Page 108 of The Paris Roommates: Dean
An awkward silence descended. Dean glanced at Brooke, whose green eyes were a little wider than usual. He cleared his throat.
“So you’re bringing Pierre and a boombox and winning her back with Celine Dion, John Cusack style, along with your other props,” Madison said to fill the silence.
“Dean, I know she really loves you,” Thea assured him. “I knew it when she said all those things about you at my party. You don’t see someone that well unless you’ve been paying attention. And now you know her favorite singer. She’s going to get all mushy inside.”
“You’re going to need mush to get her to listen.” Brooke followed up with another nudge to make her point.
“I could make Dean a spreadsheet with the lines of responsibility for their new business,” Kyle offered. “But I think Celine Dion is the better approach.”
Dean gave him the bird, causing laughter to erupt in the kitchen.
The sound of a phone ringing brought the hilarity to a stop. Dean looked at his phone, his pulse jumping, only to hear Brooke say, “It’s my dad.”
“Oh my God!” Thea squealed. “Answer it!”
Dean’s mouth went dry. “What she said.”
Brooke reached for his hand as she answered and put the phone to her ear, listening for a moment. “He won the cave!” She gave a girly shriek. “We’ve got it!”
Cries of joy filled the air. Dean turned to Brooke and picked her up off the floor, whirling her around.
“Dad!” she said into her phone, laughing as he set her on the floor. “You’re the best. I’ll have to call you back.”
Setting her phone on the counter, she punched the air. “Nowthat’swhat I call teamwork.”
Dean picked her up again and hugged her. “Dammit, Brooke! I could kiss you.”
“Save it for your dream girl,” she said, squeezing him tight. “Be happy, Dean. That’s all a friend could ask for.”
They’d done it. Together. It felt like they could do anything together. His throat thickened. “How did I get so lucky? You’re really great, you know.”
“I know,” she said with a smile as she pushed back.
“All of you are freaking awesome,” Dean continued, punching the air. “I love you guys.”
“Excuse me, Dean.” Kyle nudged him aside. “I need to butt in here and thank this woman properly since her dad isn’t here.”
“Get in line,” Madison said, giving Brooke as much of a hug as she ever did after Dean let her go. “Tell your dad he’s got a few free meals from me coming his way.”
“Hell, I might paint him a landscape or something.” Sawyer pulled Brooke gently into his arms and spun her around.
The jubilation continued as Thea and Brooke grabbed hands and started jumping up and down crying out, “We’ve got the cave!”
Jean Luc shook Dean’s hand. “Congratulations, Dean. I have mixed feelings about Napoleon inspiring your idea, but like Thea said, we take inspiration when it comes.”
“You’re damn right we do.” He fell back against the counter and looked at Kyle. “Did you have any doubts we might win?”
Kyle cracked a smile. “Why would I ever think otherwise? Come on, we need some champagne.”
“In a second, man,” he told Kyle. “Let’s savor this. It’s a pretty great sight. Then we need to get Nanine over here. She’ll be over the moon.”
Madison took Brooke’s hand when she extended it, and then Sawyer grabbed on to Thea, and suddenly there was a conga line going around the kitchen island. Pierre began a reggaeton beat, which had the roommates shaking their shoulders and wiggling their hips.
Dean started to put his arm around Kyle’s shoulders but stopped when he saw the burning expression in his friend’s eyes. He followed his gaze to find the cause. Brooke and Thea were laughing, and Sawyer was humming along to Pierre’s beat, moving with a rhythm Dean envied. Then his eyes alighted on Madison. She was at the end of the conga line, staring at Kyle with the same burning expression in her golden eyes.
Dean gripped his friend’s shoulder. They had the hots for each other, and suddenly the song “Gasolina” struck him differently. Attraction with friendship was like gasoline and fire. Shit. They’d been fighting it, but how long would that last?
Kyle cleared his throat and flashed a mega-watt smile moments later. “Dean, are you feeling better about the plan for winning back your dream girl? You have the cave and now a Celine Dion song.”
