke and his roommates told me what to write.  And Duke said if I broke my end of the bargain, he would still press charges against Kyle.”

“That’s insane,” he thundered.  “Why would you compromise your high standards by allowing Duke to blackmail you?  Kyle had a good reason to let Duke have it.  And I’m damned glad he showed up when he did.  Duke didn’t have any grounds to press charges, and even if he had, Kyle could have easily beaten the charge.  And you were wrong to compromise his honor, much less your own.”  He stopped yelling when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

“What kept you from telling the police the truth?”

Stephanie could see the disappointment in her dad’s eyes.  She lowered her head to hide her shame.  “Duke and I were good friends.  I keep thinking I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t.  Maybe it was all my fault.”

“Look at me, Stephanie,” he said firmly as he lifted her chin.  “Nothing makes me angrier than a man using his strength against a woman.  Duke got what he had coming, and I want you to stop blaming yourself.  Do you understand me?”

Stephanie nodded, grateful that he understood.  “I tried to do the right thing, Dad, but all I did was mess everything up.  At the time, I thought I was protecting Kyle.”

Robert let out a long sigh.  “Kyle is hurting, Stephanie.  He has no idea why you turned on him.  He needs to know what happened.”

“There’s more, Dad.”  Stephanie’s stomach began to churn with pain as she relived that night in Kyle’s condo.  “I flew home so I could tell Kyle how sorry I was.  I called him from the airport so he could pick me up, but he didn’t answer, so I took a cab and went to his condo.  His car wasn’t in the parking lot, so I let myself in with my key.  Once I was inside, I heard noises coming from his bedroom.  I went to check it out, and there was Kyle – making love to another woman.  I was so…so stunned.  I ran outside before he knew I was there.  I wanted to come home and tell you what happened, but then I remembered that you were in Baltimore that week.  I went back to campus so I could pack my things.  And I cried for days.”  She folded her arms around her stomach and began to weep.

Robert put his arms around Stephanie and rocked her in his arms to console her.  “You didn’t need to see that.  I’m so sorry, Stephanie.”

“I loved him, Dad.  I want to get over him, but it still hurts.”

“I know it hurts, sweetheart.  Broken hearts need time to mend.  But it will get better, I promise.  There is life after Kyle.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” she sobbed.  “You never wanted me to marry him in the first place.”

“That’s right, I didn’t.  But you wouldn’t listen.  Unfortunately, the greatest lessons in life have to be learned the hard way.  And I’m sorry you were hurt, but I’m not sorry you found out before it was too late.”

“That’s what I keep trying to tell myself.  And I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Dad.  I’m sorry for a lot of things.  Right now, I just want to move on with my life.”

“In that case,” he said to ease her pain, “I say we head over to the ocean tomorrow.  The time away will do us both good.  We’ll go scuba diving like we always do, or whatever else we feel like doing, and then we’ll stuff ourselves full of seafood.  What do you say?”

Time away with her dad was just what Stephanie needed.  The corner of her mouth began to bend with a sheepish grin.  “I say we head out in time to see the sunrise.  I’ll pack a thermos of coffee and we can buy hot doughnuts on the way.  What do you say?”

Robert rose to the challenge.  “Start packing.”

Stephanie’s insides swelled with the hope of a brighter tomorrow.  “Last one in the car is a monkey’s uncle.”  She hurried toward the stairs to get a head start.  Her dad was right.  There was life after Kyle.

Chapter Three:

Saturday evening had finally come and Stephanie was ready for her dinner date with Brian.  Her stomach fluttered with nervousness as she thought about seeing him again.  Will our first date be fun?  Will he ask me out again?  Will I want to go out with him again?  She stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom and latched a slender string of pearls around her neck.  She smoothed her silky black dress with her hands and turned from side to side to admire her reflection.  Perfect, she thought.  Not too much – not too little.  Then she glided down the stairs in her matching black heels with sophisticated ease.

On her way to the family room she glanced toward the cherry mantelpiece in the formal living room and noticed her mother’s picture.  The resemblance between herself and her mother was becoming more apparent to her, and she wondered whether it was difficult for her dad to look at her face without being reminded of her mother’s tragic death.  He kept his grief hidden, recalling only fond memories, but there had been times when she caught him staring at her mother’s picture with tears spilling from his eyes.  If the striking resemblance was a hurtful reminder, he never said, and Stephanie loved him too much to cause him more pain by asking.

Robert stood to his feet when Stephanie approached him.  “How do I look?” she asked as she held out her arms and turned in a circle so that he could admire her.

Robert looked her over front and back.  “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

“Are you sure?  I’m a little nervous, this being my first date and all.  Do you think Brian will like this dress?”

“I think when Brian sees you he will feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

Stephanie was pleased.  “Thanks, Dad.  I knew I could count on you for a rave review.”

The doorbell rang and Stephanie glided to the door to answer it.  “Hi, Brian,” she said in a spirited tone.  “Come in.”  Stephanie noticed his boyish grin right away.  She liked how his trendy jacket matched his dress shirt and khakis, and how his leather double-strapped loafers were polished to a glossy shine.  His woodsy cologne was not overpowering.  He had definitely put some thought into their first date.  He wants to make a good first impression, too.

“You look sensational,” Brian said as he brought out a rose from behind his back.  “This is for you.”

“Thank you.”  She lifted the yellow rose to her nose.  It smelled sweet and fragrant like her favorite perfume.  “How thoughtful of you.”  She took his arm and led him to the family room.  “Why don’t you visit with Dad while I put this in a vase.”  She went to the kitchen and filled a small crystal vase with tap water.  He’s certainly trying to make me feel special, she thought as she put the rose into the vase.  She smelled the rose again, taking a deep breath as she did.  She suddenly felt mellow inside.  Was it the fragrant rose, she wondered, or was it the thought of spending the evening with Brian?

Stephanie heard a burst of laughter coming from the family room and it made her smile.  Brian already gets along with Dad.  That’s very important to me.  She walked back into the family room, and both men instantly stood to their feet.

Brian stepped toward her.  “Are you ready to go,” he asked as he slipped his arm around her back and headed toward the door.

Stephanie was not in a hurry.  “Don’t you want to stay and visit for a while?”

“I’d love to, but we have reservations.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement.  “Reservations?  Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.  Do you like surprises?”

“I love surprises.”

“You kids have a good time tonight.”  Robert gently nudged Stephanie toward the door.

Stephanie began to have second thoughts about leaving her dad.  “Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight?”

“For the hundredth time, yes, now go,” he ordered as he kissed her cheek and pushed her toward the door.

Halfway down the sidewalk, Stephanie came to a halt.  Something was wrong.  “Did you notice anything strange about Dad’s behavior?”

“Like what?”

“He seemed to be in a big hurry to push us out the door.  Do you think there’s something wrong?”

“Nah,” Brian shrugged.  “He just wants us to have a good time, and I have no intention of letting him down.”

Stephanie melted when she saw his mischievous grin.  “I don’t want to disappoint him, either.  Let’s go.”

Brian drove to the historic Canal Square building on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.  “Hope you like seafood,” he said as he opened her car door.

“I love seafood!”  She reached for his outstretched hand.  “You picked the perfect place.  How did you know?”

“A little birdie might have told me.”  He gently folded his arm around her waist, and they headed toward the entrance.  “I was hoping you would be pleased.”

The maître d’ led them to a table in front of a stone fireplace.  Brian stood as the maître d’ seated Stephanie, and then he took his own seat.  What a romantic restaurant, she thought as she noticed violet orchids on the table.  With the dimly lit room, the soft romantic music, and the glow of the blazing fireplace, this, Stephanie thought, is a night made for falling in love.

Stephanie noticed how relaxed and confident Brian was.  He definitely knows how to treat a woman, but he’s probably had lots of practice.  Kyle was the only man she had known and she had been comfortable with him.  Now she felt like all of the rules had changed.  Is this how it feels after a divorce? she wondered.

“Your home is quite remarkable,” Brian began.  “Quite a neighborhood, too.”

“Yes, it was my mother’s home.  She came from a wealthy family.”

“And it will all pass to you one day, no doubt?”

“Yes, but right now it’s locked up in a trust.”  Stephanie had a large inheritance coming, but she would gladly trade it all for just one more day with her mother.

“How did your mother die?  I asked your dad once, but he wouldn’t say much.”

“I’m not surprised.  He avoids talking about her, probably because it’s too painful.  She died in a fiery car crash.  The brakes failed and she slammed into a semi.  Dad never understood how it could have happened because it was a brand new car, but that’s what the police report said.  For some reason, though, he still blames himself for her death.  It’s a mystery to me.”

“Is that why he never remarried?”  The waiter came and Brian ordered a bottle of Chardonnay.

“I would hate to think that’s the reason.  Dad means the world to me.  I want him to be happy.”

“I’m sure he is, but now I want to know more about you.  What do you like to do?”

“Lots of things,” she said with enthusiasm.  “My favorite place to be is the ocean.  When I’m there, I enjoy boating, and my dad and I scuba dive, too.  Once we even went to Bali for a diving vacation.  It was spectacular.  I also enjoy hiking scenic trails, especially when I pack cheese and wine in my backpack,” she giggled.  “And I love any movie with Bette Davis.  It would be difficult to choose my favorite, but Mr. Skeffington is right up there.  Have you seen it?”

“Never,” Brian said as he nodded at the waiter to leave after he poured their wine.  “Maybe we could see it sometime.”

“That would be fun,” she said as she sipped her wine.  It tasted sweet and light.  “But I have to warn you – I always cry at the end.  Guess I’m a hopeless romantic.”

“Oh no,” Brian teased.  “I didn’t just get roped in to seeing a chick flick?”

Stephanie could see the firelight dancing in Brian’s eyes and she wondered if her eyes were as bewitching to him.  “You don’t have to watch a chick flick with me if you don’t want, but if you do, it will earn extra bonus points.”  She giggled and took a sip of her wine.  She watched him focus on her glass when she covered the rim with her full mouth and she was sure that the flickering light dancing across her face was captivating him.  Is he letting himself fall in love, or is it just the romantic music playing in background?

The waiter came and took their order.  Then Brian leaned in closer to Stephanie.  “So why did you choose journalism, do you like to write?”

“Some, but mostly my specialty is communications.  I want to do hardcore interviews out in the field.  I took Arabic so I could go to some hotspots in the world.”