“Hey.” He stirred again, pulling the pile of covers up to tuck under his chin. “I’m hungry. How do you feel about breakfast?”
“I’m a big, big breakfast fan.”
“Best meal of the day.” He grinned. “Let’s run up to the inn. It’s still early enough to beat the crowd.”
Brooke sat up, suddenly wide awake. “Um…no. I’m not going into your family’s restaurant for early-morning breakfast in the same dress I had on last night.”
“Why not?”
“Trevor.”
“Have I told you how much I love it when you say my name all outragey and indignant?”
“My dress is rumpled. You’ve got…sex hair. It’d be wildly inappropriate.”
“If we went to breakfast naked, that would be wildly inappropriate.”
She shook her head, not unlike a petulant child.
“I don’t care if they know we spent the night together. I want them to know.”
Brooke rubbed her eyes, blinking his words into focus. “You do?”
Private, casual-about-everything Trevor wanted his family to know, without question, that they were together.
“Yeah. I do. And need I to remind you that my sister and her not-yet-boyfriend Wright came over to Jolie for, and I quote, business, and ended up having to check in so they could get it on? All of which you bore witness to. I don’t think my family is worried about what’s appropriate. They’re not going to judge us and I’m really, really hungry.”
Defiant, her stomach chose that moment to growl. Loudly.
“Uh-huh. See? Breakfast. You know you want some.”
Guilty as charged. She could eat half a dozen pieces of bacon right now. And waffles. So many waffles.
Even her strong sense of pride took a backseat to morning hunger and her love of breakfast food. “I’m not saying yes, but I am hungry. I’d need to wash up first. I don’t want to look like I spent the night in a yurt.”
“Even though we did.”
“And I don’t want to wear this dress and heels.”
His eyes glinted mischievously.
“I don’t mean go naked,” she interjected before he could say it.
“We can swing by my room to freshen up, and I’ll get Sophie to loan you some clothes.”
“I’m at least half a foot taller than your sister.”
“Then Madison’s clothes. She’ll have something you can wear. Sophie can get them for us. Leave the logistics up to me and let’s get breakfast. Bacon.” He dragged out the word. “Mmm. Bacon, bacon, bacon.”
Brooke shoved him until he fell over in the bed, both of them laughing.
After returning to the inn and finding Sophie, Brooke was comfortably dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt for some marathon she would never run in a million years.
“That’s the best I could do while stealing clothes.” Sophie handed her a pair of flip-flops. “And these should work. Trevor said you like flip-flops.” She winked.
“That’ll be enough, sis. Thanks.”
“Yes. These are great, Sophie. Thank you.” She prayed her cheeks didn’t flush while Sophie bobbed on the balls of her feet, radiating satisfaction.
“You going to have breakfast with us, sis? Or are you going to keep standing there, looking like Roark after he balanced a checkbook?”
With a roll of her eyes, Sophie led the way to Bradley’s, Honeywilde’s renowned restaurant.
The crowd blessedly sparse this early in the morning, they found a prime table in the corner, by the windows.
Brooke ordered the waffles and a side of bacon. Sophie ditto-ed her order while Trevor got the special.
Slapping his hands together, he eagerly glanced around the restaurant. “Not many people here yet. Our food will be out in no time.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t get too excited.” Sophie picked up her coffee mug, the steam rising in front of her face. “After the big party last night, Marco has the morning off. Our backup chef is working. I don’t know how speedy she’ll be.”
“I have faith.” Trevor reached for the basket in the center of the table, holding it out for Brooke. “And biscuits.”
Her stomach cut a cartwheel in celebration. “Yes, please.” This morning, she was going to carbo-load like she might actually train for that half marathon her t-shirt advertised.
Trevor and Sophie took a biscuit as well, and they were halfway through them when Sophie smacked her lips together and turned all of her attention toward Brooke.
“So are you two going to go to prom together?”
Brooke almost choked on her coffee.
“Sophie,” Trevor warned.
“What? That’s a legitimate question. You guys have planned the thing. I’m assuming you’re going to be there anyway, and now y’all are…” She bobbed her shoulders up and down.
“What the hell is that?” Trevor bit into the second half of his biscuit, mimicking her shoulder shrugging.
“You know.”
“We haven’t discussed attending the prom.” Brooke attempted to save them both.
“You should,” Sophie said, with the certainty of an expert. “It’d be so romantic and fun. I guarantee you proms are more fun as an adult than they ever were as a teenager. I’d go if I could.”
Brooke shook her head, but her gaze locked with Trevor’s as she lifted her coffee mug.
“We’ll think about it,” he said.
“You’re up early.” Roark appeared at their table, focusing on Trevor, until his gaze fell upon the non-Bradley at the table. “Oh. Good morning.”
She had nothing to be ashamed of. All the same, she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
The morning was too new for any sane business meeting, and she was sitting there in Roark’s girlfriend’s T-shirt with her hair in a ponytail. Didn’t require a rocket scientist to solve the reason for her early-morning presence.
To his credit, Roark took only half a second to measure his reaction and plant a placid smile on his lips. Anything he said would only make the moment more awkward, but they were all adults. Let the awkwardness fly.
“I guess the prom planning is going well.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he grimaced. “I didn’t mean—”
“Sit down.” Trevor pushed out the empty chair. “We know what you meant. You tried and it’s the thought that counts. And yes, Brooke and I had a slumber party last night.”
Brooke hid behind her coffee mug as their food arrived.
Roark sat and nodded for some coffee. “Not everyone has your Teflon self-confidence, Trev. Don’t embarrass your guest.”
“Are you embarrassed?” Trevor huddled close, his hand on her arm.
“Not really, which is shocking.” She dropped her hands. “But it is a little awkward, seeing everyone like this.”
“Please.” Sophie waved a fork in her general direction. “No makeup and a T-shirt on and you’re still more glamorous than me.”
“And that’s one of my favorite T-shirts. First marathon Madison and I ran together.” Roark smirked as he sipped his coffee.
“We’re family here. It’s fine.” Trevor rubbed her arm before letting go.
Brooke concentrated on eating her waffles.
Dev was the last to join them, with a casual smile in her direction. “I just got off the phone with the treasurer of the school board.”
Brooke dropped her fork.
“And?” Trevor asked.
“I told her about you and Brooke and what you found out, and she’s going to get someone to look into it. I don’t know what all that means or how long it’ll take, but I do know that was one angry lady when she found out. But she said to tell you both thank you, and she’ll keep me posted.”
Brooke sat back, a weird, warm sensation washing over her.
W
ith a huff of laughter, Trevor sat back too. “Newton is a small town like Windamere. Even smaller. I bet they’ll have the full scoop in no time. Somebody around there knows all.”
“Nice work,” Roark said. “If you got all of that money back, you guys might be the heroes of Windamere High.”
Brooke couldn’t imagine. Helping right that wrong was a different kind of success, a fulfillment she hadn’t experienced in years. It wouldn’t even matter if anyone recognized her as heroic.
“I was telling them earlier, they should go to the prom together.” Sophie bit into a strip of bacon with a smile.
“That’s a great idea,” Roark said, echoing her sentiment.
“And we’re thinking about it.” Trevor gave them both a barbed stare. “But right now, we have a lot more work to do.”
His entire family appeared stunned. Brooke probably wore a similar expression.
That was her line!
The Bradleys quickly moved on to the subject of the Blueberry Festival and all it entailed. The Sargents and Chateau Jolie had never done much with the festival. The event brought in a few more guests, but that’s where their involvement ended.
“You guys should do a booth this year.” Sophie clapped her hands together at her own suggestion. “Yes! You have to. You could do, like, a wine and cheese booth with promotional stuff for the hotel and winery.”
The price of a booth had likely increased to something out of their price range. She’d love to do something for Jolie, but right now wasn’t the time to spend hundreds on a booth with no return on investment. And she didn’t want to sound rude.
Trevor came to her rescue. “Let us get through the prom first. Then Brooke can give the Festival some thought. There will still be booth opportunities available then, right?”
“Of course.” Sophie’s warm-natured smile radiated the kind of positivity Brooke envied. “Brooke gets the friends-and-family deal.”
Friends and family.
A year ago, she never would’ve imagined a world in which the Bradleys would be either.
Chapter 27
“I can’t believe you guys pulled this off.” Even Lance, with all his restraint and deadpan delivery, appeared impressed.
“With a couple of days to spare,” Trevor pointed out.
He and Brooke had worked tirelessly on Monday and Tuesday to get as much done as possible.
The tables were arranged in the ballroom, fully set up with centerpieces and chairs. The stage was up, lanterns out. Brenda had already brought over the artificial greenery, with the real flowers arriving Saturday around lunch.
Brooke had convinced a local restaurant to do the catering, at cost. Splitting the difference between fancy and chicken fingers, they were going to have skewers, a carving station, and a hot buffet line of side dish options. They’d also have nonalcoholic drinks and a creative punch to match the “Enchanted Garden” theme.
The morning after Brooke spent the night, they’d managed to sweet-talk Sophie into having Honeywilde provide their famous cookies, along with a few cakes as dessert.
Everything was coming together, but only because he and Brooke had worked their butts off.
All of that butt-working left precious little time for him to even touch Brooke since Saturday. They’d been in full professional mode for days.
Not that there was anything wrong with professional Brooke.
He admired and respected her. But he missed barefoot-yoga Brooke, almost as much as he missed naked-in-the-yurt Brooke.
“The prom is going to look magical.” Dorian clutched her hands to her chest with no small amount of dramatic flair.
They hadn’t told Dorian or Lance about what they’d found at Zen. No point in getting their hopes up if justice couldn’t prevail and they weren’t going to dump news of a scam on these kids right before their prom.
“That’s our goal,” Trevor said. “Mrs. Brenda is bringing in roses on Saturday and, with the lighting and tulle garland, you should have your perfect enchanted evening.”
“Are you ready for the big night?” Brooke asked.
Dorian practically vibrated with excitement. “Yes! You have no idea. My mom and I went to Atlanta in February to find my dress. Mrs. Brenda’s daughter is doing my hair.” She tucked her hands under her braids as though to demonstrate. “And Lance got the best-looking tux you’ve ever seen.”
Lance took Dorian’s hand and weaved their fingers together. “I told her she better pace herself or she’ll crash before the prom even gets here.”
Trevor gaped at the PDA coming from the conservative jock.
“And I reminded him this is my pace. All day, every day.” Dorian smiled up at him like he’d hung the moon.
“So, you two are each other’s dates?”
“Now we are.” Dorian swatted Lance’s arm, good-naturedly. “It took him a little while to get the hint.”
“I had no idea you were interested in me. Not like that, anyway.”
Trevor laughed. “I did.”
Both teenagers turned to him.
“It’s true,” Brooke said, backing him up. “He said something the very first day you guys were here.”
“I saw how he looked at you.” Trevor pointed at Lance. “And I caught Dorian giving you heart eyes when she thought no one was paying attention.”
“Okay, embarrassing much?” Dorian buried her face in her hands and laughed.
“What about you two?” Lance turned the tables on him. “You’re coming to the prom too, right?”
“Yes,” Dorian added, emphatically. “You have to join us, all dressed up and prom-appropriate.”
He and Brooke shared a knowing glance.
“We’ll be around if you need us, but—”
“No. We want you guys to really come. Together. As prom guests.”
Brooke’s bottom lip pulled sideways like it was caught on a hook. “I don’t know about all that.”
“Come on. Please? We couldn’t have done this without you. You have to come. You deserve to celebrate this as much as us. You can get dressed up. It’ll be fun. Lance, tell them.”
“Yeah, you have to come.”
Trevor was in one hundred percent agreement. Never in his life had he turned down an invitation to a party. He might not own a tux, but he could find one on short notice if need be. All Brooke had to do was say the word.
“We’ll think about it,” she said instead. “But Saturday is your night. Not ours.”
Also true. Mostly. Then again, he and Brooke, all decked out and cutting up the dance floor? Twist his arm.
“Saturday can be everyone’s night.” Dorian’s smile filled the ballroom. “None of this would even be happening without you two. Promise you’ll really think about it.”
Brooke’s gaze glanced off his once more. “We promise,” she said.
As soon as the two teens left the ballroom, Trevor took her hand, tugging her closer. “Finally, a moment alone.”
Brooke leaned into him, effortlessly. “A moment is all we have. I have a call with a woman from the tourism office. We’re updating the print advertising in all of the travel brochures and booklets, to highlight our pet-friendliness. Thanks to you.”
“A moment is all I need.” He brushed his lips over hers and she opened to his kiss.
With a hand in the small of her back, he moved closer, until her body pressed against him.
He swept his tongue against hers, eliciting a groan before she pulled away. “This only leads to more than a moment.”
“Boo,” he whispered. “You’re being so practical and responsible. Boo.”
Brooke’s laughter chimed like bells, making his heart grow heavy. “After this prom, we’ll have plenty of time to kiss in ballrooms and dance and—”
“Spend the night in yurts?”
“Yes, that t
oo.”
He hadn’t let go and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Good. I’m going to hold you to all of this, you know?”
“I’m sure.”
“Slumber parties in yurts, the occasional morning of yoga and lunch of Larb, perhaps I’ll even get you to go on a trip with me.”
Her laughter shook her ribs against the palm of his hand. “If I ever have the time to travel, as unlikely as that is to happen, then sure. I will go on a trip with you.”
“Don’t be so doubtful. I foresee great things ahead for Jolie and you and your sisters. You never know, you might be spending a couple of weeks in South America with me before the year is out.”
This time her entire body shook with laughter. “If you say so.” She kissed him again. Quick and playfully on the lips. “Until then, I’m going to meet with this marketing rep and try to drum up some business. I’ll see you tomorrow to meet with the DJ and make sure he’s all set.”
“You will indeed.” Trevor returned her flirtatious affection, but he wasn’t kidding.
He wanted more with Brooke. Possibly even a future.
The future wasn’t something he often considered.
With a wave he left Jolie and headed back to Honeywilde and Beau.
His poor dog was surviving on only about fifty percent of the usual attention and affection Trevor gave him, and this afternoon he had some time to right that wrong.
He’d pulled into a parking space at Honeywilde when his phone rang. He thought nothing of it when he saw his buddy Bobby’s, aka DJ Knight’s, number come up.
“Hey, Bobby,” he answered.
A hoarse, hacking cough had Trevor jerking his phone away from his ear. “Hey, man,” Bobby finally managed.
Uh-oh.
DJ Knight sounded like he was dying, sinuses first.
“You okay?” Trevor put his truck in park, silently praying that this was not happening.
“Not good, man. Not good at all.” Bobby started hacking again, his voice sounding like he had about a pound of cotton balls shoved up both nostrils. “I got the flu.”
“No, Bobby. No.” His tone came out a lot harsher than he’d anticipated. “How can you have the flu? Flu season is over.”
No One Like You Page 19