Burning Salvation

Episode 2- Worried and Confused

DORA

The thick row of evergreens that lined the property made it impossible to see the house from the road. But that was the point after all. I learned how much the wealthy valued their privacy fairly early on. They hid behind gated communities, thick castle walls, lawyers...

The trees continued the whole way along the driveway like a tunnel. When they finally broke, the trees revealed the house that set an unattainable standard for all other houses in my opinion.

Even though the neighborhood was full of towering architectural beauty—homes with far more bedrooms than necessary, balconies, trellises, and even turrets, and enough landscaping to keep hundreds of people employed—this one put them all to shame. With its intricate stonework, elaborately laid out swimming pool, and ionic columns it looked like it belonged in Northern California, not Western Pennsylvania.

I parked right out front because I had no time to waste waiting for a butler to come out and greet me. Talking to one of the men who called this place home was at the top of my to-do list and it couldn't wait a second longer.

"Brody?" I said too quietly for almost anyone to hear. Despite being in my massive hurry the second I stepped into the house I felt the need to be composed in its grandeur. It dwarfed me in every way. "Brody?" I called again a little louder this time.

"He's not here," a familiar, honey voice wafted down from the staircase. "Hello, sweetheart," T.R. said as he ambled down the sweeping, curved staircase.

It never really occurred to me that T.R. would be home. He'd been so busy the last few weeks I'd hardly seen him but when he pulled me into a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek, I realized how much I'd missed him.

His embrace was safe, like nothing bad could ever happen around him, and he always smelled faintly of peppermint and spicy aftershave. I loved that, but it always forced me to try to inhale during a hug as discreetly as possible.

"Where is he?" I asked as peppermint danced around my nose.

"He didn't tell you? He's at the office—"

"Oh," I said cutting him off. "Then I'll just go there. I really need to see him right now." I had no time to waste. My ability to think straight was diminishing every second.

Chase is back.

"The office in London," T.R. finished.

With that startling sentence, I tried to calculate in my head how many days it'd been since I last saw Brody. One, two...five days, I figured. Had I really not seen him in five days? I knew with certainty a text or two had been sent. Did he not mention he left the country?

"Oh, well I won't be going there." It was hard to keep my tone light with the weight of my worries.

I stopped at the bottom of the grand staircase and sat on the darkly polished wood landing. An overwhelming tired feeling came over me, both physically and emotionally. Brody being gone was one more complication I didn't need.

T.R. unfastened a button on his navy, double-breasted suit and sat down next to me. His salt-and-pepper hair was as thick as ever, not a strand out of place, and I tried to imagine what we looked like resting there, him in a suit despite the summer heat and the fact that he was at home, me in a casual summer dress that might have been too low-cut and sandals.

When I compared my long legs to his, they matched in length.

"I guess we haven't been talking enough lately." It was the kind of conversation I'd rather have with Gina, not Brody's dad, but T.R. was just going to have to do.

T.R. patted my hand. "You're both very busy and independent individuals. I asked him to go, and it was important. You'd do the same if necessary for your career and he'd be understanding of that."

That was true, Brody would understand, but I would understand too. If only he told me. Wasn't I even an afterthought? Leaving the country suddenly felt like a huge deal. Even if he did take a private jet and could come back at a moment's notice. That was the other thing I'd learned about the wealthy. They lived for private travel.

"I guess I just wish he would've told me," I said, feeling like maybe I shouldn't have. I couldn't expect his own father to take my side.

"I wish he would've too, and I'm not making excuses for him, but he's doing everything he can to win my favor. Not that he needs to, but he's worried I won't leave the practice in his very capable hands when I retire."

That was true, too. I was willing to take the backseat to his dreams when they were the size of Montana and all he'd wanted since he was a little kid.

"He's very determined," I said absentmindedly.

T.R. had the uncanny ability to make every situation not only seem sensible but downright normal. I supposed that was the lawyer in him.

"He won't be back for the party tonight then?" my fingers instantly ached for my phone. Brody was the only thing keeping me from calling Chase and if he wasn't going to be around, I wasn't sure how I'd stop myself.

I stood up, smoothed my pastel floral dress down, and stuck my hand out to help T.R.

"No, I'm afraid not. But he will be back early tomorrow morning," he said with a small groan while he tried to stand back up.

"I guess I can just wait till then." I couldn't tell Brody over the phone, it was an in-person kind of conversation, one we should've had months ago, but didn't. And now I had that added issue of him leaving the country without telling me.

Maybe that was for the best.

"If I speak to him, I will tell him you stopped by," T.R. assured me.

My next destination was calling my name, so I quickly thanked T.R. before dashing back out of the front door. I continued on my hurried way to avoid the temptation of dialing Chase's old number to see if it still belonged to him.

Remember, I told myself, he left you.