Page 11 of Brooke's Bliss
And now he wanted to hit on the guy’s sister again.
She laughed at something her brothers said but he stilldidn’t buy it.
None of her socials had mentioned she was coming to Bliss.In fact, she’d talked about spending the whole summer in Manhattan working onwhat she called her fall line.
So why was she here?
“They’re awful.I don’t understand how we’re supposed todeal with half-done costumes?Are they going to be ready?We’ve only got sixweeks before we open,” one of the women was saying in the booth in front ofthem.There were four people, and they’d been here even longer than he and Bay.Three women and one man, and they were obviously in some kind of crisis.
But he had a crisis of his own.
She was here, and it might be their last shot.
Were they even ready to make a go of it with any woman?Muchless the one he was pretty sure was the right one?What the hell did they haveto offer her?It wasn’t like they owned much of anything.
Bay held up his hands, obviously giving up the argument.“Fine.But when I’m polite to the man, you’ll see what I mean.We have arelationship, Max and I, and this will tilt that fucker, and you might not likewhere we land.”He took a long breath.“I don’t think we should be held hostagehere so my presence doesn’t offend the prince of Bliss County.Besides, don’tyou think our waitress is going to get antsy?We are literally taking up atable she could be earning another tip from.Especially since you’re a miserlybastard.”
He wasn’t.They didn’t have a lot of money, but he tipped.He simply didn’t throw down wads of cash the way Stef did.He tried.The wholemoney thing was in his lap, like most of their existence.
“Shane, I’m sorry.”Bay frowned, his eyes softening.“Ishouldn’t have used that word.”
He had to think about it for a second, and then he waved hisbrother off.“It’s fine.I am what I am.It doesn’t bother me.Also, you didn’tmean it that way.You know your mother was surprisingly old fashioned for awoman of her age.”
He’d been called it all by his stepmom’s family.Bastard.Byblow—he still wasn’t sure what that meant.Illegitimate.Base born.
That was Shane Kent.First of his name.Ruiner of Marriages.Mistakenly Born.
Someone should have worn a condom.
“My mom was a mean woman who couldn’t find it in her heartto be kind to a kid who had nothing to do with the circumstances of his birth,”Bay corrected.
“No, but my momma could have handled it better.”
His mother had gotten sick of waiting for her married loverto leave his wife and marry her.
“I’m sorry all the same.I’ll be nice to Max, but we have tothink about the fact that we’ll be late if we don’t leave soon,” Bay pointedout.“Some of those supplies we picked up are for the work this afternoon.Bois planning on mowing the back field, and we need to get those parts in or he’sgoing to have a hard time with it.”
He’d thought he might be able to get through this withouttelling Bay who was sitting in a booth across the café, but they were tight ontime.He glanced over and she wasn’t there.Her big suitcase was by the table,and it looked like Max and Rye were in serious conversation, though Max alsohad a now-awake kid trying to stuff his fist in his father’s mouth.
Damn, but he wanted that life.
He shoved the thought aside.The key takeaway was thatBrooke was gone and they could sneak out and walk right by.Easypeasy.They didn’t have to engage.She likely wasn’tstaying for long and would be back to her high-powered job in New York,surrounded by men with affluence and money who came from good families.
“We should go.I’m being ridiculous.Like they’ll evennotice.”He pulled out the cash and set it on the table.And then pulled a fewmore dollars out.He didn’t mean to be tight with money but money was alwaystight.
The woman from the booth in front of him strode back, a hugesmile on her face.“I have a solution.I ran into Brooke Harper.She’sliterally got a degree from Parsons, and she’s in town for a couple of weeks.She’s coming to the party at Hell on Wheels tonight, and we’re going to makeher part of the team.She’s fabulous, so everyone is expected to treat her likethe queen she is.”
The group got up, all chattering about the party tonight.
The party Brooke Harper was attending.
Bay stopped, his eyes catching Shane’s.“She’s here?She’snot supposed to be in town.I haven’t heard anything about her coming to town.”
They both listened to town gossip whenever they could.Strangely, Bo was the helpful one.The man was always willing to talk aboutwhat he heard.She’d turned them down once, but asking her again as long asthey were polite and not aggressive was fine.They’d discussed it endlessly.She hadn’t told them she didn’t want to see them.She’d explained she needed tospend time with her family.
He knew it was an excuse, but he was taking it.
“She walked in fifteen minutes ago with a big-ass suitcase,and despite the smile she gave her brothers, I don’t buy it.She’s had sometrouble,” Shane explained.He leaned over and let his voice go low.“And now weknow where she’s going to be tonight.A bar.”
