Dutton #2
“Let’s take a break,” I say and look at Daisy. “Think you can handle this without her for a bit?
“In my sleep.” Daisy grins and shoves us away.
“But it’s my bakery,” Brooke argues, turning away. I slink an arm around her middle and pull her back.
“And it’s going to be fine without you for fifteen minutes.”
“But …”
“Books, take fifteen minutes for yourself, please. What do you want to do?”
Her eyes connect with mine as I wait for her to say something.
“We could get flowers from Mrs. Buckley's, and you can—”
I put a finger to her lips, and fuck, that was a bad idea. They are just as damn soft as I expected them to be.
Focus, Dutton.
“No, not something for me. You. What do you want to do?”
She bites her bottom lip and slowly looks around the festival. Her entire face lights up when she spots something.
“Well, I always wanted to know how good I was at racing with the potato sacks.”
I let out a chuckle.
“That’s what you want to do?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head and put her hand in mine.
“Let’s go, then.”
Brooke says hello to our old principal on the way, and I spot Gavin watching me from one of the tables set up outside Hudson’s Bar, but I don’t stop for either of them.
Brooke wants to race, and that’s what’s going to happen.
“Okay!” Mr. Cotton shouts when he approaches. “Next up is partner gunny racing. We have one spot open.”
“Ah! It’s fate,” Brooke cheers, and she heads for Mr. Cotton. He hands her the last bag.
I adjust my stance, legs wide and arms crossed, settling in to watch her no doubt win this thing.
As soon as she gets in line, she starts waving at me.
I wave back.
“No, get over here,” she yells.
Oh, no.
“Yeah, Dutton, let’s go,” Hudson shouts from next to Brooke in line, sharing a bag with Sadie. They each have one leg in the big potato sack. Next to them are Ruby and Declan. A few other couples from town are in line, too.
“No thanks,” I say and give another wave.
I look over my left shoulder and then my right as if I have so much to keep my attention.
“Hey,” Brooke says, her voice startling me. She’s right in front of me now.
“Hi.”
Her lips split into a grin.
“I want you to do this with me.”
I make a yikes face and shake my head.
“Oh, come on, Big D. You can’t be all this is about what you want and then shoot me down.”
“I can,” I say and lean close. “Don’t call me Big D.”
“Please race with me.”
I’m about to refuse again, but she hits me with a set of eyes that hypnotize me, and her bottom lip juts out.
Fuck.
I follow her to the starting line. Hudson and Luca high-five each other and then set their sights on me.
“Good luck,” Luca says. “Shay and I don’t like to lose.”
“And I refuse to lose to Luca,” Hudson adds.
Shay and Sadie ignore their husbands and choose to give tips to Brooke instead.
Brooke listens intently while I eye the other competitors.
If I’m doing this, we have to win.
Not because I’m a sore loser, but because Brooke has to win.
Do I have a reason behind that? No, but as long as I’m by her side, she’s not going to fail at anything.
“Okay, let’s do the leg in the sack first,” I tell her.
She nods.
“And hold on to this arm,” I add, holding out the arm closest to her. “If my strides are too long for you, I don’t want you to go down.”
“Is that a thing?” Her eyes go wide just as Mr. Cotton shouts, “Ready, set, go!”
We take off, and instantly I can see that Hudson and Sadie have done this before, but what they don't account for is how tall I am. As I said, my strides are much longer.
I pick up pace, and Brooke’s hold on my arm tightens.
Luca and Shay start to speed up, so of course I do too.
I can see the finish line. It wasn’t a long shot.
I think we are going to win this.
Hell yeah!
“Is my other foot even hitting the ground?” Brooke asks, laughing as she holds on for life. She looks down at her foot, causing me to do the same.
That’s when it all blurs together.
My line of sight quickly confuses my direction as I step in front of us. Brooke tries to correct us, but her grip on my shirt pulls me forward, and down we go.
How I manage to swoop her into my arms and flip us so I take the brunt of the fall, I have no clue.
I hit the ground with a thud, Brooke's body landing on top of mine.
Instantly, I sit up as best I can and survey her for any injuries. My assessment is cut short by her laughter.
“I’m so sorry.” She rights herself when she catches me staring.
I’m not mad, or at least I hope I don’t look it. I'm too mesmerized by the sound of her.
I have never, ever heard her laugh this way.
Is this the true Brooke Sloan laugh?
It’s … the best thing I’ve ever heard.
“Are you hurt?” she asks.
I shake my head, my hand resting on her hip, as half her body is still draped over me.
“Good. Me neither,” she says softly.
Her eyes meet mine, and everything around us disappears.
I’m not in Lovers, I’m not at a festival, I’m not trying to convince people to like me again. I’m just here, with Brooke, who genuinely wants to be around me.
It’s refreshing.
And she’s beautiful.
A throat clears behind her, bringing me back to the present.
I sadly pull my gaze from Brooke to look up at Hudson, who has the decency to look remorseful.
“Sorry,” he says and then looks at Luca.
“We just … there are a lot of people around, and it looked like you were both about to push these rumors to another level.”
Brooke pulls her legs from the stack and stands.
“What rumors?” she asks defensively as I pull myself off the ground.
“The ones of you two being friends,” Sadie answers. “No one believes it’s real.”
Brooke moves her body slightly in front of me and snaps her hands to her hips.
“We are friends. We hang out every single day, and it’s turning out to be my favorite part of the day, and I don’t care who knows it. Dutton Richford is my friend and it’s not going to change. It shouldn't be the talk of the town.”
I slink a hand around her stomach and pull her back to me. When her back hits my chest, I whisper, “Our friends aren’t the ones questioning this.”
“I know.” Her chin drops for a slight moment before she looks at Sadie again. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. You didn’t deserve that.” Then she looks at the audience we drew in. “But the rest of you did.”
My eyes widen. The town's sweetheart just basically told everyone to shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
There are easily twenty people watching us, and Brooke is staring at one in particular.
Her father.
Sheriff Sloan.
Unease settles in my stomach. I should take my hands off his daughter, but this woman just stood up for me in front of everyone, and now it’s my turn, should she need it.
But that doesn’t happen because her dad shakes his head and walks off.
Brooke doesn’t move to follow him, but she lets out a sigh before exchanging hugs with Shay and Sadie.
“Let’s get back to the bakery,” Brooke says and steps away from me.
“Books,” I call after her as I follow. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I reach for her and pull her back to me.
“You’re not fine. You can talk to me.”
Lips pressed together, she nods.
“I know.”
But she doesn’t say anything else.
“Okay,” I say. “As long as you know.”
We stand there for a moment, in the middle of Main Street as locals and tourists go about their day, but neither of us say another word.
We just stare at the other as if something new has happened and we can’t quite figure out what it was.
Slowly, Brooke smiles.
“We almost won back there.”
I nod.
“Just about.”
“Maybe next year, we can redeem ourselves.”
Next year.
I like the sound of that.
“It’s a deal.”
With that, she returns to the bakery and disappears inside.
I want to follow her, but if she’s brave enough to stand up to a town full of people, I should be too.
So instead, I move toward the flower shop.
The bell rings as I step inside, and Mrs. Buckley looks up from where she’s prepping an arrangement at a back table.
She narrows her gaze, turning to face me with crossed arms.
“I had a feeling you’d be coming in here soon.”
“A long overdue visit,” I reply.
She nods.
“I assume you’re here to buy some flowers.”
I look around at an overwhelming number of premade bouquets.
I hadn't planned to buy anything, but it would probably help my case.
I grab a vase of lilies and set them on the counter.
“Who are they for?” she asks.
“Brooke,” I say without missing a beat.
Her fingers pause over the credit card machine.
“Huh.”
“What?”
“I just … in all my years, I don’t think anyone has come in here to buy her flowers.”
“You’re kidding.”
Mrs. Buckley shakes her head and laughs. “And I'm shocked as shit that it’s you.”
Her smile doesn’t drop, and I chuckle.
“In that case, we’d better go all out. Can you have these delivered to her tomorrow? Really make a show of it.”
“That can be arranged.”
I pay for the flowers, scribble something on the card that will go with them, tell her goodbye, and head for the door.
I stop just as the bell goes off again and turn.
“Mrs. Buckley?"
“Hmm.”
I wait for her to look at me before I say the two words I should have said years ago.
“I’m sorry.”