Page 5 of Storm

TWO

BROOK

What a day.

One of these days, Brook was going to learn. She was going to make the responsible choice. It probably wouldn’t be today. And most likely not tomorrow, either. But one day, because eventually, these late nights wouldreallycatch up with her.

“Have a great night,” she called out to the real estate agents she worked for.

“You too,” one of them replied.

Oh, she would. It was going to be a fabulous evening. Her bathtub was calling her name. So was the chocolate she had stashed in her kitchen. Add in the book she’d been reading the night before that had just gotten to the good part and she was going to have the time of her life.

It was nearly dark when she parked in her designated spot in her apartment complex. She hated this time of year. That wasn’t totally true. She didn’t mind the winter. But the early darkness is what she didn’t like. Which was why she ran from her car to her apartment and got herself inside as quickly as possible.

As soon as she had the door locked behind her, she let out a breath and kicked off her heels.

Stupid grown-up shoes. I hate those things.

Pretending to be an adult all day long was exhausting. Technically, she was an adult. By law, anyway. On the inside, she was anything but.

“Bubbles, Creamsicle, I’m home,” she sang.

They didn’t respond, of course. Well, in her mind, they did. But not out loud because that would be weird. They were stuffed toys, after all.

Deciding to take a bath first, she stripped out of her office clothes and turned on the water. As she waited for it to fill, her phone buzzed on the counter.

Carlee: You’re still coming tomorrow, right?

She grinned and did a little naked wiggle. Of course she was still going to Carlee’s birthday party. Not only was it a Littles party, but it was also at the motorcycle club compound where Carlee and her boyfriend lived. Brook had only been there a couple of times, but she always loved it. She had no idea why. Maybe it was because all the people she’d met there were so nice. Everyone Carlee had introduced her to had been friendly and welcoming, which wasn’t something she had expected from a bunch of tatted-up bikers. She’d always tried to be non-judgmental but the first time she’d gone to visit her friend, Brook had been terrified. That only lasted about five minutes when one of the guys made them hot cocoa with extra whipped cream. Who could be scared of that? Not her.

Brook: Of course. I can’t wait.

Carlee: Yay!

Smiling, she poured in half a bottle of bubble bath into the water, then decided that wasn’t enough, so she poured a bit more. Her entire bathroom smelled like bubble gum.

After dumping a bucket of toys into the tub, she lowered herself into the hot water and hummed.Perfect.

There wasn’t anything Brook could think of that could make her life better. Well, maybe one thing. The problem was she was painfully introverted. Other than going to work every day, the only other places Brook went were the library and the grocery store. And occasionally to see Carlee. There was no doubt she would have to decompress for the rest of the weekend after her friend’s birthday party tomorrow night. Thankfully, Carlee understood. Some people didn’t, which was why she’d struggled to make friends. And finding a Daddy.

Oh well. She could be her own caregiver. That was a thing, right? She even had rules she’d come up with for herself. Not that she’d punished herself when she’d broken them. That would just be silly.

She stuck her tongue between her teeth as she twisted the bath mermaid’s tail and then put her in the water to swim. When the doll swam into the mountain of foam, Brook grabbed her and did it again. When the water started to cool, she set her toys up on the ledge to dry and started washing herself.

By the time she had on a fresh pair of cotton panties and one of her pink frilly nightgowns that fell to her thighs, she was starving. She also wanted to watch an animated movie. And read. It didn’t seem to matter how late she stayed up to read each night, her TBR list just kept getting longer and longer.

Brook shuffled through the fridge and cupboards, pulling out random things that looked good. Finger foods were her favorite. Utensils were overrated and a waste of time.

She made herself a charcuterie board of sorts, proud of herself by the time she was done. It was beautiful. And sodelicious. She even put some greens on the plate. They were M&Ms, but still. They were green. There was also fruit in the Pop-Tart, protein in the peanut butter cups, and carbs in the mini-donuts. It was all around a well-balanced meal. In her eyes, at least. And she was her own caregiver, so hers was the only opinion that mattered.

Dinner in hand and a sippy cup of soda, Brook went into her bedroom and spent a few minutes nesting. Her room was her favorite place to be. Even though the entire apartment was hers, she still preferred to be in the smaller space rather than her living room. It was where she felt comfortable. It was also where all her toys and fun decorations were so it was easier to slip into Little Space there. She had hung some fairy lights around the top of the wall, and her bed had a cute canopy she’d seen and had to buy for herself. That was one of the benefits of being your own caregiver.

Once she had her pink-and-white bedding fluffed and her bubblegum fuzzy blanket spread out, she settled in and found a movie to get lost in.

Just one more chapter.

Brook turned the page, trying her best to ignore the clock on the nightstand that told her that she was still reading in the wee hours of the morning. At least it was Friday, and she could spend all Saturday recovering from pulling three near-all-nighters this week. She blamed it on all the amazing books she couldn’t get enough of. It was easy to get lost in those worlds and forgetabout real life. At least until her alarm sounded at six o’clock in the morning on workdays.

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