Chapter 11
A dull throbbing pain had begun to form behind Brooke’s eyes.
The day had started favorably with the talk between herself and Drew.
Everything since this morning had seemed designed to bother and fluster her.
The plumber was late by several hours. Now he was inside her apartment doing heaven only knew what.
Brooke glanced up as the plumber emerged from the bathroom.
“She’s all fixed. You won’t have any more problems with your pipes.”
Brooke took in the sight of the plumber. The man had an unmanageable mass of blonde curls on the top of his head. The name badge on his uniform shirt was Jack.
“Thank goodness,” Brooke breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’ll have to have someone come out to fix the damage to your floors though,” Jack suggested.
“What?”
“Well yeah, the water damage is pretty apparent.”
Brooke fixed the man with a desperate stare, but he offered only a shrug in response.
“It’ll be okay. They’ll probably just replace the damaged sections,” Jack offered.
Brooke was utterly unsoothed despite Jack’s reassurances.
She called her landlord, who insisted that the damage would be worked on and fixed as soon as possible, though he offered no timeline. Frustrated, Brooke sent Drew a text message.
“Well, the pipes are fixed. Looks like I’ll have to wait on them to fix the floors though.”
Brooke didn’t have to wait long for Drew to send her a response.
“That stinks. Are you going to need a place to stay?”
A million thoughts sprang into Brooke’s mind unbidden. What should her response be? Realistically, she was likely going to need to make other living arrangements, at least for the time being.
“Yeah. Looks like it. I’ll have to get in touch with Emily.”
Brooke was surprised when Drew called her instead of simply texting her back.
“Hey, I was thinking, why don’t you just stay at my place?”
“You want me to stay with you?” Brooke questioned.
“Why not? You like living close to your store, and if you move in with Emily you wouldn’t be. Plus, I’m sure the repairs won’t take long.”
Brooke turned Drew’s words over in her mind. Drew did make a good point, living close to the store was convenient.
“Okay, but are you sure it’s not an imposition? Especially sharing a bed?” A warm shiver ran through Brooke’s body as she remembered sharing the bed with Drew. She couldn’t help feeling the pull towards the other woman.
“No imposition. I went ahead and bought a blow-up mattress. So, you can keep my bed and I’ll sleep on the blow-up.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m the one invading your space,” Brooke insisted.
“Don’t be silly. You’re my guest,”
Brooke could practically imagine Drew’s smile through the phone. When she considered it, Brooke knew she really liked Drew’s smile. Drew’s smile had a way of lighting up the entire surrounding area.
“You don’t think that me staying with you might be weird now that we’re sort of dating?”
Drew chuckled into the phone.
“We’re not sort of dating. We are dating. And no. It’s only weird if we make it weird.”
“In that case, I really appreciate the offer. I would love to stay with you for a while.”
“Great. I keep the spare key under the welcome mat. Feel free to let yourself in tonight. And I’ll see you when I get home from my date.”
Date. It was just one word. Still, there was an explosion of feelings going off inside Brooke.
She was grateful to Drew for offering her a place to stay.
But the idea of Drew going out on a date with Robin left Brooke with a sour stomach.
The worst part was that she couldn’t be jealous.
Drew was free to date Robin, just like Brooke was free to date other people.
Brooke’s day had been so filled by petty inconveniences that she hadn’t been able to think about Drew or her dating life. Now that she was confronted with reality, Brooke felt overwhelmed.
“Brooke…” Drew’s voice was gentle.
“Sorry. Yes, under the mat. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Brooke tried and failed to keep her tone upbeat. Drew was dating them both, and Brooke had agreed to that arrangement.
“Good. I’ll see you later tonight.”
If Drew had picked up on Brooke’s underlying tension, she wasn’t letting Brooke in on it. Brooke hung up the phone and immediately wanted to be anywhere else.
Her mother had been on her recently about not reaching out, so Brooke sent her a text.
One hour later she sat across from her mother at a local coffee shop.
The Morning Brew was one of those places that was popular with local Nashvillians but wasn’t well known enough to be considered a destination for tourists.
Susan eyed Brooke, her dark thin brows raised in suspicion.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“In what way, dear?”
Brooke was too old for her mother’s chiding.
“Like I’m a puzzle you’re solving,”
“I suppose you aren’t too far off. I’ve been trying to figure you out since you were fifteen,” Susan laughed.
Brooke ignored her mother and decided to focus on her menu. She was aware that her mom’s gaze remained trained on her. After a few moments Susan spoke again.
“What’s going on in your world that has you meeting up with me for coffee? Not that I’m not grateful. It’s just that we usually don’t see each other two evenings in a row.”
She met Brooke’s eyes and gave her an expectant look. Brooke felt herself caving. Suddenly, she was a twelve-year-old girl curled up on the couch asking her mom to paint her fingernails again.
“A pipe burst in my apartment so I ended up spending the night with Drew from across the hall. And this morning we decided to date. The problem is that she is also dating another woman at the same time. Now I have all these feelings and I’m going to be staying with her while my damaged floors are replaced… ”
Susan held up a hand halting her daughter.
“How did you manage to fit all of that in since last night?” Susan asked.
“Mom,” Brooke groaned. Her mother sighed deeply and gave her a smile.
“It’s understandable that you are having conflicting emotions. The best way to deal with them is to have good boundaries and allow yourself some time to see how things go. If down the road you need to have a conversation, then do it.”
Brooke had no idea who the enlightened woman in front of her must be. But clearly her mother had been doing some work on herself.
“This Frank guy seems to be having a positive effect on you,” Brooke smiled.
“Well, he’s been through a lot so he’s good at communicating. Speaking of Frank. How does next week work for us all getting together?”
“Next week should work for me,” Brooke smiled. It was nice to see her mom happy again.
“Good. If things are pretty settled with Drew, maybe you can bring her along,” Susan suggested.
“A double date, huh? You sure we’re ready for that?”
“We’ll never know if we don’t try,” Susan teased. Brooke laughed. There was something lighter in her interactions with her mom.
A warmth that had been gone for a long time had returned between them.
Just a flicker barely enough to even be called a flame.
Brooke couldn’t put a finger on what exactly had changed between them.
Recently she had felt a longing for the closeness she once had with her mother.
It seemed as though Susan had felt the same longing.
“Tell me more about this Frank guy,” Brooke laughed.
“Well, he’s my age. He’s really sweet and kind. He’s divorced and has a daughter that he’s estranged with. He’s hoping he can reconnect with her soon.”
“Can I ask why they’re estranged? Or is that too personal?” Brooke asked.
“Frank is pretty open about everything he’s been through. While he was married, he struggled with alcoholism. It ultimately led to his divorce and losing contact with his daughter. He’s been sober for over ten years. I know he’s very remorseful about his past.”
Brooke was quiet for a long time; she considered her words carefully.
“I think it’s admirable that he’s fought for his sobriety and is trying to make amends with his daughter. Sounds like a rough situation and like he’s doing the best he can.”
“I really can’t wait for you to meet him,” Susan smiled softly at her daughter.
“If he’s important to you then I’m excited to meet him too.”
The two of them enjoyed the rest of their visit talking about Brooke’s plans for the bookstore.
When she made her way back to Drew’s place Brooke was stunned by how quiet the place was.
Drew was obviously still out with Robin.
She caught Pearl lying outstretched on a new blow-up mattress in the living room and smiled.
Brooke was the kind of tired that settled into a person’s bones. She opened the door to Drew’s bedroom and sighed at the emptiness. Brooke changed clothes and slipped beneath the covers. She longed for sleep, but restlessness clung to her.
Brooke couldn’t escape the thoughts that swirled in her mind about Drew and Robin. She wondered what the two of them were doing on their date? She wondered how Drew truly felt about the other woman?
Drew’s scent was all around her. The pillows and blankets all carried the scent to Brooke’s nose.
Her frustration began to mount, and Brooke tossed from one side to the other.
Brooke was aware of a heat forming at her core.
She breathed in deeply and allowed herself to remember the feel of Drew’s lips.
Brooke imagined how it would feel to have Drew’s lips on the rest of her body.
The gentle heat between her thighs became a wildfire.
Brooke’s hand slipped past the waistband of her pants and found her clit.
She made slow circles alongside her clit, gradually increasing the pace.
Her orgasm came so quickly that it caught her off guard.
Brooke moaned, her frustration was appeased but not gone.
Sleep found her by degrees instead of all at once.
Any foreign noise would wake her. Brooke realized that she was still hoping to see Drew once she got home.
Her heart stubbornly wished to see Drew.
Brooke closed her eyes. She refused to spend her time waiting and hoping for another woman’s arrival.