Blindsided by Brooke

by Theresa Paolo

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Brooke said.

  Layla tilted her head, a commanding silence in the movement. “Under this roof, it is.”

  Brooke narrowed her eyes, but Layla seemed to be immune to all of Brooke’s threatening looks.

  “I just need to know if I have to pick up extra groceries is all.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Tyler said. “I wouldn’t eat your food.”

  “You’ll just starve yourself when you’re here?”

  “No. I’ll bring my own.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not how we do things in this house. If you’re hungry, you eat.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes. “We haven’t exactly discussed our eating habits, and honestly I’m done with this conversation. Can we please move on?” Red flared on Brooke’s cheeks, creeping across the path of freckles on her nose. She was embarrassed, and Tyler was loving every second of it.

  The front door opened and shut, and a loud voice boomed through the house. Brooke’s eyes widened as she cut both Tyler and Layla a sharp look. No words were needed; her demanding look said it all. Do not tell Terry a thing.

  “Hello?” Terry called out as her voice moved closer to the kitchen.

  She appeared, red hair piled higher than ever on her head, teetering on heels that had to be at least five inches. “Oh thank heavens you all are okay. I saw the tree, parked my bike, and came running up.” She held a hand over her chest as she took a deep breath. Then Tyler noticed the minute she realized he was there.

  “Tyler!” she said. “Well, isn’t this a mighty nice surprise.”

  “Good morning, Terry.”

  He could see the gears turning in her head, the outlandish stories coming to fruition.

  “What are you doing here at such an early hour?” she asked, and Brooke flashed him a stern look. He didn’t need Brooke’s warning to keep what happened between them private. If he could, he would’ve wrapped them in a bubble and would never share it with the world.

  “I came here to pick something up when the tree fell. Must’ve got hit by lightning last night and couldn’t hold on any longer. We were just about to call Chase down at the firehouse to help us take care of it,” he lied and hoped it was convincing or he may never get to kiss Brooke again.

  “Oh,” Terry said, disappointment evident in her tone. It didn’t last long before she perked right back up. “Good thing you parked where you did. Missed your truck, and Brooke it barely missed your car. If you were standing just outside of it.”

  A slight tinge of crimson streaked across her cheeks. “I know. We were definitely lucky.” She cleared her throat, and the tightness around her eyes eased. “And I’m happy you’re here, Terry.”

  “You are?”

  “I am. You know Tyler bought the Davis house to start up a vacation rental business?”

  Terry smiled at him. “I do and I’m rooting for you, dear.”

  “Thank you, Terry. I appreciate that,” he said.

  “Well, I’ve been helping him out, and we’ve come up with an idea that we think will help the local businesses in town as well. Kind of a way for all of us to work together to help promote all the town has to offer.”

  “You know I’m always happy to help the town. Tell me what you need, sweetie.”

  “We wanted to make up a binder to leave at the house with flyers and menus to all the local places, and we were thinking of including an incentive to get people to go to the establishments. If you wanted to offer up a free dessert or a discount on their bill if they’re staying at the house, we can include that in the binder.”

  “I think that’s a fantastic idea! Count me in. I’ll spread the word around town and hopefully you’ll get more people on board.”

  Brooke smiled. “That’s exactly what I hoped you’d say.”

  Brooke glanced in his direction and gave him a wink. He was blown away by this woman. In the midst of her embarrassment, she manipulated the situation to her will in order to get what she wanted. She really was something else and he wouldn’t want her any other way.

  “I should be getting on my way now before Walt sends out a search party for me.” She gave a wave and smiled at him and then Brooke. “I’m so happy you two are sleeping together,” she said before walking out the door, leaving them completely speechless.

  Chapter 14

  Not wanting to waste any time, Brooke showered and headed out to talk with some of the local business owners while Tyler stayed behind and helped Chase and the other firemen clear the driveway.

  She walked into Sweet Dreams Bakery that wasn’t shy on the use of pink. Shay, the owner, was from New York City, and Brooke always felt like Shay brought a little piece of New York to their small town. It was a bakery, yet it was stylish and trendy and Brooke had loved this place since the day it opened.

  She gave an enthusiastic wave to Louise who was behind the counter. Her dark hair was pinned back, putting her big brown eyes on full display.

  “Morning,” Brooke said.

  Louise’s hands settled on her narrow waist. “Don’t you come in here all ‘Morning’ me when you spent the night with Tyler.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened, and if she didn’t have control over her body, she would have stumbled back a few steps.

  “Where the hell did you hear that?” Brooke demanded.

  “It’s all over town.”

  “I am going to kill Terry!” Brooke spun around.

  “Brooke!” Louise yelled out.

  Brooke ignored her and stormed toward the door when a frantic hand grabbed and yanked her.

  She turned and met Louise’s warm dark eyes. “It wasn’t only Terry.”

  Brooke stopped tugging on her arm and waited for Louise to explain further.

  “A few people saw his truck in your driveway yesterday, and with the tree down a few people came by to inspect and noticed his truck was still there.

  “This stupid town, and its nosey people! How would they like it if I went snooping all over their property?” If she lived in a big city somewhere, like New York, she bet she would never have to deal with this utter crap.

  Louise laughed. “You are the biggest gossip around.”

  “That’s different.”

  Louise’s eyebrow arched. “How?”

  “I don’t invade people’s privacy.”

  “No but you spread their private information when you get your grabby little hands on it.”

  Brooke let out a perturbed breath and flopped down in the closest chair. “This is karma, isn’t it? It’s finally coming to bite me in the ass.”

  “Well…” Louise shrugged. “You can’t say you didn’t have it coming.”

  “Why am I friends with you again?”

  “Because my bubbly disposition helps soften your rough edges.”

  Brooke shot Louise a dirty look, but Louise was prepared for it, smiling bigger than humanely possible, hands resting under her chin in an act of innocence. Despite herself, Brooke laughed.

  “Why don’t I get you a cupcake to help soften the blow of the day and you can tell me all about you and Tyler.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  This time Louise laughed. “If you think I’m going to believe that after years of witnessing your red, hot chemistry simmering to the surface and never being released, then you must think me a fool, and let me tell you, my momma didn’t raise no fool.”

  Louise bounced over to the display case that harbored all the cupcakes and other delicious pastries and bent down to the shelf that held Brooke’s favorite. Louise returned with a white porcelain plate with gold trim and a strawberry milkshake cupcake in the center. Louise held it out to Brooke, and she went to grab it, but Louise held the plate out of reach.

  “You going to dish out the details, or should I bring this cupcake back to where it came from?”

  “Give me the damn cupcake and sit your ass down,” she said.

  Louise slid the plate across the ta
ble and sat down. Brooke picked up the cupcake and took a healthy bite, savoring the sweet goodness.

  “Is Shay here?” Brooke asked, not wanting to get sidetracked from her mission.

  “Her mother is in town.”

  “Wait. Isn’t her mom like a horrible human being and the reason Shay and Matt broke up a century ago?”

  “Yup, but they’re working through their differences, and it seems they’ve come to a common ground.”

  “More power to her,” Brooke said. “If my father ever came back into my life, I’d have a few choice words for him, but other than that, there’d be nothing he could say that could fix what he did.”

  “Shay’s mom might be a bitch, but she never…”

  Louise’s words faltered but Brooke finished the sentence for her. “Abandoned her family.”

  “She was a nightmare and did some terrible things, but in her own sick twisted way it was because she loved Shay.”

  “Well, I can tell you one hundred percent that my father left with only selfish intentions, and it was just as well. If he stayed… Jax or Chase would probably be in jail for murder right now, and I’d be proud of them.”

  It was as dark as her thoughts got, but she’d known Louise her whole life and knew without a doubt Louise would never judge her. They may have been complete polar opposites, but Louise was her best friend and one of the few people Brooke could always rely on.

  “Good thing he left then,” she said. “Now stop, beating around the bush and tell me what happened between you and Tyler. Was it hot?” She eyed Brooke with curiosity and nodded. “It was totally hot.”

  “It was…sweet.”

  “Okay, that is not what I expected. Really? Sweet. You and Tyler were sweet?”

  “What’s wrong with sweet? You act like it’s a bad thing.”

  “Nothing wrong with sweet.” She pointed to the plate. “This cupcake is sweet. I love sweet. But you and Tyler have always been explosive.”

  Brooke smiled, remembering the sensations that wracked her body. She shrugged. “It was pretty explosive.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” Louise clapped her hands together. “Go on.”

  “There’s really not much more to say. He was…”

  “Sweet…” Louise said.

  “He was. It was my first time, and he was making sure he didn’t hurt me and—”

  Louise’s hand shot up. “Hold the front door. Did you just say it was your first time?”

  Brooke shrugged.

  “You told me five years ago you lost your virginity to an out of towner.”

  “I lied.”

  “Why did you lie about that? To me of all people?”

  “I didn’t want to be the virgin anymore. Daisy and Nick had been sleeping together all of senior year and you lost your virginity to Teddy Meyers the summer we graduated.”

  “Good old Teddy. He’s married now, you know?”

  “Seriously?” Brooke said. “Someone wanted to marry him?”

  “Shut up,” Louise said. “He was a great guy.”

  “If you say so. I never understood your attraction to him.”

  “Now that I think back on it, me either, but he was good for my first time. He was…” She looked at Brooke and smiled. “Sweet.”

  “Don’t make me regret telling you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Louise said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. It’s not like my life is suddenly going to change because my hymen is broken.”

  “Sometimes you’re impossible.”

  Brooke licked frosting off her fingertip. “You love me anyway.”

  “Lord help me.” Louise handed her a napkin. “What happens now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you guys like… a couple?”

  Brooke had no idea. She hadn’t really thought about it. What she and Tyler shared last night though, she couldn’t imagine them not being together. They’d had been as close as any two people could be, and all she could think about was being there again with him tonight and every night after. Maybe a few mornings and afternoons, too.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “We haven’t discussed it.”

  “You want to be, right? I mean you two are kind of perfect for each other.”

  Brooke hadn’t put much thought into that either, but when she took a second to really think about it, it was as if Tyler was made for her. He didn’t back down from her threats or run away when her attitude got out of control. He knew how to get her to let loose and laugh and most of all, he treated her like she mattered.

  It was a conversation they would need to have, but for now, she had more important things to deal with. “The reason I came by was to talk to Shay,” Brooke said, taking a final bite of the cupcake. “Maybe you can help me, though.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Louise said, perfectly aware that once Brooke changed the conversation there was no going back. “Lay it on me.”

  Brooke straightened in the chair and explained everything to Louise. By the time she was finished, Louise had poured two cups of coffee for them and they were both sipping from their pink to-go cups.

  “I think it’s great,” Louise said. “And I know for a fact Shay will be all for it. Let me just discuss with her what she’d want to offer and I’ll let you know.”

  “That’d be great,” Brooke said, already itching to text Tyler the good news.

  The door opened and the bell above chimed. Travis Morgan came running in with Sam Bennett, the local Fire Chief who had taken on a fatherly role for Travis and his brother after their dad died in a fire Sam was fighting.

  “Slow down, buddy,” Sam said and flashed a smile in their direction.

  “Morning, ladies.”

  “Hi Sam,” Louise said, bouncing up from her chair and going over to greet Travis. “What do you want today, Travis?” she asked, taking his hand and guiding him toward all the treats.

  “How’s it going, Brooke?” Sam asked.

  “It’s going.”

  “Heard you had a little mishap with a tree last night.”

  “We did, and thanks for sending the guys over to clean that mess up,” she said.

  “Of course. I always have your backs.” After Mom died, Sam had become a fixture in their life, taking Chase under his wing and keeping him in check when his pain had turned into acting out. Their entire family owed Sam, and not just for Chase but because a couple months ago Brooke and Chase had found out that Sam was the first emergency personal on the scene the night of their mom’s accident. He’d held her in his arms while she died. Knowing that, Brooke could never look at Sam as anything other than the hero who didn’t let her mom die alone. She was eternally grateful to him.

  Brooke stood up from the table and grabbed her coffee, happy it was in a to-go cup because she really had to head out and hit up a few more businesses. She looked at Sam who was helping Travis decide between a root beer float cupcake and an Oreo cupcake, and an idea sparked in her brain.

  “Hey Sam,” she said, bringing the plate over to the counter and handing it off to Louise who happily took it.

  “What’s up?” Sam said.

  “Do you happen to have any old Red Maple Falls Fire helmets or anything else that would represent the firehouse and the town?”

  “I’m sure I do. What do you need it for?”

  Brooke rested against the display case and explained the situation, getting another member of the community to help Tyler on his road to success.

  Chapter 15

  It was another boring afternoon at Calhoun’s when Cooper Hayes walked in and sat at one of the high-top tables. Brooke grabbed a menu and headed over to the table. Cooper, like all the other Hayes boys, was good looking with his light brown hair and blue eyes.

  “Hey, Cooper. I thought you were on book tour?”

  “I am,” he said, taking the menu from her hand. “I had two free nights. I decided I’d rather spend it with my girl and my boys than in a hotel room.�
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  “Then why aren’t you with them right now?” Brooke couldn’t help but be nosey, despite that it drove her bonkers when people butted into her own personal business. She swore it was a gene that was imbedded inside her and was completely out of her control.

  Cooper laughed. “Tyler asked to meet with me, and since Tommy’s at school and Sarah was going to a Mommy and Me class at the library, I figured now was as good a time as any.”

  What would Tyler need to meet with Cooper Hayes about? Brooke tried to piece the puzzle together in her head before blatantly asking, but she came up with nothing. He hadn’t mentioned anything to her, not even last night after she was cuddled in his arms.

  “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Tyler said, walking over to the table and shaking Cooper’s hand. He shot Brooke a look before settling onto one of the chairs at the high top. No kiss hello… heck she would have taken a high-five at this point.

  “No worries,” Cooper said. “I was just putting in an order. I’m starving.”

  “Perfect. Me too.”

  “I’ll take a burger,” Cooper said. “Fries and a water.”

  “Can I get my usual?” Tyler asked, and Brooke whipped to a clean page on her pad, her eyes on Tyler as if she could penetrate through his skull and read his mind. He didn’t acknowledge her, focusing on Cooper. Cooper finally looked at her, causing Tyler to turn around. “Did you need something else?” Tyler asked.

  “No,” she said with annoyance lacing her tone.

  He stared at her like she was intruding on his man date and with a flip of her hair, she stormed away to drop off the ticket to the kitchen.

  What could he possibly have to speak to Cooper Hayes about, and why was he acting like she was infringing on his personal space? She tried reminding herself it was none of her business, but Louise’s question popped into her head. Were they together? And if they were, did he have a right to blatantly blow her off?

  Curiosity drove her insane as she inched closer and closer to Tyler and Cooper’s table to try and overhear the conversation. Tyler was explaining about his new business, really hyping it up and how great it was going to be. His enthusiasm was contagious, and she whole-heartedly believed he would make it into something he’d be proud of regardless of what his dad said.