* * *
Brooklyn
“Everything still in the linen closet?” I whisper as I follow Liz up the stairs. I’d planned to come up to see her on Friday morning and stay until Sunday, but as soon as I got off the phone with Vaughn and Shaw, I felt like I was climbing out of my skin. I called my sister and told her I was coming up early and then I got on the road. Not that I can escape my thoughts, but it will be harder to have a full-on mental breakdown, complete with screaming and crying, when there are two small children down the hall.
“I’ll get it.”
“No,” I say, playfully nudging her out of the way. “I’m the one who came early.”
“Whatever. Come on.” I follow my sister to the closet where she keeps the spare sheets and blankets, then head down to the guest room furthest from the girls’ rooms. It’s not super late, but the babies have been asleep for a few hours. Definitely no need to wake them up with any loud talking. I set down my bag and start to help my sister make the bed.
“How was traffic on the way up?”
“Not too bad. I think I made decent time.”
“This way, you can sleep in in the morning.”
“Oh, you think Iona is going to let me sleep in?”
“Well, no. And if she doesn’t wake you up, I’m sure one of the dogs will.”
“Charge it to the game, I guess.”
Liz shakes her head and smiles as she grabs a fresh pillowcase.
I grab the top sheet like it’ll give me the courage to finally come clean. “I have something to tell you and before I do, I think I should also tell you that I already told Claudia because I needed to talk to someone and I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“I think I know what you just said, but go ahead and tell me the thing. I’ll try not to be offended that you told my best friend first.”
“Whatever. Claudia is the group's best friend. She’s the prettiest and the smartest and the best dressed.”
“Ugh, please don’t remind me. I never want to see another stiletto for as long as I live, but I do miss a good Fall cape. No appreciates a Prada cape around these parts.”
“You look amazing in capes,” I say, before I take a deep breath and tell her everything. Well, kinda. I leave out the details of the sex, but that I was fucking two guys at once is enough to drive the point home. I power through, watching her face as her expression goes from wide-eyed shock to straight-up cringing. We’re not even making the bed anymore, she’s just standing there with the other pillowcase in her hand, staring at me. When I get to the part where we were confronted by Detective Jansen before our breakfast had arrived, I think she might kill me.
Her mouth drops open and she turns into my mother right before my eyes. Hands on hips, ‘I’m gonna fuck you up’ glare and everything. “Brooklyn Rosemary Lewis.”
I grab the sheet and fluff it out over the bed. “This is why I didn’t tell you. I don’t need a lecture. I know I fucked up. I know how stupid I look right now.”
“I don’t think you look stupid. I think you sound so dick drunk, you left all of your sense at home. How am I supposed to react to this? Like, for real. Put yourself in my shoes. You know exactly how far you’d drag me and for how long.”
I sigh and bite the inside of my lip.
“Okay.” She sits and holds out her hand. “Come here, Brookie. Come sit with me.”
“No. I hate you,” I whine as I come around to her side of the bed. I sit beside her and let out a shuddering breath.
“How can I be more supportive?”
“You’re not being unsupportive. I just—” The tears are welling up in my eyes. I quickly dash them away. “Ugh, I fucking hate this.”
“Why are you crying? Are you crying ’cause you’re a sloppy bitch who got caught being messy as hell with two dudes? God, you slut,” she teases.
“No. That’s not it. Not exactly.”
“Are you crying for Josh? Are you crying because of Vaughn and…”
“Shaw. Chris is his name, but he goes by Shaw.”
