Page 96 of Hold Me Instead
“Food sweats,” Amber groused. “I’m metabolizing.” She continued to flap the fabric away from her body like she was cooling herself down.
Charlie chuckled. This conversation happened most holidays. Penelope conveniently forgot it was a thing.
“What are you talking about? Just…digest it,” Penelope said, getting up and clearing plates.
“Oh, yes, good call, Mom. Easy as that,” Charlie said with a roll of her eyes.
Penelope swatted Brooke’s hands away as she grabbed the plate in front of her. “You sit. You’ve been on your feet all day. Your father and I will start to clean up.” Carl was about to sit, having just come back from starting a movie for Mina in the living room, but stood again. Penelope gave Charlie and Amber a pointed look, with a tilt of her head toward Brooke, before she and Carl walked to the kitchen with loaded arms.
“Punky Brookester?” Amber said. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Brooke said, finishing her glass of wine. She pulled the bottle close and frowned, finding it empty. “Damn. How many bottles did we go through?” she muttered.
Charlie touched her hand. “You can talk to us. We’re worried about you.”
Brooke yanked her hand back. “Nothing to be worried about. I’m fine! If there’s anyone you should be worried about, it’s Elliot.” She scoffed. “Bastard could’ve acquired a bunch of STDs by now.”
“Wait, what?” Amber whipped her head back and forth between her sister and Charlie. “What are you talking about?”
That sinking feeling slammed into Charlie as she watched red creep along Brooke’s neck.
Brooke feigned nonchalance. “That’s what happens when you start sleeping around, right? When you start sticking it into someone who isn’t your wife?”
“Shit,” Charlie whispered.
“That. Mother. Fucker.Elliot?” Amber said. Charlie noticed that Amber ignored the first part, her taste for dating around always misunderstood by her more calculated sister.
“Whatever. I’m not goingto worry about him anymore. Told him not to bother coming back here. He’s her problem, now.”
“Brooke, I’m so sorry,” Charlie said. “When?”
Brooke folded her cotton terracotta napkin, its pristine appearance not a representation of how neatly Brooke ate, but that she hadn’t eaten much at all. “Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Amber whisper-cried. “Jesus, Brooke. Why are we even here right now? We should be curled up on your couch, bashinghis name, and eating loads of ice cream. Not at the table for a nice Thanksgiving feast. Most of which you cooked!”
“I needed to do it,” Brooke said softly. “Kept me from thinking about it. I already can’t get the image out of my head. Making food stopped it.”
“Ugh, don’t think about him with this other woman,” Amber said.
“Can’t unsee it,” Brooke murmured.
“Yousawthem?” Charlie asked.
Brooke nodded. “I stopped by his office yesterday on my lunch. I was bringing him some jam my coworker makes every fall. He loves it, says it’s always a hit at his office. Thought they’d enjoy the treat before the long weekend. Except he and Monica had lunch plans of their own.” She tapped her light pink nail against the table, the sound dull through the linen tablecloth. “Walked by them in his SUV in the parking lot.”
“Woah,” Amber said. “Ballsy.”
Brooke shrugged. “Guess he didn’t care if anyone caught him. Though, he didn’t wantmeto catch them. He succinctly said, ‘Brooke, you weren’t supposed to find out like this.’”
“Bastard,” Charlie whispered.
Amber sat with her arms crossed, fuming. “Such a fucking weasel.”
“I should’ve known. Things haven’t been the same since Mina was born.” Brooke swallowed.
They all knew—ever since she found out she couldn’t have a second baby. It’d been devastating for both of them, and Charlie and Amber had noticed a shift in Brooke, saw a change in the two of them. In Brooke’s availability, her presence with them. Something hadn’t felt right.
“Okay. I say, let’s get those two out of here, after they’re done cleaning up, of course,” Amber said. She managed to get a small smilefrom Brooke. “We’ll all put on stretchy pants and curl up with Mina, and eat pie until we can’t move.”
