by Emma Lea
She sighed and turned back to him. “You're quiet. Did something happen between you and Caitlyn? Was it weird of me leaving you with her while I did my rounds?”
He smiled, shooting her another quick glance. “Definitely not. Caitlyn is a very special little girl and I'm glad I got the chance to meet her.”
Brandi sighed and looked out the side window again. “Her mum told me that there's nothing more they can do for her. Her cancer is spreading and not responding to treatments. Even in the last week I've noticed a difference in her. She never used to look sick but today…” she faded out as her throat tightened.
Declan reached across the console and took her hand, squeezing lightly in support. “She cares about you a lot,” he said. “She told me you were her best friend.”
Brandi smiled at that, glad that Caitlyn thought of her that way but sad that she didn't have any other friends.
“It's been hard for her. She's been in hospital so much that she has lost touch with the other kids her own age and she's not allowed to mix with the other kids in hospital because she is immunosuppressed and might pick up an infection. Her parents try but they have other kids at home and jobs they need to go to. I visit her whenever I can.”
“Is there no financial assistance they can get?” Declan asked.
“I think they've both used all the sick leave they have. Caitlyn has been sick for a long time and it's fatiguing for all of them. I thought about setting up a trust fund for them so that they can take some time off to spend with her in her last days.”
“Yes,” Declan said without hesitation. “I want to be part of that. I can get my solicitor on it today.”
Brandi turned to stare at him. “But you hardly know her.”
“What more do I need to know? She's a precious little girl and her parents deserve a break. I've never had to deal with anything like that in my life and if I can help ease their grief in the smallest way then I want to.”
Brandi squeezed his hand and her heart melted. This man knew her body better than any other man ever had but he was also kind and generous and sweet. Caitlyn had whispered to her that she really liked him before they left the hospital earlier and if that wasn't a ringing endorsement then she didn't know what was.
“Hey. Where are we going?” Brandi said as she realised they were exiting the city.
“I'm taking you home,” he said with a grin.
“But my stuff—”
“I'll have it sent over. Today was an emotional day and I think we both deserve a night in.”
“Are you going to cook for me?”
He looked over at her with a puzzled expression. “Cook for you? I thought you'd be cooking for me.”
Brandi rolled her eyes. “I don't cook,” she said.
He laughed. “Then it's a good thing that I have the local Thai shop on speed dial.”
“Thai food and Netflix?” she asked, looking over at him hopefully.
“As long as we're not watching Tangled again,” he said wiping an imaginary tear from under his eye. “I don't think I could cope with that again so soon.”
“What about Frozen? Have you seen that one?”
“Another Disney movie?”
She shrugged and he laughed.
“So, no Die Hard or Speed?”
She screwed up her nose and he laughed. “I don't mind me a bit of Keanu,” she said. “What about The Lake House?”
“Can't say I've seen that one,” he replied.
“Well, it's kind of like Speed…”
“Oh yeah? In what way?”
“It has both Keanu and Sandra in it.”
“And…”
She laughed, their easy banter lightening her mood. “Okay, well that's where the similarities end. But it does have time travel in it.”
The car came to a stop and Declan leaned over the console to kiss her lightly on the lips. It was such a normal, couple-y thing to do and Brandi couldn't help the little skip in her heart. It didn't matter how hard she tried to corral her feelings for him, they kept escaping. Every time she thought she had them under control, he would do something sweet or thoughtful and the fences she'd put around her heart would fall down. She had no idea how she was going to survive this man and the way he made her feel. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't real and that after this weekend, it wouldn't last.
“Come on,” Declan said, “we’re here.”
Brandi looked out the window to see a large stone Victorian era manor house.
“You live here?” she asked as she stepped out of the car.
“My many-great grandfather built it,” Declan said, “and my grandfather left it to me when he died. I wanted to move out of home at the time, so I moved in here. I don't stay here very often.”
Brandi gaped at the sight. It looked like something that should be a wedding venue or preserved as a historic sight. It was huge and she could just imagine the balls they must have had back in the day with the women in their long, Victorian gowns and the men in frock coats and breeches.
Declan trotted up the stairs as if he wasn't walking on stone that had been around almost as long as the country had been a federation. It was so at odds with the man she knew. His hotels were modern and state of the art and here he was dwelling in a two hundred year old house. The man had depths and layers that she hadn't even begun to plumb.
He turned when he had the door open and smiled down at her. “Well come on then,” he said, “there's more to gape at inside. I think there might even be some scotch as old as the house somewhere.”
Brandi shook her head as she climbed the stairs. He kept on surprising her and she wondered if she would ever really know the complete man beneath the façade he wore.
13
Brunch was awkward. Not just normal awkward - the awkward you feel when meeting the mother of your boyfriend - but really awkward with prolonged moments of awkward silence and weird, awkward small-talk. Brandi was no stranger to awkward meals, but even this one was beyond her. Declan sat beside her seemingly unconcerned or even affected by the strange uncomfortable vibe around the table. Was this just normal for this family? Is that why Declan behaved as if nothing were amiss?
Brandi took a quick look around at the people sitting at the table. They were all looking at her as they ate. It was creepy. She felt like she was some exhibit in a weird curiosities circus. She had done everything in her power to fit the mould of who Declan’s girlfriend should be. She dressed in a conservative Donna Karan dress and wore sensible heels. Her makeup was minimal and her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail at the base of her neck. It didn’t matter, though, they knew who she was, who her family were, and they were not impressed. Well, she didn’t think they were impressed, they’d barely said two words to her, so…
“What is it you do, again?” Mrs. Mayfield asked with a slight curl of her upper lip like the very words tasted bitter as they crossed her tongue.
“She volunteers at the children’s hospital,” Declan answered for her. She shot him a look, wasn’t she supposed to speak?
“I think the girl can answer for herself,” Mrs. Mayfield said.
The others watched in fascination like this conversation was some sort of tennis match.
“Brandi is quite able to answer for herself,” Declan replied coolly, “but I know that the issue you have is with me and I will not let you attack her in order to get to me.”
Mrs. Mayfield chuckled. “I was simply asking the girl what she did, how is that attacking her?”
“The ‘girl’ is the young woman I am dating and she has a name. Brandi. Her name is Brandi.”
Mrs. Mayfield rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said with a long-suffering sigh. She turned to Brandi. “What is it you do, Brandi?”
“I already told you she volunteers at the children’s hospital,” Declan said and the tension in his voice made Brandi shoot him a sidelong glance. Nothing ever seemed to upset Declan, but right now his body was taut and his jaw clenched. She laid
a hand on his thigh under the table and smiled at him when he looked at her.
“I do volunteer at the children’s hospital,” she said looking at Mrs. Mayfield, but leaving her hand on Declan’s thigh. “I also work as a computer programmer for my family’s tech company and I run a small business.”
Mrs. Mayfield’s eyebrows popped up and buried themselves in her thick fringe.
“In my spare time,” Brandi continued, “I am on the board of several charities and am currently in the process of setting up a fund to support the parents of children with terminal illnesses.”
“You’re a busy girl,” Mrs. Mayfield murmured.
Brandi smiled her fake, nothing-bothers-me smile. “I like to keep busy and I like to help people in need. I have been blessed with both good health and financial security and I take great pleasure in easing the discomfort of others who are not as fortunate as I have been. Surely you, who are the chairwoman of many such charities, share my concern for those less fortunate than ourselves?”
“Of course,” Mrs. Mayfield said, taken aback.
Declan clasped her hand that still rested on his thigh and she turned to see him smiling at her like she was his hero.
“I believe you are on the board of one of the same charities as my mother. She always has such interesting things to say about you. I know this is only the second time we’ve met in person, but I feel like I already know you. And of course, Declan has told me stories of growing up in this family. It’s fascinating to say the least.”
Mrs. Mayfield’s eyebrows (they should have their own Twitter account) pinched together as she tried to work out whether or not Brandi was insulting her or complimenting her. Brandi smiled serenely and beside her Declan coughed into his napkin to hide his choked laughter. The fact was that Brandi was sick of being typecast. People looked at her and immediately made assumptions about who she was and most of the time it didn’t bother her… well, she told herself it didn’t bother her. But today, for some reason, it really got under her skin. Declan had treated her so differently than any other boyfriend ever had and she had come to this brunch with the full intention of trying to impress his mother, but the woman had already made up her mind. So Brandi had switched to plan B. Use all the tricks she had learned at the hands of her frenemies in high school. Mrs. Mayfield had placed her squarely in the blonde bimbo category and she was determined to prove to the woman that she was so much more than what she looked like on the outside.
“You run your own small business?” Mr. Mayfield asked.
Brandi nearly jumped in fright at hearing him speak. The man had not said two words the entire time she had been there.
“I do,” she said with a smile, “I’m a children’s entertainer.”
Mrs. Mayfield snorted delicately. “Like a magician?”
Brandi turned her insouciant smile on Mrs. Mayfield. “No, not a magician. I dress up as Disney princesses and attend children’s parties and play games with them. It is also what I do when I visit the children’s hospital.”
Mrs. Mayfield smiled as if she had won. “A children’s entertainer. That’s quite apt considering Declan isn’t much more than a child himself.”
She felt Declan’s leg stiffen at the insult, but she squeezed his hand to calm him.
“You underestimate your son,” Brandi said. “Declan is all man, I can assure you.” Mrs. Mayfield’s eyes went wide. Brandi looked at her non-existent watch on her wrist. “We need to be going. Thank you for an insightful… well, whatever this was. We have a prior engagement that we must hurry off to.”
Brandi stood and walked away without looking back.
Declan followed Brandi out of his childhood home and down the drive to the car in awe. No one had ever stood up to his mother before and no one had ever defended him to her either. This woman was a marvel and with every encounter he fell more and more under her spell.
“You've gone quiet,” she said looking at him with a worried frown.
“I don't know what to say,” he replied as the slid into the car and fastened their seat belts.
She sighed. “I'm sorry. I should have just kept my mouth shut.”
He turned to her in surprise. “No,” he said emphatically. “The reason I don't know what to say is that no one has ever been able to put my mother in her place before. It was kind of spectacular.”
Her cheeks pinked and she looked down at her lap. “You're not upset with me then?”
He reached over and took her hand in his bringing it to his mouth so he could kiss first the back of it and then the palm.
“I am blown away that you defended me. Most people don't challenge my mother…on anything, but you went toe to toe with her. It was really amazing and, well, hot.”
She laughed as she looked at him. “Hot?”
“Fuck yeah,” he said before leaning over to kiss her.
They had spent the night in each other’s arms. He had taken her in his bed and on the kitchen counter and against the wall in the living room and then again in the shower before they had left for brunch. It didn't matter how many times they came together, it was never enough.
She broke the kiss and grinned at him.
“You're going to have to wait,” she said. “I have a party to get to.”
“Can I come?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don't you have a golf game?”
He groaned. Fucking golf. He hated it, but that wasn't the only reason he didn't want to go. He'd have to face his friends after the benefit and he still hadn't spoken to Brooks about the way Harper treated Brandi that night. He really, really didn't want to go.
“I would much prefer to come with you. I could be your assistant.”
“I don't think The Little Mermaid had an assistant,” she said.
“Wasn't there a crab looking thing that was with her all the time?”
“You would dress up as a crab to avoid going to golf with your friends?”
He didn't answer, he just looked away, reaching down to start the car.
“Is this about Harper?” she asked.
“I didn't like the way she spoke to you the other night,” he said tightly as he left the driveway and headed back towards his house. “I’ve known her for a while now and I like her, a lot, but I've never seen her behave like that. It's not cool.”
Brandi reached over and laid a hand on his leg. “Don't let this come between you and your friends,” she said. “I don't know why Harper doesn't like me, but it's okay. Not everyone has to like me. I know that some women take an instant dislike to me and it usually has nothing to do with me and everything to do with someone else in their past. Don't let it upset you and don't let it ruin a friendship. I'm not worth it.”
He shot her a look. “You are worth it,” he said. “I have never heard you say a bad thing about anyone. Even when you stood up to my mum you were respectful and didn't lower yourself to calling her names or outright insulting her. Is it too much to expect that of others, especially people who are my friends?”
Brandi shrugged. “They know the truth. They know that this arrangement is only temporary and that we’re not really together. In their minds, it doesn't matter how they treat me because I will be out of your life within the week.”
Declan gritted his teeth and didn't say anything. He didn't want to think about what happened next with them. She had agreed to give him this weekend but they hadn't discussed anything beyond that. One thing he was sure of, he wasn't ready for her to disappear from his life. And surprisingly, it wasn't just about the sex either, although that was a nice perk of their arrangement… better than nice.
The fact was, Declan felt a connection to Brandi. No one had ever really seen past his outward bravado. People always took him at face value which, up until now, had been perfectly fine by him. Having someone see below the surface had had a strange effect on him. It made him wonder about things that he'd never considered before, like having a real relationship with a woman of his choosing. Maybe even falling in love w
ith her.
He wasn't in love with Brandi. That's not what he was saying, just that maybe he could probably let himself nudge a little towards it in the right environment. It was a moot point anyway. There was no way his mother would allow it and there was no way Brandi would want to be a part of his family. But if…
No. He mentally shook himself. There was no use allowing himself to think about a future that could never be. He knew what the next fifty years of his life were going to look like and as much as he might like to think Brandi could be a part of them, the truth was that she wouldn't be. This weekend would be all they had. This weekend and nothing more.
Brandi could not believe that Peyton had booked this party. She was sure she told her not to let Courtney book with them, but here she was standing in the backyard of Courtney’s McMansion dressed as The Little Mermaid. The husbands of her ‘friends’ stood around holding bottles of beer and leering at her, well, at her breasts anyway, while the wives stood around shooting her death glares as if it was her fault that the men in their lives couldn’t keep their eyeballs in their heads! The costume she wore was in no way provocative but it did show a little skin, she was supposed to be a mermaid for fuck’s sake and it’s not like she chose the costume. The Little Mermaid had been requested by the birthday girl as was evidenced by all the mermaid paraphernalia that decorated the backyard.
It didn’t help that all these men had known her when she was a teenager. She may have had a reputation back then for being a little wild, but she wasn’t like that any longer and she resented the fact that they were allowed to move on and grow up and become respectable business men but she was supposed to stay the teenage wet dream that they all thought she was. She had been a young woman exploring her sexual side and now she was a grown woman who had a healthy sexual appetite but also knew that she wanted the fairytale. It was why she dressed up as Disney princesses, any psych major could have worked it out. She wanted the knight in shining armour, she wanted to be wooed and treated like the apple of a man’s eye. She wanted the house in the suburbs and the white picket fence and the two-point-five kids. Was that wrong? Was she to be denied her dream just because she looked the way she did? That didn’t seem fair. She didn’t ask to be born this way and it certainly didn’t give men the right to treat her like some disposable sex toy. Especially when one of those men was the father of the little girl whose birthday this was.