Chapter 20 #2
“Sorry, I better get that.” JJ launched out of the water and ran to the table, wine still in hand and not a single drop spilled over the edge.
Brooke sat with a greedy grin. “Make it quick!”
JJ answered the video call. “Hey!” Jess was reclined against Remi, and they appeared to be at JJ’s house on her leather couch. “How are we this evening, ladies?”
“We were wondering the same about you,” Remi said, leaning forward to rest her head on Jess’s shoulder, arms wrapping around her.
“Yeah, how’s our favourite tradie lady?” Jess asked. “We didn’t want to bother you on your trip, but we haven’t heard anything from you, so we wanted to check in.”
“Well—” JJ spun around on the spot with the phone. “You can see the magical view of the vineyards behind me. I’ve just poured us a wine”—she held up her glass—“and Brooke and I are in the hot tub at a tiny house. Say hi, Brooke!”
Brooke gave a polite wave, one side of her mouth barely flicking up. JJ focused the camera back on herself.
“You girls look like you’re enjoying yourselves,” Jess said.
JJ’s smile faltered. Could Jess sense her attraction to Brooke through the phone?
No, she was over thinking it.
“It’s nice to see you actually relaxing,” Jess continued.
“And I can’t believe you’re drinking wine,” Remi added.
“Go to enough wineries and apparently it starts to taste good. Who knew? How’s work, Rem?” JJ took a sip of said wine.
“The new girls are keeping me on my toes, but I’m loving it.”
“I still can’t believe you have an entire team now,” JJ replied. “And Jess, house all good?”
“Great.” Her face blushed pink as Remi coughed and looked away.
Bloody rabbits.
She gave the girls a quick rundown of the last couple of days then wrapped up the call, not wanting to leave Brooke waiting too long.
“Sorry about that,” she said, slipping back beside Brooke. “Were you friends with Jess back in the day?”
Brooke’s glass halted midway to her lips.
“I hung around her occasionally.” She shrugged and took a drink. “Mainly at game nights. I was surprised when I got back to see their little tradition still going.”
“You didn’t join in again like old times?”
“Nah, I’d just be in the way.” Brooke tried to pass it off like she didn’t care, but the furrow in her brow told JJ otherwise.
“Pretty sure Hayley would be the last person to think that. She’s one of the most hospitable people I’ve met—as you’d know.”
“Mmm,” Brooke replied, frown deepening.
“You don’t agree?” Sirens blared that JJ was pushing too hard, but she couldn’t stop. Surely Brooke didn’t truly believe Hayley wouldn’t want her around?
Brooke looked at her then, emotions swirling and eyes shining. There was a question there, asking JJ to—to what? A plea to stop or a push to open this conversation further, JJ couldn’t tell.
“Did…” JJ took a breath. “Did Hayley do something to you?”
Brooke’s eyes blew wide. “No!” She placed her wine glass on the decking and faced JJ. “No, of course not.” She shook her head. “No.”
JJ put her glass beside Brooke’s, then she waited.
Brooke’s eyes were moving but staring past JJ to the vineyards beyond.
JJ was about to suggest they drop it and give Brooke an out, when Brooke spoke up.
“Hayley reminds me of Mum. Of my past. Our childhood. Of certain things that were the reason I left. Coming back has been… not what I expected, and—and I don't like who I am here.”
Brooke whispered the last sentence so low, JJ had to lean forward, breath held.
“Not here with you, but back home. The me when I'm not travelling.” Brooke met JJ’s eyes again, the raw truth of the words sitting between them.
“Is that why you wanted to come on this trip?”
A pause. A slow nod. Brooke licked her lips, eyes cutting away then returning.
JJ reached for Brooke’s hand and started to trace the circles this time on her palm.
“I haven't been the best sister. When I left, I never looked back. I kept in touch with Hayley and our brother, Steven, but barely. I never spoke to my parents again.”
The edge of Brooke’s mouth crooked up. Tight. A front. How did Brooke keep these emotions buried so deep? JJ couldn’t imagine. It was hard enough watching her hurt like this. JJ’s fingers stilled on Brooke’s palm. She’d almost started to quiver, hanging onto every word.
“I want to like Hayley, but it's like whenever I'm around her, all our past is dredged up, and my emotions boil over. All I feel is anger and shame. And you know what the funny thing is? It's not even at her. She's just the scapegoat, the constant reminder of everything I wanted to forget.”
“Have you ever spoken to her about this?” JJ asked.
Brooke scoffed. “Yeah, right. No one fixes problems in my family. We ignore them. Or, if you’re like me—you just run away. Get on a plane and go.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
“Well, it seems they don’t just disappear like I first thought.”
JJ squeezed Brooke’s hand.
If there was a way JJ could help erase Brooke’s problems, her pain… she would.
While this night hadn’t gone as planned, Brooke opening up like this had JJ leaning in even more. Each little truth, a peek into who Brooke was behind the curtain.
JJ’s gaze held firm.