Page 42 of Brooke
Sadness was practically weighing down the green irises of Brooke’s eyes, but Thea lifted her shaky hand as Dean held the bag and unzipped it. Taking the dress out carefully, she held it out, her heart fluttering still at its beauty.Mine, she thought.
A couple of gasps echoed in her ears, but the person whose opinion mattered most was Brooke’s, her first best friend, her “older” sister.
Brooke trailed her hand over the layers of organdy that made up the skirt before following the trail up to the top. “Oh, Thea, it’s so you.” Her face took on a dreamy expression before it changed, making her look suddenly crestfallen. “Romantic. Fairy princess-like. I’m so happy for you.”
She moved to hug Thea, and Thea hung on one-handed until someone took the dress from her. Then she was pressingher face into Brooke’s narrow shoulder, feeling the sadness still in her friend’s body. Brooke had talked of nothing other than finding Thea the perfect dress, and somehow, the shattered dream hung between them.
Until Brooke hugged her tighter and kissed her cheek before pressing back. “Way to go, little sister. I believe you have finally ascended to your ultimate Paris shopping self. No one could have found a more perfect dress for you.”
Hope beat in her breast, and with it, the stampede of the buffalos started to slow back to a dull graze. “You mean it? Brooke, I never wanted to?—”
“Don’t be silly.” Brooke chucked her under the chin. “When you see anything fashion-related that you love like you clearly love this dress, you grab it. Right then. You never wait, because?—”
“Dresses in shop windows are usually sold the same day,” they said at the same time.
“They were separated at birth,” Dean joked to Jacqueline, who only chuckled under her breath.
“Let’s have a glass of champagne to celebrate,” Brooke called, taking Thea’s hand and leading her toward the kitchen. “Sawyer, be sure to bring the dress.”
“Of course, miss,” he said like a British butler in a movie. “Would you like me to have it pressed and ironed too?”
“That’s a good one, Doc.” Madison snorted with laughter. “I’ve got some aprons that need cleaning. You up for it?”
“My motto is so not,I clean, therefore I am,” he responded, carrying the dress carefully back into the kitchen.
Pierre flew to Madison’s shoulder. “It’s very beautiful,” the parrot said in English with a loud cry.
Brooke glanced over at the dress again, her pulse beating visibly at her temples. Thea struggled for words. She could see her friend’s dream dying inside her. No, more like her goal, because Brooke executed. She didn’t dream really.
“I’m calling Nanine,” she heard Dean say, only to listen tohis sigh moments later when he clicked off, muttering, “No answer but I left a message. Man, she’s really dug in on this whole giving us space transition. Well, never mind. We’re going to party like it’s 1999.”
“You bet,” Thea whispered, still staring at the strained look on Brooke’s face. Nanine wasn’t the person she’d been worried about in this moment.
A cork popped, champagne was poured, and then flutes were pressed into everyone’s hands. She had to hold hers tightly to stop it from shaking, like her hands were, and noted Brooke was doing the same. Oh, Brooke…
Her friend raised her glass firmly then, seemingly determined to fight the tremors they were both experiencing. “To Thea finding the perfect dress for her wedding.”
The words sounded like flat champagne being poured out. A few of her roommates gave a slight wince.
Dean thrust out his glass, a beaming smile on his face. “To kismet and the many surprises she can lay at our feet, wedding dresses included.”
Thea felt an answering smile tug at her lips as everyone clinked glasses. Dean could always turn a moment around.
But not for Brooke. She watched her smile remain in place as they continued to drink their champagne, with her telling them a little more about trying it on with Fabiana practically breathing through the curtain in the dressing room, so eager to see it on her. That made everyone laugh. Even Brooke this time. But the humor didn’t reach her eyes.
She was hurt, and Thea didn’t know what to do to fix it. Because that was usually Brooke’s job.
“I have to run,” Brooke finally announced, setting her half-finished coupe down on the kitchen island. “Thea, you should be so happy. You really outdid yourself with the dress. It’s as beautiful as the woman who plans to wear it.”
Tears filled her eyes again as Brooke kissed her cheek. She watched as her friend strode out of the kitchen, her back stiffwith tension. Her eyes tracked back to her dress, laid out in the unzipped garment bag on one of the barstools thanks to Sawyer. Even its beauty couldn’t completely ease the ache in her heart.
Dean rubbed Thea’s back, frowning as he looked in the direction Brooke had gone. “She’s only a little in shock. You know how goal-oriented she is and how much she wanted to find it for you.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
Kyle pulled her to his side and gently rocked her. “Hey! She just needs some time. It’s been in her day planner since you got engaged.”
“Yeah.” Madison reached out to awkwardly touch her arm again. “You know how Brooke is. She always gets what she wants. It’s a little hard for her when she isn’t the one to hit the home run.”
