“Okay, okay, don’t get too excited, we still have our last shot,” Nick said, holding his hand up and shooing them out of the way.
Ethan watched him blow on the end of his que stick for good luck, bend over and eye his shot, and then he heard the crack of the balls.
“Yes!” Nick cheered, bending down to give Monica a victory kiss.
“Yeah, yeah, lucky shot,” Ethan groaned, but he was smiling. It was good to see his overworked and overstressed friend enjoying himself, for once.
After too many drinks and too many rounds of pool, they were exiting the pub and walking down the busy sidewalk. Natalie was hanging on his arm, and despite feeling uncomfortable about dating, Ethan found the contact soothing.
“So, where are you ladies headed?” Nick asked, as he wrapped his arm around Monica.
“We’re down off Ackles Avenue,” Natalie said.
She gave Ethan a look that insinuated more than just a quick drop off. He squeezed her hand gently and smiled.
They stopped at a red brick, two story apartment building, and as Ethan stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the awaiting door, he heard Natalie’s quiet voice beside him.
“Would you like to come in?”
He looked at her in the lowcut shirt that sported the single blue rose that reminded him of nothing but heartache and loss, and up to the green eyes that promised him a good time. A chance to forget.
He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head, letting himself get lost in the faint smell of lavender.
He shoved open the door to his house and shuffled inside, wishing he hadn’t drunk so much tonight and desperately needing a shower. With a quick toss, his keys landed on the counter and he practically stumbled towards his couch, his blue tie was mostly dangling off his neck, mere inches from slipping off onto the floor. He yanked it off and tossed it on the couch and then fell against the cushions. He tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling, the events from tonight weighing heavily on his mind. Natalie had been nice. They’d had good chemistry, their conversation was deep and intriguing, and she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders. So, he couldn’t for the life of him understand why he couldn’t sleep with her. It had been almost a year since Brooke left him. He should be moving on with his life by now, because more than likely she was, but he just couldn’t go through with it.
He pulled out his phone to put on the charger and noticed he had a missed call, along with a voice mail. He looked at the time and realized it was from earlier today, at five o’ clock. It must’ve been around the time he was just leaving the hospital for the pub. With a flick of his fingers, he played the voice mail.
‘Dr. Harris, this is Dr. Eads from St. Mary’s Hospital in New York City. We have an open position for a job you applied for a little over a year ago, and we were wondering if you were still interested in a position with this hospital. Please give us a call at your earliest convenience.’
Chapter 33
BROOKE
A year later...
“That doesn’t sound good,” she whispered to herself, as she stared down at her phone, reading her daily horoscope and nervously twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. She always started her day by reading her horoscope, because she wanted to know what the day had in store for her. But today, she didn’t think she wanted to know. Her life had been going well lately. Her life was finally aligning, and stress and chaos had finally taken a back seat, letting harmony and calmness take over. Things were running smoothly, but today her horoscope said past mistakes would resurface. She didn’t want her past mistakes to resurface. She had finally dug her way out of the hole she had put herself in. And she had covered that hole so that no past mistakes could push her back in again.
“Are you sure you’re strong enough to head back to your restaurant?” Brooke asked as she walked into the kitchen to see Casey getting ready to head out the door for work.
“For the hundredth time, sis, I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Brooke studied her for a moment as she was bent over and shoving items into her bag. Her eyes roved over Casey’s pink tinted cheeks and her pixie style cut that made Brooke smile, because it signified her sister beating cancer. She was a fighter and now she was heading back to work. She was heading back into the world with her second chance at life.
They had mended their relationship over the past year, and Brooke never felt better about it. She realized that the possibility of losing her sister was more important than any man, and Casey had apologized countless times. And Brooke knew she meant her apology. Their bond was stronger than ever before.
Casey stood and placed a hand on her hip as she caught Brooke’s worried stare. “I said I’ll be fine. Now, I’ll be over later this afternoon to help you, for once.”
“You don’t have to, Casey, I’m sure you’ll be exhausted after being at the restaurant all day.”
Casey gave her a hard look. “Brooke, I’ve been resting for too long. I’m finally feeling better and I want to stay busy. Plus, I have approval from my doctor to go back to work,” she stated.
Brooke smiled and nodded, “You’re right. I’ll stop hovering.” She was glad to see her sister was back to her sassy self.
Casey took a few steps towards her, reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m really proud of you for everything you’ve accomplished here. You’ve helped me beat cancer, you saved my restaurant, and now you’re ready to follow your own heart. You’re an amazing, devoted person, and I’m glad we were able to reconnect. I just wanted to tell you that.”
Brooke never thought she’d hear her sister give her a compliment like that and it brought tears to her eyes. She swiped at her eyes and said, “You’re going to make me cry, dammit. But, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else this whole time. And you’re the one who’s accomplished so much. I mean, beating cancer is huge, Casey.”
Casey’s eyebrow shot up.
“What?” Brooke asked.
Casey looked away for a moment, and then said, “I know you still miss Ethan, and I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
Brooke tensed at the mention of Ethan. She did miss him, but she thought she had done a good job of hiding her emotions. She hadn’t wanted her sister to feel like it had been her fault that she had broken things off with Ethan. But, even though this time spent with her sister the past year had been worth what she had lost, if Casey had not been sick, she and Ethan might have still been together. But then, she and Casey would never have reconnected. Unless he had chosen his ex, which was probably who he was with now. Brooke had figured as much this whole time, that was part of the reason she had told Paige and Kyleigh she didn’t want to know details about him. Plus, they had known how stressed she was over Casey, so every time they had talked, they made sure to keep things light. She hadn’t seen them since she moved here, but they were coming up this weekend and she couldn’t wait.
“That wasn’t your fault, Casey. And, he understood how difficult a time it was for us. Plus, he needed to deal with his ex. I would be surprised if they’re not together now.”
“Have your friends not told you anything about him?” Casey asked.
Brooke shook her head. “I told them I didn’t want to know anything about him after we split up. It would’ve been too hard, and I didn’t need that in my life at the time. Plus, I’ve been so busy that we haven’t talked much lately. But, they are coming up and staying this weekend. So, we’ll have plenty of catching up to do.”
She pursed her lips together in thought. “Have you given it any thought that maybe he’s been waiting for you?”
“A year?” She snorted at how crazy that even sounded. “That would be a little insane. I mean, we haven’t spoken for a year.”
Casey shrugged, her eyes thoughtful. “You never know, Brooke. Maybe you should see what he’s up to.”
Brooke waved a hand a
t her and turned to grab her purse. “No, no, if it’s meant to be, then we’ll run into each other again. I’m not going to chase him down. That’s not how I work, remember?”
“Yes, I know you’re all about fate and destiny and karma and all that stuff,” Casey said with a laugh.
“Because that’s how life works,” Brooke said matter of factly.
“Yeah, but there’s also this thing called effort. You know, letting someone know you want to be with them.”
Brooke frowned at Casey’s words. “Can you be any more blunt?” she asked, pausing in the doorway. She had put in effort, up until she moved here, and then things just got complicated. Had she given up too easily?
“I could, but then I’d ruin everything we’ve fixed over the past year.” She gave Brooke a smirk and added, “I just hate that you pushed him away so easily. It makes me wonder if there was more to it than what you’re saying.” She shrugged her shoulders as she stared at Brooke.
Brooke twisted the door handle back and forth as she considered Casey’s statement. “Um, I don’t really know,” she admitted, and gave her one last fleeting look before she turned and left.
She stewed on Casey’s words the entire way to her restaurant. This whole year had gone by in a blur of hospital visits, sickness, stress, and endless hours at the restaurant. But now things were settling down. Her sister was in remission and she only had one restaurant to focus on, and she suddenly found herself second guessing how she had ended things with Ethan. Should she only rely on fate to make things happen? Before taking care of her sister and seeing her on her death bed, she would’ve been confident about relying on fate. But now, after having death hit so close to home, she realized how fragile life is. Why not tell the ones you love how much they mean to you?
Shaking her head at herself, she knew too much time has passed. A year was a long time. There was no way she was going to call him up after all this time, and say, ‘Sorry, Ethan, but I made a mistake. Can we try again?’
She pushed open the door and looked around at the full restaurant. She still couldn’t believe she had finally made her dream a reality. It was surreal.
As she made her way back to the kitchen, she stopped and talked to a few customers and a few of her employees, making sure everyone was happy. She stopped and tended to one of her orchids, which sat by a small window off to the side. She had put a little piece of her life into this restaurant, and so far, it was paying off. It was always busy and the restaurant was doing well. She was lucky as a first-time restaurant owner. There was a tap at the mic on the tiny stage as someone began reciting poetry. She stood upright, suddenly rushed by memories of Ethan reading her poetry late at night, as they lay in bed, tangled together beneath the sheets.
So many feelings came rushing back into her, that she had to take a seat. She ran a hand through her hair as she regained her composure. The weight of missing Ethan was wearing on her. It had been lately, but she had kept it to herself. She had been feeling his absence more than ever, lately, and it didn’t help that her sister had brought him up this morning. Should she call him?
She pulled herself up and redirected her thoughts to focus on her restaurant. She didn’t have time to let this overwhelm her. She had a restaurant to manage and keep going.
As she pushed the door open to the kitchen, she smiled at the aroma that wafted through the air, and at the voice that filtered through the clattering of pots and pans.
“Good morning, Brooke.”
She turned and saw her main chef sautéing vegetables, a grin taking over his face as he flipped the spatula into the air, doing a full circle before catching it with the other hand.
“You’ve mastered that move, Jose,” Brooke said.
“It took a lot of long nights to finally get that move down.” He slid the pan off to the side and turned to face her. “Tell me, girl, what are you doing here today? It’s supposed to be your day off.”
She sighed, and began cleaning. “You know I can’t stay away from here. And what would I do on a day off anyway, Jose?”
He shrugged and began chopping more vegetables. “Gee, I don’t know, maybe enjoy a little time off and do something you enjoy, for once?”
Brooke laughed. “You make me laugh, Jose. I enjoy being here.”
“Yeah, but everyone needs a day off,” he said.
“I’ll take a day off when I feel like I’m caught up here,” she said, giving him a sly smile over her shoulder as she began taking inventory of what supplies she needed to order.
“Girl, I don’t think that will ever happen. You’ve opened up a happening place here. I think it’ll always be this busy.”
She watched him flipped the vegetables into the air and catch them effortlessly in his pan. She had made the right decision hiring Jose a couple of months ago. She had been hesitant in letting someone else do half of the cooking for the restaurant, but there was no way she could manage to cook nonstop for the place, and still do all the other stuff that needed done. But, Jose was as good a chef as she was, if not better.
“I’m truly thankful this place took off like it did. It still amazes me that people like the eclectic atmosphere, and they seem to really enjoy the poetry slams.”
“It’s a special touch to the amazing food you serve here,” he said, giving her a wink.
“And I’m lucky to have found such an amazing second chef like you.” She said, as she headed out the door.
Tucking her notepad under her arm, she headed back to her office to begin placing her inventory orders. She had a ton of paperwork to do and food to help prep for tomorrow.
She’d take a day off one day, but not today.
Chapter 34
ETHAN
The old woman pushed past him, almost knocking him to the ground to catch the cab he had been waiting on for twenty minutes. For whatever reason, there was a cab shortage on this street. And now, the cab he desperately wanted was overtaken by an old lady wearing a flowered skirt and knitted green beanie on her head. He peered inside the cab, but saw two other people jammed inside, clearly uncomfortable. There was obviously not enough room for him.
“Cab’s full,” the cabbie stated, before pulling off.
Ethan watched the old woman smile at him through the back window as the cab pulled out onto the busy street.
“Seriously?” he called to the old woman in the cab.
She waved at him proudly, no shame in what she’d done, and Ethan shook his head. He’d just put in a fifteen-hour work day and wanted to be home thirty minutes ago. He stood on the busy street, waiting impatiently for the next cab. Another ten minutes later he finally saw the yellow car head his way. He frantically waved his hand, not wanting to be left on the side of the street.
The cab stopped and Ethan quickly opened the door and got in before he was pushed out of the way again.
“Twenty-Ninth Street,” he said.
The guy nodded and pulled out, made it three blocks down the road before the cab jolted to a stop and black smoke filtered out from the hood.
“Dammit,” the cabbie said, as he leaned forward and studied the fumes in front of the windshield.
Ethan frowned and leaned forward. “What happened?”
The driver glanced over his shoulder at Ethan and said, “Eh, looks like we’ve got a problem. You’ll have to get another cab.”
“I’ve waited on this one for thirty minutes. Evidently there’s a cab shortage on this street today.”
Waving his hand towards the windshield, the guy said, “Sorry, I can’t control this. Oh, and don’t worry about cab fare.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Ethan grumbled as he opened the door and stepped out of the broken-down cab and onto the busy sidewalk. He was hungry and realized he had no desire to go home and cook, after this long day. He glanced up at the first building in front of him, shrugged, and decided it would
have to do. He was starving, exhausted, and didn’t want to go home and cook after the long day he’d had.
Weird eclectic music and the soft murmur of conversation greeted him when he opened up the door.
“Good evening, sir. How many?”
Ethan looked up to see a smiling older woman. “It’s just me,” he said.
“Follow me, please.”
He followed her, taking in the cozy atmosphere of the place. Candles were lit on the tables and he had to take a second look at the tablecloths that covered each table. The blue roses that adorned each tablecloth flooded him with memories of his first date with Brooke and that shirt she had worn that resembled the tablecloth. He laughed and the old lady turned around.
“Beg pardon?” she asked.
“I love the tablecloths,” he said, leaning forward so she could hear him better.
“Ah, yes. The owner has a little different taste in things.”
She said this adoringly, and Ethan could tell she was quite fond of the owner.
“Here’s your table,” she said, as she handed him a menu. “Your waitress will be here in just a minute.”
“Thank you,” Ethan said, as he took the menu and began perusing the items. It all sounded good and he had no clue what he wanted. But then the name of a dish caught his eye. Eye of the Mediterranean. He stared at it with the blue rose tablecloth in the background. A fleeting thought hit him, but he quickly dismissed the notion. No, it was all just a coincidence, that was all.
He sipped on a glass of red wine as he watched a man up on the small square of a stage reciting poetry. The poetry slam while you ate dinner was an interesting touch. Nice.
After finishing up the last of her paperwork for the night, Brooke decided to call it a night. The hours seemed endless here, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. It was a dream come true, one that she thought never would be possible. She looked at the picture on her desk, of her and Casey, and smiled. It was funny how things turned out. She was now content in a place she had spent the last three years avoiding because of the pain it had caused her. She still had a missing piece in her soul, but she couldn’t control fate. She had come to the conclusion that she and Ethan were just not meant to be together. When his girlfriend had come back, Brooke had seen that as a sign.
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