Chapter 10
Drew’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts at once. Brooke was kissing her again and, try as she might, Drew couldn’t resist the pull towards the other woman. When she finally did lean back she found that Brooke was eyeing her. It felt like Brooke was waiting for something.
“What?” Drew asked with a smile.
“I hope that wasn’t too much,” Brooke sighed.
“It was. But it was the right kind of too much,” Drew answered. She took Brooke’s hand in her own.
“What does all of this mean? What about Robin? Aren’t the two of you dating?”
“Dating? Yes. Together? No. We’re not committed. As far as things between us, they can be whatever we want them to be. I would say we should probably take things slowly.”
Inside, Drew couldn’t help being afraid. If they went too fast would Brooke get spooked and run off again? She knew she couldn’t expound upon that fear to Brooke.
“So you want to date me the same way you’re dating Robin?”
Brooke’s tone was neutral, but Drew was still worried. Would one wrong word scare Brooke away?
“That’s what I was thinking. But I’m open to other options.”
In her mind Drew was weighing pros and cons. Even after everything there was something about Brooke that kept drawing her back. Despite the misstarts, Brooke felt safe. Drew was certain that she’d like to try things with Brooke. She just wasn’t sure that Brooke wouldn’t be overwhelmed if she told her that out right.
Brooke seemed to be puzzling everything out internally, which made Drew even more nervous. Brooke seemed to see the nerves worn plainly across Drew’s face. She reached out a hand to cup Drew’s cheek.
“We can move slow,” Brooke said softly. Her voice was a whisper, but her bright blue eyes were clear.
“Okay, we’ll go slow,” Drew agreed with a smile.
“What do we do first?” Brooke asked.
“I think first, we go out on a date,” Drew laughed.
“What should we do on this date?”
“Let’s go to the Nashville garden of lights. Tis the season after all,” Drew grinned. Brooke met her smile with one of her own.
“I would like that. When would you want to go?”
“Tomorrow? You’re probably going to be tied up with the landlord tonight. Tonight, I have a …” Drew allowed the words to trail off unspoken. The truth was that she had a date with Robin that night. Brooke seemed to understand and offered her a tiny smile.
“You’re seeing Robin tonight?”
“I am,” Drew admitted. She didn’t like the guilty feeling turning to acid in her gut.
There was no reason for her to feel guilty. It would be insane for her to enter into a commitment with Brooke after the last few weeks. This gave them both the chance to ease into it. They could see if the thing between them was something worth pursuing.
“Okay. Tomorrow night it is. But I want you to tell Robin that you’re dating someone else as well. I don’t want it to feel like I’m dating you behind someone else’s back.
“Of course. That’s more than fair.”
Drew would have told Robin anyway. She was glad that Brooke seemed to be on the same page with her. Drew glanced atthe clock on the stove and gave a silent curse. She was in danger of running late.
“I’m excited for our first date. But I have a forearm arriving any minute and it won’t tattoo itself.”
Brooke laughed and leaned in for another kiss. The kiss felt soft and searching. They broke away and it was nice to know that it wasn’t their last kiss.
“Fine. Go tattoo a forearm,” Brooke teased.
