How was he supposed to act the next time he saw her? This time last week, he had no idea she thought of him as any more than her annoying, over-protective friend. But now… It would be much easier if she’d never told him. Where did that leave them?
He blinked at the episode he was watching on TV. After binge watching for several hours, he doubted he could recall more than five minutes of what had happened. Instead, their conversation at the park kept replaying itself in his head.
Joel and Anna should arrive home late tonight. With the time change and all, he suspected it would take a while for them to get caught up. But they were supposed to all meet at Chess’s house Sunday afternoon. Joel insisted he and Anna would bring something to eat. Would Brooke act like nothing happened when they were all together? Would she even talk to him?
What if she’d rather avoid the event entirely?
That last thought bothered him more than anything else. Guilt and confusion fought for top billing on his emotions.
He picked up his cell phone and began to text Brooke like he had numerous times through the week. He’d always deleted his messages before.
“Are you okay? I’ve missed you this week. Will you be coming over on Sunday as planned?”
This time, he hit send before he talked himself out of it and then held his breath for a response.
Ten minutes later, she sent one back. “I’ll be there.”
And that was it. No sign of where they stood. Yeah, seeing each other for the first time since the park, and in the company of their friends, probably wasn’t the best idea.
Saturday wasn’t much better. Epic must have sensed his unease because the poor dog kept following Chess around with a look of worry on his face. By Sunday afternoon, Chess was ready to get everybody there. Surely this would be one of those situations where worrying about it was much worse than what he was actually dreading.
There was a knock at the door and when he opened it, he found Brooke standing on the other side. She clutched a cake pan like a shield in front of her. Chess took note of her hair and paused. She’d cut at least two inches off and then had thick, blonde highlights added. He couldn’t remember the last time she dyed her hair but it’d been a while. The timing was anything but a coincidence.
Brooke balanced the pan with one hand and put the other on her head as if she were self-conscious about her hair. Did she regret the change? He looked closely and could no longer see the bruise on her face. At least that wound had healed, unlike the rift between them which had only gotten bigger in the last week.
The vulnerability in her eyes warred with stubborn pride when her gaze met his. “Hey. I guess I got here first.”
Chess nodded. “They’re running a few minutes late.” He reached for the pan. “Let me get that for you.” She hesitated before relinquishing it to him.
Epic trotted up to the door, and Brooke immediately bent down to pet him. “I’ll bet you’ll be glad to see Anna, won’t you? She should be here any minute.” She entered the house then, moving to the couch so she could continue to give Epic attention.
Chess took the pan into the kitchen and lifted the plastic lid. The apple crisp must have come out of the oven not long before she came over because the glass container it was in was still warm. The scent of cinnamon and apples made his stomach growl. With a deep breath to steady his nerves, he wandered back to the living room.
“The dessert smells amazing. I think I have some vanilla ice cream in the freezer we can have with it.”
She nodded, her attention still on the dog. “That sounds good.” Her voice was quiet.
Chess didn’t like how awkward it was to be around Brooke right now.
“Brooke, I wish I knew what to say…”
Epic barked, his ears turning toward the door. A moment later, he was running in that direction.
“That must be them.” Brooke jumped to her feet and followed the dog. Chess trailed behind them.
Brooke opened the door to reveal their friends wearing colorful Hawaiian shirts and bright smiles. The moment Anna saw Epic, she crouched to give the dog a hug. Epic wasted no time in knocking her down and lavishing her face with kisses.
Laughter filled the air as Joel took her hand, hauling her back to her feet. There were hugs all around and they all filed back into Chess’s living room.
Brooke embraced them both for a second time. “I’m happy for you guys. Did you have an amazing trip? You’ll have to tell us all about it.” She took a step back and her gaze fell on their joined hands. “Check you two out.”
Anna blushed. Joel chuckled, put an arm around Anna’s shoulder, and then placed a kiss to her cheek. “We missed you guys. We brought gifts.” He held up two bags and waved them back and forth.
Chess took in Brooke’s genuine smile as she accepted the bag Joel handed to her. He’d missed that carefree grin this last week. Something touched his arm, and he realized Joel was trying to hand a bag to him with a raised eyebrow.
Ignoring the unspoken question, Chess took it and pulled out a t-shirt that read, “My friends went to Hawaii and all I got was this shirt.” He laughed. “Thank you for this.” He shook his head and pulled out the other item in the bottom of the bag. He lifted the top off the rectangular box and marveled at the knife and its intricately-carved wooden handle. “Wow, this is beautiful. Thank you both.”
Joel reached over and pulled a business card out of the box. “This guy makes all of them by hand. We saw him at a show we went to and knew we had to bring one back.”
Chess hefted the knife in one hand and admired the way the light reflected off the shiny blade. “He does incredible work. I appreciate this.”
Anna was pulling Brooke’s hair back and fastening it with an intricate metal clip. “There we go. And your hair is pretty like this. When did you have it done?”
“Monday. I had Jasmine at work cut and color it for me.” Brooke reached a hand back to feel the clip and then gave Chess a shy glance before turning her attention back to her friend. She lifted a colorful snow globe depicting an underwater scene. “You two are sweet. You shouldn’t have brought us gifts. But thank you, these are lovely.”
“You’re welcome.” The newly-married couple exchanged a glimpse of adoration.
Chess wondered what it would be like to love someone so much that you could make that kind of commitment. That wasn’t in the cards for him, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t wish it were different. He focused on Brooke and caught her wiping at one of her eyes. She noticed his attention and turned away as she and Anna talked about Hawaii.
Joel had also been watching Brooke and frowned. He tipped his head toward the door. “We brought pizza. Want to help me bring it in?”
“Sure.” Chess took in a deep breath of fresh air as they returned outside. He hadn’t realized how stuffy it’d gotten in the house.
Joel led the way to his car, but before he opened the door, he turned. “Is everything okay with Brooke? Something seems a little off with her.”
Chess hadn’t expected that. Everything between him and Brooke would have to come out in the open eventually, but he’d hoped to avoid it for at least today.
“I take it her date with that guy didn’t work out well.”
There was the out Chess needed. He resisted the urge to release a sigh of relief. “The guy turned out to be a real piece of work.” Briefly, he told Joel about that evening and how Larry had treated Brooke.
Joel didn’t seem to be any happier about it than Chess had been. “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his distance.”
Chess gave a nod and bit his tongue. He sincerely hoped Brooke blocked the guy’s number or put him in his place, but he didn’t know and he wasn’t about to say anything else. He helped Joel with the boxes of pizza.
Once back inside, everyone settled down to eat. With Anna and Joel telling them about their trip, Brooke and Chess didn’t have to say much as they all chatted through dinner. Chess didn’t miss the fact that Brooke seemed
to look everywhere but at him. He bit back a sigh of frustration.
When they had their fill of pizza, conversation lulled. Joel studied first Chess and then Brooke. “Did something happen while we were gone?” When no one responded, his curious expression turned to one of concern. “What’s going on?”
Brooke’s cheeks turned pink. Chess’s own ears grew hot. He’d hoped he could avoid this conversation. In fact, he’d hoped that they’d all get together this afternoon and everything between him and Brooke would be a non-issue. Though the moment he saw her, he knew that would never happen.
Brooke’s eyes widened, and she threw a frantic look in Chess’s direction. Tears filled her eyes. She jumped to her feet and muttered a quick, “Please excuse me for a minute,” on the way out of the room. Epic jumped to his feet and ran toward the sound of the back door opening.
Chess focused on the chair Brooke vacated and nausea rolled through his stomach.
And there were Joel and Anna, staring at him. Waiting for an explanation. What was he supposed to say? He held up both hands. “It’s my fault. But she could probably use someone to go out there with her, and it can’t be me.”
Anna exchanged a glance with Joel and nodded. “I’ll check on her.”
When she left, Joel’s expression combined concern with accusation. “What on earth happened between you two?”
With little choice, Chess filled him in on everything that had happened between him and Brooke over the last week or so.
Joel shook his head. “Well, I suppose that was bound to happen, eventually.”
Chess couldn’t have been more surprised by what his friend said. “You mean, you knew she felt that way about me?”
“It was obvious. It has been for a long time.” Joel’s mouth transformed into a wide grin.
“Then why didn’t I know? Why didn’t you say something? The two of you are so close, until Anna came along, I figured you’d end up together.”
Joel laughed loudly at that. “I have always considered her my sister. And you’re lying to yourself if you ever thought otherwise.” He shrugged. “I think Brooke has tried real hard to ignore how she felt. I figured you were, too. Or something, I don’t know. But you two work the way you are. Were.” He sobered. “You know Brooke. Things will never be the same now.”
“I know.” Chess didn’t need Joel to tell him that. He ran a hand over his face.
“Are you saying you don’t care about her that way?”
Chess cast a furtive glance toward the backyard and lowered his voice. “It doesn’t matter. It never has. I told her about my past and how I ended up in foster care. I need to tell you, too. But suffice it to say, getting married and having a happily ever after isn’t in my future. I didn’t mean to hurt Brooke, but I did. And she can hold a wicked grudge.” He slouched in his chair and leaned his head back. “She probably hates me.”
“I don’t blame you. I have things about my childhood I’ve still told no one except for maybe Anna. And I guarantee Brooke does, too.” Joel jabbed a thumb in their friend’s direction. “She doesn’t hate you anymore than I do. But you’ll have to give her time to digest everything. She probably feels like she’s lost you.”
Chess’s mind raced, and he knew exactly what Joel meant. That’s how he felt about Brooke right now. If Brooke truly didn’t hate him — and he still wasn’t convinced of that — he hoped she’d understand someday. Their new-found closer friendship was probably gone for good. It was strange how much he was mourning what he’d only had for a couple of weeks.
Joel cleared his throat. “You are both incredibly stubborn, to say the least.” He pressed his lips together. “I’m staying out of whatever this is between you. But I do want to say this: Think long and hard about burning any bridges with Brooke. They’ll be real hard to build back up again.”
Chess knew that was true. “I’ll work on cleaning all this up if you want to go out and talk to her.”
Joel nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Chess gathered the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. He tried to push images of Brooke crying out of his head because he didn’t think his heart could take it.
Chapter Eight
The sliding glass patio door opened, and Joel stepped into the backyard. “Mind if I join you?”
Brooke shook her head and tried to compose herself. She’d already spilled what happened to Anna while crying. She couldn’t do it again. Anna rubbed her back while Joel sat down in a chair next to them.
Anna and Joel exchanged a look, and Brooke fanned her face to try to cool herself down. Her poor friends had come home from an amazing honeymoon and were left trying to clean up an emotional mess from both her and Chess. Not much of a welcome.
Joel reached out and gently squeezed her arm.
Brooke sighed. “I’m assuming Chess probably told you everything?” He nodded. Good. She glanced at Anna. “I was telling Anna I may join a convent. Somewhere off in the forest or something.”
Joel gave a quiet chuckle. “You and I both know you’d never make it out in the forest. You should land a city convent.”
He was right, and if it reduced the chances of ever running into Chess again, she didn’t care where it was. Even though she fought against it, a smile won over. Brooke groaned. “How do I always end up in these messes?”
“You don’t. It only feels that way sometimes.” Joel gave her a hug before he put an arm around Anna.
Brooke observed the couple. “You two realize that you’re so cute together, it’s almost sickening, right?” The three of them laughed, and she had to admit it felt good. “Is Chess okay?”
Joel hesitated. “He’s worried about you. It’s Chess: he’s tough and doesn’t like to let his emotions show through. He’s pretty upset about the whole thing.”
She doubted it. Chess always seemed to know what to do. Thinking about it now, Brooke realized she leaned on that all the time. Probably not a good thing. It was time she stopped relying on everyone else and dealt with her own problems for a change.
“What’s up with the hair?” Joel indicated Brooke’s head.
Brooke put both hands on her hair and groaned. “Spontaneous and stupid. Be honest and tell me how bad it really is.”
Anna spoke up quickly. “I told you, it’s pretty. Very different, and sometimes that’s exactly what we need. I like it.”
Joel nodded. “It looks good on you. I don’t remember the last time you did something with your hair.”
Yet another sign of how stuck in a rut she’d become. Her thoughts must have been on her face because Joel reached out and squeezed her arm. “Things will be okay. Maybe not the same, but okay.”
Right. Try to go back to the way she acted around Chess all the time before last weekend. She could do that. She had to — for him and for her own sanity as well. How come that fact didn’t take away the longing and sting of rejection? God, please show me how to move past this.
Anna stood and gave her a hug. “Why don’t you come in and have some of that dessert you brought? It smells amazing.”
“I think I just want to head home. I hope you guys don’t mind.”
They all stood, and Joel led the way to the door. “Of course not.”
Brooke nodded and went inside. She got her bag then gave her newlywed friends another hug. “It’s good to have you guys home. You were missed, but I’m glad you had such a great time. Thanks again for the gifts.”
Chess came out of the kitchen then, his brows creased. “Are you leaving?”
So much for hoping she could sneak out without having to talk to Chess again. “Yeah, I think I should.” She gave what she hoped was a relaxed wave. “I’ll talk to you all later.”
She hadn’t even made it as far as the driveway before Chess jogged out after her. “Brooke, please wait.”
Brooke held up a hand. “I don’t want to talk. I need to go home and put this humiliating day behind me. Okay?”
Hurt shadowed his eyes. “I hate
you don’t feel like you can stay.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is, right?” Certain her own wounded expression matched his pound for pound, she got in her car and drove away. With eyes burning from all the tears and a heart heavy with confusion and grief, she focused on getting home.
Four blocks from her apartment, the blaring sound of a horn barely registered before she whipped her head to the right. A black car raced through the red light toward the middle of the intersection where Brooke was driving through. She braced herself for the impact there was no way she could avoid.
A sickening crunch filled her ears as pain shot through her body and into her shoulder. Brooke let her head fall back against the seat. Acrid smoke filled the air, a car horn wouldn’t quit, and every time she tried to focus on something, only a blurry image filled her vision.
Someone jerked her car door open. “Miss? Are you okay?”
Brooke tried to turn and see who was speaking to her. But merely thinking about moving made her head pound. “I don’t think so…” She inhaled, resulting in a sharp pain piercing her side. Blackness crowded in as the surrounding noises faded away.
~
Chess watched as Brooke’s tail lights disappeared. He couldn’t get the image of Brooke’s face, eyes downcast and red from crying, out of his head. It killed him that he was responsible for that. All he’d ever wanted was to see Brooke happy and yet, here they were.
Hopefully having Joel and Anna to talk to had helped her tonight. She hadn’t wanted to stay because of him and it left him with a hole in his chest. If she was anywhere near as miserable as he was right now… For the hundredth time, he wished things had gone differently.
He went back inside and dished out dessert for his friends. Thankfully, they didn’t bring up the situation between him and Brooke. It mattered little though. Knowing they were eating the dessert she made while she wasn’t there enjoying it, too, weighed on all of them.
Twenty minutes later, Chess waved goodbye to the newlyweds as they left for home.
At his computer, a message from Nathan caught his attention immediately.
Someone to Trust (Life Unexpected Book 2) Page 6
