Page 12 of Every Breath

“Okay, but the next time I hear you talk like that, it’s no television for a week,” Brandi warned.

“Yeah!” Mya smirked.

“Mya, I don’t need comments from the peanut gallery. I’m a little disappointed in you, too, young lady.”

“What did I do?”

“Your comment about Mr. Collins’s hair wasn’t very nice.”

“She said that about Ben, too!” DJ seemed glad that the heat was off him, but apparently saw no problem with throwing his sister in the line of fire.

Brandi shot her son a glare before turning back to the road. That silenced him.

“I know, but I don’t like redheads,” Mya said.

“Why not?”

“They all have gross freckles and their breath stinks.”

Brandi sighed. Unlike her son, her daughter sometimes didn’t know when to stop.

“See! I told you, she was listening to Missy Reynolds.”

Brandi ignored DJ’s comment. “Don’t you think judging someone based on something they can’t help is just as bad as making fun of someone with a health condition?” She addressed both children. “Remember that movie we watched about Dr. Martin Luther King? How would you feel if someone didn’t like you because your skin is brown? I didn’t teach you kids to treat people that way. What do you think your father would have said if he were here?”

Both children were silent for a moment, before DJ spoke first. “He would say we should treat people like we want to be treated.”

“Yeah,” Mya agreed. There was another long silence.

“I miss Dad,” DJ said.

“Me, too,” said Mya.

“We all miss him.” Brandi sighed and her eyes filled with tears. She wore Rodney’s ring, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Damon. She didn’t have the heart to put Damon’s wedding ring away, so she now wore it on her right hand. She wondered again if she was doing the right thing by marrying him when her heart belonged to a dead man.

Later that night when the kids were in bed, Brandi flipped on the TV. She surfed through the channels until she came across a commercial with a familiar face: Mason Collins. She knew she had seen him somewhere before! He was the slick car salesman that Damon used to laugh at. Judging by his flashy commercials, he seemed more cocky, brash, and totally unappealing. She would never have guessed that she would be drawn to someone like Mason. What made him so different in person?

As she lay in bed, she still wasn’t satisfied about the enigma of Mason Collins. Brandi just couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him better from somewhere else. Her dreams that night were filled by the images of a handsome man with startling green eyes, red hair… and Damon’s face.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Mom, I think this is the place.” DJ pointed out to the large stone mansion.

Brandi gaped as she slowed down to take in the magnificent structure. She glanced at her directions. 218 Crawford Road. She already knew Mason Collins was probably wealthy since he owned a couple of car dealerships, but she still didn’t expect such splendor. Turning into the driveway, she gave her son the speech.

“Remember what I said when you go in there. You will thank Mr. Collins for having you over and you will behave yourself. If I hear that you’ve misbehaved, no more sleepovers. Do you understand, mister?”

“Yes, Mom. This place is sweet! I bet Mr. Collins is real super rich.” DJ echoed her earlier thoughts.

“I would imagine so if he lives in a place like this,” she agreed, bringing the car to a halt. When her son came home earlier in the week to say that his new friend invited him for a sleepover, Brandi could hardly say no. DJ was a good kid who always got good grades, but she felt wary about seeing Mason Collins again. There was something about him that nagged at her. Since the night they met, she couldn’t get him out of her mind; it was disturbing.

Whatever it was, she had to tread carefully. She didn’t need any more complications in her life right now. Rodney was mad at her because she didn’t want to set a wedding date yet. The sullen silences and petulant side glares were unnerving whenever she was with him. The more petulant he became, the less she wanted to set a date. She didn’t know what had gotten into him lately, and Brandi didn’t like it one bit.

She and DJ got out of the car and walked up to the imposing door. The little redheaded kid she remembered from Parents’ Night answered the bell, a big smile on his face.

“Hey, DJ. Come in. I’m playing Super Mario Brothers on my Switch. Hi, Mrs. Evans.” Ben beckoned them inside.

Ben Collins was a cutie pie with his bright red hair and deep-green eyes. She knew he would be quite the heartbreaker when he grew up. Already he looked the image of his sexy father.