Page 65 of Kiss Me Now
Chapter Twenty-One
Ian
Brooke’s “just friends”talk made perfect sense. It was also easier said than done. I drove back to DC Sunday night, trying to focus on the Rink case, but thoughts of Brooke slipped in the whole way home. It would always start with wondering how she’d been affected by the predatory senator. It always ended with me thinking about the places I’d like to take her to in DC. Or what we’d do the next weekend at Gran’s. Or making out with her again.
How come stripping wallpaper and hunting mushrooms with her was more entertaining than swanky dinners with gorgeous women?
In the office Monday, Sherrie dropped in to report on her incredibly productive weekend. It was a good distraction from Brooke, and by the time Sherrie was done detailing how she’d met with one of Rink’s victims, I realized we had so much work ahead of us following down leads that I’d easily be working through the upcoming weekend.
It was for the best. I needed a week or two to get Brooke out of my system before I went out to visit Gran again.
By Thursday, Brooke was still on my mind. A lot. More than other “friends” had ever been on my mind. I hadn’t been so fixated on a girl since high school. I was tempted to drive out to Gran’s tomorrow anyway, but it would only make it worse.
Instead, I called a woman I’d met at an embassy party a few weeks before. What was her name? Charlotte. She was a human rights attorney working on building a case against a small Asian country I’d barely heard of.
She agreed to dinner for Friday night, and when I picked her up, she was as attractive as I remembered. She was smart and funny, though her humor had a bite to it as she pilloried the opposing counsel on her case. But as interesting as her work was, I found my mind wandering.
What was Brooke up to? Were she and Gran having dinner? Had Mary made roast again? Because her roast still beat the thirty-dollar steak I was eating.
After I had to force my focus back to Charlotte for the fifth time, I made a mental note: stay away from Creekville and Brooke for at least another week.
I wouldn’t bethatguy, the one who thought he knew better than a woman did what she needed for herself. Brooke seemed very sure of who she was and what she needed. Until I could show up well and truly as her friend andonlyher friend, I’d stay away a little longer.
It helped that the Rink case kept me busy through the weekend. Sherrie’s source had worked in the senator’s office five years previously—before Brooke had gotten there—and while she said the senator didn’t do anything that bordered on assault, he’d definitely veered into harassment. She didn’t want to come forward without anything more than comments he made that could be twisted to look innocent, but she’d provided names of other employees past and present who she’d heard through the whisper network might have bigger grievances.
Tracking them down and combing through their social media was enough to keep me from getting in the car and driving out to Gran’s. The diversion felt like it was working until Gran’s name flashed in my phone on Sunday afternoon.
“Ian-boy, why didn’t you come see me this weekend?”
“I told you, Gran. I’m slammed at work.”
“I have Wi-Fi, you know. You can work from here and at least I’d see you some instead of none.”
“Ah, Gran, you know I want to. But to be honest, I’m trying to stay out of Brooke’s way a little bit too.”
“Why? You should be in that girl’s way as much as possible. She’s good for you.”
“Maybe, but she only wants to be friends.”
Gran scoffed. “She most certainly does not.”
“I ate lunch on her porch last weekend, and her exact words were, ‘Let’s just be friends.’ I have to respect that.”
I listened while Gran muttered a bit, but she’d covered up the receiver, so I couldn’t be sure what she said. Must be some cussing in there or she would have said it straight to me.
“Gran?” I prodded when she fell silent.
“Who knewshe’dbe the hard one in this equation?” she grumbled.
“Leave her alone, Gran. I’m respecting her wishes. You’re supposed to tell me what a good boy I am.”
“Youarea good boy, but Brooke could use a spanking.”
“She’s fine. I’ll get over it. I even went on a date Friday.” It was a strategic error to bring it up. I’d meant to distract her. Instead, Gran dug in.
