When Love Ignites

by Neideffer, Tara

  Chapter 28

  BROOKE

  Brooke stared out the window as Ethan drove her to the airport, wondering what it was going to be like to see her sister again after all these years. They had parted on bad terms, and the first time she was seeing her, she was sick. What on earth would she say to her or how was she supposed to act? For the first time in her life, she had no clue how to act. But she knew she had to be brave for Casey. Despite it all, it was time to put everything that tore them apart behind them and move forward. She was going to have to be Casey’s caretaker. Her support system. Her sister and her friend. She would have to be it all, in hopes that it would be enough to give her strength to fight and beat cancer.

  She just hoped she was strong enough.

  An hour and a half later, she saw a plane descending towards the landing strip of the airport and let out a sigh. It was time. She hated flying. She had only flown a few times her whole life, and it wasn’t something she enjoyed at all. All the other times, she’d had someone with her, but now, she would be flying solo. She wished someone was going with her. Paige and Kyleigh had come over to say their good byes this morning. It had been a half hour of tears and hugs that made her heart ache. She would miss them, but she kept reminding herself that this wasn’t permanent.

  “Looks like we’re here.”

  Ethan’s deep voice broke through the stillness of the car and she tore her gaze from the window and looked at him. “Yes,” she said sullenly. Good byes were hard. And they were even harder when there was so much baggage that they were carrying with them. Him; his ex just showing up out of nowhere. And her; moving to New York to take care of her sick, estranged sister. How were they going to get through this? Was their love strong enough to overcome these obstacles? She hoped so. Life was definitely testing their love.

  Ethan walked her to the terminal, and since she had a half-hour until her flight, they ordered coffee and grabbed a seat on an open bench.

  “Are you nervous about seeing your sister after all this time?” Ethan finally asked, after a few moments of silence.

  Her fingers gripped the coffee cup a little too tightly and she relaxed before she had hot coffee exploding all over her. She took a small sip and tasted nothing but whipped cream. “Yes, it’s been three years. Plus, I’m just worried about how...” she paused on that last thought, not really wanting to think about it. She looked up at him and finished. “I’m worried about seeing her so sick. What if I’m not strong enough to handle all this?” Her tone sounded defeated already and she hadn’t even gotten to her sister’s yet.

  Ethan swung to face her, his expression warm and empathetic as he grabbed her hand. “It’ll be hard, Brooke. But I know you are a strong, caring woman, and I know you can get through this. Plus, you know how to care for people who are suffering. You’ve got this.”

  She looked up at him with brown eyes that glistened with worry, and pursed her lips into a tight line. “I hope you’re right,” she said, giving his hand a light squeeze.

  “I know I am,” he said.

  Just then her flight number sounded over the terminal’s speakers. Their eyes met as a heavy-hearted feeling tightened around them. This was it. It was time to say good bye to the man she loved.

  She stood and leaned over to grab her suitcase. Just as her eyes lifted to tell him goodbye, his mouth was crushing against hers. His hands tangled into her hair, pulling her close, and when he broke the kiss, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him, his head resting on top of hers.

  She squeezed him tightly and then pulled away to grab something from her pocket. A second later she was dangling a red ribbon in the air towards him. “I didn’t have a red string, but I saw this ribbon while I was packing and knew I had to give it to you. No matter how far apart we are, it will never break, always remember that,” she said softly.

  Ethan took the ribbon from her hand and said, “I’ll never forget.”

  He pulled her into his arms and gave her one last kiss.

  Reluctantly, she pulled away. “I’d better get going. Don’t want to miss my flight,” she said.

  “Call me when you land, okay?”

  His voice broke at the end and seeing his green eyes shine with sadness broke her heart. She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. “I will.” She ran her hand across the stubble on his cheek one last time and said, “I won’t be there long. It’s not permanent, remember that, okay?”

  He nodded and placed his hand on tops of hers, the red ribbon dangling across their hands as his thumb gently caressed the soft skin of her hand.

  They stared at each other and she gave him one last smile before she turned and walked towards her plane.

  Minutes later, she was squeezed into a window seat with a large, heavy-set man sitting next to her. He coughed every few minutes and all she could do was press herself against the side of the plane and stare out the window wishing she was anywhere else. The man’s arm bumped hers, and she glared over at him before pulling her arm onto her lap. This was the most uncomfortable flight she had ever had.

  The plane finally began to take off and she held her breath as she looked out the window and saw people, cars, and everything else gradually become smaller. When they were finally up in the air and she saw nothing but endless blue sky, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It would make the flight go by faster if she could, but as she sat there, hearing the guy beside her hacking up a lung and kids crying, she knew it would be impossible.

  She must have dozed off at some point because the big guy next to her was intentionally elbowing her saying, “Lady, you need to wake up.”

  Her eyes shot open and she stared at him in confusion, and then as she took in her surroundings, she remembered where she was. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

  “We’re about to land,” the guy next to her said.

  “Oh, um, thanks for waking me up,” she said quickly, as she straightened her appearance. She looked at her watch and realized she had been asleep for a couple of hours.

  As the plane began to descend, she started to fidget. Her sister was picking her up at the airport even though Brooke told her she could get a cab, but her sister had refused. She had never been so nervous in her life.

  Everything seemed to go faster than she had anticipated, and before she knew it, she was walking off the plane and into the terminal, her eyes darting over the crowd of people as she searched for Casey. It only took a few minutes, but she saw a petite, blonde girl standing off to the side, her light blue eyes searching the crowd for her. Brooke studied her for a moment before making herself known. She had already lost some weight and her skin was an ashy, pale color instead of the bright, porcelain complexion she remembered.

  Brooke took a few more steps, closing the distance between them, and Casey finally turned towards her, a hesitant smile brightening her pale, blue eyes.

  “Brooke,” she stated, her high-pitched voice carrying over the noisy terminal and her tense expression softening at the sight of her sister.

  “Hey,” Brooke said, walking up and pulling her into a hug. They held each other for a minute, and Brooke pulled back and looked her up and down, taking in the small frame that was hiding beneath a sweatshirt and skinny jeans. “You look good.”

  Casey smiled and looked down at herself. “I’ve lost some weight, but today is a good day for me.” Her head tilted to the side as she studied Brooke. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now,” she said honestly, because despite uprooting herself from Sweet Haven, she really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Casey said, as she looped her arm into Brooke’s and led her out of the busy terminal.

  They chatted on the drive and Brooke was amazed by what she saw. They were heading into the heart of the city and there w
ere people everywhere. There was no way she would be able to find her way around this huge city.

  “I know it’s overwhelming, but you’ll learn your way around,” Casey said, as she stopped in a long line of traffic.

  Brooke gave her a side glance. “I doubt that. This place is ten times bigger than Sweet Haven.”

  A wistful look took over Casey’s face as she said, “That’s why I like this place. I love being in the city. It feels like home. There’s never a dull moment here.”

  Brooke’s gaze went to the hordes of people bustling down the streets. “I bet not.”

  She quickly sent Ethan a text, letting him know that she had landed safely and was now on her way to Casey’s apartment.

  “So, how long have you and Ethan been seeing each other?” Casey asked.

  “A few months, now.”

  Casey gave her a quick glance before returning her attention to the road. “I’m sorry you had to leave him. I can’t imagine how hard that was.”

  “It’s okay, Casey. He’s a doctor, so he knows how difficult it is when family members are sick, and he knows I’ll be back as soon as you’re better.” Casey tensed and Brooke’s voice turned stern. “And you will get better, Casey.”

  Casey let out a sigh and said, “I hope so. The doctor said the odds were in my favor, so we’ll see. I’m trying to stay optimistic.”

  “That’s good. It’ll be better in the long run,” Brooke said.

  “My apartment isn’t much farther. I live a few blocks down from my restaurant, but we’ll have to park in the parking garage down on Eighth Street, and then walk.”

  “That’s fine. It’ll be nice to walk around. I feel like I’ve been cooped up forever,” Brooke said.

  After they parked, they headed down Allen Avenue, Brooke pulling her suitcase behind her and doing her best not to bump into anyone. There were so many shops and she wanted to visit them all. They stopped and looked in a few, but Brooke didn’t want to push Casey too far. She was beginning to look worn out and Brooke figured all this physical exertion was getting to her.

  “My apartment is this next one,” Casey said, pointing to a two story, red brick building up on the left.

  She followed Casey in and they took two flights of stairs before ending up in front of a bright orange Welcome sign that hung on her front door. The place seemed small and clean and there were only three other apartments on her floor. Casey swung the door open and Brooke walked in, admiring the beauty of the small apartment. The place was spotless and modern, nothing like the older brick style exterior. There were fresh flowers on the small snack bar and all the appliances were stainless.

  Tossing her purse on the counter, Casey said, “It’s small, but you’ll have your own room and very tiny bathroom.” Casey grabbed Brooke’s suitcase and said over her shoulder, “I’ll show you to your room.”

  Her room was small, but cozy. The room was decorated in bright hues of blue, reds, and oranges, obviously they both had the same taste in colors Brooke noted. She watched Casey set her suitcase on the bed and flip on the light to the bathroom.

  “Your mini-bathroom,” she said.

  Brooke smiled and said, “This is great, thanks.”

  They stood there in awkward silence and then Casey said, “Well, I’ll let you get settled in and rest a little. I’ll be in the living room binging on Supernatural if you want to join me later.”

  “Okay, I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  Casey nodded and walked out, leaving Brooke standing alone in the middle of the room.

  She pulled out a change of clothes, along with everything she needed to shower, and twenty minutes later she felt refreshed and was sitting on the edge of her bed talking to Ethan.

  “The flight was okay. I got stuck sitting next to a guy who sounded like he was hacking up a lung and kept bumping my elbow, but I slept most of the way.”

  “So, how are things going with your sister so far?” he asked.

  She sighed, running her finger along the edge of the pillow case. “It’s okay. I can tell she’s not feeling well. She’s pale and has lost some weight, but she’s strong.”

  “It’ll be a long road, but that type of cancer is treatable,” he said.

  “Yes, that’s the positive side to all of this,” Brooke said.

  They talked for a few more minutes, and after they hung up, Brooke sat staring around her room, feeling completely out of place here. She heard her sister laugh in the other room and a small smile appeared. She contemplated going out there and watching TV with her, but she wasn’t sure how comfortable it would be. But, as she looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight pm, she didn’t want to just sit in her room all night, either. She let out a long breath, and headed out into the living room.

  As she rounded the corner, Casey looked up and said, “Hey, have a seat.” She gestured to the love seat and returned her attention to the show.

  Brooke took a seat and settled in. Her phone buzzed with a text and she smiled as she looked down at it. Her Gram had recently gotten a cell phone for emergencies and would occasionally send Brooke a text. It always made her laugh to envision her Gram sending texts.

  “Gram says hi,” Brooke said.

  Casey looked up, a smile brightening her pale face. “Tell her I said hi and I love her and I’ll call her in the morning after chemo.”

  Brooke sent her a quick text and then looked up to see what her sister was watching. She had forgotten her sister’s obsession with the show, Supernatural. She had forgotten a lot of things about her sister, mainly on purpose. But now, little things were hitting her. Little rituals they had done when they were kids, like staying up late on the weekends and watching scary movies. And when they became teenagers, they had mostly ditched scary movies and would stay up late and talk about boys.

  They sat there for the next couple of hours, laughing at Dean and Sam bickering, and jumping at some of the more intense scenes, when Casey turned to her and said, “The only thing we’re missing is Haagen-Daz.”

  The comment hit Brooke right in the heart. It was their go-to binge food when times were tough for one of them. She didn’t want to calculate the number of calories they’d consumed eating ice cream during hard times. She felt tears threaten and pushed them back and nodded. “I could definitely go for a pint,” she said.

  Turning to face her, Casey said, “We could head down to the restaurant and I could show you my shop on the way there. It’s already ten, so they should already have it closed up for the night. And, I might not be feeling up to it tomorrow.”

  Smiling, Brooke said, “That sounds like a good idea.”

  The cool night air welcomed them as they stepped out onto the busy sidewalk, and Brooke trailed behind Casey as she led her to the right and farther down in the city.

  “It’s not much farther,” Casey called over her shoulder.

  A few minutes later she was standing next to Casey as she unlocked the door to a quaint little red brick building. She looked up at the exterior, already loving the cozy feel it had.

  “I love it,” she told her, stepping inside and scanning the restaurant.

  “This has been my baby for the past three years. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s getting there.”

  Casey’s face turned wistful and Brooke knew what she was thinking. “You have plenty of time to add your finishing touches on it.”

  Casey looked up and smiled at her. “I hope so.”

  Brooke looked away, the sad smile on her sister’s face breaking her heart. She pivoted in a circle, taking it all in. The place had a modern, yet vintage vibe and the artwork and few plants here and there gave it a cozy feel. It was clean, with soothing paint coating the walls. This would be her new job until Casey began to feel better.

  “Running a restaurant is exhausting, but I’ve eaten your food, and you’re like
a master chef, Brooke. Add in the fact that you’re a boss woman...” she laughed and one eyebrow shot up before she continued. “This will be a breeze for you.”

  Leaning against a table, Brooke said, “I think you’re giving me more credit than I deserve, Casey. What if I ruin this for you? I’ll never forgive myself.”

  She leaned in and squeezed her shoulder. “Brooke, you’ll do fine. And, I’ll be able to help you, I just won’t have the strength to be running a restaurant by myself.”

  Grabbing her sister’s hand she squeezed it, and said, “I’ll do my best.”

  Things between them were still awkward, and she didn’t know if they would ever be the same, but she could feel small chips beginning to crack the surface of their strained relationship. And it was something she had wanted, deep down, even if she never let herself know.

  Chapter 29

  ETHAN

  It had already been a few months since Brooke left for New York, and the empty space in Ethan’s chest seemed to ache more with each passing day. He wasn’t sure how he was going to survive for however long this would last, but he knew he had no choice. It could be a full year before she was able to come back home. He clenched his jaw as he scrolled through pictures of them on his phone and then smiled when he came across the one on their hiking adventure. Brooke was sitting on the edge of some rocks, her bare feet dangling in the water with the waterfall in the background. She was smiling sweetly up at him and looked beautiful with her long hair falling in waves across her shoulders, and the sun glistening on her tanned skin. These pictures were all he had left right now.