The
Diner of Love
3503 Angel Square Court
Llanview, PA
"Nothin' Could Be Finer Than Some
Lovin' In the Diner"
"There ain't no lovin' like some diner lovin', hey ho"
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"Nothin' Could Be Finer Than Some
Lovin' In the Diner" |
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What can I get you?
Coffee's a dollar
I hope you like whip cream.
I just love the Voice of the Night. We have this special connection. |
The Next Act
CHAPTER ONE
He looked around the apartment and then nodded. He was satisfied. It wasn’t a great place but it would do until he could find something better. The living room was large with parquet floors and the one bedroom was designed like a master suite with plenty of space, a private bath and a huge walk-in closet. The bedroom looked even bigger than it was because all he had in there was a platform bed and a night table with a lamp and an clock radio on it. Similarly, he could hear his voice echo in the closet where the vast space was broken only by his duffle bag, his uniform and the navy blue wool suit he’d bought for the interviews. The kitchen, which flowed into the living room, was spacious enough and he’d gotten a table and two chairs for that room as well as a couch and a big screen TV for the living room. So everything was ready. All he had to do now was to go home or rather back to the Carriage House and take care of the last remnants of his life there. As he swung onto the private road that led up to Llanfair he was once again amazed that he’d been living at such a kick ass place. Rich people really were different. Of course unlike Llanfair the Carriage House wasn’t exactly a palace but it was large and comfortable and it had been a good place for them. Besides, it’s not like it was supposed to be forever. He’d already had a plan in the works for the next step. All of that changed of course last week but until then living there had turned out better than he ever expected. Then in just one moment, just one night a million years ago, just yesterday, just last week everything changed. She wasn’t home. He’d come home immediately because that was the only place he wanted to be once he heard the news. But she wasn’t home. He went looking for her. He wanted to tell her that the loan had come through. He’d worked out the business plan right down to the minutest detail, but they’d still made him jump through hoops and dance in circles. In the end, though, the answer was yes and at an unbelievable rate. He still didn’t know if Viki Davidson had put a good word in for him but it didn’t matter. If she’d helped him, he was smart enough to be grateful. He would acknowledge and return her generosity of spirit in the right way and at the right time. What mattered was that he’d gotten the money to buy the shop on High Street and enough to obtain a substantial inventory. The icing on the cake was that the building and space were in such good shape he could open the shop in two weeks—three at the most. He was going to make a few improvements and change the name, but that was it. He was determined that it was going to be the best dealership in the whole commonwealth. All he needed was a little faith and a whole lot of hard work to shape the dream for them. At least that’s what he’d believed before… He stretched to get the sudden cramp out of his neck. One minute his life seemed to be teetering on the brink of disaster with a succession of too many bars, too many senseless fights, way too much alcohol and the next thing he knew he was flying high, and then before he could catch his breath, it all crashed down around him. The truth was that life can change on a dime despite what you want or how hard you fight. How could she do that to him? He gripped the steering wheel and kept his eyes focused on the road. She assumed because he couldn’t hide how much he loved her that it was a natural part of him. That’s who he was. But it wasn’t true. It’s who he was when he was with her. But the larger part of him was hidden and what happened that night burned most of that guise right on out of him. He’d reverted back to his core—to the training that kept him alive so many times and steeled his emotions even in the face of horrific things he’d witnessed, that kept him going when his body screamed to give up, that allowed him to endure conditions of deprivation and pain and all sorts of other things he didn’t dare share with her. He’d made a plan that very night for an exit strategy and now he was executing it step-by-step. He waited until he knew she’d be asleep before he drove home. They’d talk in the morning--things were always easier in the light of day. Shane was sleeping over at Matthew’s so they’d have plenty of time and privacy tomorrow. He could do it right. In truth, though, all he really had left to do was to announce his departure and then lift anchor. The porch light was on and the lamp in the living room burned brightly. For some reason that made his breath lock in his chest. He forced himself to exhale, then turned off the porch light and the lamp and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Their bedroom was dark, but he knew the layout by heart. He took off his clothes and slipped into bed next to her. He could see her profile in the moonlight. She was holding onto her pillow with her arms wrapped around it protectively. She rarely if ever held onto to him that way but once or twice she did fall asleep with her head on his chest. Wanting is not the same thing as getting. He’d learned that the hard way. Tomorrow he’d stop mixing the two up. Tonight he would sleep next to her one last time. He’d pay the reality check in the morning.
She opened her eyes and stretched. It was early but light filtered into the room through the partially opened venetian blinds so that strips of light danced across the floor. She looked over and realized that Brody was sitting on the side of the bed. He was nearly dressed except for his shirt and she assumed by the way he was bending over he was putting on his shoes. She’d tried to wait up for him last night but finally fell asleep. She’d felt the weight of his body on the mattress as he slipped into bed next to her though. He’d been so distant lately that she’d hoped he’d reach for her but he didn’t. Of course that was mostly her fault. She just hadn’t felt like doing anything for a while now and he seemed to understand that the depression had dampened her desire. But this morning it was hard to deny how he affected her. His back was perfectly proportioned and his muscles were ripped and well defined. She’d never told him, not once in the eleven years or so they’d known each other, how beautiful she thought he was. It seemed stupid to mention it. He had to know how he looked. “Hey,” she said and brushed her hair out of her eyes. He bolted upright, then grabbed for the tee-shirt that was next to him on the bed. He stood up—rigid, straight as an arrow--and slipped the t-shirt over his head. Finally, he turned and looked at her. She actually felt her cheeks blush. Her hair probably looked like she’d stuck her finger in an electric socket, but she had put on her sexiest nightgown last night for some reason. It was mostly revealing lace with patches of silk and she suspected that it still looked good and he’d notice. Of course he might laugh at the irony of the situation since the nightgown had been a totally unexpected wedding gift from Layla. “I need to talk to you,” he said. “I’ll make some coffee and we can meet downstairs.” She frowned. Why did they have to go downstairs to talk? In fact, why didn’t he take off his clothes and get back into bed? They could talk there. “Gigi?” “Sure. What time is it?” “Oh seven hundred hours.” “Oh, okay. But you know Shane is over at Matthew’s. He’s not supposed to be back until five or so this evening.” “Yeah, okay.” “He called last night before he went to bed. He wanted to talk to you about something. Couldn’t reach your cell. Was there a problem?” “No. My battery ran down.” What? Brody never let that kind of thing happen. He was the most meticulously prepared man she’d ever known. In just a few months, she and Shane had come to rely on that and to expect that they could always reach him. They could count on him. He was always there for them. Always. “What do you need?” he asked. “Ten minutes or so, then downstairs?” “Sure,” she said and threw the covers back and got out of bed. “Maybe less. Just give me a minute to take a quick shower.” He nodded but the look in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat. It was as if he had indeed noticed the gown and was memorizing her body and caressing it gently with his gaze. And suddenly her body ached for him. She wanted to reach out and pull him into her arms, fall back into bed and make love to him all morning long. It had been so long. But she didn’t. Even though she was the one who’d built the wall between them, she couldn’t seem to find the tools to tear it down. Like with so many other things between them she was waiting for him to find a way to take care of the distance.
He met her at the bottom of the stairs with a large mug in his hand. “Sorry,” he said. “I forgot we don’t have any coffee, so I made you some tea.” What? They never ran out of coffee. Brody had to have his two or three cups in the morning. And he got some special beans from the Hallowed Grounds to make espresso. She preferred tea to the thick, aromatic brew and never drank espresso when he wasn’t around, but having a cup together was their morning ritual. She took the mug. “Thanks but I can’t believe you ran out of coffee.” “It happens sometimes.” She flopped on the couch and tucked her feet beneath her. “No it doesn’t.” She laughed. “Not to you.” “Okay, I took it. I have it.” What? “You have the coffee? What are you talking about?” He squared his shoulders, planted his feet and then stood perfectly still. He locked his gaze on her and said, “I’m moving out and I knew I wouldn’t have time to get to Hallow Grounds today. Look, I know you didn’t care about it, so I took it. I’ll get you another pound if you want it. I just thought…” It felt like he’d balled his hand into a fist and hit her in the stomach. She knew what was coming, but she didn’t want to know. “What are you talking about, Brody?” “This is not how I planned it.” “How you planned what?” She spoke carefully. If she stayed calm he would see how absurd all of this was. “I didn’t plan to talk about coffee.” Coffee? She closed her eyes for a second and wished it was about coffee. “What did you plan?” “I want a divorce,” he said. She shuttered as a wave of pain shot through her consciousness. Did he really just say that? His voice was crisp and clear the way she suspected he’d sounded when he gave orders in the military. There was no mistaking what he’d said or meant. “I’ve contacted a lawyer,” he continued. “And it shouldn’t be a complicated dissolution since we’ve only been married a few months.” She stared at him. She wanted to scream. But she didn’t. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with him? “I’ve got a place over on Winterborne Drive near the University, not far from Angel Square. 873 Winterborne Drive, Apt 4B. I’ve written the information down on the pad in the kitchen. It’s a nice place or nice enough so you don’t have to worry when Shane is there.” She stared at him. “It’s not like I had a whole lot of stuff,” he said, “so I’ve already taken it over there. I doubt you noticed.” Please don’t do this. Not now. “Shane?” “I know it’s going to be hard on him but he’s a pretty tough kid and I don’t plan to drop out of his life. He’ll still be my kid and I’ll make sure he knows that, but…” “But what?” “I’m going to tell him the truth about his father, Gigi. I’m gonna tell him about Rex.” She slammed the mug on the coffee table, jumped up and put her hands on her hips. “The hell you are. You don’t have any right to do that.” His eyes flashed but then he shook his head and relaxed his stance. “Yes I do. When I stepped in as his father it became my lie, too. Now, whether it’s fair or not, I get to end it.” Her knees felt weak and she flopped back down. “Why are you doing this?” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m doing it for both of us. You don’t want to be here. I mean you don’t want to be with me in this marriage.” What? Why would he…? “You know what happened. We just need time. You know why—“ His facial expression became hard. “I saw you, Gigi. I saw you with him. I came home and you weren’t here and I couldn’t wait to tell you...” He took several steps back. His mouth tightened into a straight line and he clenched his teeth and stared at her for a second. “I thought you might be up at Viki’s,” he said finally, “so I went up there. You were there all right. You were kissing Balsom and damn near having sex with him on Viki’s kitchen counters--.” “No-o-o. No.” “I saw you and there’s nothing to be gained by lying about it.” His voice was so calm and controlled that if she couldn’t see his face and didn’t know that it was absurd to think otherwise, she’d think he wasn’t even angry. “You misunderstood,” she said. He glanced to the right and released the air from his lungs slowly, but then looked her in the eye. “Do you still love Balsom?” How had she gotten here? What was she supposed to say? “Gigi?” “Yes. I’ll always love him, but that doesn’t mean--” “Okay,” he said. “That’s what I thought. Nothing has changed. I knew that from the get-go. It was one of the parameters of the mission.” Parameters? What was she supposed to say to that? How could she stop this before it was too late? He turned as if he was about to leave. A wave of panic struck her. She had to do something and if it was a cheap shot that was too damn bad. She knew his soft spot. “I get that you’re mad at me, but why take it out on Shane? Why leave him and dump the truth on him?” Brody swung around and glared at her. She held her breath but then his eyes flickered and his face relaxed. “You’re not going to tell Shane the truth,” he said. “Not until after he learns it in some way that will crush his spirit. There’s no way to take the lie back but we can cushion his fall. Too many people know the truth already, Gigi, and it’s gonna to come out. So it needs to come out through us.” She struggled to her feet again and put her hand on her right hip. “I don’t think so.” “I know you’re scared,” he said softly. His voice was suddenly so gentle that she felt like crying. “I will handle it, Gigi,” he said. “I’ll take care of everything and I’m going to do it today. I’ll pick him up from Matthew’s this afternoon and take him home with me. He’ll stay with me tonight and we’ll talk man-to-man.” “Home?” He ignored her and glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a meeting at the shop in less than an hour and I need to get there and review some work orders before that. I’ll pick Shane up at Matthew’s no later than 4:30. I’ll call to let him know the plan.” “So you’re going to do everything? I’m supposed to just sit here and drink tea?” His jaw tightened. “I’m not going to tell Balsom. You need to do that. And you need to do it today.” A chill swept over her. How was she supposed to do that? Rex was going to hate her for keeping his son away from him. She couldn’t bare that. Brody frowned as if he could read her thoughts. “Whether you tell him or not, by tomorrow Shane is going to know. We’ll all have to deal with the fallout one way or another.” “Why? Why are you doing this now?” “It’s time.” “No. There’s more to this. Tell me the truth.” He locked his gaze on her for a second then said, “You know what a threshold is?” “Yeah, but—“ “It’s a point that once it’s reached everything changes. Water that was just warm boils, darkness turns to light, discomfort becomes pain. That thing at Viki’s was my threshold,” She gasped as the true intent of what he was saying ripped through her consciousness. He was leaving her. Really leaving her. This was wrong. “Gigi. I’m not blaming you. Your heart wants what it wants, but I can’t be a part of this lie anymore.” For a minute, she forgot how to breathe.
CHAPTER 2
The Back Deck Fan Fiction
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