The Media Baron's Heiress

CHAPTER 21

Tessa lounged at the poolside, sipping on a bottle of chilled mineral water. Occasionally she pierced an olive with a tooth pick and fed it into her mouth. It was early evening. The sun was beginning to dip. It was still warm. She loved this time of the evening. It was peaceful and tranquil, save for the occasional slurping sound of the pool cleaner. Tessa allowed her thoughts to reflect on her mom and dad, her early childhood and growing up with an absentee father.

She had felt a weight tugging around her heart when her mom had advised her of her parents' imminent reconciliation. She loved her mom too much to see her get hurt again. She never wanted to hear her mother's sobs of anguish ever again. Then she had been a child and had been helpless, now she would never allow her father to ever hurt her mom again. She would give Joseph hell.

She could deal with not having had a father present when she was growing up. She was okay without knowing what it meant to have a father at the dinner table. It did not matter that he never ever read her any bedtime stories. It did not matter that when she wanted a father figure to talk to about the first guy who had kissed her, Joseph was never around. She hated the stigma that he was never around when she was growing up, but she could live with that. Tessa was oblivious to the tear that had escaped and trickled down her cheek.

A sad smile touched her face as she thought about how happy Fabian used to be at his birthday parties with his father holding his shoulders, so proudly. Tessa had longed to have just one photo with her father looking at her, the way Fabian's dad's eyes so proudly admired his son.

She recalled how at her own parties, she longed for just once to see her father walk through the door, but he never did. And at her sixteenth birthday party he'd promised to be there to open the dance with her, but he was late. When the music had started for the opening dance, Tessa had furiously blinked away the threatening tears, and proudly taken her mom's hand and opened the dance with her.  Charlotte had teared and apologized for her father's absence. Tessa had smiled brightly at her mom, and whispered, 'it's not your fault mummy.'

The tears trickled unabashed down her face now. Her mom had determinedly played the role of mother and father all her life.

Oh Joseph knew exactly where his presence would achieve prime time recognition. He'd made sure to be there the day she'd graduated. Every newspaper had a journalist at the graduation, wanting to interview the youngest "wunderkind" to graduate out of Harvard. Tessa had consented to one exclusive interview. It had not been to the International Reporter. She had also snubbed her father at her graduation.

Brad swallowed convulsively as he watched Tessa's forlorn figure on the lounger. The fading sun was still able to beautifully highlight her brunette locks cascading over her shoulders. From his undetected point of vantage he could see the tears sliding down her cheek. A primal protective instinct within him had him moving towards her in his steady confident manner.
Tessa sensing his presence before she saw him; quickly flicked her wrist across her face. She kept her head trained on the setting sun. She sipped again from the bottle, biding her time.

'May I join you?' Brad politely asked.

You own the place - why the hell not?

'This is for you,' he handed her a single red rose.

Tessa was most pleasantly taken aback. She forced a smile, 'thank you,' she murmured, lifting her face to offer him a kiss. 'Grab a seat,' she invited.

'I love this time of the day,' Brad spoke quietly.

Me too.
Tessa lifted the rose close to her nostril and inhaled its sweet fragrance, careful not to inhale the pollen.

Brad pretended not to notice her distress. He spoke about how he used to love going to the pool when he was a teenager. He bragged about how he built his muscular chest and six pack in a public swimming pool just to get the girls to notice him. Tessa laughed.  He reached out and clasps his hand to hers, she left it there.