Page 71 of Ever With Me

“Yeah, it’s fantastic.” Brooks glanced over his shoulder at Maddie’s idling car. “I’m actually thinking of renting it for longer, if I can.”

Jason pulled out his phone. “I think most of the weekends in September are booked, unfortunately. Sorry about that.”

“Just the weekends?”

Jason nodded.

“I might be able to work around that.”

What am I even saying?

Yet he didn’t want to leave. Couldn’t imagine it right now. Despite the night before, he’d felt a strange peace here. Like he needed to be here.

Jason glanced over his phone. “Getting attached, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Jason gave him an amiable smile. “Brandywood has a way of doing that. I’m a transplant, actually. Grew up in Chicago, but I can’t imagine living anywhere else now.”

Brooks nodded politely. His eyes flicked to the beautiful blonde waiting for him in her car. The one he was going to allow to drive him somewhere.

He wasn’t sure the town had anything to do with it.

20

MADDIE

Bunny’s Caféon Main Street was already crowded with diners for breakfast, as Maddie held the door open for Brooks. She grinned as he walked inside. “You gonna wear those sunglasses inside the whole time?” she whispered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You’ll probably draw more attention to yourself wearing the sunglasses.” The funny thing was, the “disguise” was fairly effective. He was recognizable, of course, but no one was actively looking for him here. But while she wanted Brooks to experience some of Brandywood, she didn’t want him feeling uncomfortable. “I might start calling you Clark Kent, instead. Change of glasses and hairstyle andtada!Superman.”

He humored her joke with a practiced smile. “We’ll just sit in a corner booth, and you can take the seat that faces out.”

Maddie didn’t answer as she grabbed them both menus and got in line. He’d clearly done this before, and it was a strange thing to get used to—worrying about who might be looking. But for him, it was just daily life. No wonder it had changed him.

And last night he’d seemed...haunted. It was the only word that fit. It reinforced that he was just a man, like every other man. He wasn’t perfect. He had scars that weren’t on the surface, and he’d learned to hide them away so no one ever saw them.He must be so damn lonely.

All it would take was one person in Brandywood recognizing him and the whole town would know he was here. He had to know that was a risk, though, and he’d still come out here with her. Which felt oddly . . .encouraging?

Fortunately, there was also a level of civility that people in town had given Maddie confidence that they wouldn’t harass Brooks. Brandywood folks might gawk and stare and whisper when his back was turned, but they would leave him alone.

“Why don’t you walk around with a security guard?” she asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her. Didn’t most famous people always have bodyguards with them?

He shrugged. “Too much attention. I have to have them sometimes, of course. But when I’m doing something like this, I skip it and just try to blend. I had a few stalkers for a couple of years that made that next to impossible, but they moved on thankfully.”

Stalkers?As in legitimate people who hunted him down? That Brooks had a whole different life she couldn’t even imagine was unsettling.

She didn’t get the feeling he’d want to talk about that, though.

“What are you in the mood for?” Maddie asked, handing him a menu.

“Gatorade.”

She rolled her eyes. “Eat something. And drink some water.”

“Maaaaaybe some chicken broth.”

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