Page 136 of The Fiancée Farce
Brooks nodded slowly and turned, staring out at the lake. “And you aren’t at Tansy’s because...?”
The way his tone went gentle grated. Gemma harrumphed. “That’s a stupid question.”
“Humor me,” he said.
“Because.” The breeze whipped her hair into her face and she shivered, goose bumps rising along her bare arms. “I fucked up.”
“Okay. And?”
And?“Are you serious?” A bitter laugh escaped her. “There’s no way you can be that obtuse.”
Brooks stared at her, gaze infuriatingly unflinching.
“I fucked up!” she repeated, voice rising. “I failed. I lost. Tucker won. Tansy wound up humiliated. Humiliated because ofme. End of story.” Her knuckles turned white around the railing, themetal icy and slick against her palms. “What part of this isn’t computing?”
“Tucker and Lucy conspired against you, yes.”
Gemma flinched. Never would be too soon to hear that name.
“Your secrets were exposed in a disastrously public forum, this is true.”
“I don’t need a recap,” Gemma snapped. “I was there. I lived it. I’ve got the wedding dress to show for it.”
Brooks continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You were humiliated and betrayed and you underestimated Tucker. Frankly, so did I. You lost the company. Tucker will likely be bequeathed the majority shares during today’s meeting and named—”
“What part ofI don’t need a recapdon’t you understand? I don’t want to talk about it.”
“To conquer a thing, Gemma, you must look it in the eye.”
“Jesus.” She scoffed, breath escaping in a cloud of fog. “Did you read that off a fortune cookie?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. Little Duck in the U-District. Come for the mapo tofu, stay for the life lessons.”
“If all you’re going to do is stand there and crack jokes, you can go back inside. Better yet, you can give me that bottle back andthenyou go inside.”
“Testy, testy.” Brooks tutted. “I have a point, I promise.”
“Do you plan on getting to it anytime soon, or should I have a seat?”
Brooks shut one eye, head teetering from side to side. “Definesoon.”
“Ugh.” Gemma plopped down on the deck, crossing her legs and leaning back against the side of the boat. She couldn’t see the horizon like this and her yoga pants offered practically zeroprotection against the chilly deck, but at least she could relax. “Fine. Carry on.”
“You might’ve lost the company, but I fail to see how that prevents you from being with Tansy.”
Wasn’t it obvious?
“I made Tansy a promise. I promised to protect her. I promised I would never let Tucker or anyone else in this family hurt her, and what happened? Exactly that. Ifailed, Brooks.” Her throat thickened, and it hurt to swallow. “Tansy deserves so much better.”
Brooks stared down at her, a frown on his face. “What Tansy does or doesn’t deserve isn’t for you to decide. That’s her decision to make. You making that call for her is an insult to her intelligence.”
Tansy wasbrilliant. “I didn’t mean—”
“Of course you didn’t. But Gemma, darling, the road to hell is paved with the best intentions. Now, if you’re struggling with feelings of inferiority, that’s a problem for you to work through. Preferably with a licensed therapist. I’m happy to recommend one. But those feelings shouldn’t keep you from chasing your happiness. Fromfightingfor it.” Brooks bent his knees, lowering himself to the deck, setting the bottle down beside him. “It’s not about deserving, Gemma. You’re asking the wrong question. This family is terrible, yes. I know it, you know it, and Tansy knows it, too. The question you should be asking is, does she want you anyway? And if she does, if she know the risks and she wants you and you want her—which I believe you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be out here, freezing your ass off on the deck of my boat in December like a complete idiot—and you want to be together and there’s no tragic, insurmountable circumstances keeping you apart, I fail to see the problem.”
A watery laugh exploded from between her lips. “Hypocrite much? What do you call what you’ve been doing for the lastthirtyyears?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. “God, I’m a bitch. Ignore me.”
Brooks rocked to the side, bumping her shoulder with his. “You certainly can be. Just as I can be a rotten bastard. But you aren’t wrong.”
