As she passed by the large rose bush, she touched one of the flowers with a single finger. She waved at him and went inside.
Man, he missed having her around all the time. It was bad enough when she’d moved out to rent the house with Anna.
He thought back to when he first saw Brooke in Dallas. She’d been a scrawny eighteen-year-old with a mouth that never stopped and the ability to push all his buttons. If it weren’t for Joel standing in as the mediator, Chess doubted he and Brooke would’ve gotten along as well. Certainly not enough to turn their group of three into the family none of them had growing up.
She wasn’t that annoying kid anymore. She’d grown into a beautiful woman with enough personality, empathy, and strength to get through anything. If someone had told him when he first met her that he’d become completely enamored with her, he would’ve called them crazy.
She’d make some lucky guy an amazing wife one day. The thought made his chest ache. Brooke deserved to find someone — to be happy.
A big part of Chess wanted that someone to be him. His throat constricted. There were a lot of reasons why that couldn’t happen, and he had no doubt he was making the right decision to guard his heart. By doing so, he was also keeping watch over hers.
Besides, Brooke had never seen him as more than a big brother and friend. When it came to opening up to people, she always ran to Joel. Now she dated one guy after the other, and Chess was left to take up the worried, chastising older brother position. Which only seemed to annoy her more and made Chess feel even less connected to her than before.
It didn’t matter, they were friends, a role assigned to them for far too long to change. It was better that way. Chess put the pickup in reverse harder than he needed to and headed back home. He had work to do and the last thing he needed was to think about Brooke and her date tonight.
Chapter Two
Pings from Chess’s cell phone announced messages before he even sat down at his desk. He spent several minutes dealing with them and then took a moment to check social media. A notification at the top said he had a friend request. Not completely uncommon though most of his social media contacts were co-workers.
He clicked on it so he could see the name.
Nathan Kirkpatrick.
At first, it meant little. He didn’t know any Kirkpatricks, and the only Nathan he’d known he hadn’t seen since he was nine. He clicked on the profile picture. A photo of Jackie Chan breaking a board with his hands didn’t exactly help Chess figure out who the guy was.
It was the location that drew his attention. Homestead, Florida. He scanned the rest of the information and stopped when he saw that Nathan had also lived in Dallas, Texas.
Chess froze. Adrenaline surged while his hands grew cold.
No way. Was Nathan Kirkpatrick truly his long-lost brother? Surely not. It had to be a coincidence.
Chess moved to accept Nathan Kirkpatrick’s friend request several times before stopping himself. Just because the first name and the location matched, it didn’t mean this was the Nathan he used to know. He pictured his tow-headed little brother. Nathan was four and relied on Chess for everything. Chess still remembered the fear and confusion in Nathan’s eyes the last time Chess saw him.
Feelings of incompetence pounded his chest. He’d beaten himself up for not knowing what happened to his little brother and not being there to take care of him. It was his responsibility to keep the two of them together, and he’d failed miserably.
Uncertain, Chess decided to think about the friend request and absently cooked a frozen dinner in the microwave. If Brooke saw what he was eating, she’d have chided him for it.
When the three of them lived together, they rarely ate frozen food. Brooke knew how to cook and enjoyed it. Which meant he and Joel had become spoiled. His thoughts flew back to the friend request again. After all these years, he’d never told Joel or Brooke about Nathan. He hadn’t talked about his past much at all. And while Brooke and Joel were curious in the beginning, Chess couldn’t remember the last time the topic had come up.
His stomach clenched, and he suddenly didn’t feel like eating the Salisbury steak.
Maybe it was time to talk to his friends about Nathan. Joel might understand why he never spoke of him. But would Brooke? She used to ask him about his past all the time and he’d avoided answering her questions. Would finding out how much he’d kept from her put yet more distance between them?
He swallowed down his frustration. There was no point in worrying about it now. Especially when he didn’t know for sure this was even the Nathan he thought it might be.
Chess forced himself to take a bite of his dinner when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Joel. He answered, forcing a smile on his face he hoped would bleed into his voice. “Hey! How’s married life treating you?”
“Amazing. You should try it yourself sometime.”
Yeah, that’s not happening. He could hear a combination of birds and people’s voices in the background. “Sounds busy there.”
“We’re checking out one of the beaches. It would seem it’s a popular choice. We’ll probably ask at the hotel tomorrow and see if there’s another that’s not quite as crowded.” There was a muffled sound before Joel spoke again. “Anastasia’s wondering how Epic’s doing.”
Chess glanced at the time. He’d forgotten Hawaii was five hours behind Texas. It was early afternoon there. Chess moved his foot and nudged Epic. The poor guy never left Chess’s side. “He’s right here and doing fine. He’s eating well, and I’ve taken him to the park twice this week. I can tell he misses you guys, though.”
“We miss him, too. I think he’d love running in the surf here.” Joel laughed. “What are you and Brooke up to this week?”
“Oh, you know. Work and more work.” He told his friend about Brooke’s car. “She’s going on another date tonight.”
“She mentioned it to Anastasia when they talked a few minutes ago.” He paused. “I guess this guy moved here from Colorado or something like that.”
Chess shook his head. “Where does she meet all these guys when she works at a salon? It’s mostly women who go in there.”
“Yes. Mothers and grandmothers who have sons or grandsons they try to set up.” Joel’s voice was laced with amusement. “Is this older brother talking? Or jealousy?”
Only a handful of times in the past had Joel insinuated Chess might have feelings for Brooke. He hadn’t appreciated it then, and he didn’t now, either. He frowned. “Don’t even start, man.”
“All right. My point is, when you criticize her dates, you’re walking a fine line. And Brooke is sensitive about it. Don’t push her, Chess.”
Joel was right. Chess cared about Brooke — way more than he should. And if she knew he was here talking about her date, she’d be furious. “I’ll stay out of it. Don’t worry.”
“We told Brooke she can use Anastasia’s car while hers is in the shop.”
“That’ll be great. I’ll take her to go pick it up tomorrow.” Since he had to drive into Dallas Monday and Tuesday, he wouldn’t be there to give Brooke a ride. Although, if he’d needed to, he’d have taken the days off. When was the last time he hung out with just Brooke? He couldn’t even remember.
“All I ask is that you two try not to kill each other while we’re gone.” Apparently, Joel was thinking along the same lines.
“Funny. I think we’ll survive. You guys have fun. And try to convince Anna that Epic is fine.”
Joel chuckled at that. “Will do. We’ll call again in a few days.”
They said their goodbyes. Chess poked the now-cold meal with his fork and wrinkled his nose. He stood and Epic jumped to his feet, following Chess into the kitchen. “I think you’ll enjoy this more than I will.”
He set the plate on the floor for Epic to gobble down and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He took that back to his computer and sat again to stare at the friend request.
Chess finally sent a short privat
e message asking, “Who is this?”
Chess stared at the screen as it showed the other person read his message and was typing a response. His cereal forgotten, Chess leaned forward in nervous anticipation.
“I’m searching for a Chester Summers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.”
Chess’s fingers stilled and the words on the screen blurred before becoming clear again. He’d searched for his baby brother for years before giving up. But why hadn’t Nathan sought Chess out before now? And why the different last name?
Chess inhaled and typed out a response.
“I’m originally from Dallas. Who are you?”
A response came quickly this time.
“I’m searching for my brother. We were separated as kids. When I was young, a couple adopted me, and I took their last name of Kirkpatrick. A year or two later, we moved to Florida. My last name was Summers.”
Chess’s chest burned, a melting pot of emotions. Relief that Nathan was alive mixed with disbelief, and all of that coated in a layer of apprehension. He realized, from this moment on, his life would never be the same. He stared at the computer screen. His hands felt disconnected from his body as he typed several things, only going back to erase them afterwards.
Holding his breath, he typed out a response and hit enter before he changed his mind.
“I looked for you for most of my life. I had no idea your last name had been changed.”
A few minutes went by.
“I searched for you because I have to know. What happened? Did you send me away?”
The words took several moments to penetrate Chess’s brain. “It wasn’t like that. I never wanted you to leave. You were the only younger child in our foster home. It was packed, and I was told they moved you somewhere else. I didn’t want them to.”
That was a gross understatement. His foster father had had to hold him back as the case worker picked up Nathan and carried him out the front door. Chess squeezed his eyes shut to block out the memory of Nathan crying, his arms reaching for his big brother. Another ping and he opened them again.
“They told me you didn’t want to go with me.”
Chess shook his head, trying to comprehend what Nathan was saying. If that was true, had he grown up thinking Chess didn’t care about him? The possibility made him sick. What kind of people would do such a thing? “No one would tell me where you were or what happened to you.”
When Nathan said nothing else, Chess accepted the friend request that had been waiting for a response.
Every fear and insecurity he had about Nathan came crashing down on him. He’d spent most of his life trying to convince himself he’d done everything he could to be reunited with his brother. But all of that didn’t matter if Nathan thought Chess hadn’t wanted him in the first place. Maybe, if they talked, they’d figure out the truth between them.
~
Brooke tried to tune out the sound of her neighbors arguing. They were in the apartment right below hers. In the month she’d lived there, this was the third time they’d had a dispute complete with screaming, name calling, and slamming of doors. They were at it half the night until one of them finally left the building and all fell quiet. Apparently, they were ready for round two.
She wasn’t a fan of living here. She missed having a yard, not to mention peace and quiet. Most of all, though, she missed having a roommate.
Silly, maybe. But this was the first time in her life she’d lived on her own. She’d left foster care with Joel, then it was the two of them plus Chess. Later, it was her and Anna.
Brooke was an independent woman now. She moved out of the rental house so that Joel could move in after he and Anna got married. Brooke ought to be happy she had sole possession of the remote control. She didn’t have to keep reminding one guy or another to put his plate in the kitchen or sweep whiskers off the bathroom counter when he’d finished shaving. She didn’t have to coordinate with Anna on who got to shower first in the morning.
During the week when she was working, she could almost convince herself all of that was true. But Saturday afternoons and Sundays, she’d trade it all to not be alone in her apartment.
She hadn’t heard from Larry since their date last night. Not that their evening had been overly fantastic. They went out to dinner and then stopped for ice cream afterwards. The dish of chocolate and strawberry was definitely the highlight. Their awkward kiss when he took her back home didn’t exactly have her counting down until the next date. How sad was that?
Her phone chimed with a text. She immediately smiled when she saw it was from Chess.
“I thought I’d come by and take you to get Anna’s car. Joel told me where an extra key is in the house. Are you busy?”
Not unless feeling sorry for herself counted. “Nope, I’m free. I’ll be waiting outside.”
She sat down on the steps and kept busy with a game on her phone until Chess’s truck pulled up. Once seated inside, she looked over and smiled. “I appreciate this.”
“No problem. I’ve got a deadline in two weeks so I’ll be late getting home Monday and Tuesday. I’m glad you’ll have Anna’s car. That way you’re not stranded.” He maneuvered the truck out of the parking lot.
“I’ll come by at lunch and after work to let Epic outside if you want me to.”
His eyes shifted to hers and he grinned. “That’d be great, thank you.”
“Sure.” She focused on her phone as she added reminders to her calendar for the next couple of days.
They all had exchanged keys to each other’s places. It was mostly for emergencies, but they came in handy for situations like these as well.
Once they got to Anna and Joel’s house, it was easy to find the spare keys to the car parked in the driveway. This was the house she’d rented with Anna and she missed it. But it made more sense for the newlyweds to move in until they found a house they wanted to buy.
Minutes later, she was ready to slide into Anna’s car and head back to her apartment. She hesitated. Normally, the whole gang would get together for dinner tonight or tomorrow. Last weekend was the wedding, and it made sense she and Chess did nothing. But this weekend, it would’ve been nice to get together and see a movie or something.
Chess’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. “Is something wrong?”
What was she supposed to say? That she’d become so co-dependent the thought of spending a weekend alone made her want to cry? Nope, she wouldn’t do that.
“I’m just tired. My neighbors downstairs argued off and on all last night.”
“You need to bang on your floor with a broom handle every time they yell at each other.”
“Sure. Then I can turn into Mr. Heckles from Friends.” They both chuckled.
“Well, it’d serve them right.” He grinned. “I’ll call you next week as soon as I hear from the mechanic.”
Brooke forced a smile. “Sounds good. Have a great weekend, Chess.”
“You, too.” He gave her a little wave and got into his truck.
With a slow sigh that matched the sad song on the radio, Brooke headed home again. It would be a long few days.
Chapter Three
Brooke observed the Wednesday lunch crowd at her favorite Mexican food restaurant. Chess had picked her up at Anna’s house to go to lunch and then swing by and retrieve her car from the mechanic. She was more than ready to have her own vehicle back again.
Chess set a plate down in front of Brooke before sliding into the booth opposite her. She picked up her fork and twirled the melted cheese around it, the tangy smell of the red sauce filling her nostrils. The moment the food touched her tongue, her eyes drifted closed. The cheese and sauce were a perfect combination. “No one makes enchiladas like Mr. Torres.”
“They are good.” Chess took a bite of his own lunch. He’d gone with beef enchiladas instead of cheese. “I don’t think they’re better than yours, though. I like how they give you enough food here, not like that place across town.”
Brooke flas
hed him a happy smile. Both Chess and Joel had repeatedly mentioned how much they enjoyed her cooking. Even when they didn’t say it, the speed at which they put it away spoke volumes. She observed the three enchiladas, refried beans, rice, and a small pile of lettuce topped with tomato on her plate. “There’s no way I’ll be able to eat all of this.” She knew, though, that Chess would have no problem cleaning his plate.
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Chess spoke from his side of the table. “How’s work going today?”
She shrugged. “It’s fine.”
That got his attention. His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Brooke studied the busy dining area. She recognized none of the salon’s regulars, but that didn’t mean others who frequented the business weren’t there. She didn’t want to be overheard and leaned forward, her voice lowered. “We get many people in who like to gossip. I usually let it roll off my back but sometimes…” Today, they’d had two different people come in and complain about the other. It was exhausting, especially when Brooke hated to hear either of them bashed. She told Chess as much.
Chess took a swig of his soda. “I remember when you used to find all the odd things your customers said to be funny. Do you not like your job anymore?”
“It’s okay.” Brooke shrugged. He was right. She used to come home with stories of the funny things the ladies said and took it all in stride. And usually she was fine. She didn’t mind hearing about everyone else’s troubles, their family, their vacations. But then there were days like today. Chess was studying her, obviously not buying it. “It’s nearby. I can’t complain about that. And the job was a huge factor in getting me to where I am now.” It’d taught her a lot about responsibility, given her financial freedom, and helped her to contribute to their family, which Chess had mostly carried for the first year or so.
Someone to Trust (Life Unexpected Book 2) Page 2
