Page 55 of Ever With Me

Brooks had shared some incredibly personal things with her.

And when she’d hugged him . . .

She sighed, hating herself for getting so close to him.

Naomi was right. Not about Brooks—but about the fact that Maddie was getting emotionally attached.

Dammit.

How?

How had she let Brooks in so easily? She’d barely even liked him, and now she was here defending him to the person she was closest to in the world.

He was attractive, of course.More than that. He’s downright sexy.

Nothing wrong with admitting she was attracted to him. At least to herself. Telling Naomi would be a disaster right now.

But that didn’t mean anything. Admitting that Brooks was hot was like admitting that the sky was blue.

Facts.

She said nothing as she drove down Main. They could have walked to the pub from the Depot, so the trip only took a couple of minutes. Maddie parallel parked on the street, then turned toward Naomi, the engine idling. “I know you’re mad, but?—”

“Mad doesn’t begin to cover it. Disappointed? Concerned? All that and more.”

“You’ve always trusted my judgment.”

“Maddie, you lied to me. And to Pops. For what . . . some good-looking rock star you don’t even know? This is Pops’s business—not yours and mine. His. You had no right to make such an important decision without asking us.”

“But he’s going to play at the fair?—”

“Whoopie,” Naomi spat sarcastically. “That’s supposed to make me feel better about all this? I’d rather have Phil down the street with a banjo than this disaster you’ve created.”

Maddie drew a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”

Naomi’s gaze softened. “You know I’ll forgive you. I love you. But I amreally, reallyworried about what you’ve gotten yourself into. I think you should tell Lindsay and Pops, at the very least. I may not know Brooks Kent, but he sounds deceitful. Just . . . be careful. You have a good heart, and I worry that he’ll stomp all over it and not look back.”

A lump formed in Maddie’s throat, and she nodded. “I understand.” She glanced at the time again.Crap. I’m going to be so late to get to Brooks.

Then she breathed out slowly.

Brooks could wait. Because what Naomi said was right.“This is Pops’s business—not yours and mine. His. You had no right to make such an important decision without asking us.”

Time to be wiser, Maddie.

Brooks might require ten hours of her time, but he could no longer bethe onlypriority in her life.

16

BROOKS

“What the helldid you make in here?” Cormac asked, surveying the pots on the kitchen counter as he entered the kitchen. He set his keys on the counter and a bag of leftovers from his time in town into the fridge.

Brooks lifted a couple of colorful Ziploc bags beside him on the kitchen table. “Play dough.” He wrinkled his nose at the mess. He’d told the chef not to worry about coming back to make dinner tonight, which meant he’d have to clean it all, too.

“You know they sell that at the store pre-made, right? Comes in handy yellow plastic tubs, too.”

Seated beside Brooks, Audrey was scribbling into a coloring book. Thank goodness Maddie had picked up a ton of supplies for him at the store the day before. He had forgotten how much it took to keep a four-year-old entertained. “Yeah, I know.” Brooks shrugged and stood, heading toward the collection of pots.

---