Chapter 11 Brooke #2
"Not without going over," I quip, smiling as I step through the door, masking my discontent as usual. "Maybe next time, Mom." I lean over and kiss her cheek, then proceed through the hallway. "I assume everyone else is here already?"
"They're in the dining room," Mom calls out just as I round the corner and see for myself that the table is full.
My dad, my brother, and Amy with her swollen belly, all swing their gaze to me as I walk through the kitchen.
Plates are already set on the table, steam still floating off of Mom's signature roast. No one except Selah has started eating yet, chunks of meat and two baby carrots set up next to a mound of mashed potatoes and some tan, lifeless cereal.
When Blake calls out to me, her little eyes find mine, her hand mid-trek toward her mouth with a Cheerio.
"Book!" she screeches, and I'm instantly happier.
"Say Say!" I yell back, rushing toward her.
When I get to her high chair, I lean down, plop a kiss on her head, and steal a piece of cereal off of her tray, popping it into my mouth.
"Hey!" she whines, her face dropping on a dime to one much grumpier.
I laugh, tickle under her chubby little arm, and her smile returns, reaching each ear. "I missed you," I whisper, stepping behind her chair to the head of the table.
I lean down, squeezing my father's shoulders. "Hey, Dad."
"Hi, hunny," he says, tapping his fork, eager as always to get dinner started.
I move to Amy next who attempts to stand despite her unbalanced center of gravity. "Oh, sit," I say. "Happy birthday." I hand her the bag with the book and set the bottle of useless wine on the table.
"It's good, I've read it. Two words—pumpkin muffin."
"Umm, yes," she says, fanning herself. She reaches up and squeezes my arm. "Thanks, Brooke."
I smile, then continue moving to Blake, who is already standing, waiting for my embrace. "Hey, big brother."
Blake pulls me into a hug and squeezes hard. "For the record, I purposely took the L and said you'd be here at six on the dot."
Pulling back, I look him up and down and keep him at arm's length. "Your loyalty is unmatched there, Blakey," I laugh.
Blake nudges my shoulder and chuckles. "I know. Someday you'll thank me by letting me be right for once."
Rolling my eyes, I find the empty chair across from Selah and drop down onto it, sticking my tongue out to her as Mom walks in the room.
"Nice, Brooke. The perfect thing to teach your two-year-old niece," she mutters sarcastically, grabbing the rest of the roast off of the counter in the kitchen.
Rather than argue, I simply wink at Blake and shake my head. "So, Amy, how are you feeling?"
She sighs heavily. "About being older or fatter?"
The rest of the group pauses, Mom still standing with her hands on the serving platter placed at the center of the table. I shrug my shoulders. "Both, I guess."
I reach for the open bottle of red sitting in front of Blake and grab it at the bottom. He clamps his hand around the neck, teasing me by resisting my pull, before finally letting go.
"The older part is fine. What's another year?"
I cock a brow in agreement, pouring myself a hefty glass, and Mom definitely notices, her eyes drilling a hole of judgement into the side of my head.
It's not Amy that she's silently criticizing—her life is as full as Selah's cheeks with potatoes.
But it's a totally different ball game for me, who is competing with a nonexistent clock and still has nothing to show my opinionated mother.
"Work's getting harder though. Being on my feet for my whole shift has been way worse this second time around."
"Yeah, that sounds horrible," I say, bringing my glass to my lips. "I know what it's like waiting tables for a double, and I'm not carrying a mini-person strapped to my front… no offense."
Amy shakes her head and rubs the side of her belly. "None taken. This thing gets bigger everyday."
"Uh, yeah, babe," Blake leans over. "That's kind of the point. You're growing the next Golden City athlete in there."
My ears perk up at just the word athlete as Mom tells everyone, "Eat up!"
Without thinking, words fall from my lips that I regret the second I hear them aloud. "Speaking of… I've kind of been working for Levi, doing some social media content for the Flames."
You'd think I'd said I sent Levi up in flames with the way Blake freezes and Mom's fork falls from her hand with a clang.
"Wait, like hanging with the players?"
"Brooke, did you get a new job?"
Blake and my mom speak simultaneously, both of their faces lit up like Christmas trees. I scan the table to find Amy and Dad still casually eating and Selah tossing a mushy carrot off of the side of her tray.
The vegetable hits the floor and the plopping sound seems to echo off of the walls, the room otherwise silent with full mouths and hopeful ears.
"Yeah, sort of," I say, answering the easier of the two questions first. "I'm not really hanging with them." Just getting accosted on the street. "But I was around them all weekend and will be again these next few weeks."
"That's so cool." Blake smiles, shoving a forkful of meat in his mouth. "Get me Anderson's autograph, will ya?"
My cheeks heat, either from his comment or the steam from my food—which is what I'm choosing to believe. I push the pile of cooked vegetables up against the mound of mashed potatoes on my plate as if they're forming a gravy dam.
"I, uh, can sure try," I stammer out, noticing Mom still sitting on the edge of her seat.
"And no, Mom," I answer reluctantly. "I'm just filling in."
My mom's whole body slouches, her lips pursed as she picks her fork back up and nods slowly. "I should have assumed, I guess," she says softly, then quickly turns back to Amy and Blake's side of the table.
"So, did you guys pick a na—"
"For now," I swallow hard, sitting up straighter, as if my posture can hide the bullshit in my tone.
For the second time tonight, the words spew out without me thinking, and I want to blame the wine, but I'm only three sips in. Instead, I blame the way too young for me, tattooed—did I know he had two sleeves before I saw them this morning?—sexy hockey-god that has thrown me off yet again.
"I'm filling in for the Flames until their new girl starts, but I realized I'm pretty good at it.
I like it too." I grab my wine glass and take a big gulp.
"I decided I'm going to use this as a way to build experience for my resume.
Hopefully I'll find something permanent and get myself a big girl job.
Finally be able to quit The Gilded Pub."
"Ah, that's awesome!" Amy says cheerfully, clapping quietly. Selah copies her mom, smacking her hands together and screaming, "Yay!" at the top of her lungs.
"Hell yeah, little sis," Blake says next. "You'll definitely find something. Content creation is huge right now."
Dad nods in approval, chewing his latest scoop of roast and Mom—well, she looks speechless after something I've said for maybe the first time ever.
"Well..." she begins, running her tongue along her teeth. "If it all works out, that'll be an answer to prayers."
I nod, gulping down the rest of my wine. "Yeah," I say.
If it all works out.