Page 53 of Brooke
Sleep log:
6 hours
Noteworthy Dreams:
Axel’s face right before he kissed me in a forest.
Weather:
Sunny, low 70s
Affirmations:
I can share my feelings with the people I love and make thingsbetter.
Priorities:
Working with Axel on the design.
Ensuring Nanine’s reopening is a success.
Finishing the article on Browley’s hot new black handbag.
Daily To-Dos:
Wrangle Dad about his plans for his apartment (sigh).
Find Thea and Jean Luc the perfect wedding venue.
Schedule a lunch with Haro to discuss her fall fashion line.
Ongoing Tasks:
Help Dad settle into Paris (if only he’ll call me back).
Be available to help with anything Nanine’s-related for the reopening (Madison especially).
She traced the space for ongoing tasks, feeling freer now that she’d removed finding Thea’s wedding dress. Of course, she could now give more time to finding the couple the perfect venue for their ceremony.
Wait! Was she substituting one item for another? She wasn’t going to go there. And as for finding a life coach for herself, she kinda felt like Axel was serving that role, so she didn’t bring it forward. She trusted him more than any person she could hire. Besides, if her mind changed, she could always start looking again.
And as for the decision to add Madison to the list…
Her friend wouldn’t have to know.
Since it would be tough to make it to yoga on time, she checked her email and then decided to pop over and see Nanine and thank her for calling last night. They could have a crème and catch up.
She considered asking some of the others if they’d like to come but decided against it. Besides, the house was quiet, andtruthfully, she wanted some time alone with Nanine—her role model, her true mother. She had more than embodied those roles last night.
As she walked over, she was vigilant about not stepping in dog shit. By the time she’d arrived, she’d talked herself into telling Nanine about Axel and how she felt.
Soon she would tell her roommates too, but she’d give it a few more days. Thea needed to feel special with her wedding dress buy, and honestly, Brooke didn’t want to take up more energy in the house. Last night had been enough, thank you very much.
The new burgundy awning for Nanine’s shone in the morning light, and the sight of it assured her all was well. When she’d arrived in Paris after Nanine’s heart attack, her entire world had tilted upside down seeing the restaurant stripped of its precious awning, its insides gutted as if from the worst theft of all time.
In truth, that was exactly what had happened. But the restaurant was returning to fine form, just as she and her roommates were. Brooke hoped Nanine felt the same way even though she’d been forced to retire and hand the reins of her kitchen over to someone else. Sure, it was Madison, but there had to be deep grief at the change.
She walked to the back of the restaurant. The door was locked, but that wasn’t unusual since Madison and her staff wouldn’t be meeting until afternoon. Brooke also knew one of the reasons Madison had avoided working there consistently was to help Nanine feel less saddened by events.
