by Freda Ann
Amy and Nina grabbed their towel to dry off as they headed towards Brandon, Logan and mom. After they dried off, they walked up to Brandon’s chair. He stood up and hugged them both. He grabbed a few chairs and put them where they all sat.
One of the first things they asked him was about his trip. How it was, what all he did while there and did he get to spend any time with Jacques. They know Jacques from his time living in California and also from when they visited Maui. He always hooked them up at his restaurant as well as getting them into places that were booked solid. Other than him being an awesome friend, he has made so many connections over the years and has passed the perks on to those close to him.
He told them how Stephen surprised him by showing up and about the time they had with Jacques during their stay. Before sharing with them all the activities they did and the fun they had, he told them about his first day on his lanai and the women he saw on horseback along the beach especially the blonde. Before he told them about the long distance girlfriend, they needed to know what frame of mind he was in that inspired him to pull off the Chef gig. They needed to know the affect Mindy had on him and why he just couldn’t ignore what he was feeling and how he knew he had to meet her.
They listened intently with their eyes wide open when he told them about him posing as a Chef. When they realized the extent he went to just to meet her, they just laughed and knew something had to have come over him for Brandon to be so smitten with a total stranger. By the time he got done telling them more about her, they wanted to meet her.
When he broke the news about where she lived, his mom and his sisters looked at each other before mom spoke up. “Oh honey, she sounds just lovely. And you know I normally support your choice in women. - But you must know how hard it’s going to be dating long distance. It’s not like she lives in this state or even a neighboring state. She lives on the other side of the United States. - Don’t you think it’s going to be almost impossible to have a viable relationship?”
“I understand your concerns mom. And I want you to know we’ve both thought long and hard about it before we even agreed to give it a try. - The more time we spent together the more we wanted to see each other.” He looked at his sisters faces of doubt. “We think we can make it work and are willing to give it our best shot. Look - we talk pretty much every day either on the phone or on FaceTime and we decided to take more short vacations to see each other when we can.“
After he said the word FaceTime, it reminded him of the recent session he had with Mindy. Their almost daily video chat had unexpectedly turned into an intoxicating SexTiming session that he’s still reeling from. He felt a flushed smile come across his face when he snapped back to the women in front of him.
His mom tipped her head to one side and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Well if that look is what she does to my son - I can’t wait to meet her!” She let out a soft laugh as he gave her a pleasant look.
Logan went to see if the meat was done and to shut the stove off for his wife while Brandon told everyone else all about his time in Maui. He told them how Stephen and Faith have gotten close while they were there and they also want to try long distance dating.
Everyone had tons of questions about the girls, especially concerning Mindy. His sisters were surprised just how much time the two of them had spent together. They joked that it kind of seemed like they were speed dating for a whole week. They were all happy she has kids of her own. Amy said at least it shows that she likes kids, making reference to his relationship with Tabu. Nina mentioned how awkward Tabu was around any kids which always bothered them all.
Everyone went inside to eat. Brandon helped his mom and Logan get the food on the table while Amy and Nina changed and pried the kids away from the video games. They talked, joked and laughed while they ate dinner. By the end of the evening Brandon felt like they no longer thought he was totally crazy for his long distance dating choice and that made him smile on the drive home.
* * * * *
Mindy was quite busy over the next few weeks. It’s one of their busiest times of the year. She’s doing a better job of delegating some of the jobs she normally wouldn’t. But that was the only way her and Brandon would have a chance to work on their relationship. She had to trust in her staff, especially a few key personnel to handle the tough projects the way she would when she’s not in town.
Things seemed to be progressing nicely with Brandon, at least from what she could tell through their various forms of communication. She’d really come to look forward to their almost nightly talks. He was going to start filming soon though and he’d told her how crazy that schedule usually is. There may be more nights during filming where they can’t talk at all on the phone but he assured her he will at least be able to text briefly throughout the day. She said she understood. She’s never been a super needy person though she loved their conversations together and looked so forward to when they can see each other in person again.
Brandon told her his dad invited him to dinner at his place in Santa Barbara this weekend. It was the only time he had before his movie started filming so he figured he’d get that out of the way so his dad didn’t push the issue while he was busy the next several weeks.
With the weekend here, Mindy was looking forward to a little down time. She normally doesn’t work on Saturday, at least not in the office, but there were several larger projects she wanted to check on so she went in for half a day. She worked on budgets and looked over some of the things her staff was working on so she knew a little bit about each project in case a question came up.
She decided to skim through her e-mail to make sure there was nothing important when she saw one with the subject marked ‘URGENT’. The name was slightly familiar but she couldn’t quite place where from. As she opened it, she got the biggest smile on her face and let out a scream. Thankfully she was the only one in her office. It was from the President of the hotel chain she did the re-design for letting her know her firm was selected for the job. He went on to tell her how inspired and excited they were by her new design and how they look forward to working with her to make it come to life. She wrote a brief response thanking him for the confidence in her firm and said how she very much looks forward to starting the project.
By the time she finished at work it was 2:00. Time had gotten away from her but she didn’t have any firm plans so she took it in stride as she locked up and walked out of the building. She said goodbye to the security guard who let her out of the building and made her way to her car trying to clear her head along the way. Since it was the weekend, she was able to park near the front of the building just down from the handicapped spaces.
She reached for the door handle when she heard someone walking up behind her. Hearing the footsteps, she remembered that she forgot to grab her keys out of her purse like she normally does to help fight off anyone trying to rob her or even worse.
Bringing her fist up to her chest as she turned suddenly, she used the momentum of her quick turn to propel the back of her hand and arm out to the side of the face of the person behind her to knock them silly so she could run back to the building. Just before impact she noticed a guy with dirty blonde hair lean to the opposite side to avoid her hand but not before it made contact on his ear with a thud.
When she took off running, she heard someone yell her name as she glanced over her shoulder. Her mouth dropped open as she came to a stop. Standing there staring at the guy holding the side of his head, she yelled “Chase”?
He stood up fully putting his hand down to his side. “Yes, it’s me. - That was a hell of a hit. I’m glad I leaned some or I’d be flat on the ground. I didn’t know you could hit like that.” He walked toward her.
“What the hell are you doing here? - At my job - and in Florida?”
Stopping in front of her he held his hands up in the air for a few seconds. “Look, I’m sorry I scared you. That wasn’t my intention. I was waiting to see if you came out before I left and when I saw
you, I just walked over. My car is right there.” He pointed a few spaces away from her car. “ - I guess I should’ve said something before I got close. Again, I’m sorry.”
She looked at him still confused and shaking her head. “But you still haven’t answered my questions Chase. Why are you here? - And how did you know where I work?”
“Well since we didn’t get to talk in Hawaii I figured I’d look you up while I’m here. I couldn’t find a home address for you but saw your company name when I searched online. - I drove by yesterday but never saw you come out. I only waited a half hour though.”
“What? Are you stalking me?! Is that why you came to Florida?” She started walking back to her car while he followed.
He caught up to her. “Mindy - Mindy.” She turned to look at him. “No, I’m not stalking you. I wouldn’t do that. I haven’t turned into some crazy person despite what you may think. - I came here for a friend’s fortieth birthday party and I couldn’t help thinking about you since I arrived.”
“I made it clear Chase when we talked in Maui that the feelings we shared were in the past. I’ve moved on with my life.” She looked at his face to see if he got the point.
He looked down at the ground for a few seconds. “I get it. I didn’t expect you to put your life on hold these past few years. - I just felt the need to talk to you and clear the air.” Chase looked out across the parking lot. “Before I leave town can we at least have coffee or a drink? - I won’t keep you long I promise. - I want to know we’re OK.”
Mindy looked out to the lot trying to decide how to handle his request. She thought about how she was feeling inside being around him again. The thing is, her insides were no longer in knots when she thought of him. Even being around him didn’t seem to affect her at all. She had no anxiety any more as far as he was concerned and that put a smile on her face realizing just how far she’s come. After a minute of thinking it through, she answered. “One cup of coffee won’t hurt I guess. As long as we keep it friendly.”
Chase smiled at her. “That’s all I can ask for.”
“There’s a Starbucks in the next shopping center along the road on the right. You can follow me if you want.” She opened her car door and got in as he headed to his car to follow her.
They went inside and ordered. Chase told her she could get a table if she wanted to while he waited for their drinks. She agreed and grabbed one near the window. Within five minutes he brought their coffee over. They sipped it and had a nice talk for just over an hour.
Come to find out he started dating the mother of his son again after he got back from Hawaii a week after Mindy came home. He said the last conversation they had in Maui was the closure he needed to move on. He also told her it was going well and he was starting to feel good about it. That was music to Mindy’s ears. She had no more worries that he might pop up again unexpectedly. At least not in a romantic way. She made it clear she was happy with her new boyfriend. When he left, she actually shook his hand and told him to be happy. He told her the same and left.
* * * * *
Brandon was busy all week tying up lose ends and getting everything ready for filming to start next week. He was excited about it and feels good about the casting choices. The weekend was here already so he dropped the kids at Alex’s house since it was her week with them.
After he carried their things inside and kissed them goodbye, he got back in his car and headed to Santa Barbara. He was looking forward to some relaxing time with his dad. Brandon wanted his mellow mood to continue, especially since the next few weeks will involve very long days with several nights included, depending on how well filming goes. If things went better than he hoped, he wanted to give everyone a few days of rest after the first week so they don’t get burnt out. He hoped to go into week one on a positive note.
It’d been a little while since he’s had some one on one time with his dad and he actually looked forward to it. Tabu has been with him the last few times he went to his dad’s and he usually brings the kids with him so they don’t get much time alone. He’s hoping they can watch some sports, talk about his trip to Maui and he can break the news to him about Mindy. He had no idea how his dad would take it. Sometimes he surprises Brandon with his reaction - and not always in a good way.
Brandon tried calling Mindy on the drive to Santa Barbara but she didn’t answer. She told him last night she was going to work a half day today so she either stayed longer than she planned or just didn’t hear her phone ringing. He figured he’d try her again later so he turned on the music and enjoyed the scenic ride. Driving on the PCH was mostly scenic so he usually didn’t mind the longer drive to his dad’s.
Downtown Santa Barbara is very serene and scenic with it’s Spanish Colonial architecture. Having grown up in California, Brandon has visited here many times. His dad moved to the Riviera neighborhood several years after his divorce. During the past century, the area got the name due to its resemblance to the Mediterranean coastal towns of France and Italy. The neighborhood even has winding streets and intricate stone work built by early twentieth century Italian immigrants. That’s why his dad picked the area.
As he drove down his dad’s street pulling into the circular driveway with a fountain in the center, he admired the house. It was a wide single story home with more of a traditional Spanish style including a tile roof and keyhole archways at every opening adding to the charm. The landscaping was nicely done but a bit minimal with a well manicured lawn surrounding it and large trees on both sides of the driveway. It suited him well.
He parked his car and headed to the front door. Reaching for the handle, the door opened as his dad pulled it wide. “Son! How have you been? I’m glad you came.” He reached out and gave him a nice hug. “Come, come. Let’s go out to the back deck. I have fresh made sangria waiting for us.” He closed the door and they walked through to the back of the house.
“I’m doing good. Very relaxed since my trip to Maui. It recharged my batteries and gave me a new outlook on life.” He smiled as he trailed closely behind his dad.
They went out on the patio which was done in terra cotta tile flooring with the right half of the roof covered with a large pergola, vines woven throughout it and lounging furniture under it. The left side had a traditional roof with an outdoor kitchen to include a griddle and a grill built in. The table and chairs were in the center flanked by plants and flowers. There was a lap pool that went almost the entire length of the house behind the patio overlooking the city.
His dad led the way to the outdoor patio and over to the table with a pitcher of sangria with fruit in the center. They sat down as his dad reached for the pitcher pouring them each a glass. Brandon and his dad share a love for sangria, especially when it’s freshly made.
“Thanks dad.” He sipped some of his drink. “How have you been?”
Dad put his glass down and sat back in his chair. “I’m doing well son. Been golfing a few times a week and taking the boat out with some friends. - You need to join us again soon.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. - But it’ll be several weeks since I start filming this week. We’ll take a short break at certain points but not for long. You know how crazy my schedule can get.” He sipped more of his drink.
“I know. - I’m glad you at least got away for some down time before you start shooting. From what you told me it sounds like you needed it.” His dad grabbed his glass and drank some more.
Thinking about Mindy, Brandon got quiet for a few seconds. “I did dad. There was a lot going on at once, not to mention Tabu bugging me every chance she got. I just needed to get away and clear my head. - It really helped and I’m ready to move forward with my life.”
His dad couldn’t help but think about what Brandon said about Tabu. He hopes it wasn’t a mistake to try to get them back together. He doesn’t want to strain the relationship again with his son. “So tell me what you did on your trip. I assume you hung out with Jacques while you were there?”
Brandon
told him about Stephen joining him and everything they did together. Then he told him about Mindy and Faith. He mostly told him what he shared with his mom and sisters but not in the same way. They were more the romantic type where his dad didn’t always agree with going through so much trouble, as he called it, just to put romance in a relationship.
He was quite surprised that his son met someone on vacation and wants to have this long distance relationship with her. He didn’t think it would work in the long run but told Brandon it’s his life and he only wants the best for him. Though he had a lot of reservations about a girl that would date someone she met on a vacation, he didn’t want to alienate his son so he’d just let it fizzle out as he knew it would eventually.
Brandon couldn’t help but talk about Mindy and light up in the process. He told dad how they’ve talked almost every day and night and how they talk, video chat, text and sometimes e-mail. He wanted his dad to know just how serious he is about giving this relationship a chance.
Pouring more sangria in each glass, he turned to his son. “I haven’t seen you so excited about a woman in a really long time. - When is she coming to Cali?” Before Brandon had a chance to answer him the doorbell rang. “Let me get that. I’ll be right back.”
Walking to the front door his dad was wondering if he made the wisest choice when he asked Tabu to join them for dinner now that he knows someone else is in the picture. He definitely needed to warn her before she saw him. He opened the door, pulled her in and motioned for her to be quiet as he walked into the office with her trailing behind.
Whispering, he told her briefly what Brandon just told him. Needless to say she was mad as fire but he seemed to calm her down. She said she knew a long distance relationship wouldn’t last so she wasn’t going to worry about it. Once she gained her composure, they walked out to the patio.
Brandon turned when he heard footsteps and his mouth dropped open as Tabu walked towards him. “What are you doing here?” He shook his head looking at his dad. “Dad - why is she here?”