Heroes Never Die (5 page)

“Arabic?  That’s unusual.  Let me guess – your CIA boyfriend talked you in to it.”

“He thought it was a good idea.  You have to admit that the news coming out of the Middle East shapes the entire world.

“So you’re going to be a foreign correspondent?” he asked as he checked his watch.

There was a time when she knew exactly what she wanted, but not anymore.  “I did have a job lined up with the CIA, but as you know, all of that recently changed.  I’m taking the summer off to reevaluate my goals.  I want a clear head before I make any life changing decisions.”

“Waiter,” Brian discreetly called.  The waiter came over to the table.  “How much longer?”

Stephanie was surprised.  Was he trying to end their date this soon?  She tried not to show her disappointment.  “How about you, Brian?  What do you do in your spare time?”

“When I was in Denver, I went skiing every chance I had.  I’d like to go back this winter.  I also used to cycle through the mountains.  It was a rigorous workout with lots of wonderful scenery along the way.  I’m an avid Ohio State football fan, and I like most sports.  After football, I like hockey best.”

The food was served.  Brian was attentive to her every need, but she noticed that he kept checking his watch.  “Everything is wonderful,” Stephanie remarked as she feasted on jumbo pan-seared scallops.  “Your mahi-mahi looks good, too.”

“It’s some of the best I’ve had.  I’ll send my compliments to the chef.  Actually, would you believe that Columbus has a great seafood restaurant?  The menu changes twice a day depending upon what is flown in.  My family and I went there while I was on leave.”

“Wow, who knew the Midwest had fresh seafood?  I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

“If you are ever in Columbus, you should go.  Would you like to see a dessert menu?”  He glanced at his watch again.

“This will do it for me, thank you.  Besides, I can’t help noticing that you keep checking your watch.  Are you in a hurry to leave?”

“I’m sorry, Stephanie, but I do need to cut our date short.  I have to be at the hospital early in the morning.”

Stephanie’s heart sank with disappointment.  Her dad had already told her that no one had to make early rounds the next morning.  Brian was lying to her.  The date was over.

Brian paid for the meal and then he helped Stephanie from her chair.  He slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the car.  “I hope you’ll let me make this up to you.  I’d like to see you again.”

Stephanie was guarded.  “The rest of my summer is really busy, but thanks anyway.  Dinner was nice though.  I enjoyed getting to know one of my dad’s subordinates.”  She hoped he felt the dig.

Brian’s head reared back with surprise.  He stopped walking and turned her to face him.  “What’s wrong, Stephanie?  Did I say something to upset you?”

“The night is still young, Brian, and Dad told me that no one had to make early rounds tomorrow.  So if you don’t want to be with me, why not just say so?  I don’t like being lied to, and quite frankly, I’m ready to go home.”

“First of all, I don’t lie.  Secondly, I was on call today and I had an emergency surgery.  I’m sure your dad didn’t know about it when he told you the schedule, but even more importantly,” he said as his face softened.  “I do want to be with you.  Do you have any idea how much I wanted to kiss you the other night?”

His honesty soothed her.  Thankfully, she had jumped to the wrong conclusion.  “If you still want to,” she said, “I’ll let you.”

Brian pulled her close and slowly moved toward her mouth.  “I want.”  He tenderly embraced her face and kissed her.

His kiss electrified her senses.  “Brian,” she said with an embarrassed grin.  “My summer just opened up.”

***

Brian turned onto her street, and Stephanie noticed all of the cars parked along the curb.  “Someone is having a party,” she said as she looked for balloons and banners.  “I wonder who it is?”

Brian drove up the wrap-around driveway and parked the car.  “Maybe you should find out and go crash it after I drop you off,” he teased.

“That’s an idea.  The night is still young.”  She looked at the darkened windows in her house.  “All of the lights are out.  Dad isn’t back from the club.”

“At least he left the porch light on for you.  C’mon, I’ll walk you to the door.”  Brian walked around to her side of the car and helped her out.

Stephanie suddenly felt glum.  She was all dressed up and home by eight.  Another rendezvous with Mr. Skeffington would have to do.  Then she remembered the chocolate chunk ice cream in the freezer.  The night was promising after all, she thought.

“I had a good time tonight,” Brian said as he walked her to the door.  “I’ll call you.”

Stephanie turned the house key in the lock.  She smiled at Brian and gently touched his mouth with a kiss.  “I had a nice time, too.”  Then she opened the door.  The lights instantly flipped on.  “Surprise!”  Everyone shouted in unison.  Startled, Stephanie threw her hands over her cheeks.  All of her friends were saluting her arrival with a glass of champagne.  She scanned their faces until she saw her dad with an exuberant smile on his face.  He had completely fooled her.  It took a moment to recover from the shock, but when she did, she burst with jubilant laughter.

“Now I know why you were so anxious to push us out the door tonight,” she said, delighted that her dad had gone completely out of his way to surprise her.  “You prankster, you.  And you,” she said as she turned to Brian.  “You were in on this caper all along, weren’t you?

“Yep.  And I would do it all over again just to see the look that came over your face.”

Robert handed Stephanie and Brian a glass of champagne and then he lifted his glass to Stephanie.  “I’d like to propose a toast to my one and only daughter,” he began.  “From the moment you were born, Stephanie, I have always been proud of you.  You were challenging at times, but now you’re all grown up and ready to take on challenges of your own.  Congratulations for graduating cum laude from the Ohio University School of Journalism.  I have never been more proud of you than I am at this moment.  I love you, sweetheart.  Welcome home.”

The loving sentiments made Stephanie’s eyes tear with water, but she was too happy to cry.  “Thanks, Dad, for all of your love and support.  And I’m sorry for all of those times when you were tempted to leave me out on the curb.  But you’ve always been there for me.  You’re the best dad a girl could ever have, and I love you very much.”  She could see the pride in his twinkling eyes.

Stephanie faced her guests with unabashed charm.  “All of you have made my homecoming very special.  Thank you, all of you, for being here.”

Jonathan Chelsey, chief of administration at Walter Reed, was the first to give Stephanie a hug.  She stood on her toes and threw her arms around his broad shoulders.  She could smell the familiar scent of his old spice.  “Welcome home, Stephanie.  May I have the privilege of your first dance?”

“Absolutely!  Let’s go show them how it’s done.”  Stephanie and Jonathan hurried to the patio to dance.  She noticed the sequence of luminous lights glowing around the terrace.  Even the tree trunks were decorated to shimmer in the night.  The backyard looks like an enchanted forest, she thought.  The band was playing one of her favorite rock and roll tunes.  Jonathan took her hand and swung her in a circle.  Then he pulled her close and folded her back over his arm.  Stephanie felt young and full of life, and even though Jonathan was many years her senior, he was far more realistic than Mr. Skeffington.

Jonathan led Stephanie back inside.  She saw Ted Burnhart and his wife, Jan.  “Jan, Ted,” she cried.  Ted was a surgeon at Walter Reed, and Jan owned an upscale fashion boutique in Georgetown.  Stephanie had always thought of them as her surrogate parents.  “It’s so good to see you again.  It wouldn’t be a coming-home party without you.”

“And we’re glad you’re finally here to stay,” Jan said.  “The kids haven’t given us a moment’s rest since they found out you were home.”

“We want you to come to dinner on Wednesday,” Ted invited.  “I’ll throw some steaks on the grill and we’ll catch up.  Your dad already said yes, so don’t say no.”

“That sounds wonderful.  Does Sarah still have braces?”

“She had them off two weeks ago,” Jan happily reported.

“She must be thrilled.  I’ll bring her a bag of sticky gummy bears.  And I’d love to come over early to spend time with the kids if that’s okay?”

“Are you kidding?”  Jan laughed.  “That would be a godsend.”

Stephanie moved around the room to visit with all of her guests.  Her best friend, Kaitlyn, her roommate from college, was there, as well as some old friends from high school, including high school teachers.  Stephanie was thrilled.  All of the people she knew and loved had gone out of their way to honor her.

She rejoined Brian who was laughing with fellow surgeon, Rowdy Daniels.  Rowdy gave her a one-armed hug and kissed her cheek.  “Congratulations, Stephanie,” he said with a Texas drawl.  “You look as beautiful as ever.”

“Rowdy,” she teased as she kissed his cheek.  “The man who lives up to his name.  It’s good to see your handsome face, too.”  Side by side, Rowdy and Brian were handsome bachelors in their late twenties.  They could almost pass as brothers.  “Have you been corrupting Brian?”

“I told him everything I know, but he ended up giving me pointers.”

“He would have found out on his own,” Brian quipped.

Stephanie shook her head at them.  “Every single woman in Washington should run for their lives if they know what’s good for them.”

“That will leave nothing but married women,” Rowdy joked.  “I’m okay with that.  How about you, Brian?”

“Might be fun,” he grinned.

“You two are despicable,” Stephanie impishly accused.  She wondered if there was a new girl in Rowdy’s life.  “So what’s new with you, Rowdy?  Have you met anyone special?”

“You will be happy to know that I recently met a lovely gal named Hannah.  Trouble is, she’s trying to drag me down the aisle.”

“Much to the relief of husbands everywhere, I’m sure.”

“No one is getting me down the aisle yet – not this Texas boy.  I would like you to meet her when she’s back in town though.  Brian and I were hoping we could double for dinner.”

“Meet the girl who has you on the run?  I can’t wait!”

Brian handed her a fresh glass of champagne.  Stephanie reached for the glass and caught a glimpse of Kyle.  She gasped.  What is he doing here?

Kyle watched her from across the room, his eyes intent on her.  He was the last person Stephanie wanted to see.  Still, he looked so good, so much so, that for a moment it would have been easy to forget he had broken her heart.  She saw him set his drink down and begin to walk over to her.  Her heart began to pound.  Not now, not in front of Brian.

“Hello, Stephanie,” he said with a smooth Virginian accent.  “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.”

“Dance with me.”  She thought his request sounded more like a matter-of-fact demand.

Stephanie hesitated.  She had counted down the days until she graduated so they could be married, but now, just being in the same room with him made her uneasy.  All she wanted was to be left alone so that she could go on with her life.

Kyle didn’t wait for an answer.  He lifted her drink from her right hand and set it down on the mantel without ever taking his eyes off of her.  Then he took her abruptly by the hand and led her to the terrace where he embraced her in his arms.  “I love you, Stephanie,” he whispered.  “And I still want to marry you.”

His tender caress could have easily aroused her senses, but the image of watching him make love to another woman was impossible to forget.  He was such a good liar.  She pulled away from his embrace.  “I don’t want to marry you anymore.  It’s over between us.”

“Does the man you’re with tonight have anything to do with this?  Who is he anyway?” he demanded.

Stephanie didn’t answer.  She remembered what Kyle had done to Duke when he stepped out of line and all of his other handiwork when other men had made passes at her, and she didn’t want to get Brian involved.  Besides, unlike the other men who wouldn’t take no for an answer, she had encouraged Brian.

Kyle answered his own question.  “Brian Fairchild, right?”

Her brow lifted with surprise.  “I see you’ve been doing your homework.”

“Where you’re concerned, I always keep my ear to the ground.  But I didn’t come here to talk about good ole Brian.  I came here to talk about us.  I want some answers, Stephanie.  I want to know why you broke our engagement.”

The people on the dance floor were beginning to stare, and Stephanie could sense their uneasiness.  “We need to have this conversation, Kyle, but this isn’t the time or the place.  Please,” she begged, not wanting to break down.  “I want you to leave.”

“Not this time, ladylove.”  He pulled her back into his arms.  “I want an explanation.”

She couldn’t hold back her pain any longer.  “Oh, Kyle,” she wept.  “How could you betray me?”

“What are you talking about?  You’re the one who sent the Dear John letter.”

“I never wanted to send that letter.  I even tried to tell you that in person, and I flew home so I could tell you.  But you weren’t answering your phone, so I went to your condo and let myself in.  You were in your bedroom making love to another woman.”  She watched his face fill with confusion.  “I loved you, Kyle.  But standing there watching you...”