Sentimental Journey Read Online Free PDF Page B

above her waist. Its guiding pressure was light, but sufficient for Jessica to be aware of the contact and to be unnerved by it. He directed her to a dark blue Cadillac parked at the curb, unlocked the passenger door for her and helped her in.
    When Brodie slid behind the wheel, Jessica ran her hand over the cream velour armrest. "It's a beautiful car," she said to break a silence that, to her, had become uneasy.
    A smile twitched at the corners of his hard mouth. "I'll tell the rental agency you said so." He slid the key in the ignition and started the engine.
    "It isn't yours, then?" Somehow she hadn't expected that answer.
    "Not this one." Which indicated that he owned one. As he turned the car into the street, his gaze skipped to her. "I always dreamed of owning a Cadillac. Most poor kids do. As soon as I could afford it, it was one of the first things I bought, Now it's stored in a garage somewhere." He was incredibly indifferent to the fact.
    Jessica stared. She couldn't help it. "You do know where it's stored, don't you?"
    "In Louisville, I think." His attention was on the traffic. His reply was so absently given that Jessica had to believe he wasn't certain of its location and wasn't bothered that he didn't know. "That sounded arrogant, didn't it?" Brodie shot her a brief, self-mocking glance. "Since I travel a great deal, it hasn't been practical to have my personal car wherever I am for a very long time. I've taken the fact for granted without realizing how it might sound to someone else."
    "How did your travels bring you to Chattanooga after all these years?" Jessica questioned. "You never did mention this noon why you were back."
    "It was a combination of circumstances," Brodie said, which told her absolutely nothing. "Mostly it's a sentimental journey to see where it all began." Again she was the cynosure of his blue eyes. "You find that hard to believe, don't you, Jessica?" he said, seemingly with the ability to read her mind. "But it's difficult to know where you are if you've forgotten where you came from."
    "So you're taking a trip into the past, so to speak." She thought she understood. At the same time, she was also discovering that Brodie was a complicated man with many facets like a well-cut gem.
    "Tonight's journey brings me here." He swung the long car into the partially lighted parking lot of a restaurant. "Have you eaten here before?"
    It was a nondescript building with a pink neon sign spelling out the word restaurant. It was a busy place as evidenced by the numerous other vehicles parked in the lot and the crowded tables visible through the windows.
    "I'm not sure," Jessica admitted.
    "It isn't surprising if you haven't." His remark seemed to be a sardonic comment on her more prosperous background. The engine was turned off, but Brodie made no attempt to get out of the car. Instead he gazed at the building, alive with sounds and people. "When I was a boy, my father brought me here every Friday, payday. It was a weekly treat, the one night we ate out. As I grew older, it was a place to hang out with my friends. I checked earlier this afternoon to see if it was still in business, but I can't vouch for the food. Are you game to try it?" His look held a hint of challenge.
    Jessica wondered if he thought she was going to become snobbish and indicate that the place wasn't good enough for her. If he did, he didn't know her very well.
    "Why not? All those people can't be wrong." She glanced at the filled tables inside.
    Brodie opened his door and stepped out. Jessica didn't wait for him to walk around the car and open her door. She did it herself instead and joined him at the front of the car, to walk to the restaurant entrance.
    "I have another confession to make," Brodie said as they wound their way through the tables to an empty booth against the wall.
    "What's that?" Jessica slid onto the bench seat.
    He sat opposite her. "This is also where I brought my dates, especially the more beautiful ones, so I