Page 62 of Paging Dr. Summers

“Bye.” I hung up and stared aimlessly at the vintage gold fan twirling slowly on the ceiling. “Mom, what do you make of all this? Did you know that sending me to Aspen Lake might open gigantic doors for me? I don’t know how you would have known, but it feels like you did. What do you think of Florida? Can you imagine me in a top-twenty market with a syndicated show someday? I mean, Sidney made no promises, but I really think he liked me. He must if he had someone call Janice. I’m trying not to get my hopes up. I know you would tell me to let my hopes fly and that hope makes the world go around. But what if Logan is right about Maxwell Harrington expecting something in return? What could he possibly want from me? Do you remember meeting him? What did you think? I can’t seem to figure him out.”

I rolled over and sighed, wishing so much that Mom could answer me. I knew she would have had all the right answers. But I also knew I was going to have to figure it out for myself this time. It was a little scary.

“HEY, NO PEEKING!” BROOKE PLAYFULLY swirled her paintbrush in front of my face, threatening to leave a few colorful strokes on my cheek.

We were checking off another item on Brooke’s bucket list: paint a painting. Brooke had let Sophie choose which piece of art to copy, and she’d picked Van Gogh’sAlmond Blossoms. I had a sneaking suspicion that the women in the room—Brooke, Eden, and Sophie—were all doing a better job than I was.

“I’m just making sure you’re doing it right,” I said, pivoting left to dodge her paintbrush while sneaking a peek at her canvas.

“This isn’t a competition,” Brooke reminded me. I loved that she didn’t turn everything into a race; she just wanted everyone to enjoy the journey with her.

“Then why can’t I look?” I asked, clearly still struggling with the concept. I wanted to be the best.

“Because it will be more fun at the end when we all present our masterpieces.”

“What if someone’s isn’t quite a masterpiece?”

“I’m still going to love it because you painted it. Now, go back to your canvas.” Brooke flashed her charming smile.

“Did I say it was mine?” I feigned offense.

“I think it was implied.” Eden smirked.

“Quit cheating, Uncle Logan,” Sophie added.

“All right, all right.” I held up my hands, feeling ganged up on, but I couldn’t think of a better gang. I stole a quick kiss from Brooke before stepping back to my canvas, which looked like a toddler’s finger painting.

Eden caught my eye and gave me a look that said,There’s my big brother.She’d made several comments over the last few days about how thrilled she was to see me happy again. I gave her a knowing nod before glancing at the reason for my change.

Brooke was looking back and forth between her canvas and a large poster ofAlmond Blossomsthat she’d placed in the middle of my great room. The room, now covered in canvas drop cloths, looked like an art class. I’d volunteered my place since she was worried about getting paint on her rental’s flooring. Never did I think a paint smock could be so attractive, but Brooke had proven me wrong. She looked adorable in her pink smock that hugged all her perfect curves. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection for her.

“So, have you heard anything from SoundWave?” Eden asked Brooke.

Brooke lowered her paintbrush and looked over her canvas, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face.

“Not a word,” she replied, frustrated. “The last inkling of anything was five days ago when Claire told me someone had reached out to the radio station I used to work for.”

As disappointed as Brooke was, her news came as a relief to me. Of course, I wanted Brooke to land her dream job. I just didn’t want it to be connected to Maxwell Harrington. The man was up to something. He’d looked at her way too affectionately during that book launch, and it made my skin crawl.

“I’m sorry,” Eden commiserated with her. “You know, I was thinking about your podcast,” she treaded lightly. “What would you think if I was a guest on your show and I broadcast it to my followers?”

Brooke dropped her paintbrush onto the drop cloth and ran straight for Eden, her eyes wide with excitement. She threw her arms around her, nearly knocking her over. “Are you serious? You would do that for me? I would never, ever want to use our friendship. You’ve been too good to me all summer.”

Eden wrapped her arms around Brooke. “I would never accuse you of using our friendship. You’re so talented, and the world needs your voice. I need your voice. Of course, there’s no guarantee that it will get you more fans, but it’s worth a shot.”

“I don’t even know what to say.” Brooke’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Thank youdoesn’t seem adequate.”

I wanted to hug the life out of Eden. She had no idea what this meant to me. I hadn’t even mentioned my misgivings about Maxwell Harrington to her. The last thing I wanted to do was start unfounded rumors. But if Brooke’s podcast could gain attention, then maybe she could make it her full-time career. And she wouldn’t need help from the Harringtons of the world. I knew Eden would expect nothing from Brooke in return for her help.

“Zero thanks are necessary.” Eden patted Brooke’s back.

“Seriously, you’re the best.” Brooke kissed Eden’s cheek. “We are going to do the most amazing episode together,” she said, bouncing with joy.

“I can’t wait,” Eden responded, just as excited as Brooke.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to Eden, even though I knew she wasn’t doing it for me.

As soon as Brooke let go of my sister, she zoomed my way and threw her arms around my middle. “Can you believe this?”

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