Then There Was You

by Candace Shaw

  “Will do, Addi, and thank you.” Brooklyn’s forehead scrunched as Addi eyed the functions on the camera. “Just press the red button at the top,” she instructed.

  “Got it,” Addi said. “Okay, ladies. Say sistas for life!”

  *****

  Brooklyn yawned as she prepared the ham and herb omelet to serve along with her mother’s Sunday biscuits. It wasn’t Sunday, but Chase was leaving soon to drive the eleven hours to Memphis and she wanted to make sure he had a hearty breakfast. Addison was tagging along to attend a friend’s birthday party and would fly back two days later in time for a work event. Brooklyn was cooking breakfast for the three of them, but she had no appetite. Yawning again, she glanced at the clock on the microwave that read six-thirty in the morning. She didn’t sleep well last night, but instead dozed off and on as he held her snug against his chest as if he wasn’t ever letting her go. In between his soft snoring, he’d wake up, kiss her on the forehead or cheek, and pull her even tighter against him.

  The alarm of the front door chimed as Chase went in and out to pack his luggage into the trunk of his car. The tugging in her heart pained every beat. Hearing the click of the lock caused a slight dizziness to cascade over her as it signaled he was done. Small things such as that were weighing heavy on her as the time drew near for him to leave her life.

  Blinking her eyelashes rapidly to ward off the tears that wanted to fall, Brooklyn flipped the omelet onto a platter with the other two and turned off the stove. Opening the lid to the cheese grits, she stirred them to make sure they were creamy and smooth just the way he liked them. The coffee maker beeped, and she poured a cup while yawning again. She took a sip just as comforting arms wrapped around her waist and a tender kiss on the neck commissioned a sigh to exhale from them both. The fresh shower scent mingled with Chase’s cologne aroused her senses. She held in another sigh that wanted to escape as it occurred to her this would be the last time his scent filled her atmosphere. Scooting out of his cocoon, Brooklyn grabbed the platters of food and set them on the kitchen table that was set just as it was the morning they’d first ate breakfast together months before. He swiped the pot of grits and placed it on top of the trivet on the table.

  “Here you go, beautiful,” Chase offered, holding out her chair.

  She turned toward the refrigerator to grab the butter and jam. “I’m not hungry at the moment but eat up. Addi will be here in a little bit.” Brooklyn hoped soon so the awkwardness soaring through her veins could end. She didn’t think it would be so hard to say good-bye to him for she’d tried to write it off as just a fall fling, but her heart was screaming otherwise.

  “I stopped by Addi’s while I was outside. She just woke up and will be over in thirty minutes or so. She’s not even packed,” he said, ending with a sarcastic laugh.

  Leaning against the counter, Brooklyn sipped her coffee while trying to hold in her tears. “Well, you know Addi hitches her house up to her truck and hits the road with all her belongings in tow.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Car all packed?” she asked, trying to prolong the inevitable conversation that was written all over his face. Last night, she sensed he wanted to talk about their relationship continuing past today after they made love, but she yawned a few times, citing she was tired, and pretended to fall asleep.

  “Yep,” he answered, spreading butter over his biscuit. “Hmm … this reminds me of our first date. You cooked breakfast for us.”

  She laughed lightly and joined him at the table. “I was already making breakfast for me and it wasn’t a date,” she reminded. She wasn’t hungry but found herself making a small plate just to keep her nerves occupied.

  “But it was perfect timing. I enjoyed that day … I’ve enjoyed all of our days and nights together since then.”

  “Me too,” she answered, scared of where this conversation could head.

  “But you still …” He stopped with the bread in his hand midway in the air.

  “Yes. I think it’s best.”

  “You know where I am if you change your mind,” Chase said, popping the piece of biscuit in his mouth and taking a sip of his orange juice.

  Nodding, she took a bite of her cheese grits so she wouldn’t have to verbally answer.

  “You have to visit Memphis sometime,” he said as if he knew the thought in her head. “Your family is there.”

  “Yes, my brother and his family are there.”

  “Okay. I won’t press you anymore. I know we agreed … I just hadn’t totally given up. When you find that special someone to spend the rest of your life with, you don’t give up …especially when you know she feels the exact same way. However, you’ve made your feelings clear because of your own personal reasons.”

  “Chase … I …” Brooklyn stumbled and stopped as her heart began to race.

  A light rap at the backdoor was followed by it opening, and Addison sticking her head in.

  “Is it safe to enter?” she asked, covering her eyes with her hand but leaving a slot open to peek through. “Just wanted to make sure ya’ll weren’t on the kitchen table getting in one last tryst or something. Wait, you haven’t actually done it there have you? I do eat on it, you know.”

  Laughing, Brooklyn shook her head. “Girl, get in here,” she said, motioning with her hand, grateful Addison appeared when she did. “Breakfast is still hot, and I packed lunch for you two as well. Chicken salad croissants, fruit salad, and other goodies to tide you over for twelve hours so you don’t have to eat fast food.”

  Strolling in with a duffle bag on her back, Addison placed it on the floor next to the backdoor before joining them at the table. She glanced at Chase while pouring coffee into a mug and gave him a thoughtful pout.

  “I can eat at home and come back when you’re ready to leave if you guys need some more alone time,” Addison suggested, eyeing Chase and Brooklyn back in forth. “Just call,” she said, sliding an omelet on her plate.

  “No,” Chase said in an abrupt tone. “We’ll leave after breakfast. I gassed up the car last night and all of my suitcases are in the trunk. I saved a spot for yours.”

  “I’ll drive first,” Addison offered, studying his face which held a clenched jaw. “I purposely went to sleep early last night.”

  “Nah, just relax for awhile,” he answered, digging into his omelet. “I’ll drive.”

  Brooklyn noticed the solemn expression he was trying to hide, but she knew he was probably glad Addison had arrived as well as the conversation would veer downhill if they continued to talk.

  Brooklyn didn’t want to end their relationship on a bad note. Honestly, she thought this would be easy considering they agreed to have fun while he was here. But what did she do? She fell harder than expected, causing her mind and heart to be in a topsy turvy state, and now Chase barely wanted to look at her.

  They ate and chatted for the next thirty minutes with Addison doing most of the talking about her next adventure at the end of the year which included climbing down an active waterfall.

  “Everything was delish, Brook,” Addison complimented, scooting her chair back and standing. Swiping hers and Chase’s empty dishes from the table, she headed to the sink.

  “Thank you. Just set them on the counter. I’m going to toss everything in the dishwasher when you guys leave.” And then cry like a baby.

  “We should hit the road in about ten minutes, Addi,” Chase said with a slight rumble in his throat. “I’ll go ahead and place your belongings in the car.”

  “Okay.” Addison hesitated, glancing at Brooklyn who was clearing the rest of the dishes from the table. “I forgot my ereader, and since you’re driving first I can finish reading the latest Phyllis Bourne novel,” she announced, turning on her heel and making long strides to the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Once Addison left, Brooklyn began loading the dishwasher to hide the sadness that swept through every cell in her body. It was sinking in that Chase would be out of her life for
good within the next few moments. While she knew it was her decision, it hurt as if it wasn’t. She was breaking her own heart, but she figured it would be easier to do it now as opposed to starting a relationship that would end with them breaking up because they’d never live in the same city.

  Warm hands encircled her waist and turned her around. Intense eyes bore into hers with a string of emotions all rolled into one. Anger, adoration, and puzzlement were etched on his face. He placed his forehead on hers and breathed out a long-winded groan. She tried to keep calm. No matter what she wasn’t going to let him see her cry. That wasn’t the last image of her she wanted him to have. Instead, she kissed him lightly on the lips and smiled through the pain crushing her chest like a two-ton weight.

  “I’m going to miss you, Chase. My time with you was precious and everything I knew it would be since the moment we met.”

  He inhaled and glanced away from her for a second. She sensed he wanted to ask her one more time to reconsider. Instead, Chase shook his head as if he knew her answer would be in the negative.

  “The time we shared will forever be engraved on my heart, Brooklyn,” he said tenderly against her lips. “I will hate every moment when we’re apart. You will always be very special to me, no matter what happens in the future. I hope everything you want out of life happens.”

  “Thank you, Chase, and I wish the same for you. I know you’ll succeed in this new journey, as well.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I guess … we should … uh … say good-bye now.” Her voice cracked over the words as true reality sunk in.

  Placing his hands on either side of her face, he stared into her eyes as his welled with tears. “I’m not saying good-bye. Instead, I’ll say see you later … hopefully sooner than later.”

  Before she could answer, he landed a deep, possessive kiss on her lips, causing her entire body to tremble against his. Her heart broke into a million pieces at that very instant.

  “I guess it’s that time,” Brooklyn said, pulling away from his embrace. However, he held her firm to him.

  “Back to reality,” he whispered with a shudder. “I’m going to miss this. Miss us, baby.”

  Brooklyn pulled away again as the tears wanted to escape misty eyes and the voice in her head that screamed so loud she was sure even he could hear it saying, “Don’t let him get away.” Chase released her from the safety of his arms, causing her lungs to stop compressing, but she couldn’t worry about it now. It was all over just like that.

  She heard Addi’s voice in the distance talking on the phone in an upbeat manner. Walking to the backdoor, Brooklyn opened it to let in Addi, who zoned in on her friend’s face and gave her a warm, comforting hug.

  “Okay, girlie,” Addison started in a chipper voice, “I’ll miss your home-cooked meals. I’m staying with Zoe, and she doesn’t cook … okay, she does but not that great,” she stated, laughing. “But she’s great at ordering food, though,”

  Brooklyn laughed back which she knew that’s what Addison wanted her to do to lighten the mood. “It’s only three days.”

  “I know, but obviously you’ve never had Zoe’s cooking …” Addison said, squeezing Brooklyn again before letting go. She turned toward Chase who was lifting the pull handle of the ice chest with their lunch. “You ready to head back to Memphis?” she asked. “You have a law firm to run, big brother.”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Chase answered, heading to the front door with the ladies on his heels.

  “All right, you two,” Brooklyn said, opening the front door, letting the travelers pass through. “Have a safe trip.” She stayed on the porch instead of following them out to the car. She wanted to hug him one last time, but she knew she’d turn on the waterworks at the highest level, and she didn’t want that to be his last memory. Instead, Brooklyn waved good-bye and turned back inside of the house before they left the driveway. Peeking out the window, she watched until she could no longer see the taillights of Chase’s BMW and that’s when she skedaddled back to her bed, engulfed herself in her sheets that still held his intoxicating scent, and let out a long, hard cry over the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “So how do you like your new office with Wentworth, Arrington, and Associates?” Zoe asked, opening the double doors and stepping aside to let Chase enter onto the shiny walnut hardwood. “As you can see, we did some renovations since your last visit considering this used to be Mother’s old office.” She stood in the middle of the corner office on the fifth floor which overlooked an expansive view of the Mississippi River and the Hernando de Soto bridge that led to West Memphis, Arkansas. “Well?” she asked, sliding her hands in the pockets of her black palazzo dress slacks. “We didn’t think you’d want antique white wallpaper with pink tea roses and cream carpet.”

  “Ha, no. Not at all.” Chase chuckled in agreement as his eyes scanned the rich wood paneled walls with matching crown molding that ran in the middle to make an architectural design. Empty bookcases flanked the two walls without floor to ceiling windows that were luckily tinted to block out the glaring morning sun that had just been in his eyes while he drove to work. He had a ton of law books and souvenirs from his recent travels abroad during the first half of his sabbatical to fill the shelves. On the left side of the room was a sitting area with a chocolate-colored leather couch with a matching love seat perfect for his long nights ahead with cases, and he’d need a spot to nap. On the opposite side, was a round conference table with four chairs for meetings or spreading out his work. The focal point, however, was the antique wood, hand-carved desk which once belonged to his great-grandfather, Hunter Wentworth, who’d started the firm decades ago. Chase had always admired the desk of the man he never knew, but had heard and read countless stories of how his great-grandfather started the law firm during a time when African-Americans were still not completely welcomed in the field. It was one of the reasons he wanted to carry on the family legacy and make sure this mother’s grandfather was never forgotten.

  “Everything is perfect,” he said, running his hand along the top of the fine wood and walking around it in awe. He used to sit there as a teenager when his mother wasn’t in her office, and pretend it was his. “I’m surprised Mom is giving it to me.” The last time he worked there after law school, his desk was a fake wood desk picked out of an office furniture catalog.

  “Well she’s retired now and figured you would appreciate it. I have granddaddy Wentworth’s desk.”

  “Ah … I see,” Chase said, taking a seat in the leather swivel chair. His eyes rested on an 8x10 family portrait of him, his parents, and siblings that he was sure his mother had placed there for him. The brass frame engraved with ‘The Arringtons’ in calligraphy was much too fancy for his taste, but he definitely wasn’t going to switch it to another one. “Your favorite person in the whole world.”

  Zoe sat in one of the brown leather chairs in front of the desk and crossed her legs. “He was a great man and such a sweetheart … well, maybe not in the courtroom but with us, he was the funniest man alive. I miss him and his corny jokes.”

  “Yeah, me too, sis,” he agreed, remembering their grandfather’s hearty laugh after he told his jokes whether they were funny or not. “I’m glad you and I are able to carry on the family legacy.”

  “Yes, and speaking of family legacies, I heard back from the private investigator I hired to look into Uncle Sean’s life.”

  “Really?” Chase asked, taking off his blue suit jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. “What did he say?”

  “We have another cousin,” Zoe announced with a clap her hands. “Her name is Giselle Arrington. She’s thirty, single, and no children. She lives in Laurelville, a small town in Connecticut outside of Hartford, and she’s a romance writer but under a pen name.”

  “Cool. So she’s not a lawyer or a doctor, huh?” Chase questioned. “Wait, is her mother an author, too?”

  “No, but her mot
her has recently passed. Apparently, they married before his first tour of duty when they were barely twenty, but it turned tumultuous when he returned. She divorced him when Giselle was a baby, cutting off all contact, and moved to Laurelville. Uncle Sean did a few more tours of duty before moving back to Memphis. I spoke to Dad this morning about it. He said he and Uncle Frances never knew their baby brother had a family, though he was suffering from severe PTSD and was on drugs. The investigator gave me Giselle’s contact information. I reached out last night, but she hasn’t returned my call yet.”

  “Have you told anyone else in the family?”

  “No. I’m going to wait until I hear back, if I hear back. She never searched for us so maybe she doesn’t want to be in contact.”

  “And we’ll have to respect that,” Chase said with a wistful shrug of his shoulders. “Perhaps she didn’t know or want to search for us. Who knows what her mother told her about her father.”

  “True, so I won’t press the issue if she wants to be left alone.” Zoe paused for a moment as a strained frown emerged on her face. “Have you spoken to Brooklyn since you returned?” she asked in a soft, comforting voice.

  It had been a week since he returned to Memphis and Brooklyn stayed heavy on his mind. He’d assumed once he returned home, she would be out of his system because he needed to become acclimated once again to his normal life. He figured meetings with Zoe and his mother as she officially turned over the reins of the firm to them and catching up with his friends would keep him occupied. Instead, tasks such as dusting off his pool table only reminded him of their time in Destin, and when they made love when he was supposed to be teaching her how to play pool.