Blindsided by Brooke

by Theresa Paolo

  “Never said there was,” Terry said. “They’re just not for me.” She rested her other hand on the table and looked at them both an excited smile, spreading from one ear to the other. “Aren’t you two just the cutest?” she said. “I always knew there was something going on between you two.”

  Brooke shouldn’t have tried to reason with Tyler earlier. She should have made a bet. At least she’d have some money in her pocket as a consolation prize after trying to contain the spread of the gossip mill.

  “There’s nothing going on,” Brooke deadpanned.

  “Really?” Terry pursed her lips that were almost as red as her hair.

  “Really.”

  “Then why did Fanny Wilkenson see you two looking all cozy down at Muddy Boots?”

  “Nobody was getting cozy,” Tyler said.

  “Chickens,” Brooke muttered. The clucking had already begun. Tyler cracked a grin.

  “What was that, sweetie?” Terry asked.

  Tyler lifted a brow in amusement, probably wondering how Brooke was going to get out of this. She simply pointed to the menu. “I’ll have the apple cranberry spinach salad with grilled chicken,” she said then smiled at Tyler.

  “You don’t want that,” Terry said, and Brooke let out a frustrated sigh.

  “I think I do.”

  “I’ll get you an apple, bacon, cheddar grilled cheese with a salad on the side.” Typical Terry. It would be a cold day in hell when she’d let Brooke get what she actually wanted.

  “Make that two.” Tyler plucked the menu out of her hold and handed them over to Terry. “Please.”

  “You got it!”

  “Wait a minute,” Brooke said. “Why does he get what he wants?”

  “Because he actually ordered a meal and not some rabbit food.”

  Terry spun on her too high heels and headed for the kitchen.

  “Unbelievable,” Brooke muttered as she rested in her chair.

  Tyler folded his hands together and placed them on the table. “What can I say? She likes me more.”

  “That is definitely not true.” While the entire town knew Terry and Walt and thought of them as honorary grandparents, for Brooke they were the closest thing to grandparents she had and they acted as such. After Mom died, Terry started coming over every other day with bags of food, claiming they were leftovers since Brooke, Layla, and Chase had a hard time accepting handouts. Walt would put air in the tires of Brooke’s bike and fix anything around the house that needed tending to all while teaching Chase how to do it on his own. Without Terry and Walt, Brooke had no idea how the three of them would’ve survived.

  “She definitely thinks I’m cuter,” Tyler added.

  Brooke scoffed. “If that’s what you want to believe, be my guest.”

  A silence fell between them, and Tyler’s gaze landed on the window. Whatever happened earlier was still bothering him, but he was being a stubborn ass and holding it inside. Maybe she just needed to coax it out of him.

  “What’s on your mind?” she asked.

  He shook his head away from the window. “Nothing.”

  “There are two ways this can go,” she said. “Either you can tell me now, or we can spend the rest of the day with me pestering you. The choice is yours.”

  ***

  Brooke always knew how to drive a hard bargain. Tyler just wasn’t sure if he really wanted to discuss his daddy issues with her. His family tried to keep their skeletons in the closet as best as they could, and because of that, he’d always had a hard time opening himself up.

  “If I had to guess,” she said, tapping a light pink nail against her lip, “something to do with your dad?”

  He didn’t know how to answer. The minute he gave in, he’d have to delve in further. Brooke wouldn’t be satisfied with a yes or no answer.

  He shrugged instead, but that didn’t deter her, not that he expected it to. There was one thing he knew about Brooke Marshall—she got what she wanted.

  “He pissed you off, that’s obvious, but about what…?” She pursed her lips and tilted her head as she stared at him. If she expected that to be an intimidation tactic, she was failing miserably. Brooke was an intimidating person, but right now she looked strangely adorable.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” he finally said.

  “Try me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Unless you live in a hole, you know my father is making the rounds to every outlet that will give him a voice to spew lies about my family all for his own personal gain. When it comes to shitty fathers, I understand completely.”

  He took a deep breath. Terry walked over and dropped two massive plates on the table in front of them. “Two apple, bacon, cheddar grilled cheese with a side of apple cranberry spinach salad with grilled chicken,” she said then put another plate on the table. “And a piece of my apple cobbler to share.” She nodded to the two spoons. “Enjoy.” She gave them a suggestive wink then strutted away.

  Tyler’s stomach growled as soon as the delicious scent of the food hit his nose. He didn’t waste a second picking up the sandwich and taking a massive bite. Brooke picked up her fork, ignoring the sandwich.

  “So,” she said, blinking up, her gray eyes pinning him with a single look. “Want to talk about it?” She was persistent, he would give her that.

  “My dad thinks I’ve been coddled my whole life.”

  “Can’t argue there.”

  “Thanks.”

  “It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she explained. “I wish I could’ve been coddled.”

  “I wasn’t coddled.”

  Brooke cocked an eyebrow in his direction. “You had bag lunch every day with all the major food groups until we were seniors.”

  “What’s wrong with having a balanced lunch?” He wasn’t the only one whose mom packed their lunch. Maybe they all didn’t have raw almonds, a granola bar, fruit snacks, and popcorn to choose from, but he was a growing boy who was hungry all the time. His mom was just making sure he had enough to get through the long ass school day.

  Brooke laughed. “I was lucky Layla managed to throw together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for me every day, and some days, depending on how low we were on groceries, I’d wind up with just peanut butter or just jelly sandwiches. Not to mention your dad petitioned to get the bus to pick you up at the end of your driveway, because God forbid, you’d have to walk down to the corner.”

  “It was a far walk,” he said. It was at least a quarter of a mile, and in the New Hampshire snow it was a nightmare.

  “You justifying everything is not helping your case.”

  “Fine, maybe I was coddled when I was younger, but I’m not anymore.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Um. You sure about that?”

  He thought for a moment and shrugged. “Yeah.”

  Her eyebrows pulled together above the bridge of her nose, and her gray eyes glared at him. “What’d you do after high school?”

  “You know I went to college.”

  “And your student loans?”

  He realized where she was going, but it was a little too late. “I don’t have any.”

  “Why not?”

  He didn’t answer, taking a bite of his sandwich and chewing slowly.

  “Because your dad paid them off, right? Did you have to work when you were in college? Or did your parents send you an allowance?”

  “My parents wanted me to focus on my schoolwork. I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He wasn’t the only kid in his dorm who didn’t work and whose parents helped them out. He assumed it was normal, but now thinking back, especially thinking about how Brooke never made it to FIT, and he realized because of his parents, he was able to go away to school and not have to worry about anything else. While someone like Brooke, who deserved to go to school, got stuck home because she couldn’t afford it.

  She smirked, the freckles on her cheeks rising with the movement. “You can dice it any way you’d like, but it doesn’t change the fact that they co
ddled you.”

  “I didn’t ask them to.”

  “But you didn’t ask them not to either.”

  “Are you going to sit there and tell me that if you had the chance to go to college on your parents’ dime, you wouldn’t?”

  She caught his eye, and he wanted to smack himself for being so careless with his words. “You mean if my dad didn’t leave my family for broke and my mom wasn’t dead?”

  He cringed. “I didn’t—”

  She held her hand up. “Whatever,” she said, either not caring or hiding behind that carefully constructed wall of hers. “It’s an honest question and… I would. In a heartbeat, I would, but I would also recognize my own privilege.”

  Maybe he was coddled, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be, and now with Dad completely cutting him off, he had no choice but to do things on his own.

  Brooke stabbed her salad then dropped the fork and picked up the sandwich, taking a huge bite. He drove her to eat carbs and grease. He could have let the conversation go. At this point, Brooke seemed annoyed and less curious as to what happened to him earlier, but for some strange reason, he wanted to tell her.

  “He basically told me I’m a failure.”

  Brooke stopped chewing, hand hovering over her plate.

  “Doesn’t think I can make something of myself without him. I told him he was wrong, and I didn’t need him to bail me out all the time. Instead of bumping my trust fund another year, he cut my access off to it indefinitely.”

  “Wow,” Brooke said around her food. She swallowed and reached across the table, resting her hand on his. It was oddly intimate and at the same time reassuring. “I’m proud of you.”

  Confused by the sincerity in her tone, he glanced up at her to find the same sincerity in her eyes. “Really?”

  “Who cares what your father says? Without something to fall back on, you’ll make smarter decisions and be more driven to make things happen. I actually couldn’t be happier for you.”

  He mulled her words over in his head, and his own pride started to rise. “You know what, you’re right,” he declared. She pulled her hand away, and he instantly felt its loss. He placed his hand in his lap to try and ignore the strange disappointment. “I don’t need him. I never did.”

  “No, you didn’t, and now it’s your chance to prove it to the world.”

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  “Then let’s finish up this food and get out of here. We have a success story to make happen.”

  Excitement simmered inside him at the possibilities of his future without his father controlling the strings. Even better… a future where he could be proud of his own accomplishments and know that it had nothing to do with his father or his money. With the help of Brooke, Tyler was going to get his rental business up and running, and he was going to show his father he was far from a failure.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning Brooke headed over to the property to finish up work on the flower beds before her shift. By the time she and Tyler finished at the Happy Apple and running the one errand that turned into five, she didn’t have much sunlight left to finish what she needed to.

  She didn’t mind the extra time. It gave her something to do and kept her away from the internet. Plus, digging in the dirt and planting flowers made her feel closer to Mom. Maybe it was stupid, but it was as if she could feel her right there watching over her, smelling the flowers and being proud of Brooke for what she was creating.

  Brooke was proud of herself. The house looked awesome on the outside, and once she convinced Tyler to let her inside to spruce things up, the house was going to be a hot commodity.

  She finished planting the last of the Black-Eyed Susans and stood up, wiping her knees clean of dirt. A smile curved her lips as she took in the two flower beds. “Perfect,” she said with a satisfied sigh.

  “Couldn’t agree more.” Tyler’s voice came from behind her. She’d been so involved with what she was doing, she hadn’t heard him pull up.

  “You really think so?” She turned, and her breath caught as her eyes landed on his bare chest. Sweat beaded on his tanned skin and glistened in the sunlight. He swiped his hand across his forehead then rested his hands low on his hips where the waistband of his shorts sat.

  No wonder she hadn’t heard him pull up, his truck was nowhere to be found.

  “I really do,” he said, his gaze colliding with hers and rendering her speechless. She swallowed. She’d been able to ignore her feelings for Tyler, but now with him standing in front of her looking like an Adonis, she was having a hard time remembering anything but that beautifully sculpted chest.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She cleared her throat and quickly played it off. “Just happy it came out so well.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said, but the view of his chest was all the thanks she needed. “You’ve done so much.”

  “I don’t mind. Keeps me busy,” she said. She grabbed the notebook she’d been doodling in earlier that day. “And I’m happy you like it because I have more ideas.”

  His eyebrow cocked and he looked down at the page she had it open on. It was a sketch of the living room with a color swatch to the right. “The living room is a little dated,” she said. “I think a fresh coat of paint and a few cheap throw pillows could really give it a facelift.

  “I don’t know,” Tyler said. “All that stuff costs money.”

  “Look at it as an investment. Besides, you have to spend a little money in order to make a little money. With the amount you’ll need to spend to do this, I can guarantee you’ll make it back within your first booking.”

  “I have to check with Nick.”

  “Why? He doesn’t own the house anymore. You do.” The home was Nick’s childhood home, but after his dad died, his mom moved south and eventually Nick bought a new home with Daisy. Nick shouldn’t be a part of the equation.

  “When I bought the home from Nick, I promised I would preserve it.”

  Which is exactly why the house needed some updating. It looked just as it did when they were kids and Nick’s dad was alive. Nothing had changed, not even the curtains.

  “By preserving it, you’re allowing to let it be outdated. You’re not messing with the integrity of the house; you’re just making it look more appealing to potential renters. A little paint isn’t going to desecrate Nick’s childhood memories.”

  “I know that, but out of respect, I’d still like to check with him.”

  “Fine, but if he has a problem with it, I’ll have a few words with him for you.” From what Daisy had told her, Nick had finally let go of his past, and if he was still holding onto this house he seriously needed to move on. If Brooke knew anything, it was that living in the past only guaranteed heartache and depression.

  “I can handle it.”

  “Okay.” She waited.

  “You want me to call him right now?” Tyler asked.

  “You want to get these pictures up as soon as possible so you can get people to start booking. Time is money, and you don’t have a lot of either right now.”

  “I don’t have my phone with me,” he said.

  “How do you not have your phone?”

  “I don’t like to take it with me when I run. It’s the only time I can be completely alone.”

  “What if you tripped and broke a leg or got mauled by a dog?”

  Tyler laughed. “I’ll take my chances.”

  “Just of my face when a wild dog comes out of the woods and attacks you next time.”

  He shook his head then pointed at the flower beds. “Does that mean you’re done here?”

  “It is all done,” she said, stepping back to admire it together.

  “I hate to admit this,” he said. “But you were right. I can’t believe how much a difference a few flowers make.”

  “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Stay right there. I have something for you.”

  “For me?”

  “Well, for the house.
Just stay.” She hurried off to the car and went into the backseat, grabbing the thing she picked up the other night when she was in town. “Close your eyes,” she called over her shoulder.

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “Just humor me.”

  She waited until his eyes slipped shut then she pulled out the piece of wood and brought it over to the front door, resting it on an angle against the house. “Okay, open your eyes!” she said.

  His eyes popped open and she held her hands out to the long wooden sign that said Welcome vertically and had a red maple leaf in place of the O.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “I like it,” he said. “Like how the leaf represents the town.”

  “That’s the whole point. When people come to stay you want them to fall in love with not just the house but the town so they keep coming back and making you money.”

  He walked over to her. “Thanks,” he said then wrapped his arms around her and drew her in for a hug. She didn’t care that he was slick with sweat, all she could concentrate on was how amazing she felt wrapped in his arms.

  She closed her eyes, savoring the moment before he drew away. She opened her eyes to see his deep blue ones staring at her with bewilderment. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  He snapped his eyes away from her and cleared his throat. “What are you doing right now?”

  “Other than thinking of how to get out of this awkward exchange?”

  His eye glinted with humor. “Yeah, besides that.”

  “I was going to head home. I have work in a couple hours.”

  “What about tomorrow? You working?”

  “I go in at noon and get off at six.”

  “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “Come again?”

  “I want to take you out as a thank you for everything you’ve done.”

  “I didn’t do it to get anything.”

  “I know that. I’m offering because I want to. You did something nice for me so I want to do something nice for you.”

  “Seriously, it’s not necessary.” She was afraid if they went out together, it would be a slippery slope to getting in over her head. She had always been able to keep her feelings for Tyler shoved in the back of her mind, but after that hug, she was starting to forget how. Going out with him, even if it was strictly platonic, she wasn’t sure she’d survive.