Page 93 of Paging Dr. Summers

Brooke’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Brooke kissed my cheek and squealed. “Okay, well, first I need to get a job, and then we will plan our trip.”

“Are you nervous about your interview with the SoundWave execs?” She’d decided to continue pursuing that dream, despite her feelings about Maxwell. She thought her mom wouldn’t want her to pass it up. And she’d realized opportunities like that rarely came around.

“Very, but Lola’s been helping me prepare. She’s a smart cookie.”

“So are you,” I reminded her.

“Thank you. Please keep reminding me of that.”

“You got it.”

“Okay, back to Erica. This is her day.”

I wondered what Erica would make of Brooke’s celebration for her. I hoped she’d appreciate it for what it was—Brooke’s way of telling us both that she wasn’t here to erase Erica. They could exist together.

“Favorite band?” Brooke asked. “This one is important.”

I grinned, loving Brooke’s passion for music. “She was a big Coldplay fan.”

“That’s totally respectable. Next up, what mythical creature would she have as a pet?”

I tensed, my fingers tapping the table. Erica had always been practical—no time for whimsical hypotheticals like this. I hesitated, not wanting to dampen the mood.

“She would think that was a ridiculous question and refuse to answer it,” I admitted.

Brooke studied me for a moment, and then with quietunderstanding, she said, “You know, that’s okay. I know I’m not for everyone. As long as I’m for you, that’s what matters.” She toyed with the edge of the paper. “However, I would like to think Erica and I would have found some common ground, and she would be happy that you’re happy.”

I placed my hand over Brooke’s. “You are for me. Don’t ever question that. And I would like to think Erica would be happy that I’m happy.” I paused and then smirked. “Although she would have never let me live it down that I fell in love with a much younger woman.”

Brooke laughed. “Yeah, you’re a real cradle robber. Now ... back to the question. Just for fun, if I had to assign her one ... what do you think of a phoenix? Wise and graceful. That fits, right?”

Erica would absolutely hate that I was answering, but there was no way in hell I could disappoint Brooke. “Phoenix fits.”

Brooke, happy with that, moved on to the next question. I prayed it wasn’t about mythical creatures or what she would want her pirate name to be. Thankfully, it was an ordinary getting-to-know-you question.

“Who was her hero?”

“Marie Curie.” I thought of all the biographies she’d read of hers. I had those books packed away. Maybe it was time to get them out.

“I was actually going to guess that. See? I’m getting to know her.”

That meant the world to me.

“Question number eight: What was her favorite holiday?”

“She loved Christmas. She was actually a very thoughtful gift giver. You’re similar that way.” That brought me a lot of comfort. At the beginning of my relationship with Brooke, all I could think about was how different the two women were.

“I like that,” she said simply before moving on. “Next question: Did she have a guilty pleasure?”

I pointed at the cake on the table.

“Really?” Brooke sang. “That makes me so happy.”

And I knew it did. And that was what made Brooke so wonderful.

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