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“But you loveme anyway.” Blowing him a kiss, she opened her door and gotbehind the wheel.
“Call me whenyou get home.”
He watched her driveaway before turning around. Instead of going back inside the house tojoin his mother, he returned to the pool's side, where the sun wasshining on the stunning blue of the water. He had almost suggested tohis sister that they go for a swim, but he knew it would have been awasted effort.
Brooke hated beinghere because of the unpleasant memories. She had chosen to move outas soon as she finished medical school. He had decided to staybecause he did not want to leave his mother on her own. Not thatMarjorie Campbell had a problem being on her own.
His mother was strongand resilient and had weathered many storms.
Brooke might resenther for staying in a marriage that had been far from perfect, but headmired her fortitude. She had stayed with a husband who had noqualms in shaming her daily, and she had borne the shame and whisperswith admirable aplomb.
Sitting on one of thechaises, he allowed his mind to wander. His father had been absent –never attended any of their games or varied extra-curricularactivities. Still, Marjorie had been there, making sure that a parentwas represented.
Brooke’sillusion had been brutally shattered because she had placed their dadon a pedestal, only to discover that he was human after all and aflawed human being at that.
They were bothaffected by the household's lack of love and fidelity. He was notcomfortable in a relationship. He had ribbed his sister about herlack of one when he was no better. He used women, telling himselfthat he was not like Derrick Campbell because he did not have a wifeto answer to. But he could not settle.
His relationshipswere only physical. He had never found a woman he wanted to settledown with. Staring at the ripples in the pool, he wondered why he wasin this contemplative mood. His therapist was constantly telling himto verbalize his emotions, just let it out and break free from thecrippling shadows of the past.
Dragging his handsover his face, he shoved himself to his feet and walked toward thehouse. He had a brief to study and a case beating the hell out ofhim. He did not have time to go back into his past to try anddetermine how the hell he was going to get ahead of the trauma.
His phone rang justas he opened the front door.
“Reporting forduty as ordered.”
“You arehome.”
“Just going inthe front door and about to do the most hated job on the planet. Hey,thanks for playing referee.”
“Aren’t Ialways?” He asked her dryly.
“You are sogood at it. You okay?”
“I am.”Bypassing the salon where his mother was bound to work, he wentupstairs to his suite. “Why?”
“You sound alittle odd. That girl you are seeing, what’s her name again?”
“Janet?”
“I thought itwas something beginning with a ‘d’.”
“That wasmonths ago. You need to keep up.” Shoving his door open, hewent to his office.
“How can I?When you change them every few seconds. Then you have the nerve tolecture me on relationships.”
“Quite a pair,aren’t we?”
“We are. I haveto run, honey. Duty calls.”
Hanging up, he wentto sit behind his desk and tried his best to get into work mode.
Chapter 2
Sliding out of thepool, Dr. Cooper Rochester dragged long fingers through his densedark hair, made even darker by the water, as he plopped down on thechaise. Reaching for the towel, he sent a slow, intimate gaze towardsthe woman walking toward him.
“I think weshould go on inside.” Wendy Baker, his current lover,suggested, green eyes wandering over the sleek muscles of his chestand shoulders. “I was thinking I could cook you dinner.”
“I was thinkingtakeout from that wonderful French restaurant a few blocks fromhere.” He countered. He was getting bored and restless, andthose were two hazardous combinations.
