Page 40 of Facial Recognition

I thought for a moment. “I just want to be seen and loved. Is that too much to ask for?”

“No, darlin’.” Lorelai squeezed my hand.

“Oh, and no overly hairy feet and insurance seminars.”

We all busted out laughing. When we stopped giggling, I looked between the best friends a girl could have. “Thank you, ladies. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without you.”Chapter Fifteen“Tom’s going to need around-the-clock care when he comes home, so between the three of us, we need to come up with a game plan.” June patted both Brooks’s and my knees as she sat across from us in the hospital waiting room. She had the spark of the old Miss June I remembered. Her eyes were bright, and her take-charge attitude was back in full force. Or maybe it was her new spray tan. She’d always said if you want to feel good about yourself, get a spray tan.

Tom’s surgery to implant a defibrillator into his heart went well. He was expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately, he was still having a hard time walking and remembering some words. He had severe fatigue too.

“I’m still running my gift basket business out of my house, which I can easily do from here, but that means in the evenings, I’ll need you two to fill in once you’re done with work.” Miss June had been making corporate baskets for years. The woman could whip up some of the finest tasting and prettiest cookies you had ever had. Not to mention she had this knack for making everything look amazing.

“I’m available anytime you need me,” I volunteered.

Brooks shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He obviously wasn’t thrilled to be at the hospital or with the prospect of helping his daddy. “My caseload is heavy right now.”

His momma swatted his arm. “Brooks Thomas, there’s more to life than work. I know your daddy isn’t your favorite person right now, but he’s family, and from here on out we are going to act like a family and take care of each other.”

Brooks pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I can help on Thursday nights.”

“Well, how generous of you, son.” June rolled her eyes. “What about the weekends?”

“Morgan usually has plans for us.”

“Heaven forbid you miss out on a TED Talk,” June barked.

I snickered, and Brooks snapped his head my way. I smirked at him. “Don’t worry, Miss June, I’m happy to fill in anytime. If I have a date, I’ll just bring him. Maybe we can all listen to TED Talks together online.” Miss June and I broke into fits of laughter.

Brooks wasn’t amused. “You can gain a lot of valuable insights about improving your life and productivity by attending TED Talks and workshops.”

“Whatever, darlin’.” His momma wasn’t buying it. “I find living in the real world and loving people will teach you a heck of a lot more than any workshop.”

Brooks’s lip curled up into a snarl, but he didn’t argue.

June stood and stretched her back. “They should be done examining him and changing his clothes. I’m going to go check on him. Maybe you two should grab a bite to eat,” she suggested, not so subtly. She was desperate for Brooks to ditch Morgan. She’d told me so last night when I had come to visit Tom. I’d told her and Tom it didn’t matter if Brooks wasn’t dating Morgan, he still wouldn’t be dating me. Brooks loved throwing around the F word anytime we were together. Plus, he and I were opposites in almost every way now, and we had completely different life goals. He wanted to rule the world, unmarried and probably childless, and I wanted to experience the world with a husband and half a dozen kids. Good news, the ovulation test I took the night before said my eggs were still popping. And my gynecologist had told me at my last appointment that I had beautiful mucus in my lady parts, which was kind of gross and maybe more than I wanted to know, but she said it was a good sign.

Surprisingly, Brooks said, “I’m game.”

I shrugged. “All right.” We were friends after all.

Miss June beamed. “You two have fun and take your time.”

I stood. “Do you want to try the new biscuit and limeade place nearby? I met Julian there for lunch today, and it’s fantastic.”

Brooks grimaced when I mentioned Julian’s name.

“Why don’t you like him? I mean, you could be related to him someday.” I grabbed my stomach at the thought.

Brooks pushed himself out of his chair. “Neither Morgan nor I believe marriage is a viable institution,” he scoffed.

“Right.” I walked off toward the exit.

Brooks followed. “And it doesn’t matter what I think about Julian. The question is, Why do you like him? He has completely different ideals than you. He’s deathly afraid of having children, and he treats marriage like the jam of the month club. When he gets tired of one, he tries a new flavor.”

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