Holly’s eyes went wide at her father’s rude behavior, meanwhile Brant had rested his head in his hands and was laughing hysterically. He was a crazy old man, extremely likable but crazy.
Suddenly, Brant realized his break was nearly over thanks to Trevor’s not so subtle arm waving.
“I hate to do this, but I have to get back to work…” explained Brant to Holly. She smiled at him politely.
“Thanks for the coffee… and sorry about my Dad.”
Brant smiled and said, “Are you serious? He’s cool as hell.”
Suddenly, the pair realized how close their hands were sitting on the table. The air between the two got thinner by the second. Holly smiled just slightly and let out a breath as their eyes met. Brant thought he could fall into her eyes which were blue like a tranquil lagoon. Holly was surprised by the depth and the sadness she saw in Brant’s eyes. That was not something she expected.
Brant grabbed her hand ever so gently. His voice was as soft as velvet as he asked what she knew he would, “When can I see you again?”
Holly allowed a smile to cross her face, causing her eyes to light up as she looked at him. Without a beat, she replied, “Rogue at 8. Don’t be late.”
*****
Brant couldn’t remember ever being so nervous for a first date. Then again, he hadn’t been on a real date since he entered Drexel’s engineering program. It’s not that he didn’t have offers. He had plenty of them. It was more so the fact that he would fall head over heels for a pretty girl, but the second she opened her mouth she revealed a vapid personality or even worse, a subpar intellectual capacity. Holly was nothing of the sort. She was beautiful, brilliant, funny, and bold. He could remember vividly how Holly had asked him out to dinner. No. Not asked. Told. It was almost a demand. That girl had guts, and he liked it. He had a great feeling about tonight and we was determined to get to know Holly better.
*****
“Shit…” said Brant as he checked his watch as he reached the corner of 6th and Market. Brant was running late for his date, the very thing Holly had warned against. He was nervous… He almost felt as if he was going to a job interview. Brant brushed the sweat that was forming on his brow as his tie blew in the brisk fall wind. Spotting a yellow taxi, Brant whistled and flagged it down with one arm in the air.
The cab driver whipped through the crowded streets at a frenzied speed as Brant held on to the handle over his door. He looked at his watch again, nervously. He might not be late after all. He passed a twenty dollar bill to the driver for the ten dollar cab ride and told him to keep the change.
The crowd had gathered early at Rogue and all the curbside tables were already occupied. He hoped that Holly had a reservation, because Rogue was pretty swanky, and notoriously hard to get into. Slowly, he approached the entrance as he adjusted his tie in his reflection in the window. Suddenly the front door of Rogue swung open and Holly was standing in the doorway looking nothing short of perfect.
Brant was stunned by how amazing she looked. She was wearing a black lace dress that was classy but undeniably sexy. Her golden hair cascaded around her shoulders in wild tendrils, and a subtle bittersweet perfume wafted through the air between them. He didn’t know what to say, he just knew that he had to have her. The thought of her in another man’s arms was just too much for him to bear. Brant’s eyes slowly crept from her golden hair to her angelic face, then lower to the simple locket that hung from her neck. He felt as if he was staring at her for a long time. He sat there, drinking her in like a fine wine reserved for a special occasion. In reality, only a few seconds had passed. Holly gave him a smirk as her red lips curled up in a sly smile. He didn’t look so bad himself. Brant was ruggedly handsome with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He carried himself with confidence and pride, with his broad shoulders towering high above Holly’s head. Holly was just able to compose herself with a little more grace than Brant could muster. With one quick motion she approached him, twisting her ruby red finger nails around his tie. She tugged hard on his tie, and turned quick on her heel. Holly entered the double doors of Rogue, pulling Brant behind her. Brant Edgemont had finally met his match.
*****
Holly and Brant were married on the first day of spring just a year after meeting. Money was tight, so they opted for a low-budget, intimate affair held at their very favorite camping spot, Wallford Forest. Wallford Forest is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. Holly had asked Sloane to be her maid of honor, and she knew she could count on her mother and two of her cousins, Lily and Samantha to be her bridesmaids. Meanwhile, Brant asked his buddy Chris to be his best man. Holly’s Dad Marv, along with Brant’s two friends Luke Casile and Greg Belz were his groomsmen. The men wore grey morning suits, while the maids wore periwinkle tea length dresses. Holly’s gown was an adorable tea length white dress with a beaded bodice and tulle skirt. It looked fit for a ballerina. They were not rich in money, but they were wealthy with love. Nobody would have guessed that they would go their separate ways.
*****
December 23, 2013
Philadelphia International Airport
Brant sat the kids down in the few empty seats that were open in Terminal 22A at Philadelphia International Airport as he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket. He knew who he had to call.
Brant punched the numbers onto his smart phone and let the phone ring. Three rings, four rings, five rings… Finally on the sixth ring, just when Brant was about to give up, he heard someone pick up.
“It’s about goddamn time you called me… Here is what you gotta do…” said Marv spunkily.
Brant laughed. You could always count on the matchmaker.
Chapter Five
Day of Reckoning
Brant and Holly had such a magnetic connection. In many ways, they still do. No matter how many times Brant tried to move on and get Holly out of his head, regardless of how many dates he went on, he just went home feeling like shit. He felt guilty for going out with another woman, because he still loved Holly, and he knew that deep down, some part of her still loved him. If she would only listen, he knew he could get her to come around. The problem was getting her to listen.
Holly claimed that she hadn’t dated anyone seriously since the divorce. Brant’s friends all have a hard time believing that for the simple fact that Holly is a gorgeous woman. They knew that there were plenty of guys that would kill to go out with her. Brant, however, knew better. Holly was shell shocked from their failed marriage. He knew she wouldn’t wait forever, though. His time was running out. He needed to find the words to make all this right again.
It wasn’t an easy thing to explain. He had failed them all. There is nothing that Brant Edgemont took more pride in than being an excellent provider for his wife and children. It wasn’t about money. It was about providing them with a safe and comfortable place to live, and keeping them guarded from the dangers of the world. Brant could deal with almost anything that the world could throw at him. Life was pretty good in the Edgemont house. Holly was able to cut back her hours at work to spend more time with the kids. Brant was just accorded a promotion at the Bio-tech firm he worked at. The kids were doing well in school, and everyone was happy. Then February 21, 2011 came, and everything came crumbling down around them.
*****
“Hey Brant, could we see you in the conference room for a moment?” said the voice that had just called Brant’s business phone.
Brant, who had just returned from lunch, was surprised that Paula DiDiminico was requesting his presence in Conference Room 37A. Paula is the Executive Assistant to Maxwell Lohmann, the VP of Senticore.
What on earth could they possibly need from me? I was only promoted two days ago. Brant thought.
Brant tried to compose himself as he took the elevator up to the thirty-seventh floor. He winded around the long corridors, knocked on the door at 37A and walked through the door feeling as if he was on his death march.
“There he is!” sai
d Max boisterously as he stood from the conference table. It was a full house.
He must have been in a board meeting. This crowd certainly cannot be for me.
But then the other professionals in the room all smiled at Brant, shook his hand and patted him on a back for his promotion. Max fixed his tie as he addressed the board room.
“We wanted to get together and welcome you to senior management. So welcome to the upper echelon of Senticore!”
The people at the table clapped politely as Brant went up to Max to shake his hand.
“Now have a seat, because we have a favor to ask,” said Max slyly.
Oh God, here we go.
Brant sat down as instructed and gulped. He hoped he didn’t look too nervous.
“There is a Biotech firm in Hong Kong that is interested in selling us an injectable that they are calling Gochiman. Your job is to go and determine if the product is all its cracked up to be, and if it is worth the risk of investment.”
Brant was blown away.
Hong Kong. Wow. But what about Holly and the kids? After all she was two months pregnant with their fourth child.
“Well, I need to talk it over with the wife…” said Brant honestly.
Brant’s remark earned him a few snarky laughs from some of the men in the room, but Maxwell was gracious about Brant’s request.
“Of course. Let us know by Friday, or we’ll send James,” said Maxwell pointing to one of the men that had laughed at Brant. The smirk was wiped clean from his face.
That night when Brant arrived home from work, Holly was just putting dinner on the table. Randy and Tressa were sitting at the counter doing their homework and Belle was sitting at her highchair trying to sing her A-B-C’s. Holly spotted Brant right away, walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she held a hot plate with a pot holder.
“Hey honey, how was your day?” asked Holly happily.
“Interesting to say the least,” said Brant, not ready to dive into the issue of the Hong Kong trip just yet. He looked at Holly with concern, she was a bit off-color.
“Are you feeling okay?” Brant asked with concern weighing heavy in his voice.
Holly put the casserole on the table and looked up at him with a smile.
“I feel fine,” Holly replied.
Brant called Tressa and Randy to the dinner table as the family settled in to the meal Holly prepared. Holly eyed Brant cautiously. She could tell he had something on his mind. In between bites, she addressed the issue.
“So, what is it that you have to tell me?” asked Holly with a wink.
Brant looked at her with shock clear on his face. She really knew how to read him well.
“Uh… well…” started Brant, the surprise clear in his voice. He continued, “Work is sending me to Hong Kong. They want to send me over for three weeks, but I told them I had to talk to you first.”
Brant couldn’t read the expression on Holly’s face at first, but then when she jumped out of her chair and squealed out of excitement, he knew it wouldn’t be a problem with her.
“Oh, my God! Brant! That is amazing!”
“I’m considering telling them no,” said Brant warily.
“Why?! It’s an amazing opportunity.”
“Why? Because you’re pregnant, and we have three kids at home.”
“I’ve done this before, and you’ll only be gone a few weeks.”
“I don’t feel right going…”
“You’ll get over it. Bring me back a souvenir,” Holly said as she smiled widely at her reluctant husband.
Brant left for Hong Kong on the following Monday. Holly wasn’t feeling well on the day that Brant left, so she kissed him before he left the house instead of accompanying him to the airport. He took a flight from Philadelphia International to Detroit, and from Detroit he took the red eye straight to Hong Kong. It felt weird being off U.S. soil without his family.
Something just didn’t feel right.
*****
Holly woke up out of a sound sleep as a gasp escaped from her mouth. Her hands grabbed her lower stomach which was clenching and unclenching and causing her great distress. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so much pain in her life. She took a deep breath as she waited for the pain to subside, and breathing seemed to help. She sat up in her bed and looked at the clock. It was only 8:30 P.M. She had gone to lay down since her dad had taken the kids to the movies and out to dinner. He spoiled them rotten and made no apologies for it.
Holly reached to turn on the light that sat on her bed stand, and suddenly the pain returned, even worse than before. She clasped her side, as she grimaced through the pain. With each second her pain level increased until she was writhing in pain on the edge of the bed. Her vision went black as she felt her body go limp and she crashed upon the floor with a bang.
*****
“C’mon kids… Let’s get in the house. It’s cold out here! Be quiet, though, I think your mother is sleeping. So, what did we learn from the movie?”
“That adults as just as confused as kids are when it comes to love,” said Tressa observantly.
“How true that is, little lass,” Marv agreed. “What about you, Randy? What did you learn from the movie?”
“That women shouldn’t drive angry…” answered Randy. Marv laughed.
“Excellent observation! Okay guys, here we are. Let’s take off your coats and hats and hang them up…” said Marv to his grandchildren.
“Muffin…. Oh, Muffin!” Marv called for Holly’s pet Pomeranian. Marv whistled for the pint-sized pooch.
What a ridiculous name for a dog
“Does Muffin want a treat?!” Marv had snagged a doggy bag for Muffin, and he knew how excited the dog would be. He called and called but Muffin didn’t come.
“Hey… Where’s Muffin?” Marv asked as he approached the staircase. He heard a whimpering sound coming from upstairs. Marv climbed the staircase gingerly, trying to see where Muffin had gotten off to.
When Marv reached the second floor landing he found Muffin at the door of Holly and Brant’s room. The dog scratched at the wood frantically, hoping that someone would open the door for him.
“What’s wrong, Muffin? Did Mommy lock you out?” asked Marv.
He opened the door to let mini-mutt into Holly’s bedroom when his chest began to sear with pain. Holly was laying unconscious on the floor. Her face was contorted in a pained expression, and her arms still clenched her stomach.
“Holly!” Marv yelled, as he began to shake his daughter. When she wouldn’t stir he grabbed the phone on the bed side table and called 9-1-1.
*****
After what seemed like an endless flight, Brant finally landed in Hong Kong. He took a cab across town and settled into his room at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel. Brant looked at his watch as he tried to determine what time it was back home so that he could call Holly and the kids, just to let them know that he made it. He looked at the silver watch that she had just given him for Christmas. It was 3:30 P.M. back home – the perfect time to talk to Holly and the kids. They would all be home from school. Brant picked up his hotel phone and dialed the house phone number. He waited, expecting Holly to pick up after the third ring, like usual, but it kept ringing. Finally, the voicemail picked up:
“Hi! You’ve reach Brant and Holly! Leave a message after the beep. If we like you, we might just call you back!”
Beep.
Brant was perplexed. She was always home by 3:30. Maybe she decided to take the kids out for a treat after school. Brant dialed the digits to Holly’s cell phone. It went straight to voicemail.
Something was wrong. He knew it. An uneasy feeling crept over Brant, and in the pit of his stomach there was a feeling of sickness.
He dialed Marv’s home phone.
He better pick up. I’m about to have a coronary.
One ring. Two rings. Five rings. Ten rings. On the seventeenth ring Marv finally picked up the phone. He sounded out of breath.
&n
bsp; “Hello?!” he yelled into the receiver.
“Marv, its Brant.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ. Thank God. I’ve been calling your cell phone but it’s turned off.”
“Yeah, I was on the plane. What’s wrong? I tried calling Holly but no one is picking up…”
Marv took a breath before he spoke.
“Brant, its Holly. She’s in the hospital.”
“The hospital?!” said Brant in an urgent tone.
Down To You (The Love On Edge Series) Page 3