Page 91 of Brooke's Bliss
“Costume design.”Max said the word as though tasting it.“Ilike it.”
Rye nodded, a little choked up.“Our baby sister is going towin an Oscar one day.”
Bay took a long breath.She needed her brothers.She neededher family.They all needed Bliss as a homebase.The rest was negotiable.
If she didn’t kick them to the curb simply because shecould.If she felt what they did.If she’d been telling the whole truth aboutliving in the moment because her future wasn’t here, wasn’t with them.
Shane seemed to think for a moment and then pointed a fingerBay’s way.“You are going to take the art show seriously.You’re going tolisten to everything Stef says, and you’ll wear whatever Brooke puts on you.I’ll handle the legal stuff.Well, I’ll bring Gemma coffee and do what shetells me to do.”
“Throw in some cash and you’re my best client,” Gemmaagreed.
“If I’m taking charge of this household, then I won’t sitaround and hope things work out.I’ll be proactive, and I’m not always going tosit down and have a long chat with you.The first thing we’re doing is takingour savings and buying a reliable vehicle,” Shane announced.“We can’t borrowfrom Stef long term.It’s time to figure out how to make this work with twoartistic careers and me in the middle managing everything.”
“And we’re going to figure out what’s happening with KaleKingman,” Bay replied.
Shane stilled.
“I’m sorry.You know I don’t like to deal with the bad shit,but I was wrong to question you.I won’t ever do it again.You say you sawsomething, you saw it.You would never make shit up.”Bay held out a hand.“I’mso sorry, brother, and when I make bail, I’ll clear things up with our girl,too.As for the rest of it, I’ll follow your lead.I might have talent, buttalent means little without discipline and drive, and both of those things arehoused in you.We need you.Brooke and I need you.It doesn’t work without you,brother.”
Max and Rye started arguing about who was the talented oneand who was the one with discipline and drive between them.Bay ignored them.
Shane took his hand.“All right, then our path is set, and Ineed to figure out what’s going on in Brooke’s head.Try to stay out oftrouble.”
Bay shrugged.“I will.I don’t actually think I’ll have muchof a choice.”
“I’ll see you at home, brother,” Shane promised and he stoodtaller, seemed far more confident since they’d properly defined his job and hisplace.
He watched as his brother walked away a more secure man thanhe’d been before.
Hopefully it would be enough to convince Brooke to forgivehim.
ChapterFourteen
Brooke stood in the shadows of the catwalk of thetheater, watching as the actors moved with ease through the set.Shane hadworked on that set.The set designer hadn’t stuck around to make changes oradjustments.He was already back in LA working on another project, so Cleo hadto deal with everything on her own.Except Cleo had started to treat Shane likea stage manager, which was good since the stage manager they had was barelyeighteen and way more interested in picking up women than doing his job.
But his grandma was on the board, so Shane was taking onefor the team.
The team.Were they a team?It felt like it, and then itfelt like they were assholes who thought women were possessions.
What would she have done if she’d walked in on a womanbasically trying to molest one of her men?Bay would tell the woman no and meanit and deal with it if she didn’t give up.Shane would struggle to not offendher.
How would she have handled it?
She took a long breath and tried to focus on the costumes.The actors were moving well.Cleo had reset the play in Colorado, with thethree sisters having moved from Denver and missing their old cosmopolitanlifestyle.They were stuck in a tiny mountain town.
They couldn’t seem to find the beauty, and that was the partof the tragedy of the play.
Was she making the same mistakes?
The actress who played the youngest of the sisters settledon her spot.“I’ve never been in love before.I’ve dreamt of it, day and night,but my heart is like a fine piano no one can play because a key is lost.”
Longing.The whole play was about longing for something theyno longer had.About feeling as though they don’t fit in.The whole play wasabout how dreams didn’t often mesh properly with reality.
Was she making the same mistakes?Not being willing toaccept the reality in front of her?Would she always long for something thathadn’t been great in the first place?Time and distance might paint a patinaover that time in New York, and she might always wonder.
Her cell rang and she sighed as she looked down at it.
Mark.Asshole.Still, she picked up.She was in the top partof the theater where they accessed the lights.She was far enough away sheshouldn’t disturb the rehearsal, but she kept her voice low anyway.“Mark, areyou doing okay?”
