Page 74 of Tied Up in Riches

“Good. I intend to keep it that way.” I plan to remind her all day of the things we’ll do together later, now that I don’t have to pretend I don’t want more with her.

She slaps playfully at my chest. “Marcus! We have to be around kids all day.”

I shrug, pulling away from her. “I happen to know a secret hiding place that only one kid ever knew about.” I throw her a wink over my shoulder as I head for the door.

We arrive at the country club in pure chaos. There’s no one at the front to even check us in. Brooke navigates us through the lobby, the help scurrying about carrying baskets of vegetables, fruits, and other assorted pantry goods. We make our way outside, a perfect view of the setup from the top of the marble staircase. Memories of kissing Brooke for the first time last night replay in my mind. The same must be happening for her because she turns back, leaning into me as if she’ll know I’ll wrap my arm around her. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she tells me, and I consider whether or not I’m capable of keeping a kiss PG in front of all the kids with their parents.

I’m about to respond when her mother’s shrill voice pops our bubble. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Brooke turns her head but stays close to me. “Right here, mom. Like I said I would be.”

“And really? That is what you’re wearing?” Predictable.

“Mom, we’re hanging out with kids all day and cooking. I want to be comfortable.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

I bend to whisper in Brooke’s ear, not giving a damn if I’m being rude. “I’ll take them off you if that would make her happy.” Brooke grins up at me.

“I’ve got your station all set up with Beau.” Both our gazes snap back to her mom. Brooke stiffens next to me, my possessiveness building as I process what she said.

I relax only slightly as Brooke does, laughing at her mother. “Yeah, not going to happen. Marcus is my boyfriend. Either we work together, or I won’t be helping at all.”

“I had to play safe, Brooke. We both know you can’t cook, and I couldn’t count on him knowing how to.”

Brooke glances back at me. “Please tell me you can cook.”

“As well as I can eat.” I shoot her a wink.

“Better find Beau a new partner, Mom,” she says, not succeeding in holding back her smile.

“I’ll take one for the team,” a voice comes from behind us, and Brooke’s grin breaks free. I turn to see her friend, Cam, in khaki shorts and a navy polo with his hair dyed and gelled like he’s in a boy band. Brooke told me he comes from money but doesn’t act like it. His parents have forced him to attend all the charity events since he was a kid, and he’s been Brooke’s sidekick ever since. I wonder what locked Cam into the category of rich but not hated for Brooke? Figuring that out could help my case.

“Fine, thank you, Cameron. Please try to rub off your attitude on my daughter.”

He smirks. “I’ll try my best.” With that, she turns, leaving the three of us alone.

Cam appraises us with a pointed look like he’s trying to determine what pissed off Mrs. Fields. “Holy shit! You two fucked, didn’t you?!” He slaps Brooke’s arm. “Bitch, why didn’t you tell me?!”

She rolls her eyes, but her face flushes too. “No, we didn’t. Come on, you know I’ll tell you.”

Her friend looks to me for confirmation. “Not yet. Sorry to disappoint.” I chuckle.

“I’m stuck with Beau for half the day. You owe me a good story.”

Brooke links her hand with mine, locking our fingers together as she grins at her friend, and I fucking love it.

“Seems like there already is a story considering this thing,” he wiggles his finger between us, “Is definitely not pretend anymore.”

“It never was,” I say, Brooke glancing at me in surprise. I shrug. “Let’s get to cooking, shall we?”

“We shall,” Cam says, linking his arm with Brooke’s and pulling her away from me. Her laugh fades as he forces her quickly down the marble staircase. “Tell me everything,” he says and she glances over her shoulder at me.

I follow far enough behind them that Brooke can tell him whatever she wants. I’ve overheard enough conversations between Maci and Lexy to know that nothing is safe when it comes to best friends, so there’s no point in trying to stop it. When we get to the field at the bottom of the staircase, it’s lined with makeshift mini-kitchens, just like you’d see on an outdoor episode of Masterchef. The space under the pergola has been redesigned into a temporary pantry. It’s impressive, and I can see the allure of a place like this. Maybe some people are here for show and status, but it’s not like they aren’t making a life-changing contribution to society.

From what Brooke told me, these events are connected. Last night’s gala was to raise money for children with leukemia, and today, some of the kids who are well enough get to participate in a cooking competition. Each group is assigned a kid to help make a dish.

Once I make it to the back of the tables from my slow walk to give them space, Brooke reaches for me. I give her my hand and she leads me to the front of the set-up, a table to the far left facing the pantry. “You can really cook, right?”

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