Then There Was You

by Candace Shaw

  Brooklyn let the words absorb in, especially the part about Chase moving into his rental home soon. Sadness surrounded her at the thought of not seeing him every day. And with Addison in and out of town, not to mention herself, when would she see Chase? Would he come all the way to the island if Addi wasn’t there? She chastised herself for being bothered by it. They weren’t in a relationship. They weren’t dating. They were two people who had admired each other over the years, shared a kiss, and had agreed to learn about each other on a somewhat platonic basis.

  Later on in the car ride home with Addison, who had ridden her bike to the meeting, Brooklyn tried to be cheery as she shared with her friend the life-like glass art animals Kameryn had designed.

  “She’s amazing,” Addison said, scrolling through her cell phone before tossing it into her tote bag. “I’ll definitely go to the exhibit when it opens. I love the idea of a coffee table book with her collections, but more so I am excited for you. How long will you be in Memphis?”

  “For a couple of days, and a few weeks or so afterward Destin, Florida. Not sure where else. Waiting for Kameryn’s assistant to send me the other locations.”

  “Mmm … I see. I’m sure my brother will miss you,” Addison stated matter-of-factly, running a finger along the scarf. “Nice scarf.”

  “Addi, Chase is not going to miss me. We’re ... um …”

  “Mmm-hmm. Exactly. I think you two are perfect for each other. I’ve known my brother for the last twenty something years and normally I don’t concern myself with who he is dating. In fact, I’m still not. I have my own relationship woes, so I’m staying out of y’all business. You’re both grown. But …”

  “But? I thought you were staying out of grown folks’ business,” Brooklyn joked, turning into the driveway and pushing the button for the garage door to open.

  “Ha! I’ll start after this last comment. He sounded kind of reluctant when he mentioned his rental would be ready soon. I think he enjoys running into his neighbor. Trust me, he is not going to miss my tiny house, but I know he’ll miss seeing you. There. I’m done.” Addison made a zipline across her lips with two pinched fingers, jumped out of the SUV, and made her way to the bike rack on the trunk to retrieve her bicycle.

  “Thank you.” However, she knew Addi and this wouldn’t be the end. “You know your Movie Nights in the Park are a hit,” Brooklyn complimented, slamming the driver’s side door and leaning on Addison’s truck. She had to find a way to change the subject. “Sorry I’ll miss this week’s because of Kam’s photo session, but I’ll be there next week with my camera.”

  “Yes, the islanders have enjoyed it. Gives the tourists and locals something fun to do. I wish the lovebugs would skedaddle, but we have at least another month of them. I wanted to extend the movie night until the beginning of October since the weather is fabulous but the lovebugs are freaking everywhere. I’m tired of rinsing dead bugs off the hood and windshield of my truck every evening.”

  “Yeah, it can be a pain. I’ll do mine in the morning,” Brooklyn said, eyeing some on the grill of her vehicle.

  “I thought they lived in Florida. This is Georgia.”

  “You know we’re only an hour away from the state line. I kinda like the lovebugs, though,” Brooklyn stated in a whimsical tone as she spotted some in the garage and shooed them out so she could close the garage door. “They’re cute stuck together flying around. They are literally attached for life.”

  Addison swished her lips to the side as she hung her bike on the hook on the wall. “Only people ‘in love’ like lovebugs. Is someone falling in love? It would be cool to have you as a sister-in-law.”

  “Girl, stop.” Brooklyn swatted her hand playfully at her friend. “Don’t you have a chess match to attend?”

  “You should come.” Addison headed to the screen door in the garage adjacent to her tiny house. “I’m sure Chase would love to see you.”

  “No. I need to be up at the crack of dawn for Kam’s photo shoot. Spend time with your brother before he goes back to Jacksonville.”

  “I’ve enjoyed his company but Jacksonville is only an hour away. Oh, before I leave for Hamilton Island, I need to stash my breakable items at your place to be on the safe side. I don’t want any oopsies on the road.”

  “No problem. I didn’t know you had anything breakable.” Brooklyn remembered Addison had all plastic dishes and containers on purpose to avoid broken items while driving.

  “A few crystal vases,” Addison said with a shrug.

  “Oh. I didn’t realize you were into collecting vases.”

  “I’m not, but I received some lilies for my birthday and they were in a crystal vase. And then again last week …” Addison’s voice trailed off and she ran her fingers through her red waves of hair.

  “A new love interest?” Thanks to being around brides in love, Brooklyn’s keen sense of knowing when a woman was smitten with a man had risen. And there was indeed a sparkle in her friend’s eyes at the mention of the flowers.

  Addison smacked her lips and opened the door. “Goodness, no. An ex trying to worm his way back into my life. Not going to happen,” she stated with a finger snap in the air. “I don’t believe in second chances. Anyway, good night.”

  “Good night,” Brooklyn answered with a light laugh as Addison left.

  Brooklyn thought about Addison as she entered her home and headed straight to the master bathroom, flinging her clothes off along the way. Turning on the shower, she grabbed her shower cap from the hook next to the towel bar, hopped in, and let the cool water run over her before turning it toward the hot side.

  Brooklyn didn’t know Addison well before she’d moved to St. Simons to work for Precious Moments. She was Rasheed’s cousin-in-law and had met her a couple of times. Addison had dated in the last year but no one had ever made it past a couple of dates for she was always on the go to some adventure. However, Brooklyn was rather surprised to see a glimmer and even a warm glow on Addison’s face when she mentioned the ex; even if she didn’t believe in giving him another chance she obviously had feelings for him. Still, she was only twenty-five and had plenty of time before settling down.

  The thought brought Brooklyn to her current dating life. The one she didn’t have. She’d dated a couple of nice guys since moving to St. Simons but none of them piqued her interests long enough to establish a real relationship. Like Addison, Brooklyn had some exes she would never go back to. Of course, none of them had tried and she had no reason to either. Then there was Chase, whose sexy smile and calming spirit she couldn’t shake. He was indeed the epitome of everything she’d ever wanted in a boyfriend, possibly more, but in a few months he would be back in Memphis and she didn’t know where her life would be.

  Stepping out of the shower, Brooklyn dried off and proceeded to gather up the clothes she’d hastily flung on the floor. The notion of flinging them off for Chase filled her mind, causing a wicked smile to plaster on her face—especially when she grabbed his scarf which she purposely tossed on her vanity chair. She thought about giving it to Addison to return to him but decided against it. Besides, it had a faint lingering of his cologne mixed with his fresh scent, and as she drifted to sleep an hour later, she could smell the tantalizing scent as the scarf lay under her head.

  Chapter Six

  “You guys are naturals,” Brooklyn complimented to a fun family of four that reminded her of her own close-knit family growing up. The dad was tall and handsome like her father with an attentive, caring nature toward his wife and two children. The mother was pretty and warm, reminding Brooklyn of her mother with a sweet personality. The son was the oldest at ten and seemed to take his role of big brother serious for his sister who was five and had tripped over her shoelaces when they were in line. He immediately picked her up, tied her shoes, and asked was she okay followed by offering her his ice cone. They’d attended the movie night a few weeks before and had returned to watch Jurassic Park to end their vacation before heading back to Connecticu
t in the morning, having spent the summer on St. Simons.

  “Thank you,” the mother answered. “My children loved the pictures from last time and wanted to do it again.”

  “Well, let’s take one more for the road,” Brooklyn said, noting the time on her watch and the line of people whose pictures she had to take before the movie began in thirty minutes. She was exhausted from a photo session with a bridal party and working on pure adrenaline, but had promised Addison she would do a photo booth as part of the pre-movie festivities that started two hours beforehand. Luckily, the music along with a candy bar had pepped her up a bit until she could eat the picnic dinner she’d packed.

  She changed the green screen to reflect waves of ocean water, and the family of four did a surfing pose with the little boy pretending to fall over at the end. Laughing, she showed the mother the pictures on the computer and handed her a card with a number. “Take this to the young lady at the end of the booth. Your pictures will be printed momentarily. Have a safe trip home.”

  After they left, she continued with more families, children, couples, and individuals until she motioned to her photography intern, Kelli, to put the “Closed” sign up as the movie would begin soon.

  “Whew, we’re done,” Kelli said, sipping her bottled water and sweeping her chestnut bangs away from her brow. “How many pictures did you take? A thousand?”

  “Feels like it,” Brooklyn answered, packing up their belongings. “I’m pleased with the turn out.”

  “Addison did a lot of advertising and Jurassic Park is a classic, you know.”

  “Yep. I remember watching it as a little girl with my family. Rasheed and I enjoyed it so much our parents took us back the next day.”

  She spotted the bouncy ponytail of Reagan’s future sister-in-law, Parker Harrison-Sampson, along with her daughters, Lana and Bianca, in line at a food truck. Parker was dressed in khaki shorts and an Ocean World Escape T-shirt where she worked as a marine biologist. After handing her daughters some cash, she headed in Brooklyn’s direction carrying a picnic basket as Kelli excused herself and finished packing the equipment.

  “Hey, Brooklyn,” Parker greeted, with a wide smile showing off her high cheekbones that would give supermodels a run for their money. Her honey-kissed skin had a slight tan from working outside all day training dolphins. “Thank you for sending me the pictures of the girls from the engagement barbecue.”

  “No problem. They had so much fun with their poses,” Brooklyn responded with a hug. “Great to see you here.” She noted a sadness about her, for even though Parker was smiling with her mouth, her almond-shaped eyes didn’t display it. It was something Brooklyn had picked up on being a photographer.

  “We barely made it. Traffic is jammed on the bridge from Brunswick to the island. I left work early to pick up the girls from school and run errands thinking I could beat the traffic. Now I’m ready to relax with a glass of wine,” she sighed, patting the top of the basket.

  “Geez. If you left Brunswick to drive to the girls’ school in Jacksonville, Florida, and then back over here to the island, I’d say two glasses except you have to drive all the way back to Jacksonville again.”

  Parker’s face scrunched into a melancholy of emotions as she shook her head. “No. Actually, I didn’t go there. The girls and I live in Brunswick now. Closer to my job and my family.” She paused as a wistful expression washed over her delicate features. “I filed for divorce from my soon-to-be ex earlier this summer and moved here a few weeks ago. We’re staying on my parents’ yacht at the marina until I move to Hamilton Island next year to work at the new Ocean World once its complete.”

  Brooklyn’s hand flew to her mouth in an instant and she briefly glanced at Lana and Bianca who were laying out a blanket on the grass. “Oh, Parker. I know we don’t know each other well so I had no idea. I’m so sorry. I just saw you two at the engagement barbecue last week.” However, she remembered the couple barely spoke or even acknowledged each other. She assumed they’d had a disagreement like any other married couple.

  “He showed up unannounced to see the girls, and they invited him to tag along. I don’t want them to see us arguing. Trust me, I was ready to curse his trifling ass out, but at the same time I want him to see the girls as much as possible before we move. They aren’t taking the divorce well. However, my family has been a wonderful support system.”

  “I’m so sorry you all are going through this,” Brooklyn said, touching Parker’s hand. “Perhaps you two may reconcile.”

  Parker pursed her lips. “No, I’m impatiently waiting for him to sign the papers. He’s stalling over a hurt ego and shocked I actually filed and have moved on with my life. I thought he would be relieved so he could marry his side chick with the baby on the way and not have to sneak around anymore or lie about working overtime. But in the meantime, we co-parent our beautiful daughters. They’re the only wonderful thing that came out of our marriage.”

  Dang, did she say side chick? A pregnant one at that. “Yes, your daughters are beautiful and so intelligent. Reagan is always saying how sweet and well-rounded they are.” Brooklyn had decided to change the subject when she saw a tear form in the corner of Parker’s eye.

  “Ahh, yes. They’re crazy about Auntie Reagan, as they now started to call her at the engagement party. They’re ecstatic to be junior bridesmaids in the wedding. They were on the top deck practicing walking down the aisle last night.” Parker paused, glancing in the girls’ direction as Lana waved to her. They’d set up the blanket with their food and were laying down playing on their cellphones and snapping selfies. “Well, I’m going to settle in before the movie begins. Are you staying?”

  Brooklyn wanted to jet home and sleep until the roosters crowed; however, she decided to stay when she spotted Chase earlier chatting with Addison. It had been a week since his photo session and their dinner at Brogen’s. They’d seen each other in passing as both of their schedules had been hectic with his first week of school and Brooklyn had several events to leading up to a wedding with a weekend full of festivities.

  “Yep. I think I’ll stick around for a bit.”

  *****

  “Wow, baby sis. I’m impressed with your event planning skills. Movie night is packed.” Chase perused all the people in a variety of ages in the park gathering to see Jurassic Park. People were in low camp chairs, seated on picnic blankets, waiting in line at the numerous food trucks, or dancing to the music while they waited for the movie to start. He spotted Brooklyn when he arrived, but she was busy snapping pictures at the photo station. He was going to stop by and say hello but his sister put him to work setting up a few tents.

  “I’m glad you think so, though your parents may not agree.” Addison pointed a finger toward him as a solemn sadness washed over her features.

  He hated their parents couldn’t understand Addison was happy with her life choices. “My parents?” He chuckled at her usual sarcasm. “Still pestering you, huh?”

  “I spoke to the Judge briefly this afternoon. He wanted to know if I had thought any more about law school.”

  “Ah … I see.” He imagined their father, who they called the Judge, wearing a scowl across his face and his bald head that matched his and Hunter’s probably displayed more creases than a pair of dress slacks. “Well, you did say you were doing a gap year before law school to travel… and it’s been over three years.”

  Rolling her eyes up, Addison placed her hands on her hips. “I’m not interested. He thinks I’ll eventually change my mind like Shelbi did when she wasn’t sure about being a doctor. Uncle Frances wouldn’t let up, and now neither will his brother. Is it an Arrington thing? Must we follow in our parents’ footsteps? So because our cousins are all doctors like Uncle Frances and Aunt Darla, does that mean we all have to be lawyers like Mom and Dad? I wonder what Uncle Sean’s children are going through … if he even had children.” She shrugged, mentioning their uncle she barely knew. He’d been diagnosed with PTSD from serving in the Army a
nd being on a few tours of duty which led him to commit suicide when she was a toddler. However, there had been rumors he possibly had children. Zoe had begun the research to find out if it was true in order to welcome them into the Arrington family.

  “Something I wrestled with as well,” Chase said in an empathetic tone. “I think it’s one of the reasons why I left the firm the first time.”

  “But you were still a lawyer.”

  “True, but I wasn’t happy being an ADA. It was very political. And that’s the difference for me. I wasn’t happy with my career change.”

  “And what if going back to Wentworth, Arrington, and Associates is a mistake?”

  “Not this time. Mom is taking on more civil rights cases with the way of the world lately. It’s something I’m passionate about. As far as your situation, I wouldn’t worry too much. I think it’s safe to say our parents know they raised a rebellious child, Journey.”

  “Whatever,” she said, playfully punching Chase on the upper arm. “I don’t believe in staying in one place for too long.”

  “Exactly. And speaking of, when are you leaving again for Florida?”

  “Tuesday, and you’re moving into your rental home this weekend?”

  He sighed heavily at the reminder of this afternoon’s conversation with the dean’s secretary. “Yes and no. I’m moving back into the hotel this weekend.”

  “Why?”

  “The rental has some type of an electrical issue now, but don’t worry. I’ll be fine. The department is footing the bill for the hotel. It’s only for another week or so.”