Brooke
Chapter
Eight
The gossip in Lovers spreads just as quickly as I’d expected it to following Dutton’s truck being parked in my driveway for more than an hour last night.
I’m just pulling out a fresh batch of blueberry muffins, a custom order to be picked up by Betty Banks, when the door to the kitchen swings open and my best friends, Sadie, Grace, Shay, and Quinn, burst through the door.
“Are you really friends with my brother?”
“Since when are you friends with Dutton?”
I knew the gossip in this town was going to be great. Let’s just hope it plays well into Dutton’s favor.
Despite the spike in my heartbeat—I can’t mess this up for Dutton or me—I set the tray down and act as normally as I can.
“Well, good morning to you as well,” I say, and put on my cheeriest smile.
“No, no, we're not skipping over the questions we just asked you.”
“That's fair,” I say and pull off my mittens. “Yes, Dutton and I are friends.”
Wow, I can't believe how easily that just fell out of my mouth. We spent one evening together and now I'm saying it as if it's the truest thing in the world, which technically it is because we aren't faking it.
“Since when?”
“Since it turns out we have more in common than we knew.”
I’m expecting more of a response from my friends, but all I get is stunned silence.
“I …” Shay begins, but then she closes her mouth and looks at the other girls.
Sadie shrugs and Quinn grins, but Grace folds her arms across her chest and steps closer to me. “I need more details.”
I nod slowly.
“It’s a bit odd to me, too, but he came in here and, surprisingly, we had a conversation that didn’t suck. And then we decided to just hang out.”
“Alone. At your house. Just like that?”
Damn. Grace doesn't miss a beat. Did she interrogate her brother, too? Surely, he would have texted me with a warning of his answers, right?
I nod.
Think, Brooke, think.
Oh! I’ve got it.
“Yes, because we knew the town would have a reaction, and we wanted to just give it a trial run before everyone was talking about it.” I sigh. “But obviously, there is a nosy hawk that just flies around this town looking for the next victim to talk about.”
Shay snorts, while Quinn and Sadie laugh.
Grace, well, I can't quite make out what the expression on her face means.
While I wait for someone to say something, a thought occurs to me.
“How is it possible that you all showed up here at the same time?”
Shay clears her throat.
Sadie grins.
“Shay and Quinn were at the bookstore with me when Grace popped in and demanded we all come over here.”
“I didn’t demand anything. You didn't have to come.”
“Um, yes, we did. This was way better than asking her in the group chat. Everyone has been talking about it all day.”
“What?” I ask. “You’re the first to say something to me.”
“Well, yeah,” Quinn cuts in. “How is someone going to bring it up if you aren’t friends the way we are?”
I shrug. “By simply just asking.”
“Okay, go into the front of the bakery and see if anyone asks you. There wasn’t a single open seat when we walked in.”
“What? Really?”
Now, I know this place can get busy, but it’s rare that it's that full at one time. I guess I just didn’t notice since I’d been spending my morning between the kitchen and the office.
I shimmy past the girls and push through the swinging door to see exactly what they described. As I step through, the girls right behind me, almost every head turns to look at me.
Some start to whisper while others just smile.
“Wow. That’s weird,” Grace says quietly behind me.
“I have millions of followers, and not once have I stopped a room the way Brooke just did,” Quinn comments just as softly.
I roll my eyes and keep walking.
“Hi,” I greet one table.
“How are you?” I greet another.
I’m about to greet one more when I spot who is sitting there. It’s Mrs. Buckley. The owner of the only flower shop in Lovers and one of the top people on Dutton’s list.
Showtime.
I think.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Buckley.” I slow to a stop at her table. She’s with Mr. Buckley, and his grin is so big, it’s making my cheeks hurt just looking at him.
“Brooke,” Mrs. Buckley replies curtly and looks away.
Oh, she’s upset with me. This … was not the direction Dutton and I thought this would go.
“How is your day today?” I ask.
“It’s fine,” she answers, and her husband nudges her arm with his elbow.
“Dear, just ask her what you came to ask her.”
I glance between the two as I wait.
She takes a deep breath.
“Are the rumors true?” she says quietly, but it’s easy to hear when the rest of the bakery is still silent with everyone watching me.
It seems they all want to hear the answer from me personally.
I look up to see if anyone else from the Dutton list is in the room, because I may as well address them all properly if so, but there is only Mrs. Buckley.
Of course, if I say yes, I need to be sure the rumor hasn’t spiraled out of control first.
You can never be too sure in small towns.
“What rumor is that?”
She groans as if the next words to fall from her lips are causing her actual pain.
“That you had that boy at your house last night and the two of you are”—she glares at her husband, clearly needing something from him to go on—“friends.”
I smile softly, despite wanting to shoot my fist into the air and celebrate that the rumor mill is, for once, spot on.
The increase in business for me is an added plus.
Because I want Mrs. Buckley in particular to feel like she’s special, I lean down as if my answer is meant only for her.
“It’s true, but it’s new. Like most people in this town, Dutton and I don’t have the best past.”
“Then why do it?” she whispers back.
“Because he’s not the same boy he used to be.” I shrug. “And the man he is now is a lot more careful about the choices he makes, and I find his protectiveness of those he cares about oddly endearing."
A completely true statement if I’m being honest.
I was a little thrown off by his reaction to me being on a dating app.
It got me thinking last night after he left, and it’s why I told Tony that I'd like to get to know him more through messaging before we actually meet. It helps that he’s not from Lovers, so I won’t chance running into him.
Mrs. Buckley nods but doesn’t say a word.
She gives me nothing to confirm whether I’ve changed her mind about Dutton. Not that I assumed one conversation could, but the seed has been planted.
Now, how do I get more people to follow suit?
“Enjoy your treats,” I say to the couple and head to the back where Grace is still waiting for me. The others must have left during the show.
“That was awkward for me, and I was just watching,” Grace says when I step into the office, just past the kitchen.
“Yeah.” I flop back into my chair. “Some people really like to hold a grudge.”
Grace nods slowly. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else going on?”
I pause for the slightest moment. I want to tell her the truth, but I don’t know how she’ll take it.
But I also can’t imagine losing her as a friend, so I’ll tell her as much of the truth as I can without breaking Dutton’s trust.
“Dutton thinks if he can turn the opinions some people in this town have about him, it will help your dad pick him to take over the lodge.”
For obvious reasons, I don’t share that this is the only reason we are currently becoming friends.
“Oh.” She lets that sink in for a moment. “And you’re helping him?”
“I …”
I nod.
I've hurt her. My eyes start to well with tears, which Grace spots right away.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry, it’s okay. Honestly, I’m conflicted.
I want my dad to pick me, but … it’s time that this town forgave Dutton for the things he did as a kid.
He’s a good man. Stubborn as hell,” she says, and we both laugh because she’s right.
“But he’s not the same person anymore. If anyone in this town can help them see that, it’s going to be you. ”
I wipe away the tears that managed to fall and look my best friend in the eyes.
“Do you mean that?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?”
“For being you and helping someone when they need it? Never.”
“Even though it’s your brother?”
She lets out a laugh. “All right, so that part is still weird to me. Are you really friends with my brother?”
I laugh, too.
“It looks like it. I mean, last night, he was all delete the app, Brooke,” I say in my best Dutton impression.
Grace lets out a laugh so hard, she snorts, only causing us to laugh more.
“Man, if he cares already, you two must have connected really quickly.”
My lips part to respond, but my phone dings, lighting up between us with a text from Dutton.
Dutton
What just happened at the bakery? Are you okay? Should I come there?
I look to his sister, who is still reading it. When she looks up, she’s beaming a sly grin.
“Are you sure you're just friends with my brother?”
I grab my phone to text him back.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
My thumb glides over the keyboard as I type out my response.
Grace stands, drawing my attention.
“If you say so, but a word to the wise…” She leans closer. “People don’t smile the way you are right now when they are just texting their friends.”
“I do,” I reply quickly, but she only laughs even more as she closes the door behind her.
I return to my phone and press send.
Brooke
Everything is good here. No need for a rescue. However, it seems that meeting in private isn’t needed. Next time, let’s do something more public.
Dutton
Fine. I’ll meet you at Hudson’s tonight for dinner. Be there at 6.
Tonight?
I sit up straighter. He already wants to hang out again.
Jeez, he must be desperate.
Brooke
Miss me already?
Dutton
See you tonight.
Ugh.
What a buzzkill to have an opportunity for fun texting.
Brooke
Sir, yes, sir.
The bubbles pop up and then disappear.
I wait a few more minutes before it’s official.
Dammit.
Dutton Richford left me on read.