Chapter 20
Brooke had spent the day wallowing. She had called in sick to the bookstore in favor of staying home to live in her pajamas.
Now she was three seasons into Grey’s Anatomy and one pint of ice cream into her feelings.
She had made the mistake of telling Emily that she and Drew had a fight.
Now Emily and Scarlett were on their way to Brooke’s place.
She burrowed farther under her pink blanket. When Emily arrived, she didn’t bother knocking. Instead, Emily used the spare key Brooke had given her for emergencies to come right in.
“I mean make yourself at home,” Brooke snarked from under the blanket.
“Thanks, I’ll do that,” Emily snarked right back at her. Brooke found herself smiling in spite of herself.
Scarlett sat beside her on the couch. As someone with sisters Scarlett was always down for a long talk about feelings. Which would at least make one of them since neither she nor Emily tended to unpack much in the feelings realm.
“What happened between you and Drew?” Emily asked. She took the empty spot on the couch beside Scarlett.
“Babe,” Scarlett chastised.
“What?” Emily moaned.
Scarlett shot Emily a glare that made Brooke happy that she was on the other side of it.
“You’re supposed to let her bring it up,” Scarlett suggested.
“If I wait for Brooke to bring it up we’ll be here all night long,” Emily whined.
Scarlett’s expression hardened a bit more. Emily folded her arms across her chest and sighed.
“Okay. Brooke, feel free to tell us whatever is going on when you feel like it. We are sensitive to your needs,” Emily ground out the last sentence.
Not that Brooke could blame her friend. Emily was right.
If they left it up to Brooke, they’d sit there eating ice cream and absolutely not talking about her feelings.
“Don’t worry, Em. I’ll take it easy on you,” Brooke managed a half smile.
“Drew and I were supposed to have dinner with my mom and her new boyfriend, Frank. It was Drew’s first time meeting my mom. So, it was a pretty big deal. I’ve never brought someone around for my mom to meet before.”
Brooke watched as Scarlett and Emily nodded in agreement. Seeing that they were on the same page, she continued her story.
“So, we get to my mom’s house. Everything is going well.
My Mom meets Drew and they seem to get along.
Frank isn’t there yet, so my mom has us wait in the dining room.
When Frank gets there Drew freaks out. Turns out that Frank is her long-lost dad who abandoned the family.
Drew left me there and it’s been really hard to connect with her since then. ”
From the looks on Emily and Scarlett’s faces Brooke could tell her story was still sinking in. They looked frozen in time.
“That’s awful. Poor Drew,” Scarlett said, placing her hand above her heart.
“Agreed. That’s a rough night for anyone.”
Brooke felt a pang of guilt. She had been so hurt that Drew hadn’t wanted her around that Brooke knew she hadn’t handled the situation in the best way later.
“What’s that look?” Emily asked.
There was no point trying to hide. Emily knew all her tells.
“I didn’t handle the situation in the most supportive way,” Brooke admitted.
“Let’s hear it. What happened?” Emily offered her a smile that was more comforting than her words.
“I was just really upset that Drew didn’t want me around. I was upset that she left me behind.” Brooke was stalling. She knew it. One withering glance from Emily told Brooke that her friend knew it too. Emily folded her arms across her chest, obviously waiting for Brooke’s real answer.
“I might have told Drew that she was overreacting.”
Scarlett gasped loud enough that both women looked in her direction.
“Sorry. It’s just as someone who went through quite a bit with my own father I can validate how difficult that dynamic can be.”
Brooke stilled. She had lived in Nashville long enough to have seen the news stories a few years back about the Lossett family.
Scarlett’s father had been arrested for fraud and embezzlement.
Emily had told Brooke that Scarlett and her father were still estranged.
The experience was different now that she was here and watching as the pain swept across Scarlett’s face.
“I know that it probably hurt your feelings. Drew was hurt and you wanted to be there for her. I’m not saying I don’t understand your side of things. I’m just saying that when everything happened with my dad I was surrounded by people, but I didn’t know how to let anyone in either.”
“It did really hurt. I wanted to show up for her. But she didn’t even give me the chance.
Then later I fumbled all over my words. It was my fault.
I was trying to paint over everything with some optimism.
But that isn’t what Drew needed. That wasn’t how Drew wanted or needed to be approached.
She stormed out. Now I’m afraid that I’ve lost her,” Brooke explained.
Her heart hurt deep inside of her chest.
Scarlett reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Scarlett’s comfortability with little displays of affection was just another indicator that she had sisters.
As an only child Brooke had a hard time understanding the urge to comfort someone in a physical way.
Still, Brooke had to admit that the touch was comforting.
Brooke looked up and caught Emily and Scarlett exchanging a look. Suspicion crashed through her like a wave.
“What was that?” Brooke demanded.
Emily met her eyes and instantly looked guilty. Brooke shot her a severe glare. Emily glanced over to Scarlett who shrugged her shoulders and buried a laugh in her hand.
“It’s nothing,” Emily began.
“Yeah, that look was super subtle,” Brooke mocked. Emily groaned.
“For crying out loud, Em. Just tell her.”
“Fine. All of us girls are going to get our tattoos from Drew in two days. I was just wondering if I should try talking to her or anything?”
Brooke tossed Emily a weary smile.
“Seriously, just tell me which friend you want me to be. I can try to help smooth things over,” Emily offered.
Brooke’s heart warmed at her friend’s offer. This was something she alone could fix with Drew.
“You’re a good friend. But I have to fix things with Drew myself,” Brooke grinned.
“Look at you growing up and doing an adult relationship. I never thought I’d see the day,” Emily teased.
“I will never understand you two,” Scarlett laughed.
“This is just what it looks like when two only children have a friendship,” Emily sent a warm smile Scarlett’s way.
“We both know that we love each other,” Brooke assured Scarlett.
Scarlett shook her head and chuckled.
“Does this mean you’re ready to turn off Grey’s Anatomy and go get dinner?” Scarlett asked. Emily squeezed under the blanket with Brooke.
“Just one more episode?” Emily pleaded, sticking her lower lip out as she looked at Scarlett.
“Please,” Brooke added.
“The two of you are weird together,” Scarlett laughed. She pulled part of the blanket onto her lap and squished in closer.
“I’m ordering food and having it delivered,” Scarlett added.
“And that’s why I’m glad Emily found you. Together, the two of you are just perfect,” Brooke teased.
Emily groaned, but Brooke knew she was secretly touched by her words.
Emily could never let her know how much something meant to her.
But Brooke knew she was all talk. Her friend looked intimidating, but inside she was all fluff.
Brooke rested her head on Emily’s shoulder.
Emily gave Brooke’s head a scratch. The two of them made an unlikely pair of friends, but Brooke wouldn’t change a thing.