Brooke didn’t have to wait long for Drew to send her a response.
“That stinks. Are you going to need a place to stay?”
A million thoughts sprang into Brooke’s mind unbidden. What should her response be? Realistically, she was likely going to need to make other living arrangements, at least for the time being.
“Yeah. Looks like it. I’ll have to get in touch with Emily.”
Brooke was surprised when Drew called her instead of simply texting her back.
“Hey, I was thinking, why don’t you just stay at my place?”
“You want me to stay with you?” Brooke questioned.
“Why not? You like living close to your store, and if you move in with Emily you wouldn’t be. Plus, I’m sure the repairs won’t take long.”
Brooke turned Drew’s words over in her mind. Drew did make a good point, living close to the store was convenient.
“Okay, but are you sure it’s not an imposition? Especially sharing a bed?” A warm shiver ran through Brooke’s body as she remembered sharing the bed with Drew. She couldn’t help feeling the pull towards the other woman.
“No imposition. I went ahead and bought a blow-up mattress. So, you can keep my bed and I’ll sleep on the blow-up.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m the one invading your space,” Brooke insisted.
“Don’t be silly. You’re my guest,”
Brooke could practically imagine Drew’s smile through the phone. When she considered it, Brooke knew she really liked Drew’s smile. Drew’s smile had a way of lighting up the entire surrounding area.
“You don’t think that me staying with you might be weird now that we’re sort of dating?”
Drew chuckled into the phone.
“We’re not sort of dating. We are dating. And no. It’s only weird if we make it weird.”
“In that case, I really appreciate the offer. I would love to stay with you for a while.”
“Great. I keep the spare key under the welcome mat. Feel free to let yourself in tonight. And I’ll see you when I get home from my date.”
Date. It was just one word. Still, there was an explosion of feelings going off inside Brooke. She was grateful to Drew for offering her a place to stay. But the idea of Drew going out on a date with Robin left Brooke with a sour stomach. The worst part was that she couldn’t be jealous. Drew was free to date Robin, just like Brooke was free to date other people.
Brooke’s day had been so filled by petty inconveniences that she hadn’t been able to think about Drew or her dating life. Now that she was confronted with reality, Brooke felt overwhelmed.
“Brooke…” Drew’s voice was gentle.
“Sorry. Yes, under the mat. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Brooke tried and failed to keep her tone upbeat. Drew was dating them both, and Brooke had agreed to that arrangement.
“Good. I’ll see you later tonight.”
If Drew had picked up on Brooke’s underlying tension, she wasn’t letting Brooke in on it. Brooke hung up the phone and immediately wanted to be anywhere else.
Her mother had been on her recently about not reaching out, so Brooke sent her a text. One hour later she sat across from her mother at a local coffee shop. The Morning Brew was one of those places that was popular with local Nashvillians but wasn’t well known enough to be considered a destination for tourists.
Susan eyed Brooke, her dark thin brows raised in suspicion.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“In what way, dear?”
