"Will you stay?" she asked through her sniffles and hiccups.
"I'm not going anywhere." I gathered her in my arms and carried her out of the bathroom.
In the hallway, I heard the Judge snoring away like a chainsaw. It was a relief to know he was sorted for the remainder of the night. At the other end of the hall, I found Brooke's room and set her down on the bed. I curled up beside her, my arms tight around her body as she shook with sobs.
We fell asleep on top of the blankets, fully clothed. Somewhere between night and day, we reached for each other, discarding clothes and sliding beneath the sheets. Our bodies twined together, came together, stayed together.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brooke
Present Value: the current value of cash to be received in the future.
May
"What are we ordering?"Annette asked as she flipped over the menu. "Is it too early for sangria?"
"It's brunch," I replied. "By definition, it's not too early for anything."
"No, I mean, is it too early in the season for sangria," she said. "It's not appropriate to drink sangria until summer, but white peach sangria is on this menu even though it's too early to harvest peaches."
I set my menu aside and laced my hands on the table. I couldn't do this anymore. Not one more minute. "Can I talk to you about something?"
She peeked up at me, smiling. "We can totally skip the sangria. I was getting carried away with the idea of peaches. Would you rather have mimosas?"
"The sangria is fine—or mimosas. Or both. Order everything. I don't care," I said.
"Oooh, look! They have a blackberry mojito," she said. "You'd like—"
"I can't talk about mojitos with you right now because I have a standing dick appointment with JJ Harniczek," I yelled.
The server stopped at our table, glanced between me and Annette, and said, "I'll come back in a few minutes."
Annette blinked at me, her lips parted and the menu clutched to her chest. "Do…you have to leave?"
I pressed my fingers to my temples. "What are you talking about?"
"You said you have a dick appointment," she replied, jerking a shoulder up. "I'm wondering whether you need to leave or if this is taking place here." She glanced around, frowning. "The restrooms, perhaps? The back seat of a car? I don't know. I don't know how it is with you two."
I sat back, dropped my hands to my lap. And then I laughed, deeper and harder than I had in months. Tears clouded my vision as Annette joined in, rocking back and forth in her chair as her shoulders shook.
"I fucking love you," I said to her, mopping my cheeks with a napkin. "I mean it. I fucking love you, Annette."
"You should," she replied. "Now, start from the beginning and tell me everything. Just as you should have when it started. When was that, exactly?"
I glanced down at the menu. "It started last September."
The server returned to the table when Annette said, "It started inSeptember? And you didn't tell me untilnow? I was prepared for you to say two weeks ago or maybe last month.September? You've hidden this from me sinceSeptember?"
"Aaaaand I'll be back in a few more minutes," the server sang.
"No, don't go," I cried, clawing at the air in the server's wake. "She needs sangria. A really big pitcher of sangria. And a straw. Please.Please."
The server turned around, nodding. "Sangria," he said. "With a straw."
Annette glared at me, her eyes narrowed and her lips flat. "And one of those blackberry mojitos for the keeper of secrets."
"Sangria with a straw and a blackberry mojito." He gestured to each of us and then brought his palms together. "Can I interest you in a local creamery cheese plate or the rainbow chard dip with crudité and house-made breads?"
