Finally, she heard it moving down the driveway. Sticking her head into the living room, she waved goodbye. “I’m heading home. I’ll see you next Sunday.” She didn’t even look at Brett as she quickly ducked out of the room.
She thought she’d made a clean break, but inside, five pairs of eyes turned to look at Brett. For a moment, he just stared at the doorway where Antonia had been, eyebrows raised in amazement. “Is she always this obtuse?” he asked them all.
All five heads nodded.
Brett shook his head then set his glass of brandy down on the bar. Without a word, he walked out to catch his elusive woman.
He found her on the front steps, watching a cab drive down the driveway. She was just about to step down, when he came to stand in front of her. “Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” he asked, looking at her eyes to gauge her reaction.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, afraid to look at him, willing the cab to drive faster. “I’m just going home, please don’t let me disrupt your evening.”
Sighing heavily, he said, “Have it your way,” then leaned down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder, then headed in the direction of his car.
The cab pulled up in front of the house and Brett handed the man a twentydollar bill saying, “Thanks, but the lady won’t be needing a ride anymore.”
Antonia saw the laughter on the cab driver’s face as Brett turned around and placed her in the passenger seat of his car. Furious and embarrassed, she pushed open the door as soon as he started walking around the front to get in beside her. She marched towards the cab that was still sitting in front of the house, enjoying the scene.
But Brett wasn’t going to let her get away with that. He simply came up behind her, threw her back over his shoulder and put her into the car again. This time, he locked the door so she couldn’t get out.
Antonia sat there fuming. He sat down beside her n the driver’s seat and started the powerful engine. Pulling away from the house, he waved to her family, all of whom were standing on the front steps. Her brothers waved back, huge grins on all their faces.
“I can’t believe you did that to me,” she said once they were on the highway. Antonia was livid. There didn’t seem to be a time when Brett was around her family that she didn’t end up humiliating herself.
“You did that to yourself,” he said, deftly changing lanes.
Sputtering, she said, “How did I do that to myself? All I wanted was to go home. I had the means, you just decided it was the wrong one.”
“Antonia,” he said, trying to calm her down, “why didn’t you just tell me you were ready to go home?”
“Because I didn’t need to. I got there on my own, I can certainly get myself home,” she said, raising her voice in frustration.
“By a cab? When there’s no need? I’m perfectly happy to drive you home. Hell, I’ll drive you anywhere you want if you’ll just ask me,” he told her. Antonia couldn’t make him understand. He was exactly like her brothers. And it infuriated her.
As soon as they arrived at her building, she got out of the car and slammed the door. “Don’t bother to see me up,” she said, yelling at him from across the street.
“Turn on your living room light when you get upstairs,” he said from the open window.
“No,” she called back.
“Then I’ll come up to make sure you get in ok,” he said starting to get out of the car.
Turning around on the opposite side of the street, she faced him again, livid that she couldn’t even walk into her apartment without him needing to be assured that she’d be ok. “Fine. I’ll turn on the light if everything’s ok. But if there’s a burglar stealing my whicker baskets and gingham curtains, I’ll be sure to leave the lights off so he can get away more easily.”
Brett threw back his head and laughed. She had a point. But she had already disappeared into the building and up the stairs. He waited in his car until she turned on the light in her living room. Driving away, he continued to chuckle occasionally, remembering how sexy she was when she started yelling. She certainly had fire, he thought.
Antonia stomped around her apartment, turning on every light. She was so angry. She walked to the window to make sure he was gone, but she only caught sight of the black BMW driving down the street, his hand waiving to her from the open window.
Stomping back, she was now angry that he’d known she’d look out her window. Antonia looked around her. It was only nine o’clock, too early for her to go to bed since she wasn’t tired at all. But she didn’t know what else to do. She turned on the television, but nothing could subdue her anger. She’d read all the books in her apartment, but she searched the shelves, looking for something to re-read.
Nothing caught her eye. Storming into her bedroom, she changed into shorts and a worn out tee-shirt. She cleaned her apartment from top to bottom, scrubbing all the floors, cleaning cupboards and the refrigerator. It was one o’clock in the morning when she finally ran out of righteous anger. Sitting down on the sofa, yellow rubber gloves covering her hands and a steel wool bundle clenched in her left hand, she felt better. Her whole apartment smelled good and sparkled.
Thinking she was finally able to fall asleep, she showered and climbed into bed. But sleep wouldn’t come. her thoughts. And questions. invited to dinner tonight? Was she the only one who thought it odd? As much as she tried to relax, Brett kept coming into What were her brothers up to? Why had Brett been
Antonia slept until the phone woke her the next morning at ten o’clock. It was her Aunt Marsha. “Want to come shopping with us this afternoon?” she asked, chipper and cheerful.
Antonia looked at the clock. She’d only slept for four hours. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. “I guess so. What time?” she asked.
“How about three o’clock? I gave the babysitter the morning off so I have Daniel.”
Antonia groaned. “I’m sorry Aunt Marsha, I can’t meet you that late. I have plans tonight,” she said, pushing her hair out of the way.
Antonia could hear the smile when her aunt asked, “With who?”
Shaking her head, “Not with Brett Hancock,” she said angrily.
“Why were you trying to take a cab home last night? You know your brothers would be happy to drive you anywhere. And Brett was right there. Why didn’t you ask him to drive you home?”