It was a few minutes later that she went back into the store and back into her office. She tried to tell herself that Bruce Masters was a cold and hateful man that she would never speak to again but the truth was that he was right. She hadn’t spent much time with her father and he had. She remembered the first time that her father had told her that Bruce had come in his store and that he was a very kind and intelligent man. There were times that she had almost been jealous of the time they spent together.
Brooke Lynn looked up at her father’s picture and said out loud.
“I’m afraid dad that you were misguided by one Bruce Masters. He is nothing like you said. He’s rude, self righteous and most of all arrogant!”
It was almost as if her father’s picture was laughing at her.
“That’s right! Go ahead and laugh but I will never see or talk to that man again.”
The picture seemed to smile even more and she stomped her foot in frustration.
“Oh you men always stick together!”
She turned and left the room and could almost hear her father laughing. She slammed the door as she had done when her father was alive but the laughter didn’t fade.
It was awhile before Brooke Lynn would go back into the office and when she did she refused to look at the picture. It wasn’t until she left that evening that she looked at it and said, “Good Night Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
At her own words tears sprung to her eyes and she knew that she never would see her father again or hear his voice. She flew out of the office and headed for home.
Bruce had driven straight home and went into the house to find Ally fixing lunch. She had finished work early so she thought that she would surprise him. Bruce helped her carry things out to the table on the deck while Ally put music on the stereo. They sat down to eat but Bruce found he wasn’t very hungry. He couldn’t get his mind off a certain dark-haired lady. Why had he gotten so angry with her and why did he say those things? That wasn’t him. He had intended to tell her how sorry he was but found himself angry instead. He pushed away from the table and walked to the railing letting the breeze from the ocean rush over him. There was such a soothing quality about it. He needed that now, he felt restless, that something was missing but he didn’t know what. He had everything that he wanted. His life was the way he wanted it. He leaned against the rail and watched the waves as they hit the shore and couldn’t help wondering, “ Isn’t it?”
He felt Ally’s hand on his back making a gentle circling motion. Slowly the tension eased from his shoulders and he reached pulling her to him. As he brought his lips to hers, he answered his own silent question. “Yes, it was just the way he wanted it.” Their lips met and a dark-haired woman with deep blue eyes entered his mind. He froze from the impact that it had on him causing Ally to ask if he was alright. It took him a moment but he finally replied and said that he was fine. He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “ I need you.”
Ally touched his face tenderly. “I’m here Bruce. Whatever is wrong? I’m here.”
“Thank God for that!”
He pulled her into his arms wishing that he knew what was wrong. He felt as if his life was suddenly about to change and it scared him. He moved so that he could kiss her. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Ally that he was alright or himself but he led her back into the house and their bedroom, closing the door behind them.
It was hours later when Bruce emerged from the house again. He went back out to the balcony and watched as the sun began to set. They had fallen asleep after they had made love and Bruce thought about how much time he had wasted that day but it didn’t bother him. He was relaxed for the first time since his encounter with Miss Rhodes.
He closed his eyes taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it. A sudden picture of Brooke Lynn standing in the parking lot watching him leave came back to him and he shook his head dismissing it. He pushed the hurt look on her face out of his mind and opened his eyes.
Then there she was! As if the very thought materialized her. He was about to leave because watching her was the last thing that he wanted to do when she dropped to her knees and cried. The words tore at his heart.
“I’m sorry Daddy. I’m so sorry!” Then she doubled over so that her face was in the sand.
Bruce never even realized he moved until he was kneeling beside her and pulling her into his arms. He sat there rocking her gently until her sobs turned into hick-ups then to silence.
Brooke Lynn didn’t know who held her, she only knew that she wasn’t alone. She spoke into the shoulder that her head rested on. “He was right. I didn’t spend time with him. I thought there would be time. I would always tell him, I’ll see you tomorrow daddy, but I never did.”
The tears started again and Bruce tightened his hold on her, wondering once again what was he doing.
Brooke Lynn raised her head to look into the eyes of the person she swore that she would never talk to again. She sat frozen, torn between wanting to return to the feeling that had filled her when his arms were around her and the horror that she had just admitted to him that he was right. She shoved him away causing him to land flat on his back. She felt a sense of satisfaction and smiled. She jumped to her feet. “I thank you to keep your false concern to yourself! I don’t need or want your sympathy!”
She turned and ran up the steps of a near by house.
Bruce smiled thinking, “Damn she has a temper. You were right Martin. Your daughter is hell on wheels when she thinks she has been wrong.”
He couldn’t help smiling as he picked himself up off the ground. Still he was right and she had admitted it even though she hadn’t meant to say it to him. Again he smiled. Then he thought of all the conversations that he had with Martin and he felt angry again. No, he would not feel sorry for her. He headed toward his house then froze. He could have sworn he heard Martin say, “Be patient with her Bruce.”
Bruce shook his head knowing that he was starting to lose his sanity because of that woman. Now he was hearing things.