“This is cool, Brooks,” Hunter said. “Take all the time you need. We got things around here.”
“Of course we do,” Mallory said.
“I appreciate that. But I’ll be back by Monday. Lots to do on the Foster pitch.”
“We’re behind you. Just know that, okay?” Samantha said, and squeezed her hand. “But are you sure you want to go alone? I could move some things around. It’s not a bad idea for you to have someone there with you for moral support. A familiar face.”
Samantha was dubbed the sweet one of the group for a reason. It had occurred to Brooklyn that it might be a lot to take on her own, but at the same time she didn’t know how she felt about involving her friends in these uncharted waters. They knew her history, but she’d held back the darker details of her childhood from them for a reason. She didn’t want them to feel sorry for her or to let who she once was define the way they viewed her now. She’d worked really hard to break free of the past and didn’t want to drag them into it now. And she had no idea what she would find in Connecticut. “That’s all right. You guys have a lot on your plates here. I’ll be fine on my own. Promise.”
Samantha slid her a look of sympathetic understanding. “Let me know if you change your mind. We’re here for you.” Mallory and Hunter nodded in agreement.
“I know.” And they were, just like always.
No matter what happened on her trip, she had her friends waiting for her back home. The family she’d never had. They’d pick her back up and dust her off and listen to whatever details she was willing to supply them with. Good or bad.
She was beyond lucky to have them.
*
It was hotter than most days in autumn, and Jessica decided to go sans coat, which would have just given her one more thing to carry anyway. The morning had been crazy hectic, but she’d get a much-needed break after this planning session at Foster.
As she climbed the steps to the office building, she smiled as she spotted Brooklyn making her way down. Since she had a meeting scheduled at Foster, she was guessing Brooklyn had just finished one of her own.
They hadn’t seen each other in a few days. A couple of text messages here and there, but it wasn’t the same as seeing Brooklyn in person, taking her in. She’d missed her. And running into her in the flesh easily took her somewhere light, happy.
Brooklyn returned the smile as their gaze collided. “Well, what do ya know? The Lennox Group is here.”
“Not a group today. Just me.”
“That’s how I like it. Time for coffee? Please say yes.”
Jessica checked her watch. Damn it. “Actually, no. I have a meeting in five.”
“Oh. Fun fact. The Foster people like it when folks are late. I’m positive about that. So coffee?”
“There you go trying to steal this account from me again.”
“It’s part of my DNA. But hey, how do you know it’s not just my way of getting to spend a little time with you?” She smiled and Jessica felt the flutter. She loved that smile. And she was growing rather fond of the flutter too.
“I like that version better.” She shifted her attaché. “What about this weekend? Dinner?”
Brooklyn paused and looked at her in apology. “I kind of have something to do this weekend.”
A crash and burn. She felt the semi-embarrassed flush, which was also a new occurrence. “Oh. Okay. Well, another time. I better get to that meeting.”
“Okay.”
She made it about five more steps before the sound of Brooklyn’s voice stopped her. “Jess?”
“Yeah?”
“Ever been to Connecticut?”
She stared at Brooklyn, not really understanding the trajectory. “Can’t say I have.”
“Wanna go?”
*
As Brooklyn stood in line at Starbucks twenty minutes later, she was still shocked that she’d invited Jessica to go with her to meet her mother. It was the biggest day of her life they were talking about, not dinner and a movie. Who takes a date to something like this? The invitation had flown from her mouth on impulse. It wasn’t like she’d actually thought it through. But the more she marinated on the concept, the more it didn’t seem like such a horrible idea.
It would be nice to have a little moral support. And on the plus side, Jessica was close enough to her to know the story, but peripheral enough to not add any extra pressure. She was kind of the perfect person for the job.
And let’s be forthright, she craved time with Jessica.
When they weren’t together, she daydreamed about what she was doing, what her lips tasted like. But she already knew the answer to that one. Strawberry lip gloss and it was damn sexy. Brooklyn daydreamed about Jess during her downtime, her uptime, anytime really. Plus, her company would make the drive a little more fun. Maybe if she turned this thing into an adventure, it would feel a tad less terrifying.
She’d rented a cottage for the weekend on one of those rental websites, and now she was wildly aware that the sleeping arrangement could be an issue. Proper precautions might be in order. She wasn’t planning to sleep with Jessica on the trip. It would be totally out of context, and they’d agreed to take it slow for her sake.
This weekend wasn’t about figuring out how to maneuver the waters of their complex relationship, and she didn’t want the temptation looming over her. And with Jessica, temptation was always present. They’d have time for all that wonderful romantic stuff down the road. And what Hunter said was true. Baby steps were the way to go.
She grabbed a table in the corner of Starbucks, logged onto the rental site, and changed the reservation to a two-bedroom on the same street.
Because, you know what? Better safe than sorry.
Chapter Twelve
It was just past lunchtime and Jessica waited in front of her building with Patrick. Brooklyn had been supposed to pick her up for their drive to Connecticut ten minutes prior. She checked her watch again, reminding herself that Brooklyn was often late. And okay, she had some extra energy and this little thrum of anticipation in the pit of her stomach for what was to come.
This trip was a big deal for Brooklyn. Huge.
She was surprised to be invited along, honored even, and okay, also a little nervous. It was important that this go well for Brooklyn, and she would play whatever part she had to help make that happen.
She’d only known Brooklyn a couple of months, but in that time, she’d crept up on her steadily, and now she felt important to Jessica in a way she wouldn’t have guessed. Feelings were swirling that she didn’t quite have a name for yet, but she was interested in figuring them out.
Brooklyn was a complicated person, she was finding, and so she had to allow for that. She’d been through a lot and that influenced how she handled things, took in people, situations. She hadn’t planned on Brooklyn. But now that she was here, the world around her seemed to spark into color.
So when she was asked to go to Connecticut, of course she had to try. Her schedule wasn’t the type that was easy to rearrange, but she’d managed to do it. Nothing too major should happen at the office on the weekend, and if it did, well, that’s what cell phones were for.
She’d packed a small suitcase for the trip, not exactly sure what the requisite dress code would be. Casual should be fine. Right?
Patrick eyed her jeans and scoop-neck T-shirt. “No work today, Ms. Lennox?”
“Oh. I took the day off.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Never seen you take a weekday off before.”
“Never?”
“No, ma’am.”
She thought on this and supposed he had a point. Not many things could make her shove aside an entire day of work. Not many people could either, for that matter. She took note of the fact that Brooklyn had.
That had to count for something, right?
As much as she second-guessed the logic of dating her biggest rival, this was yet another example that something di
fferent was at work here. And whatever it was warranted wading through the complicated details to figure out if they made sense.
Her thoughts were abruptly derailed as a lime-green VW Beetle sped to the curb in front of her and stopped abruptly, race-car-driver style. She raised an eyebrow at Brooklyn, who stepped from the vehicle.
“Hey, Andretti. Did you mistake this curb for your pit stop?”
Brooklyn’s mouth fell open. “Is that commentary on my driving?”
“Absolutely not. The words reckless and scary didn’t cross my mind at all.” She punctuated with a smile.
“Oh, good, because I happen to take the way I drive very seriously. It’s a source of pride.” She reached for Jessica’s suitcase and paused, seemingly struck. “Hey, you’re in jeans.”
Jessica glanced down. “I am. But so are you. Should I have dressed up more?”
“No. But Casual Jess is new for me. I didn’t know you were capable of…” She sighed and rerouted, blowing out a breath. “You look good like this. Really good.” Brooklyn studied her with obvious interest and then broke into a blush when Jessica answered with a knowing grin. Patrick pretended to study something on his glove.
“In that case, thank you. I accept the compliment.”
But Brooklyn looked fabulous herself. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail, and with a white T-shirt and baby-blue hoodie, her eyes popped with amazing color. The rip in her jeans was customary and thereby endearing. Kind of her signature. She looked fresh-faced. Youthful. Beautiful. But then she was always beautiful. She was Brooklyn. And, at that realization, a warmth flowed through her that manifested in a smile.
They loaded Jessica’s suitcase into the backseat, and Brooklyn held the passenger door open for her. “Shall we?”
“Is this going to be a terrifying experience? I don’t do good with terrifying.”
“No way. I take my driving very seriously, and I plan to take very good care of you. The best.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” She eased into the passenger’s seat and popped her sunglasses on.
“You have Chanel sunglasses?”
“I do.”
Brooklyn laughed. “Of course you do. I am so out of my depth with you. Are you sure you don’t mind being seen with me?”
“Are you kidding? You give me hipster points.”
“That’s true. I do that.”
And with a final wave to Patrick, they headed out of the city, top down, wind blowing their hair as Justin Timberlake sang about bringing sexy back.
Brooklyn couldn’t describe the feeling she got when she realized it wasn’t just a bunch of talk. Jessica was actually coming with her and doing it out of the goodness of her heart. It meant something to her. She wasn’t sure what quite yet. But she’d sort it out eventually. When you had a gorgeous brunette in your top-down convertible, why rush to rationalizations?
But what Jessica didn’t know was that trip almost hadn’t happened at all.
When she’d awoken that morning, she had come very close to canceling the whole thing. Her stomach was churning, her palms were sweating, and horrible thoughts of all the ways this meeting could go disastrously wrong chased themselves around her mind like some sort of emotional haunted house. She should never have agreed to this, to meeting Cynthia. Way too lofty. She wasn’t ready. What if it was awkward? And of course it would be. She didn’t know this woman other than from the briefest of phone conversations. What if she wasn’t nearly as together as she seemed? What if she was a drug dealer and lying about everything? Surely she was a drug dealer.
But it was bigger than just a prospective awkward meeting, and she knew it.
It seemed like her whole life was based around the fact that the people who were supposed to love her more than anyone else in the world simply didn’t. They’d given her away, and that fact had colored every move she’d made since. And though she wished to God it didn’t matter to her, she needed to understand why. And maybe if she could understand, the rest of her life might fall into place. The barriers she built up around herself would somehow become easier to dismantle.
She looked over at Jessica, who, apparently sensing her unease, reached over and ran her hand across the back of her neck in reassurance. Her heart did a little dip at the sentiment. There was so much to Jessica, more than the rest of the world gave her credit for. But for whatever reason, she’d let Brooklyn in, allowed her to see the softer side beneath the calm, cool exterior. Now if she could just learn to do the same. And the truth was, she wanted to lose those barriers. Maybe taking this big step in her life would help with that.
“Think we’ll make it there by next week?” Jessica asked, surveying the gridlock in front of them on West Fortieth.
“Don’t you worry, attractive business rival in my passenger seat. The one thing you don’t know about me is my amazing ability to maneuver around the traffic of New York City. Sit tight.”
“The phrase ‘sit tight’ sounds ominous. Do I want to see this?”
Brooklyn adjusted her rearview mirror and did some finger stretches. “Oh, I think you do.”
When the light changed, Brooklyn veered them into the left lane, accelerating sharply and passing three cars to their right before cutting off the fourth. Horns honked in symphony, but they’d gained valuable ground. As the light in front of them clung to its final moment of yellow, Brooklyn snuck past, leaving the other cars stacked up behind them at the intersection. When they encountered traffic, Brooklyn zigged. When they ran into more gridlock, she zagged. She used back streets, took corners like she owned them, and did so without taking out any pedestrians in the process. Though it was close.
It wasn’t until they were safely out of the city and onto the expressway that she sent Jessica her most winning smile. “Tell me you’re impressed. We’d be sitting back there for another twenty minutes if anyone else had been driving.”
Jessica shook her head slowly in mystification. “I don’t know whether to be turned on or terrified of you right now. It’s an interesting combination. ”
She considered this. “I could probably work with both.”
“Let’s not get off topic. You’re kind of a menace. A skilled menace, because I’ve never seen anyone sail through the city like that, but a menace all the same.”
“I like to drive fast and I’m good at it.” Brooklyn shrugged. “Call it whatever you like.”
“Death-defying. Let’s go with that.”
“I can get behind death-defying.” She popped on her sunglasses and took them to I-91, where they cruised unencumbered for a good half hour. Brooklyn sang along with the radio as Jess bopped subtly in time to the beat. The vibe was peaceful, and the weather couldn’t have been more picturesque if they’d ordered it up special for the drive. The sky was gorgeous, voluminous, creamy clouds playing against the backdrop of vibrant blue.
“Oh, look!” Jessica pointed in earnest to a billboard “There’s a dairy out here. And they’re open to the public. We should come back out here someday.”
Brooklyn was intrigued by the reaction. “You have a penchant for milk and cheese that I don’t know about yet?”
“I have a penchant for sweet, adorable cows. I never get out of the city. Cows are like leprechauns when you’re a New Yorker. Heard about, but rarely seen in person. They have the kindest little faces.”
Brooklyn stole another look at the light in Jessica’s eyes and made a decision. “Okay then.” She took the marked exit and steered them in the direction of the sweet, adorable cows.
“Wait. We’re actually stopping? Oh, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want to put us behind schedule. This trip is more important.”
“We have plenty of time. I think this is something I have to experience with you.”
A grin crept onto Jessica’s face. “Well, when you put it that way. Okay, I’m in.”
They followed the winding road for a few miles before they pulled onto a smaller gravel road that took them to Heaven’s Gate D
airy. It appeared they weren’t the only ones interested in an up-close look, as the small parking lot overflowed with cars. The dairy seemed medium-sized and was comprised of side-by-side buildings, several large pastures, a main holding pen, and a large red house with a PUBLIC WELCOME sign in the shape of a cow hanging above the door.
“This could be educational,” Brooklyn mused as she led the way into the house.
“I’m counting on it.”
The front room served as a miniature gift shop with odds and ends all branded with the words “Heaven’s Gate.” Jessica held up a bumper sticker. “I think we need this for your car.”
“Or your briefcase.”
Brooklyn tried on a cowboy hat and turned to Jessica. “I could have easily gone into the cow business. Look how irresistible I am right now.”
Jessica adjusted the hat. “I don’t know why you didn’t.”
“You probably have to ride horses and know about milk.”
“There is that. Maybe you could sneak by on your fashion-forward sensibility.”
She thought this over. “I could. But then you’d land the Foster account and the universe would be upside down.”
“Wow.” Jessica laughed. “And I’m the one everyone thinks is cutthroat? But I have to agree with you about one thing.”
Brooklyn sent her a sideways glance in curiosity. “And what would that be?”
“You are infinitely irresistible.” Jessica smiled that smile that she seemed to reserve for very honest moments, and Brooklyn felt it tingle through her. She loved when that smile came out and would do what she had to in order to figure out how to see it more often. They held each other’s gaze until Brooklyn slowly smiled back at the woman who could elicit so much in her so easily. Jessica stepped into her space and took the hat off her head. “Want to go see some adorable cows?” Jessica finally murmured.
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