Chapter Thirteen
F or the rest of that Saturday, Brooke looked for places to live. She had enough savings to make a small down payment on an apartment. It would be tight, but if she got a studio, she could probably pay rent and still be able to eat. She could make a commute work, so she might even look for a place in Charleston. And, no, she told herself, it had nothing to do with the fact that Nate lived there.
Brooke was feeling good. The morning drama actually added to it. She felt like she’d done something right, like she was meant to be there in that moment to help her mother. It was proof that a shift had taken place—she was not just their kid, she was also an adult. And what she’d done had been genuinely sweet, not pretend nice. It was empathetic and straight from her heart. She curled her hair into soft waves and put on crisp white shorts. She was going to wear a black short-sleeve button-down until she found a Carolina blue blouse left in the chest of drawers. It reminded her of the grungy little boy she met at camp. What he had in the Walmart bag was his only other outfit and a toothbrush. That outfit was a Carolina blue T-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. He wore that T-shirt every day.
So, light blue it was.
There were three apartments she wanted to look at that day. One in Charleston and two in Mount Pleasant. She decided to start in Charleston and swing by Lewis Barbecue on her way out of town. Allie and Sam had invited her and Jessa to dinner that night and she’d insisted on bringing a side dish. There were plenty to choose from at Lewis.
The Kensington was almost as tall as St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Of course, in Charleston, nothing was allowed to be taller, which was more than three stories. It was an old mansion slightly north of Broad Street with a garden out back and rooms for rent. Each had been retrofitted with an en suite bathroom, and most were studios with a small kitchenette. The one available was in the front of the house, which would be noisier but still within walking distance of all of her favorite restaurants and shops. She’d made an appointment to meet with the leasing agent at noon.
What was immediately noticeable about the location was that parking would be an issue. Street parking was at a minimum and the nearest paid parking was three blocks away. The sky was quickly darkening and it looked like rain on the horizon. Brooke almost turned around when she realized that not having a nearby space would totally suck on rainy days, not to mention the expense and safety issues. But she wasn’t the sort to purposefully miss an appointment. She found a spot a block away and fast-walked to get to the house on time. When she opened the Charleston black front door, there was a beautiful brunette in smart casual slacks and a thin silk blouse waiting in the foyer. Brooke nearly turned right back around and left. It was Nate’s girlfriend or wife or lunch date or mother of his twelve adopted children and twenty-seven rescued dogs. The girl was walking toward her with her hand outstretched.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Noelle.”
“Brooke,” she said, suddenly feeling hot and sweaty despite the air-conditioning. Surely, her Carolina blue shirt was screaming her secret: Nate wore this color at camp! He kissed me! We liked each other!
Brooke followed Noelle up the narrow wooden stairs and down the hallway. The apartment smelled like all of the old Charleston houses: like sea breezes and long unopened attics. It was a nice space, about the same size as her room back home. But her eyes felt glazed over, her body on high alert for Nate.
Noelle sweetly explained the lease structure and timeline, fees, and rules. She asked whether Brooke planned to have a roommate, and informed her that pets were not allowed. But it all sounded like gibberish. Brooke’s brain was filled with questions about Nate. Things that needed to be said, mysteries that needed to be solved. Starting with, where was he, and who was Noelle to him?
Clearly, Noelle did not remember her from the restaurant. Brooke could bring it up. It could be her entry into asking questions about Nate. But would it look like she was a stalker? Like she’d somehow turned FBI agent and tracked down Nate’s girlfriend’s place of employment? Her mind spun. She didn’t want to lose the opportunity. Coincidences like this didn’t happen often. She might never run into either of them again for the rest of her life. She had to seize the moment. She had to say something.
Noelle had finished talking and was looking at Brooke like she was a frozen chicken cutlet and there were two thousand different ways she could cut her up and cook her. Brooke finally answered, “It’s nice,” even though she didn’t know the question.
“Here’s my card.” Noelle handed her a thick white rectangular business card. “Call or text me if you want to move forward.”
“Thank you.” Brooke took the card and followed her back down the stairs.
When they reached the bottom, Noelle swung around. “Poogan’s Porch! I thought you looked familiar!”
Brooke took a step backward, then met her enthusiasm. “Yes! I was wondering the same thing!”
“Nathan said he knew y’all from his old summer camp days.”
Brooke nodded. “That’s right.” She had to ask the questions, and fast. “Does he work here too?”
Noelle laughed. “He’ll say he does, but no. Hardly ever makes it in anymore.”
How could she ask without being too obvious? “So, you work together?”
She laughed again. “He’d say we do, but no. I work for him. He owns the place.”
So, they were coworkers. And still probably dating. “He owns this?”
“Yeah, he went to school for biology, so he likes to say that he went to school to learn how to keep things alive and ended up reviving dead buildings instead. Isn’t that how things work in life? Like, I was sure I was going to be a teacher, but here I am leasing out rooms. My husband is stationed here with the navy.”
Husband! Navy! The words pierced her ears first and her heart second. Her entire body went from stiff as concrete to soft and safe with those two little words.
Brooke sang in the car as she drove toward the BBQ restaurant. She still wasn’t sure if Nate was single, but it sure seemed that way. She was practically bouncing as she waited in line to buy a pint of Cowboy Pinto Beans and three singles of Green Chile Corn Pudding. She was excited to get to know her coworker Allie better, and Sam sure seemed great. Even though he hadn’t started medical school yet, the fact that he was an EMT was enough for the islanders to make him their resident healthcare specialist.
She had to dodge the people running inside as she went to leave. Rain was aggressively pouring from the darkened sky. It’d been ages since she’d checked her weather app. Surely, it was just a normal summertime afternoon thunder shower. She did her best to keep the brown paper bag holding her beans and corn pudding dry as she ran to the car. Water dripped from the ends of her hair as she opened the door and climbed inside. The deluge was so strong, it flowed like a river down her windshield. The wipers couldn’t create a dry spot long enough to see. She pulled up the radar app on her phone. A large swath of red was approaching and it was clearly going to last a long time. Band after band of stormy weather followed in shades of yellow and orange with an enormous dark red center. There was no choice. She needed to head back to Goose Island now, or risk getting caught up in flooding.
She could barely see as she pulled onto the road. Every car nearby was driving under twenty miles per hour. They were probably thinking the same thing. Just get home. Immediately. Brooke’s phone dinged with a text message from Allie.
“ This storm is a monster! Sam’s been called into work. The ambulances are about to be crazy busy. Let’s reschedule our dinner for another time.”
Brooke responded when she stopped at the first red light. “ Sounds good!” At least she had food if she got stranded, and at best, Cornelia would be happy to have the side dishes.
She couldn’t help but look at every car and wonder if Nathan was inside. She had Noelle’s business card now. Maybe if she got stranded in Charleston, she would call her. And maybe Noelle would tell Nate that his old friend from camp needed help. And maybe Nate would come to her rescue. And maybe…
Brooke shook her head to dislodge the thoughts. Stop fantasizing about Nate. He’s just a dream from years ago. You don’t even know him anymore.
It was strange how one person could have such a strong pull on another. Strange how she’d felt a connection to him the minute she saw him years ago, and strange how, at least for her, that connection was still there. There was a part of her that, despite all of her other life choices and dreams for her future, had never let go of him. He still felt rare and special. And her instincts or God or the universe seemed to be whispering in her ear that she and Nate had been chosen. Chosen for what? To be friends? Chosen to be in love? Chosen to save old buildings? She had no idea. But they were chosen for something.
Yes, definitely something.