Chapter Fourteen
“Where are the new key cards?”Brittany’s voice sounds somewhere in my subconscious.
“Hmm?” I ask.
“The new key cards. Didn’t they get delivered yesterday?”
I pinch my eyes shut, trying to remember.
Brittany snorts a laugh. “You are SO out of it.” She leans in conspiratorially. “Could it be that a certain solo honeymooner is checking out today?”
I sigh. She’s not wrong. I haven’t been able to concentrate since I told Brooke that I couldn’t be sure she would stick around. And now, three days later, she’s checking out. I haven’t seen her around since then, and I know she canceled the massage she was supposed to have yesterday.
I should feel relieved. She didn’t bother trying to convince me I was wrong. If she felt anything close to how I felt about her, she would have pled her case. But it’s been radio silence. And now she’s going to check out. Leaving me alone in Canyon Cove for the second time.
I wish I could say it’ll be easier once she’s gone, but I remember how it was five years ago. Those first few weeks after she left were miserable. And I’m setting myself up for the same thing all over again.
Why did I let myself get so close to her again? I should have known better. But the pull to Brooke is more than I can control.
Brittany pats me on the back. “I’m sorry, boss. Don’t worry, I can handle her checkout, so you don’t have to see her again.”
“Thanks. That’ll probably be for the best.” I glance around the lobby, grateful for this job and the life I now have. If only it weren’t so lonely. “I’ll go check for the key cards in my office.”
Brittany waves me off and continues organizing the paperwork at the front desk. I step into my office and shut the door, leaning my forehead against the wood and trying to not remember the last time I was in here with Brooke.
My hand on her waist…
Her lips brushed against mine…
“Gah!” I pound a fist on the wall, shaking myself from the memory. The vibration sends a few things flying off the shelf—including the package of key cards, which bursts open and sends the cards all over my office.
Groaning out loud, I bend down and start gathering the cards from all over the floor. At least we know where they are now. Once I have them all safely back in the package, I exit my office to bring them to Brittany. I can hear raised voices at the front desk, so I pick up my speed. Brittany can usually handle irate guests, but I want to provide moral support.
But when I see the front desk, I stop dead in my tracks.
Because standing there is Brooke with her suitcases.
And it looks like she’s…arguing with Brittany? Her face is red, her lips pinched together, and she’s clutching a folder in her fist.
Brittany spots me first, panic in her eyes. She mouths, “Go away!”
I furrow my brows at her, just as Brooke looks over and completely shifts her expression from frustration to elation. “There you are! Brittany said you weren’t here today, but I knew you would be.”
She struts over to me, heels clicking and hips swaying, and I berate myself for being unable to fight my attraction to her.
Stay strong, Tyler. She’s just a woman. You don’t need to break down.
“I need to speak with you,” she says softly.
“I think we’ve already said our goodbyes.” I’m surprised at how cold my voice sounds, a stark contrast to the way my chest warms at her nearness. Maybe I can do this after all.
“I don’t…there are things you don’t…” She bites her bottom lip and blinks up at me. “Please.”
Well, turns out my self-will is a lot weaker than I’d like to admit. “Okay.” I lead her to my office, and she follows behind, her heels clicking the entire way.
I leave the door open this time, though. Sitting on the edge of my desk, I cross my arms over my chest and look at Brooke. “So?”
Her hands fidget with the folder for a minute as she meets my eyes. Then she reaches into the folder and pulls out a piece of paper. She holds it out to me.
I hesitate a moment before taking the paper from her and skimming the words “lease agreement” and “contract” and “early cancellation fee.”
“What is this?” I ask.
Her lips turn up into a small smile. “It’s the lease agreement. To my new apartment.”
I look down at the paper for an address.
1 Shore Drive, Apartment 24A.
Canyon Cove, California.
And then I see the lease term length—twelve months.
My eyes snap back to her. “Wait. You’re…moving here?”
She nods.
My traitorous heart beats a little faster. “But how can you afford this?”
She reaches into the folder and pulls out another paper, handing it to me. I take this one quickly and find that it’s an employment contract.
“I got a job at one of the art galleries. It’s a couple of doors down from here.” She presses her lips together. “The one with the toddler art.”
I can’t help myself; a laugh bursts out of me.
“But that’s not all,” she continues, handing me another piece of paper.
This one is a schedule of classes for the Canyon Cove Art Institute.
“I enrolled,” she says. “They were kind of difficult to convince, because the program is usually full by now, but they had someone drop out last week.”
“Brooke, I…” My voice trails off. I’m completely caught off guard, and I don’t know what to say.
She takes a step toward me. “This is what I’ve been setting up for the last few days. I didn’t want to let you know until it was official. I’m not leaving. Because I want to be here…with you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
She steps closer again, so now she’s right up against me. “Say you’ll give me a chance to prove that I want you. That I love you. And that I’m not going anywhere.”
Her big, blue eyes plead with me, but it’s not like she even has to ask. She’s done more than I could have hoped for.
Is it a complete guarantee that she won’t run off? No. She could bail on her lease (and lose about $2000, based on her contract). She could quit her job or drop out of art school.
But for some reason, I don’t think she will.
And that’s all I need.
So I grasp her waist with both hands and pull her toward me, pressing my lips to hers. She squeals, then drops the folder and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me back.
This is all I wanted. Brooke in my arms, her lips on mine, and hope for a future together.
Her lips are soft and she tastes like citrus. I want more. I move my hands to the small of her back, pulling her even closer to me. She smiles against my lips, then pulls back.
“I guess that means you’ll give me a chance?” she asks, a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Absolutely.” My voice comes out all husky, and I lean to kiss to her again, but she pulls away.
“Hey,” I protest. “I wasn’t done with you.”
She smirks. “Don’t worry. We’ll pick back up. But I have one more thing left in the folder.”
I wait as she bends down to grab the folder off the floor and pulls out two cards. She hands them to me. They have the words “Magic Key” on them.
“I got annual passes to Disneyland. One for you, and one for me.”
I look back up at her. “These must have cost a fortune.”
She shrugs. “I did the payment plan. It didn’t seem so bad that way.”
“At least let me pay for mine.”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s my gift to you. And it’s my way of showing that I see us together for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
I lift the side of my mouth in a grin. “Okay.”
She beams at me, that huge smile I love so much. Stepping back into my arms, she says, “Now, where were we?”