“You want to take my car or yours?” Brooke asked.
“We can take mine if you’d like,” Drew offered.
Brooke smiled. She was independent in all areas of her life. But when it came to driving, she knew she could be a bit of a passenger princess. Emily had been making fun of her for years.
“That would be great,” Brooke replied smoothly.
Drew stepped aside allowing her to step through the apartment doorway. Brooke stuck her head back inside and found Pearl eyeing her again. The cat didn’t seem to care for her presence, yet, she would absolutely destroy her pillows if she left her alone for too long.
“Hold down the fort, Pearl. And no destroying my pillows.”
Pearl stretched her body out resting a casual paw on Brooke’s favorite pillow. A threat if ever she’d seen one.
“Your cat is beautiful,” Drew smiled.
Even from the door Brooke could hear Pearl purring at the compliment. She rolled her eyes.
“My cat is spoiled and rotten,” Brooke laughed.
She could feel Pearl’s eyes staring a hole in the back of her head. Brooke closed the door behind her. For now, Pearl could be out of sight, out of mind. Brooke followed Drew out to her car. The dusty red Corolla looked like it was on its last legs, but Drew had assured her that the car was safe. Brooke climbed in and was immediately comforted by the warm vanilla scent of Drew’s car freshener.
Brooke was somewhat surprised to find that Drew was a careful driver. She found herself almost completely relaxed from the very first moment.
“How long have you been tattooing?” Brooke asked.
“For a few years.”
“What made you want to get into it?”
“I’ve always loved drawing and painting. I love making art. So what’s better than knowing that someone is going to be walking around, wearing my art on their body.”
Brooke smiled at the answer.
“What made you want to own a bookstore?”
“Books have always been my safe place. Somewhere I could escape to when life was hard. Now I feel like I get to share that little escape with my customers.”
Drew turned and smiled at her genuinely.
“That’s really lovely.”
They sat in silence for a few moments until Drew cleared her throat.
“Are you seeing anyone? I mean like, do you have a partner?”
Brooke chuckled at the awkwardness of the question and Drew’s delivery.
“No, I’m definitely single. I prefer it that way.”
If she wasn’t mistaken a flash of something like disappointment slid across Drew’s face. The expression was there one moment and gone the next.
“Oh, I saw you with a woman outside of the bookstore and assumed she was your girlfriend,” Drew offered. Brooke considered for a woman then smiled.
“Was she a very pretty brunette?” Brooke asked.
“She was,” Drew smirked.
“That’s Emily. She’s my best friend. We’re actually on our way to her bar right now.”
