Page 27 of Brooke
“You would think that, Dean,” Brooke said with a hearty laugh, hoping one day soon she could say the same.
Dean snorted as he lightly punched their little sister in the shoulder. “Even Thea here was singing and humming the whole time.”
Her cheeks went code red. “I was happy! It wasn’t only because we were away.”
Dean wrapped his arm around her. “It’s okay, Thea. We know you have sex with Jean Luc. In fact, we couldn’t be happier for you.”
She looked down at her feet as Brooke elbowed Dean in the side. “Leave her alone. She’s embarrassed.”
“No reason to be.” Dean tipped Thea’s chin up. “I’ll stop all talk of sex. In exchange for one of your delicious apricot walnut loaves for my picnic with Jacqueline tomorrow.”
“Unbelievable, Dean.” Brooke managed a laugh as a pigeon landed on her wrought-iron balcony and gave a loudcoo.“But predictable. Thea, this is where you tell him you will not be extorted.”
“But it’s really easy to make the bread,” she practically sputtered, rushing toward the door. “I’ll just go to the kitchen and make sure we have dried apricots.”
When they were alone, Brooke stared him down.
Dean only gave her a lopsided smile. “Come on, that was funny. Our little Thea is growing up.”
“Not everyone is as open about sex as you are, Dean.” She decided to wait on changing the water for the flowers. Dean might zero in on them.
“While we’re talking about sex…”
She thought of the past few restless nights where her sleep log numbers had dipped and groaned. “You’re the only one?—”
“Did you ever think about Ivar the Viking god when you were with Axel on Friday night?”
She shoved him back onto her bed, and he let her, falling heavily and chuckling heartily. “Keep yukking it up, why don’t you?” she said even though her heart sped up.
Ivarhadturned into Axel in her private time—not something she’d planned but something she hadn’t been able to push away in the moment. The very thought of him had sent her to shocking new heights. But she wanted the real man.
Still…she knew Axel had been right on Friday night. She had to be sure. Because he seemed to want more from her than she’d ever given a man. And when she thought about what he was offering her? No one had ever…
“Oh, come on!” Dean threw a decorative throw pillow at her. “It’s you and me, Brooke. You can tell ol’ Dean.”
“I’m going to tell Jacqueline that she needs to keep you on a leash if you don’t behave yourself,” she said sternly as she picked the pillow up and threw it back at him.
“Hey!” He clutched it to his chest. “That’s a great idea. Might be hot.”
“Dean!”
“All right.” He pushed off the bed, knocking the pillow to the floor. “I’ll quit the sexual inquisition. But I’ll be wondering when Axel shows up this afternoon.”
After a tap to his watch face, he was out the door. She picked up the pillow and sank down on her bed, wishing for a cigarette. Hell, why not? She didn’t smoke often, and she only did it in Paris. Okay, she lived here now, so that reasoning wouldn’t work anymore. Oh, who cared?
Lighting a Gitanes, she opened her balcony window, making the cooing pigeon fly off. She blew that first perfect puff of smoke out into the spicy fall air. A golden leaf drifted past her window, caught by the gentle breeze. She had a moment of enjoying the way it danced down the street before circling and falling slowly to the sidewalk below.
It wasn’t the sort of thing she’d usually take note of. Was this Axel’s influence? Was she changing from a cynical multitasker into a Zen appreciator of beauty?
She blew out more smoke, wishing she wasn’t so keyed up. Autopilot worked for her. No, that wasn’t true. Underneath, she knew she needed to fix some things in her own life, but it had always been easier to focus on fixing other people’s lives.
And yet…where did that leave her once the people she’d devoted herself to helping were back on track? Thea and Dean were both doing great now, and Dean had managed to take care of her father and Nanine all on his own, which she was deeply grateful for. Sawyer was making his way as a painter. And Kyle and Madison seemed to be helping each other just fine, despite the ongoing jolts of attraction between them. The scene she’d walked in on Saturday had been absolutely astonishing. She’d never seen either one of them happier—jubilant.
But that was their business. She’d told them before that she was here if they needed her, but they both understood what was at stake. Nanine’s was important to everyone, and so was their found family.
She eyed her copy ofMaison Style.Work was the most important thing she could control about changing her life. Her journaling confirmed that. But keeping it a priority didn’t mean she couldn’t pursue her connection with Axel. She just couldn’t let it overtake her main goal.
Feeling more at ease, she changed the water for the flowers and called her father. His phone went to voicemail again, so she decided to text him, hoping he’d respond.
