Page 5 of Brooke's Bliss
She would have to move.Could she afford Brooklyn?Probablynot.Queens was getting expensive.Maybe the Bronx.Of course she needed a job.It wasn’t like she had much savings.She lived in Manhattan.Every dime she hadwent to rent and food and survival.She had to dress well because of her job.
She didn’t have a job.
Suddenly she could smell the pine of Colorado.Feel the waythe wind moved through the forest and over her skin, the cool water of the pondwhere her brothers had taught her to swim.She could smell beef stew in theCrock-Pot and know there would be cornbread.
Tears threatened, but she was stronger than this.Herbrothers taught her to fight, not to lay down.
“I’m calling a lawyer.”She might get in touch with GemmaWells.She lived in the town her brothers lived in.Bliss.Gemma had once beenin a similar situation.Gemma might be able to help her find the rightattorney.
Ami’s head tilted.“Uhm, a lawyer will take one look at yourcontract and tell youthem’sthe breaks, kid.Also, Ithought your brothers liked their privacy.”
“What do Max and Rye have to do with it?”She loved herbrothers.They’d given her everything.After their mom died and Dad had left,her brothers had been barely eighteen.When they should have been out partyingand living it up, they decided to get jobs and build a business so they couldraise her.She owed her brothers everything.
Ami shrugged like she couldn’t care less.“I mean you saidthey fired you for inappropriate comments and making people uncomfortable.Iassume that’s because your brothers are married to the same woman and have sextogether.”
Brooke felt her cheeks flush.“They do not.”
Max and Rye were oddly connected and always had been.Ifthey were the heroes in a paranormal or fantasy romance, they would be calledbonded twins or something.They could feel when the other was hurt, couldn’t behappy if they weren’t together.
“That’s not what the papers will say when they pick up thestory,” Ami pointed out.“I can imagine the memes now.Didn’t you say therewere a bunch of relationships like that in that town?I hope they’re ready forreporters.”
Her gut sank.
Ami wasn’t wrong.It would be a juicy story, and reporterswould come out of the woodwork.They would take everything in the mostsalacious manner.She had a sudden vision of her brothers surrounded byreporters and Rachel getting requests for talk show appearances.Mel woulddecide the reporters were aliens and lose his shit, and Caleb would have totranqhim in the middle of town square.
Chaos.It would be chaos when so many people came to Blissto find peace and acceptance.
“There it is.”Ami sat back, one beautifully done browarching.“I knew you could figure it out.You’ve fucked yourself over by beingan uptight bitch.”
“Excuse me?”
Ami stood.“Look, I get it.All of it sucks, but did youthink of anyone else?I have a real shot at working with Bianchi this fall.I’mnot going to be able to do that if my out-of-touch renter is suing everyone andmaking a nuisance of herself.Your best bet is to find something as fast as youcan.I would look to places that do uniforms or maybe the big box retailers.You’re done in high fashion, and that means I have to be done with you.I thinkI have to give you thirty days or something, but consider yourself on a clock.”
Ami walked out, and Brooke sat in stunned silence.
How was this her life?She bragged about how well thingswere going a few months ago when she went home for the holidays.She’d talkedwith Rachel about work and living in New York.She’d brought her sister-in-lawand Callie some accessory samples.Rachel had been so thrilled with the customdiaper bag Brooke had made her, and Callie loved her sandals.
They thought she was doing well, were so proud of her, andshe was putting them all in danger.
She should have stayed in Bliss.She’d thought briefly aboutnot going back to New York.She was lonely.She worked long hours and hadn’tfound many friends she trusted.Ami was awful.It wasn’t like she had anythinggoing there.Brooke hadn’t been on a date in over a year.
We could go to Stella’s or Trio if you like.
She closed her eyes and could see those two dumbass,hot-as-hell cowboys standing out in the snow, asking her to go out with them.
Why had she turned them down?She’d been leaving the nextday, and she knew damn well her brothers kind of had a problem with them.Something about them hitting on Rachel when she first came to town.It didn’tmatter.She’d said no and closed the door on that opportunity.
All her opportunities were getting lost.
Her cell buzzed, and she thought about ignoring it.
BestestSIL in the World
Rachel.She was pregnant again.What if something wentwrong?She picked up and ran her finger across the screen.“Hey, what’s goingon?Is everything okay?”
It felt like she was living through a slow-moving Armageddonand everything was falling apart.What if her family was caught in it, too?
A low chuckle came over the line.“Of course.I mean it’s asokay as it can be when I’ve got three kids under the age of seven and one onthe way.Did I mention your brother finally got that vasectomy?I swear Max isthe biggest damn baby in the world.He claims Caleb made the whole thing extrasnippy.What is that supposed to mean?Doc is a professional.He’s only goingto snip as much as is required to ensure we don’t have baby number five.”
