"Please," she scoffed. "You don't want to take me anywhere. You can't wait to get rid of me."
"That's not—no. No, I—" I knew what she was doing, but I had to stop myself. "No, I don't want to get rid of you, Bam."
She cocked her head, smiling up at me as she batted her lashes. "I'd ask if you intend to keep me, but I'm not a woman who can be kept."
And that was why I had to stop myself. It wasn't simple with Brooke. I couldn't tell her I was falling for her—no, fuck that. I'd fallen and I was long past the point of saving myself from her. It wasn't a matter of putting emotions into words, not for Brooke. She didn't trust either.
"Well, fuck," I muttered. "Here I was, thinking you could keep me."
She laughed, shook her head. "You're too busy redefining the entire tourism industry in Talbott's Cove to be anyone's house husband. It would never work."
I knew better, but I asked anyway. "Is that how you see it? That belonging to someone means giving up all of yourself?"
"I don't know," she said. "I don't know what it's supposed to look like. I don't know how to do it. This has meandered down some strange lanes, Jed. I…I don't even know what we're talking about."
"We don't have to talk about anything," I said, rolling her onto her back. "This is enough."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brooke
Basis Point: the smallest measure utilized for quoting interest yields.
Brooke:I hate you right now.
Annette:I cannot imagine why.
Brooke:You held me hostage.
Annette:I served you food and wine.
Brooke:You were a decent captor, I'll grant you that.
Annette:You entered into this captivity willingly.
Brooke:That is not my recollection of the events.
Annette:You need to calm down. We had a great little dinner party.
Brooke:Again, not my recollection.
Annette:Then tell me what you recall and I'll tell you why you're wrong.
Brooke:I'm going to ignore that condescending statement for a second while I enumerate the many issues with last night's events.
Annette:I'd expect nothing less.
Brooke:First, I agreed to this gathering under duress.
Annette:If inviting you over in a group text is the duress you're referencing, I'm calling bullshit.
Annette:Didn't you tell me about a time when you convinced a guy to change his name?
Brooke:His name was terrible. I was doing him a favor.
Annette:You're making my argument for me.
Brooke:I didn't want JJ to think I was embarrassed or didn't want to be seen in public with him. Or whatever lame shit guys come up with these days.
