Page 3 of Beautifully Used
I woke up when our speed decreased and we turned into the driveway leading up to the house Brodie owned and shared with his brother. Red and pink carpet roses graced each side of the lane, cheering up the long, gravel driveway that stretched for an eighth of a mile. The old farmhouse sat on the largest piece of property I’d ever had the opportunity to stay on. Growing up in Southern California’s beach towns meant smaller yards but great beach access. Though lately, apartment living was more my norm.
There were no cars in the driveway, which meant Lena and Jackson were not there. Great. That meant more alone time with Brodie. How lucky for me.
Brodie grabbed his empty coffee container before he got out, prompting me to pick mine up too so I could throw it away. I was stunned silent when he opened my door, and thankful once again that he didn’t stick around to watch me try to climb down in my dress. Trucks were murder on girls with short skirts. As he hoisted my bags from the back of the vehicle, a car came barreling up the driveway and stopped right behind the truck. Lena jumped out of the passenger side and came running at me. I was glad to see she had dyed her hair back to her beautiful natural color. Like me, she wore a cute little sundress, only hers was a pretty shade of lime green with tiny red-orange rosebuds. The color of the flowers matched her auburn curls perfectly. Her hair seemed to have grown about six inches since the last time I’d seen her, and it hung down past her shoulders.
“Yay, you’re here,” she squealed, embracing me in a huge hug. Then Jackson gave me a hug as Lena stepped back and eyed the empty Starbucks cup in my hand. “Good, Brodie remembered the coffee. Did he get you the Caramel Snickerdoodle Macchiato like I told him to?”
I eyed Brodie suspiciously. He gave me a snide shrug and walked away. “Uh, yeah. Thanks,” I mumbled, disappointment coating my words as I realized he’d only pretended to know what I liked. I should have known.
I smiled as I walked up the four wooden steps leading to the wrap-around porch and past the two chairs with comfy looking green, blue, and yellow-striped cushions covering the seats. Instantly, I had visions of sitting out here with Lena, sipping wine spritzers and making last minute wedding plans. I startled at the bark that came from the far end of the porch and glanced up. Rufus jumped off the large swing, causing it to sway and creek by itself. “Hey, Rufus,” I said, kneeling down and letting the huge hound dog lick my chin as I stroked his back. This place reminded me of the home I’d always wished we’d had. Not so much for its location or size, but because of the charm and the inviting way it made me feel at home.
Chapter 3
Brodie
* * *
So much for trying to impress the girl and make her think I knew what kind of coffee she liked. Thanks a whole hell of a lot for revealing that little secret for me, Lena. Now, Gabrielle not only hated me for my poor attempt at a kiss last year, she probably considered me a liar.
Jackson and I left the women to their ooohing and ahhing at each other and carried Gabrielle’s luggage into the house. It looked like the girl planned to stay for a year with all the crap that must be inside. They had to weigh at least fifty pounds each.
I had to give myself kudos for not ogling her legs when she’d gotten into the truck this morning. God, that short skirt was enough to make me forget I didn’t like her much. I had to mentally slap myself to stop from thinking about how silky her thighs might feel under my hands.
“Thanks for picking Gabby up this morning, Brodie,” Jackson said after we’d put the bags in the spare bedroom and headed for the kitchen. “It was a good thing I went with Lena to see the caterer. They’d mixed up the entrees. The price option Lena had chosen only included the chicken. There was no steak. I’m not sure Lena would have caught that since she’s so used to juggling her expenses to make ends meet. ”
“Well, soon she won’t have to worry about that.”
“She doesn’t really have to worry now, but she’s rather stubborn about wanting to pay her own way and all.”
“Could be worse. You’re lucky she’s not one of those women who expects you to pay for everything.”
“I suppose. Have you seen the pictures of the house since they added the sunroom onto the back?”
“No.”
Jackson walked over to the counter in the kitchen, opened the laptop, and pushed a few buttons. Up popped a slideshow of pictures of the new house he and Lena would be moving into right after they got married. The three-bedroom house was right down the street and had a backyard equal to the size of the one here so Rufus would still have plenty of room to roam around. I was looking forward to them finally moving. I liked the idea of having my brother close, just not under the same roof anymore. I liked Lena, but I’d been feeling a little guilty about having women over lately. That was why I’d been spending most of my nights away, out of respect for her.
“We’re going to have a spa built into the ground right outside the back door after we move in.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I should have one put in here, too. I like the idea of putting it in the ground rather than having to step over a wall to get into one like you have to for those portable ones. Makes total sense.”
“It was Lena’s idea.”
“That girl’s pretty smart. Hey, maybe you should marry her.” I slapped Jackson lightly on the back. He laughed, nodding in agreement.
“Hey, everything set for tonight?” he asked.
“Brother, don’t you worry about a thing. Doc and I have it all under control.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what we’re doing.”
“Nope,” I supplied rather smugly and opened the door to the refrigerator to grab an apple. My stomach was rumbling and I didn’t have time for much else.
“Figured. Just keep it clean. I don’t want any strippers trying to get into my pants,” he said before grabbing a carton of milk out of the fridge and guzzling down half of it.
I stepped toward the door to head to my room and ran smack into Gabrielle, knocking a pile of clothes she was carrying right out of her arms. “Sorry,” I said, bending down to help her pick them up and realizing the garments were all lacy and delicate pieces of underwear. Why was she carrying her underwear around? I picked up something lacy and cream-colored with a string of pearls attached to it that I assumed made up the thong part of the delicate panties. Her cheeks turned crimson right before she snatched them from my fingertips.
“I, uh… didn’t know you were in here,” she said, sounding a bit flustered. “I thought Lena was in here, and I wanted to show her… never mind.” She started pulling all the stuff toward her, wadding it up into a pile as she kept her eyes glued to the floor.
