Dutton
Chapter
Twenty
Leaving Brooke at the bakery to come to work today was the last thing I wanted to do.
But she wanted something normal after the morning we had, and I can’t blame her. The last twenty-four hours have been a lot.
Hell, I went to jail, and even I know what she’s going through is worse than that.
“Morning, Dutton,” Mason greets me from behind the front desk, even though it’s closer to lunch at this point.
“Hi,” I say, keeping it short and heading straight for my office.
My mind is on Brooke, but I’m fully aware that work isn’t going to be all sunshine and roses.
Everyone knows I was arrested.
Which means my father knows.
Which means he’s going to have a lot of bullshit to say to me about it.
I open my office door, flick the light on, and come to an abrupt stop.
“It’s about time you showed up,” my sister says to me, crossing her arms.
I shrug my jacket off and hang it up, ignoring her as I take my seat and open my laptop.
The sooner I get to work, the sooner I can pick Brooke up.
I’m not obsessed with her, but my mind is not at ease right now, and clearly, I don't trust anyone to be the person she needs.
I want to be that person.
I am that person.
“You’re not going to say anything?” Grace adds.
“What do you want me to say?” I ask, still not looking up.
“Hey,” she snaps in a tone I've never heard before.
It pulls my attention instantly. “You can be grumpy and moody all you want to anyone else, but not me. Not when my best friend was … was…” Her eyes start to gloss over.
“I just want to know how she is. We texted a little this morning, and I know she stayed with you, but how is she? Like really, how is she?”
I lean back and give my sister a half smile.
I should have known she was here to ask about Brooke and not me.
I could mess up a thousand more times and Grace’s opinion of me would never turn negative.
“She’s at the bakery, and at the moment, she’s doing okay. Not great, but she’s—”
“Pretending everything is fine,” Grace finishes for me.
I nod.
Grace takes the seat across from me.
“Did you know about this guy?” she asks.
“I knew she’d met someone on an app, and she told him she didn’t think he was a good fit. Even after she deleted the app, he reached out to her on social media, but she blocked him.”
Grace stares at me, her eyes once again glossing over. I barely hear her next words.
“I didn’t know any of that.” A tear falls loose as Grace takes a breath. “How did I not know? I’m one of her best friends. I don’t think any of us knew. What kind of friends does that make us?”
I stand and round my desk, taking a seat next to my sister.
“Her best ones. Always. You can be close as blood and still not know everything about someone.”
“But you knew,” she argues back. “You knew about it, and when she needed you, you knew without her even saying the words what was happening."
“Yeah, I did.”
Silence settles between us as she processes her thoughts.
Then she sits up taller, swipes the tears off her cheeks, and stands.
“I better get back to work.”
She walks right by me.
“Okay, but if you want to talk more about it, my door is open.”
Grace pauses at the doorway.
“Are you in love with her?”
I chuckle and move back to my chair.
“Get to work,” I say and then open my emails to the sound of my sister's laugh fading down the hall.
Am I in love with Brooke?
I’m something with her all right. I just hope she gives me the chance to find out what that is, and now that I’ve had time to think about it, I hope last night and even this morning weren’t just emotions running high over what happened.
Before I can think too much about it, my office phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Dutton, there is a Mrs. Locke here to see you.”
I freeze.
Mrs. Locke owns the antique store. What would she need with me, and what would she need with the lodge? And now of all times.
“Tell her I’ll be right out.”
I close my computer quickly and make my way to the front of the lodge. I spot Henry walking into the restaurant and bar just before I spot Mrs. Locke.
Ignoring thoughts of what will happen when he finds me, I give the elderly woman all of my attention.
“Mrs. Locke,” I offer her my hand, and she shakes it with a grip harder than I expected.
“Dutton,” she says. “How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you. And yourself?”
“Well, I’m wondering when I get my apology, and instead of waiting for it, I thought I’d come to you. Mrs. Buckley got one, and I think I should, too.”
I nod.
“That’s all you came here for?”
She nods once, firmly.
“All right then, I’d planned on coming to you eventually."
“Sure. Sure. I’m ready.”
“Shall we sit?” I gesture to a couple of chairs in one of the three seating areas in the lobby.
“Is this worth sitting?”
I shrug. “If I’m going to give you the apology you deserve, yes.”
I barely catch the tug of her lips, but she was about to smile. I know it.
Once we sit, I lean onto my thighs and look her in the eye.
“I’m truly sorry for what I did to your antique shop. There is no excuse for what I did, but I can assure you that I’ve grown, and I understand the value of what you have with that place.”
She huffs with a nod but keeps staring at me.
Maybe that wasn’t enough.
“I’m genuinely sorry, and if there is anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know.”
“Well,” she perks up, “as a matter of fact, the space I’d wanted to use for a small antique show—a few other local towns are joining in—was closed due to a water leak, and we need a new spot. The lodge would be wonderful.”
I can’t help but smile. Did she just hustle me?
“When is the show?” I ask.
“Next month.”
I stand.
“I’ll take a look at the schedule and give you a call by the end of the week, but I’ll make it work.”
“Wonderful.” She’s beaming. She opens her mouth to say more, but a throat clears behind us.
“Dutton,” Henry’s voice is dripping with the authority he thinks he possesses. “Mrs. Locke.”
Mrs. Locke just glares at him, clearly not planning to reply.
“Henry,” I greet him.
“Make time for me this week,” he says. It’s not a question. It’s a demand.
“Add it to the shared calendar and I’ll be there,” I reply. He’s used that phrase on me countless times.
His gaze narrows before he nods and walks off.
After he’s out of earshot, Mrs. Locke turns to me and says, “Growing up with that man as a father, I’d have broken a bunch of shit, too. Oh, and tell Brooke thank you for the butterscotch muffins this morning. It was a pleasant surprise.”
And with that, she walks out.
Well, that was weird but oddly satisfying.
Brooke is going to be thrilled when I tell her that I’ve officially smoothed things over with three of our five targets.
If that’s even something to focus on anymore.
Hell, I shouldn't even be here. I should be with Brooke, who, from the sounds of it, is distracting herself pretty well at work right now.
“I need to talk to you.”
I turn to find Gavin behind me.
I hadn’t even heard him walk up.
Jesus. At this rate, I’m not going to get anything done today.
I may as well grab my computer and set up an office at the bakery for the rest of the day.
The idea is sounding more and more appealing.
I let out a sigh and wave for him to follow me to my office.
This is no doubt about yesterday as well.
Gavin closes my door.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Brooke, but I think you should think long and hard about who her father is before you get too far.”
Oh, he’s just going to jump right in. Okay. Works for me.
“I’m aware.” I scrub a hand down my face.
“And you went there anyway?”
I couldn't not go there, but I don’t know how to convey that to Gavin. He was in love once, and she left him when their daughter was a baby.
That was thirteen years ago, and it altered his entire outlook on life and love. All these years later, I don’t think it’s changed.
I have no idea how to explain it to him.
Being with Brooke, it just feels right.
“Have you ever spent time with her? I’m not talking about when we go out as a group with our friends or you need to place an order for the lodge.”
Gavin sighs and takes the seat across from my desk.
“I just want you to be smart. I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
I grin and he groans.
“Don’t even fucking start. You know what I mean. You saw what I went through with Layla’s mother. I don’t want that for you.”
“I also don’t have a baby at home to whom someday I’ll have to explain why her mom left.”
“Fuck you for reminding me of one of the hardest days of my life.”
“Sorry, but look at you two now. I would kill to have the kind of relationship with my dad that Layla has with you.”
“Dad’s not all that bad,” Gavin defends him, but even I can hear the weakness in his voice. “He just has a different way of showing it.”
Yeah, by being an asshole.
“I just worry about you,” he adds, and the defeated look on his face gets me.
“Well, don’t. This thing with Brooke isn’t going away.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I confirm.
“So, how does her dad feel?”
I all but growl.
Don’t even get me started on him. I could tell by the way Brooke handled this morning that her dad hadn’t reached out. If he had, she'd have told me we needed to go to the station first on his orders. Then when we did get there, he wasn’t even around.
Her father’s opinion of this means nothing. What Brooke wants is all that matters to me.
“I don’t know,” is the answer I go with instead.
Because he’s still her father, I’d never speak ill of him, but let me be clear: that man is on my shit list.
“Well, just think before you act, okay? How is Brooke today?”
“She’s okay.” I need to change the subject before I’m repeating myself for what feels like the tenth time today. “But what I’d like to know is why the temperature in this building is perfect right now.”
Gavin sighs. “I added the keypad as you suggested and then handed out different codes to different areas.”
“Henry got his own?”
He nods.
“Does he know he has his own?”
Gavin shakes his head.
“Keep it that way. Does anyone know that you can track it?”
“Nope.”
“Good.”
Gavin rubs his chin. “I’m not saying you were right in it being Dad, but it’s clear someone was doing it, because ever since the keypad was installed, nothing has been broken.”
I shrug.
“Maybe it wasn’t him, but whoever it was, maybe they are done and we can move on to more important problems.”
My brother's eyes widen.
“Do we have more important problems?”
“I mean in general. The last thing we need to do is spend more time trying to fix the same issue over and over.”
“Right. Hey, is Brooke coming with you next weekend to Wren's birthday get-together?”
I study my brother for a moment.
Is this what Brooke meant by a conversation bouncer? Maybe it runs in the family.
“I hadn’t really thought about it, but yeah, I’ll ask her.”
Gavin fails miserably to hide his smile.
“Go.” I toss a pen at him. “I need to get to work so I can pick up Brooke when she is done for the day.”
“Oooh, I'm guessing you haven't looked at your phone yet.”
I lean back and then rub a hand over my face.
“Not since I got here, why?”
Gavin backs up to the doorway.
“I’ll let you look at it when I leave.”
He’s barely out the door when I grab my cell.
I have ten missed messages.
Luca
The girls were planning a girls’ night, but I want to hijack it and go bowling. I don’t know about you guys, but leaving the girls alone right now feels wrong.
Dutton
For once, I agree with Luca.
Hudson
It’s rare, but so do I.
Miles
It’s the worst.
Linc
I’m down. Forget about last night for just a split second. Dutton, are you and Brooke dating?
Gavin
That’s the question of the day.
Declan
They have to be. Do we walk around punching people in the face for women we haven’t fallen for?
Preston
Not sure how I was added to this group, and I know I don’t live there, but I’d like to know, too. Also, what happened last night?
Linc
A stalker showed up demanding to see Brooke, and Dutton punched him and then went to jail.
Gavin
ep, and Brooke’s dad was the one who arrested him.
Dutton
Was that last detail needed?
Linc
Yes.
Luca
Yes.
Hudson
Yes.
Preston
What time is bowling? I’m in the air right now but should be wheels down within the hour. I could make it.
Luca
7 p.m. sharp and don’t press your pants for this one.
Preston
*middle finger emoji*
Gavin
I’m bringing Layla, so I also vote no hitting anyone. Unless the stalker comes back.
Linc
I second that.
Luca
See you all tonight!
I groan and set my phone down.
I would have preferred a night with just me and Brooke, but a night out with her friends might be good for her, too.
For me, I’m not sure Mr. Vans is going to let me partake in the festivities. After all, I did catch Henry making out with some woman in his car in the bowling alley parking lot once. So, naturally, I spray-painted the parking lot with vulgar language.
That might have been Sheriff Sloan’s most annoying arrest with me. Mr. Vans caught me. I shoved him, and when he pushed me back, I tripped over a parking block like an idiot. My face was all scuffed up.
I remember arriving at the police station, feeling cocky for whatever reason, and ready to give the sheriff a hard time, but someone waiting at the station beat me to it.
Brooke.
I grin and then shake my head.
The sooner I finish up here, the sooner I can check on the woman who has managed to take up my every thought.