What the Heart Wants
"No," Brooke English said as she sat behind her desk at Tempo Magazine. "I don't like the way this is falling together."
"This is the way we always do it, Brooke," Edmund Grey said as he stood over her desk. "The editorials, the columns, the ads, it's all in here."
"It needs something else," Brooke said. "Something different."
Edmund took a seat in front of her. "Since when do we have to change the layout of the magazine?" he asked.
"Since this is it, Edmund. The end of Tempo as we know it."
"What are you talking about?" Edmund asked. "The end of Tempo?"
"I'm thinking of suspending publication."
"Suspending publication? Brooke, are you out of your mind. Tempo's on
top."
"It's not going to be for long. I think it's better for us to go out on top than to wait."
"Are you feeling alright today?" Edmund asked. "Did you not have your coffee or something this morning, because yesterday we had no type of conversation at all about discontinuing the magazine."
"And we're not going to, Edmund," Brooke said.
"What are we going to do about work?"
"What do you have to worry about? You're a Pulitzer Prize winner." Brooke stood. "I don't want to talk about this now."
"When are we then, Brooke?"
Brooke shook her head. "I'm going to lunch."
"I'm half owner of Tempo," Edmund said, following her. "If this is going to happen, I think we should discuss it. Brooke."
"Let's just forget I said anything, OK?" Brooke said. "I'll be back after I eat."
Brooke left Edmund standing in the doorway as she made her way out to the car. "What are you doing, Brooke?" she asked herself.
"If you gave yourself an answer, I would really have to start worrying."
"Tad," Brooke jumped, smacking Tad in the arm. "What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?"
"I was just heading up to see if you wanted to get some lunch," Tad said to her. She didn't answer. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'll tell you about it over a sandwich and a cup of coffee?"
"Sounds good to me," Tad said moving aside. "Valley Inn?" Brooke nodded as they walked to Tad's car. "You haven't returned any of my calls in the last few days," Tad said as they drove.
"I've been... pretty busy, Tad," Brooke said. "I meant to." Tad nodded as he kept his eyes on the road.
They pulled up to the Valley Inn and walked inside. They took a seat and a waitress brought them two menus. "I don't need a menu," Brooke said. "I'll have a pastrami."
"And I'll have a burger and fries." Tad said. "And can we get a couple of coffees?" The waitress wrote down their order and walked away. "Now," Tad said. "What is it that has your feathers all ruffled?"
"My feathers are not ruffled." Brooke said.
"They're not?" Tad said. "Well then you're usually this tense? Could have fooled me."
"I think that this next issue of Tempo is going to be the last." Brooke said.
"Why?" Tad asked, leaning forward. "I thought Tempo was doing great."
"It is," Brooke said.
Tad squinted his eyes and dropped his jaw a bit. He pointed his finger at her. "You're confusing me here," he said. "You did just say you're shutting down Tempo."
"I'm thinking about it."
"And sales are fine. Everything's honkey dorey." Brooke nodded as the waitress arrived with their coffee. "Are you out of your mind?"
"You sound like Edmund," she said taking a sip.
"And what exactly does your partner say about all this?"
"I haven't really given him a chance to say much of anything," Brooke explained. "This whole thing has been pretty one sided."
"Brooke," Tad said. "Let me just ask you this one question, OK?" Brooke waited silently. "Why?" Tad paused and thought for a moment. "You're getting another award, aren't you?" Brooke didn't answer. "That's it, isn't it? You're putting the kabosh on Tempo because of what happened... more than five years ago?"
"It's more than that," Brooke said. "Besides, it's just a nomination."
"Sure, it's just a nomination. But if you jump ship on production now, you don't have a snowball's chance of winning that award. Your names will be pulled from consideration." he paused. "And that'll be all fine and dandy for you, won't it? Then you won't have to get on the plane and fly to New York with Edmund and Maria, and you won't have to relive every single second of hell that you saw back in '97."
"Stop, Tad," Brooke said. "Alright, just stop it."
"No, wait," Tad said. "Hold on, I think I'm getting to something here. I've hit a chord haven't I? You can't face getting on that plane with Edmund and Maria again."
"Can we drop this conversation, please?" Brooke asked.
"Sure," Tad said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "As soon as you admit that I'm right."
"How is it that you're the one who's always right, Tad?" Brooke asked. "Never anybody else, always Tad Martin."
Tad shrugged. "Just good I guess." Brooke shook her head in disgust as she stood and started out of the Valley Inn. "Brooke." Tad said, quickly throwing down money on the table and chasing after her. "Brooke. Come on." He grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. She pulled away from his grasp and stood there. "Look, I'm sorry, alright. Point taken end of conversation. Now can we go back in there? I just gave that waitress three times the price of our meal and we didn't even get a chance to eat it." he paused. "Not another word about Tempo, I swear." She raised her eyebrows at him. "I swear." Tad raised his hand. "Scout's honor."
"You weren't a scout," Brooke said.
"So? What's your point?" Brooke shook her head, a smile slightly showing on her face as she walked back inside and sat. "I was thinking," Tad said. "I'm going with Jamie to the movies on Friday night. What do you say?"
"I don't know," Brooke said as the food arrived at the table. "I'd have to see what I'm doing."
"On a Friday night?" Tad smiled. "I'll tell you what you'd be doing. Sitting home alone, with a bowl of microwaved popcorn and a made for TV movie. Haven't you realized that the plots of those are all the same? Man meets woman, they fall in love. Unfortunately for the woman, the man is already married."
"Sounds like my life," Brooke said.
"Hardly," Tad said. "Usually in those movies, the woman sinks to all sorts of lows in attempt to get rid of the man's wife."
"Earth to Tad. Think Maria Grey."
Tad picked at his french fries. "That's different." Brooke supported her head with her hands, looking at him. "How did the conversation end up going in this direction?"
"Tad, look," Brooke said. "I appreciate lunch, I do. But I... I'm not feeling too well, I think I'm going to go home... take the rest of the day off." Tad stood. "No, it's alright. I'll grab a cab."
"Are you sure?" Tad asked. "It's on my way."
"It's OK," Brooke said. "Finish your lunch."
Tad slowly sat back down and nodded. "I'll give you a call later," he said. Brooke lightly touched Tad's shoulder and then turned and left the Valley Inn.
"No," Brooke English said as she sat behind her desk at Tempo Magazine. "I don't like the way this is falling together."
"This is the way we always do it, Brooke," Edmund Grey said as he stood over her desk. "The editorials, the columns, the ads, it's all in here."
"It needs something else," Brooke said. "Something different."
Edmund took a seat in front of her. "Since when do we have to change the layout of the magazine?" he asked.
"Since this is it, Edmund. The end of Tempo as we know it."
"What are you talking about?" Edmund asked. "The end of Tempo?"
"I'm thinking of suspending publication."
"Suspending publication? Brooke, are you out of your mind. Tempo's on
top."
"It's not going to be for long. I think it's better for us to go out on top than to wait."
"Are you feeling alright today?" Edmund asked. "Did you not have your coffee or something this morning, because yesterday we had no type of conversation at all about discontinuing the magazine."
"And we're not going to, Edmund," Brooke said.
"What are we going to do about work?"
"What do you have to worry about? You're a Pulitzer Prize winner." Brooke stood. "I don't want to talk about this now."
"When are we then, Brooke?"
Brooke shook her head. "I'm going to lunch."
"I'm half owner of Tempo," Edmund said, following her. "If this is going to happen, I think we should discuss it. Brooke."
"Let's just forget I said anything, OK?" Brooke said. "I'll be back after I eat."
Brooke left Edmund standing in the doorway as she made her way out to the car. "What are you doing, Brooke?" she asked herself.
"If you gave yourself an answer, I would really have to start worrying."
"Tad," Brooke jumped, smacking Tad in the arm. "What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?"
"I was just heading up to see if you wanted to get some lunch," Tad said to her. She didn't answer. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'll tell you about it over a sandwich and a cup of coffee?"
"Sounds good to me," Tad said moving aside. "Valley Inn?" Brooke nodded as they walked to Tad's car. "You haven't returned any of my calls in the last few days," Tad said as they drove.
"I've been... pretty busy, Tad," Brooke said. "I meant to." Tad nodded as he kept his eyes on the road.
They pulled up to the Valley Inn and walked inside. They took a seat and a waitress brought them two menus. "I don't need a menu," Brooke said. "I'll have a pastrami."
"And I'll have a burger and fries." Tad said. "And can we get a couple of coffees?" The waitress wrote down their order and walked away. "Now," Tad said. "What is it that has your feathers all ruffled?"
"My feathers are not ruffled." Brooke said.
"They're not?" Tad said. "Well then you're usually this tense? Could have fooled me."
"I think that this next issue of Tempo is going to be the last." Brooke said.
"Why?" Tad asked, leaning forward. "I thought Tempo was doing great."
"It is," Brooke said.
Tad squinted his eyes and dropped his jaw a bit. He pointed his finger at her. "You're confusing me here," he said. "You did just say you're shutting down Tempo."
"I'm thinking about it."
"And sales are fine. Everything's honkey dorey." Brooke nodded as the waitress arrived with their coffee. "Are you out of your mind?"
"You sound like Edmund," she said taking a sip.
"And what exactly does your partner say about all this?"
"I haven't really given him a chance to say much of anything," Brooke explained. "This whole thing has been pretty one sided."
"Brooke," Tad said. "Let me just ask you this one question, OK?" Brooke waited silently. "Why?" Tad paused and thought for a moment. "You're getting another award, aren't you?" Brooke didn't answer. "That's it, isn't it? You're putting the kabosh on Tempo because of what happened... more than five years ago?"
"It's more than that," Brooke said. "Besides, it's just a nomination."
"Sure, it's just a nomination. But if you jump ship on production now, you don't have a snowball's chance of winning that award. Your names will be pulled from consideration." he paused. "And that'll be all fine and dandy for you, won't it? Then you won't have to get on the plane and fly to New York with Edmund and Maria, and you won't have to relive every single second of hell that you saw back in '97."
"Stop, Tad," Brooke said. "Alright, just stop it."
"No, wait," Tad said. "Hold on, I think I'm getting to something here. I've hit a chord haven't I? You can't face getting on that plane with Edmund and Maria again."
"Can we drop this conversation, please?" Brooke asked.
"Sure," Tad said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "As soon as you admit that I'm right."
"How is it that you're the one who's always right, Tad?" Brooke asked. "Never anybody else, always Tad Martin."
Tad shrugged. "Just good I guess." Brooke shook her head in disgust as she stood and started out of the Valley Inn. "Brooke." Tad said, quickly throwing down money on the table and chasing after her. "Brooke. Come on." He grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. She pulled away from his grasp and stood there. "Look, I'm sorry, alright. Point taken end of conversation. Now can we go back in there? I just gave that waitress three times the price of our meal and we didn't even get a chance to eat it." he paused. "Not another word about Tempo, I swear." She raised her eyebrows at him. "I swear." Tad raised his hand. "Scout's honor."
"You weren't a scout," Brooke said.
"So? What's your point?" Brooke shook her head, a smile slightly showing on her face as she walked back inside and sat. "I was thinking," Tad said. "I'm going with Jamie to the movies on Friday night. What do you say?"
"I don't know," Brooke said as the food arrived at the table. "I'd have to see what I'm doing."
"On a Friday night?" Tad smiled. "I'll tell you what you'd be doing. Sitting home alone, with a bowl of microwaved popcorn and a made for TV movie. Haven't you realized that the plots of those are all the same? Man meets woman, they fall in love. Unfortunately for the woman, the man is already married."
"Sounds like my life," Brooke said.
"Hardly," Tad said. "Usually in those movies, the woman sinks to all sorts of lows in attempt to get rid of the man's wife."
"Earth to Tad. Think Maria Grey."
Tad picked at his french fries. "That's different." Brooke supported her head with her hands, looking at him. "How did the conversation end up going in this direction?"
"Tad, look," Brooke said. "I appreciate lunch, I do. But I... I'm not feeling too well, I think I'm going to go home... take the rest of the day off." Tad stood. "No, it's alright. I'll grab a cab."
"Are you sure?" Tad asked. "It's on my way."
"It's OK," Brooke said. "Finish your lunch."
Tad slowly sat back down and nodded. "I'll give you a call later," he said. Brooke lightly touched Tad's shoulder and then turned and left the Valley Inn.