The Rebel

This is my adaptation of “Rebel With A Cause” by Kim Nelson.


Chapter 13

“Did I get you out of bed?”

Brenda’s fingers tightened around the phone as Jax’s voice moved through her ear and
sent a tingle down her spine. It was eight o’clock in the morning and the last person she
expected to hear from was him, especially since he was supposed to be coming to the
house at ten to pick her up, but she wasn’t disappointed. She smiled and leaned back
against the wall next to the phone. “No, I was up.”

“Darn, I was kinda hoping to catch you between the sheets.”

Brenda laughed “You are *terrible*.

“That’s one of my more redeeming qualities.”

“Your motorcycle is another.”

The sound of his laughter made her break out in goosebumps.

“I suppose your calling to say you’ll be stylishly late?” she suggested.

“Actually, the reason I’m calling is to say that I can’t make it at all.”

Disappointment hit her hard. Harder than she expected. Harder then she wanted.
Quickly she assured herself it was just that she was looking forward to finding a place of
her own. It had nothing whatsoever to do with not seeing him. It was only the fact that
she had wished for so long for independence and now that the moment was here she
didn’t want to wait any longer before declaring her freedom. But it was really interesting
that it’d taken him to make her realize just how much she craved it. “I’m sorry.”

“No more than I am, but it can’t be helped.”

“Duty calls?” she asked, curious all over again. About him. About who he was rather
than who he wanted her to believe him to be.

“Actually...” he began, and hesitated.

“You don’t owe me any explanation,” she hastily interrupted, silently cursing both her
own curiosity and his stubborn refusal to satisfy it.

But he still hesitated, and his silence told her more than he was willing to put into words.
He wanted to tell her all but wasn’t ready to. “I have some work to see to. A
commitment,” he finally told her.

“I’m happy to hear you believe in commitments,” she responded tartly, and her effort to
lighten his mood was successful. She could almost hear him grin.

“I can be very committed when I see something I want.”

She smiled herself. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ll have to try harder.”

She laughed.

“But just because I can’t go apartment hunting with you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go
ahead and go. Let me give you some addresses to get you started.”

Grabbing some pen and paper, she quickly wrote down not only the locations for the
properties but the name, address and phone number of the person she could pick up the
keys from.

“I could only find one property on the beach. The other two are in the canyons outside
the city.”

“Have you seen them? I mean, you must have when you went looking for your own
place?”

An uncomfortable silence once more filled the phone line. “I’ve seen them, yes. They’re
investment properties.”

Why would a man new to the city be looking at or how would he know of investment
properties unless, of course, he was investing? “Obviously I’m paying you too much if
you can afford to invest, or you’re already looking for a new job in a company of your
own.”

“I like working on my own,” he admitted, neither acknowledging nor denying her
unspoken question. “But I’m finding teamwork has its own rewards.”

The deep accent of his voice made it hard for her to concentrate on the mystery rather
than the man.

“I think you’ll like all the properties. The only thing is that they are houses and not
apartments, so you’ll have some privacy and can decorate as you like if you decide to
rent one. The owner is a close personal friend so the sky’s the limit.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Keep me in mind, too.”

As if she could forget him. She shook her head in denial of the personal admission. “I’ll
try not to.”

“You’re a cruel woman, Brenda Barrett. A man’s ego can only take so many blows.”

“And here I thought you were indestructible.”

He laughed. “I’ve been called worse.”

“Tell me.”

A sigh came over the phone. “I can’t. I have to go. I’ve got someone waiting.”

The stab of jealousy pierced her heart, catching her by surprise and she wondered if it
was another woman taking Jax away for the day, but Brenda hastily pushed the
possibility aside and the regret that, every time she appeared to be getting closer to
discovering more about him, he pushed her away. “I’ll see you in the office on Monday.”

“And you can tell me when the housewarming party is. I fully expect to be invited.”

“Maybe I’ll even give you a private showing.” The invitation was out before she knew it.
Her thoughts were spoken before she could form the words to say. That shocked and
relieved her. It also reminded her of his comment the night before about appearances
strangling her. He’d been right. It felt good to be able to say what she felt instead of
what was right and proper, and he seemed to appreciate her offer.

“That’s something I could look forward to.”

The phone line went dead in her hand, and she sighed as the connection with him was
severed. But he’d given her a reason. He’d given her a cause. She was going to get
back the independence she’d learned to love and enjoy in college.

A quick phone call put her in touch with the person holding the keys, and within an hour
she was on her way to meet him.

John Broody turned out to be one of those rare individuals most people liked on meeting.
Brenda was no exception. Something about his easy smile, mild manner and friendly
disposition just appealed and made it easy to trust him. And his personality was perfect
for a Realtor. Not pushy and not talkative, John didn’t insist on coming along for the ride
to the properties. He merely offered to accompany her, and on impulse she accepted.
And it was an action she didn’t regret.

John was familiar with the surrounding area including the canyons and the beach. He
provided a chatty commentary on conveniences like the nearest grocery store as well as
pros and cons about each locale, but once inside each house, he left her on her own to
wander, explore and inspect.

“Not what your looking for?” John asked after she saw her second house.

“They’re nice houses,” Brenda admitted, turning with him to look back at the house
she’d just left. But some part of her was saying neither was right. Not for her. “I’m sorry.
I seem to be wasting your time.”

“No, your not.” John smiled. “Besides, I’ve saved the best for last.”

And he had. From the moment she saw the little white beach house with its walls of
glass windows, she knew she wanted it.

Jumping out of the car as soon as it stooped, she raced ahead of him up onto a deck
that surrounded the house. She went around to the back of the house and sighed. The
view was spectacular. She could see nothing but ocean and sand.

“Wow, I love it!” She said as she returned to the front where John waited.

He laughed and inserted the key in the lock. “I’m glad you like the view, but you’re not
going to sleep on the deck.”

“Make a bet?” Laughing and lighthearted, she walked through and the door he unlocked
and made a quick spin of the home.

It was small and cozy which was just what she was looking for. This house was so
perfect for her. It had a nice kitchen, dining area, living room, bath and a couple of
bedrooms on the second floor plus lots of windows.

“Where do I sign?” she asked John , rejoining him on the deck. “And can I move in
today?”

Smiling he shrugged. “The electricity is still on. Why not? As long as you have
furniture?”

She grinned, and he held the key out to her before looking back at the house.

“Welcome to you new home.”

***
Back on the streets of San Marino a little over an hour later, Brenda was humming as
she pulled into the drive leading up to the mansion. She smiled to herself as she
stopped her car at the front steps. The mansion, not home. She laughed out loud.
Already she wasn’t thinking of her parents’ house as where she belonged anymore. Yet
the idea of facing her mother and father was sobering.

Skipping up the stairs and into the front door, Brenda bit her lip. They weren’t ones to
approve of impulses or spontaneous action. Rather, thought and consideration were
given before doing anything, and she had no idea how they’d feel at her sudden
announcement about moving out. A frown darkened her face. But they weren’t going to
stop her.

Prepared for battle, she opened the door to break the news, but her parents weren’t
inside to hear her announcement. It was Saturday and they were at the club, and that
left only the maids and butler to listen to the news. And they immediately not only
volunteered to help her pack, but led a raid on the attic and basement as well.

From under dust covers they unearthed an odd assortment of furniture. A table, a chair,
a bed. An old lamp was also discovered along with a clock and dresser that hadn’t yet
made it to charity auctions. Nothing matched, but it didn’t matter. Whatever could be
found was brought out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and a phone call determined
it could be taken away that day.

Fortunately, getting a moving truck was easy, and in no time Brenda was directing a
parade of people and objects out of the house and into the back of a van...which
lumbered out of the drive just as her parents were pulling in.

“Brenda, what is going on here?” her mother began, stepping out of the car to watch the
truck turn onto the street, but Brenda stopped her next sentence with a hug and a laugh.

“That was my moving truck. I’ve found my own place.”

“Your own...” her father began to object, a scowl coming over his face.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Brenda interrupted matter-of factly. “It’s the
time the two of you had your freedom. You don’t need me constantly underfoot anymore.
And I really should be on my own, don’t you think?”

Caught unprepared and without and answer, her father could only mumble and nod an
incoherent response.

“And I won’t be that far away. Just in Malibu.” She hugged her mother again. “I did take
a few things from the attic. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, Brenda, but this is all so sudden...”

“I’ll call,” she said climbing into her car, which was packed with suitcases and boxes. “As
soon as I get a phone!”

But a telephone was the least of her worries as the rest the day was spent packing,
setting up what little furniture she had running to the store for food, cleaning products
and miscellaneous necessities like wastepaper baskets and silverware.

Yet, when night fell and her body ached for scrubbing, lifting and arranging, she didn’t
head for bed but for the deck and the relaxing sound of the ocean where she leaned
against the railing and thought about the day and the man who had all made it possible.

It was odd that a stranger could motivate her to do things she’d only thought about:
standing up to Sonny, forcing her father to recognize her business savvy and moving out
of a house that had once been a home but had turned into more of a prison. She sighed.
Maybe it wasn’t Jax so much as timing. Perhaps he’d came into her life at a time when
she was ready to take action but hadn’t realized it, but it was difficult not to give him
credit. It was difficult not to give him thought.

He’d asked her to think about him, and she had. All day. When moving out, when
moving in, when laughing at how ridiculously empty all the rooms were once the van was
unloaded and she was alone...but why? What was it about him that fascinated her so?

She wasn’t in love with him. But she was madly attracted to him.

She sighed. Physically he aroused. Mentally he stimulated. Still she kept holding back.

At first it had just seemed right not to acknowledge any of the electric currents sparking
between them. She hadn’t really known him, and her world and his had seemed too far
apart. With no common ground, nothing to share, the only thing it seemed possible for
them to enjoy together was satisfaction from the consummation of physical passion. But
she wasn’t one for casual affairs, one-night stands, or relationships that were doomed to
fail..something she had seen too often with acquaintances who had picked mates with
haste rather than hope of harmony.

Then later, she and Jax had spent time together, she continued to resist him and his
advances because... She smiled. Because she was a coward at heart, and he had
represented the unknown. She sighed. He still did.

Yet, if she was holding back, so was he. Somehow, for some reason, it seemed as if he
was protecting himself, and his caution made her want the same. She kept putting up
barriers while he kept trying to tear them down.

She breathed deeply of the sea air. What she and Jax had was a lack of trust.
Professionally, she wouldn’t hesitate to turn every dollar she had to him. He had a great
business acumen that, by rights, should have seen him own rather than work for a
company. But personally, if he attracted, he also made her wary. Perhaps because,
given the chance and despite their differences, she could lose her heart to him...a man
she’d once believed owned nothing more than a motorcycle.