Love, Hate & Us

by S. P. West

  “Cut it out, Hope.”

  “You and him were arguing a lot before the break up.”

  “It wasn’t that much.” I seethe in my seat as Hope starts the car.

  “Yeah, it was.”

  “So?”

  “Maybe this whole not being able to have kids thing, and you and Brody arguing, is what led to you splitting up in the first place, and…”

  “And what?”

  “And maybe you should see a therapist…sort out your issues. Try not to let history repeat itself.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” I stare straight ahead at the road, not daring to speak to my sister in fear I’ll slap her. “You sit there and preach to me about my relationship, which you know nothing about by the way. When you can’t even move on with your life, even though the man you love has moved on and gotten someone else pregnant. Instead, you hang on for any pathetic scraps he can give you.” Hope’s response is a loud gasp, I know what I’m saying hurts her but I carry on twisting the knife. “What do you hope to gain by talking to him, huh? That he’ll come running back. Give it up, Hope.”

  “Whore, please.” She laughs without mirth. “You think I’m pathetic? Really? You’re the one who drove her long-term boyfriend away by being a pre-menstrual bitch the whole time. Then what happens? Brody snaps his fingers and you ask ‘how hard do I suck?’”

  “Ouch.”

  “True.”

  “I hate you.”

  “Nah.” She flips the turn signal. “You love me. “

  “You do know that the two years before you were born were the happiest of my life, don’t you?”

  “Ha and the day you moved out to live with Brody was mine.”

  “You cried.”

  “No, I didn’t”

  “Judy told me that you did.”

  “She is such a snitch.”

  “Yeah,” I giggle.

  “What’s Brody up to today?” Just like that, our argument is forgotten.

  “He’s at his office.”

  “You want to swing by there?”

  “We should really get the food put away first.”

  “How about we go home, put it away, then I’ll drive you back into town? Jake should be here by then, we can keep ourselves entertained while you two do…whatever.” She grimaces.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. It’s what sisters are for.”

  Brooke

  “Brooke, are you sure you don’t want me to wait around? In case Brody’s not here.”

  “I’m good. He leaves a spare key hidden under a mat. Even if he’s not here, I can let myself in.”

  “Okay. Call me if you need me to come pick you up. Jake said that he’d arrive in an hour or so, his plane was just about to land.”

  “Oh poor baby, he has to drive the hour to get here after his private plane journey. The joys of being mega rich, huh?” I roll my eyes.

  “I’ll tell him you said that.”

  “Make sure you do.”

  “Later.”

  I watch her drive off, her taillights disappearing over the brow of the hill, leaving me alone. I never understood why the main office for McAllister Construction was in the middle of nowhere. Looking around, I can see all the machinery and trucks with the McAllister logo. When did it get this successful?

  As I pick my way through the overgrown patch of land that is attached to the side of the building, I can see Brody’s truck in the lot. I’m surprised to see another car there as well. It’s Saturday evening, most of Brody’s crew would be at home. Maybe it’s just one of the guys here to talk to Brody or something.

  It’s so cold that as I exhale, I can see my breath in the air. After the unseasonal sunshine of earlier, the temperature dropped again, reminding me that we are, indeed, in the middle of winter. Stupidly, I didn’t bother to wear my warm coat, just a light jacket, my reasoning was that I wouldn’t be outside for too long. Besides, Brody’s office has heating.

  As I approach the door of his office, a sudden gust of cold wind swirls around me, making me pull my jacket as tight around my body as possible in the vain hope that it will give me some warmth. It doesn’t. The violent shudder that rips through my body tells me that I need to get inside, quick. So, I start to walk faster.

  When Brody and I were together, I would walk right in, not bothering to knock. Today, though, something makes me pause before throwing the door open. Call it a sixth sense or whatever, but something doesn’t feel quite right.

  On the other side of the door I can hear Brody’s deep voice. I expect to hear an equally gruff voice of one of the construction guys as well, but instead it’s the shrill high-pitched laughter of a woman.

  What in the hell?

  Cautiously, I press the handle down and creep into the outer office area. The familiarity hits me as soon as I walk in. Not much has changed in the year I was away. The layout seems to be the same—divided into an outer office, a small kitchenette, bathroom, and then Brody’s office at the end of a short corridor. It’s not a big space by any means but it’s functional, suiting Brody’s needs.

  There’s no one in the outer office area. As I walk through it, I notice that both of the empty desks are strewn with paperwork that has probably been there since last year. Brody told me that he hadn’t gotten around to hiring another secretary. It makes me smile to see that the kitten calendar I bought as a joke a few years back is still on the wall.

  As I get nearer to his office, I hear the female voice let out a long, loud moan.

  No.

  My blood turns to ice as the room begins to spin.

  “You can’t do this,” Brody warns.

  “Yes, we can,” Joely answers. “Your girlfriend will never find out,” she says quietly before letting out another moan.

  No!

  Before I know what I’m doing, I shove the door open, slamming it loudly against the wall. Time slows as I take in the scene before me. Brody’s and Joely’s bodies are pressed together, lips locked, his hands on her hips as she runs hers through his hair.

  Oh God. I think I’m going to be sick.

  Brody breaks the kiss at the sound of the door connecting to the wall. The look of confusion on his face slowly turns to horror as he realizes who is standing there.

  “Brooke,” he pleads as he pushes Joely away. “Brooke, baby. It’s not what it looks like.” Brody starts walking toward me, his arms outstretched.

  “Stop.”

  “Brooke. Please let me explain.”

  “You were kissing that…” My hand trembles as I point my finger at the smirking bitch.

  “It’s not…that’s not…” he cuts in.

  “So, you weren’t kissing her?” I struggle to get the words out.

  “Yes…no. She kissed me, baby. I swear.”

  “Brody,” Joely whines. “Get rid of the bitch so we can carry on what you started.”

  “Get the fuck out of my office, Joely,” Brody growls, not taking his eyes off me.

  “But, baby!” she protests, running her finger up his chest.

  “I’m not your baby,” he spits as he grabs her arm, roughly pushing her toward the door.

  “What are you doing?” she screeches.

  “What I should have done the moment you walked into my office. Now get the fuck out of here.” He snatches up her bag and coat as he drags her out of the door, leaving me alone.

  Tears start to trickle down my cheeks as I hunt for my cell. I can barely see the screen as I type out a quick text to Hope, asking her to come get me.

  I can’t believe how stupid I was to think that Brody and I would get our happy ending.

  Stupid.

  Stupid.

  Stupid, foolish woman.

  I should never have followed my heart; I should have paid attention to the warning signs. He’s done it once. He promised me that it would never happen again.

  Liar.

  Did I ever know him? The man I’ve loved all my life?

  I thought he l
oved me, but how can you love someone if you keep hurting them over and over? That’s not love. I need to get out of here…get out of Emmerton. I need to go back to Scottsdale and try to forget about Brody…again.

  “Brooke.” I look up at the sound of his voice. He scrubs a hand over his face, tears forming in his eyes. “I promise…it wasn’t what it looked like.” He watches me cautiously, not daring to move from the doorway. I know that he’s trying to stop me from bolting.

  “Don’t.” I cut in. “It was exactly what it looked like. You kissed Joely.”

  “She kissed me!”

  “You expect me to believe you? Because that’s not what I saw…what I saw was you and her with your tongues shoved down each other’s throats.”

  “That’s not what happened…please let me explain—”

  “Explain! I know what I saw.”

  “No, you don’t. I swear, Brooke...”

  “Like that means anything.” I have to look to the ceiling to try to calm down. “You’ve done it before.”

  “And I learned my lesson.” Desperation creeps into his tone. “I promised that I would never hurt you like that again.”

  “But you just did.”

  “Let me explain,” he says, walking toward me.

  “I think it’s best I go.”

  “Baby,” he pleads.

  “Please don’t call me that anymore,” I say, shaking my head as I back away from him.

  “I love you.”

  “No, you don’t,” I whisper.

  “Don’t go. If you want me to beg, I will,” he says, dropping to his knees. “Please believe me. I didn’t kiss Joely. I swear. She kissed me.”

  “Why was she here?” I demand.

  “She just turned up.”

  “Goodbye, Brody.” I start walking toward the door.

  “I swear on my mother’s life that I didn’t ask her to come here. I was doing paperwork, then she showed up. I told her to get lost. Please, you have to believe me.”

  “Why did you kiss her?”

  “I didn’t. She kissed me,” he says, looking at the floor before looking back at me. His eyes full of despair.

  “What if I hadn’t walked in on the two of you? How far would you have gone?”

  “Nowhere, Brooke. I was pushing her off when you came in.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” I bite out. “Because from where I was standing, you weren’t making that much of an effort to get her off you.”

  “I swear.”

  “You keep saying that, Brody.”

  “But it’s true! Baby, please.”

  “Even if I believed you, even if you were innocent, I can’t trust you, Brody. I would forever be looking over my shoulder, wondering if that day was the day you got bored again and left me. Tonight has shown me that I can’t live like that.”

  “We can, you know we can. We’re perfect together. It’s always been you and me, Brody and Brooke. I’m sorry that you saw what you did, but I promise you I’m innocent.”

  “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “I love you,” he whispers.

  “And I love you, but you’ve made me realize that it’s not enough for me anymore.”

  “Then we can work this out…don’t do this. I will do anything to make this right, to prove to you that I’m innocent.”

  “As soon as I can, I’m going back to Arizona,” I say numbly. “I won’t come back.” Brody remains on his knees, his head bowed. I watch as tears drip off his cheeks onto the floor. “Have a nice life, Brody,” I say quietly as I walk past him and out of the office.

  The frigid air hits my face as I stumble out of the McAllister Construction office. Sobs wrack my body. The simple act of putting one foot in front of another seems impossible right now, my pain too great.

  When Brody and I broke up the first time, it had felt as though the world had ended. I never thought that I would be happy again. Now, I just want to die. I don’t think I have the strength to go on this time.

  “Brooke?” Jake’s deep voice cuts through the dark night. “Brooke, what happened? Why are you crying?”

  “Jake,” I sob, throwing myself into his arms.

  “What’s going on?” Hope demands loudly.

  “I don’t know,” Jake says as he strokes the back of my head, leading me toward the car. “I found her like this.”

  “Get her in the car for Christ’s sake, she’ll freeze to death out here.”

  Jake gently puts me in the back of the car, strapping me in. I don’t say anything, remaining mute as he fusses over me.

  “Brooke…Brooke. What happened, honey?”

  I open my mouth to speak but a loud bang draws my attention to the door of the office.

  “BROOKE!” Brody cries, running full speed toward the car. “PLEASE, I CAN’T LOSE YOU AGAIN!”

  “Drive.” Hope doesn’t do anything, just sits there openmouthed as Brody heads toward us. “Just get me the fuck out of here, Hope. Now,” I beg.

  Brody has reached us by now and is hammering on the window.

  “Brooke. Brooke. Baby, please talk to me. I didn’t kiss her. Brooke...”

  This seems to spur Hope into action as she guns the engine, peeling off with a squeal of the tires. Out of the rear window, I watch as Brody runs after us, not giving up until Hope puts her foot down, disappearing over the crest of the hill.

  “You wanna tell me what that’s all about?” Jake murmurs, pulling me to him and resting my head on his shoulder.

  “No,” I say, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go home.”

  “What did he do, Brooke? Tell me so I can fuck that bastard right up.”

  “Leave it, Jake. I want to forget this place; I want to go back to Arizona, and before you say anything, I know you have contacts. I know that you can hide me from the police.”

  “Woah, woah, woah. Hold up. Why are we talking about hiding from the cops?”

  “Because I want to leave this godforsaken town tonight, but I can’t as I’ve been charged with battery.”

  “You’re not making much sense.” His tone is gentle. “Why don’t I just beat the fucker up for you?”

  “I need to leave, scram, split this joint…whatever you want to call it, I want to do it…tonight. But if I go, they’ll probably have a manhunt for me.” From the driver’s seat, there is a bark of laughter from Hope. “I’m being serious.”

  “Right,” Jake says, kissing the top of my head. “First of all, you need to tell us what happened between you and dickhead back there. Why did we find you in a sobbing mess?”

  I take a deep, shuddering breath. “I walked in on him kissing Joely. There. You happy?”

  “Are you sure?” Hope says over her shoulder.

  “No. I made it up. What do you think?”

  “You guys seemed so happy.”

  “I thought we were.” Another little splinter of my broken heart falls and shatters on the ground as I think back to the past few weeks. Did Brody use me?

  “What did asshat have to say for himself?” Hope asks.

  “He said that he was innocent. That Joely kissed him.”

  “Could he be telling you the truth?” Jake asks as we pull into Brody’s driveway.

  “I walked in on him kissing someone else, Jake, what do you think?”

  “I think that, maybe, you should talk to him.”

  “I know what I saw!”

  “Did he say why she was there?” Jake continues, helping me out of the car.

  A long sigh passes my lips as I look up at the sky for some form of divine intervention. If there was a God, then right about now I’d appreciate it if he could start smiting people, starting with Joely Baxter, and then Brody.

  “Let me get packed so I can leave.”

  “Why did he say she was there, Brooke?” Jake’s using his boss voice, the one that normally makes people cower with fear. Not me though.

  “That tone doesn’t work with me, as
shole. You have no power over me.”

  “I mean it, Brooke.”

  “For Christ’s sake, Jake.” Hope interjects. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then you can’t force her to. Be that awesome millionaire BFF that I know you are and put your plane on standby. We’ll get packed and then we can go home.”

  “Please, Jake,” I plead. “Brody will be here soon. I can’t face him. I just can’t.”

  Jake rubs his hand over his chin, seemingly lost in thought. “I think you should talk to him. Properly. Something doesn’t feel quite right.”

  “You’re taking his side!” My jaw drops open with disbelief.

  “No. I’m saying that I think he might be telling the truth.”

  “I don’t believe this.” I storm toward the porch.

  “Hold up,” Jake yells, jogging after me. “Look, I think the guy’s a tool for the way he treated you in the past…”

  “Don’t tell me this is some kind of bros before hos guy code thing going on.”

  “This is not a guy code thing,” he says, rolling his eyes at me in frustration. “It’s a doing my job and investigating thing. If you must know.”

  “You pimp out men to desperate women, Jake.” I sigh and turn on the spot, just in time to see Jake sporting a pout on his face that would make any self-respecting toddler proud.

  “You know that’s a front, right?” He sounds annoyed.

  “Yeah, for your super-secret organization that I’m not supposed to know about?”

  “That would be the one.”

  “And?”

  Hope squeezes my hand as she breezes past me, whispering, “I’ll go pack,” and disappears into the house.

  “And I have been doing some digging on Joely Baxter, and I found out enough to get the charges dropped and her arrested. Don’t thank me or anything?”

  “The charges have been dropped?” The feeling of elation only lasts for a brief moment, crashing down when I remember the reason why Jake and I are having this conversation.

  “That’s the reason I wanted to see you tonight, to let you know in person.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Thank you, Jake, would be a start. You are the most handsome guy that I’ve ever laid eyes on would, naturally, be the next thing that I’d expect you to say.”