Kem wasn’t prepared for Brent’s swift exit. She’d gotten caught up with one of the show’s vice presidents. She rushed to her office, grabbed her stuff and ran to her car. She noticed Brent’s car not far away. Good, he hadn’t left yet.
She removed the letter opener from her purse then glanced around the parking lot. No one was in clear view. She walked to the back of her car. She looked around again to take extra precautions then bent down and used the letter opener to punch a hole in the back tire. She could hear the air leaving the tire.
She looked at her handiwork. Her face scrawled. She was a writer, not an actor, but she would be the leading lady in this scene. She noticed Brent walking from his trailer though she pretended not to. She’d turned her cell phone off but pretended to be trying to call someone.
Brent walked right past her without stopping.
“What do you mean it will be two hours before you can get someone here?” she said loudly, her back now facing Brent. She closed her eyes hoping and praying that it worked.
“Kem, is everything all right?” Brent stopped and asked.
“Yes,” she mouthed to herself. She frowned right before turning around to face him then placed her hand over the bottom of the phone. She spoke fast. “No. My car’s got a flat and it’ll be two hours before someone can come change it. I got this conference call I need to be on and my notes for the meeting are on my computer at the house.”
Brent removed his jacket. “Don’t worry yourself. Tell them not to worry about it. I’ll change it. Just hold this.”
“I’m sorry but you can cancel the roadside assistance. Someone else has come to my rescue,” Kem pretended to say to someone. She put the phone away.
“Where’s your key, or pop the trunk?” Brent walked to the back of her car.
Kem used the key fob and popped the trunk.
She watched Brent move things around before looking at her. “You need to talk to the manager at that dealership because you don’t have a spare tire.”
Kem pretended to be frustrated. She’d left the tire at home on purpose. She rushed beside him. “Are you serious? I’ve never had a flat tire before so I didn’t know there wasn’t a spare back there.”
Brent moved the carpet in the back and showed her where the spare tire was supposed to be.
Kem pouted. “Now what I’m supposed to do? I guess I’d better call them back and have them tow my car to the dealership so they can put a new tire on it.”
“No. Notify them of the missing spare tire and have them send someone out to change the tire right here.”
Kem shrugged her shoulders. “In the meantime, I have to get home.” She turned her phone over.
“What are you doing?” Brent asked.
“I’m calling a car service. It’s a long walk home from here,” she tried to joke.
“Nonsense. I’m here. I’ll take you home.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you. I know you’re a busy man.” Kem tried not to sound condescending.
“It’s not an inconvenience. Why wait, when I’m right here?”
“You have a point. Let me get my stuff out of the car,” Kem said.
Kem tried to hide the smile on her face. She pretended to be looking for something. She bent over far enough so Brent could get a good view of her behind as her skirt shifted farther and farther up.
She got out of the car and caught him drooling. “You okay?” she asked.
He swallowed. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Thanks for the ride.” Kem walked past him toward his car.
Brent could have pretended not to see Kem in distress but his heart wouldn’t let him. Having her in close proximity caused him to sweat. He blasted the air conditioner hoping it would cool things down. When she bent over in her car to get her stuff, his penis betrayed him and got rock hard and wouldn’t deflate. The smell of her perfume filled the air making it difficult for him to control his hormones.
Kem said, “Brent, I want to thank you for taking me home.”
“No, problem. I would have done the same for anyone.”
“I know. That’s one of the things I love about you. You’re genuine. You’re a nice guy.”
Did she say love?
“I also owe you an apology.”
“No need to go there,” Brent responded. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on the road.
“Yes, I insist. I’m sorry for not listening to you. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, I would have allowed you to explain your side of the story and we wouldn’t be walking around here acting like strangers.”
Brent kept his eye on the road and responded, “I knew you’d be upset, but I didn’t expect you to do what you did. You didn’t give me the chance to explain.”
“I know and I’m sorry.” Kem placed her hand over his.
He started to jerk it away but didn’t. Her hand on top of his connected them like a magnet and he couldn’t deny the spark between them.
Brent glanced at her. “You expect me to forgive you, just like that?”
“You’ve made it really hard. I’ve been reaching out to you for weeks. I’m not going to give up on you…on us. I love you, Brent, and realize that my past was the only reason I reacted the way I did. I’ve come to terms with it. All I can do at this point is ask you if you can forgive me.”
“What about trust? Without it, there’s no relationship.”
“I never stopped trusting you, I stopped trusting myself. I couldn’t trust my feelings for you because I doubted anyone could love me and not leave me. So instead, I pushed you away so you wouldn’t have the opportunity to.”
“Kem, if you hadn’t broken up with me, we wouldn’t be in this place now. I never would have left you. I love you too much.”
“So you do still love me?”
“My love doesn’t change like the weather. I’m hurt. I’m disappointed, but yes, Kem, I still love you.”
Kem squeezed Brent’s hand. “Then, please. Please forgive me and give me another chance. Give us another chance.”
The car had come to a stop, as they hit a patch of traffic. Brent looked over at Kem. He could see fear and love in her eyes. He didn’t know what to say. He’d been struggling with his feelings since the incident. “Let me think about it.”
Kem sighed out loud. “I’ve been miserable without you. Some days I feel like I can’t breathe without you,” Kem confessed.
Brent could hear the despair in her voice. Before he could change his mind, he said, “Kem, I never stopped loving you. It just seemed like you were taking Alize’s side over mine.”
“No, baby. I was confused. Hurt. Thinking you did to a child what my father did to me…”
“When you found out the truth, I shouldn’t have pushed you away, but my silly pride got in the way.” Brent owned up to his mistake.
“Can we agree we both were hot-headed?” Kem asked.
Brent took the next exit to get out of the traffic jam. He stopped at the light. He’d made his decision. He didn’t need to wait a minute longer. “I’m willing to give us another try.” He kissed the back of Kem’s hand and then squeezed it.
Kem’s smile brightened Brent’s world.