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The moment I walked into her house, I liked the vibe that I felt going on inside. It was a peaceful place. It was a beautiful place, too, from what I could see so far. Brooke and I had like tastes in décor. She seemed to love the ocean as much as I did.
Inside the back door, there was a painting of rolling ocean waves with the sun high in the sky above them hanging on the wall, and in the breakfast room there was a lit Yankee candle sitting in the middle of the round table. The name of the candle was “Coconut Beach” and beside it were a big starfish and a sand dollar.
Beyond Brooke’s breakfast room was an expansive kitchen and I immediately noticed all the white-washed cabinets. They were like the ones in my kitchen. Big, clean and crisp-looking. I also noticed the seashell-themed valances hanging above all the windows, as well as the seafoam-green canisters sitting on the counter. Their color matched the valances.
“Did I wake up you two this morning, when I texted you?” Brooke asked while getting the champagne and orange juice out of her fridge.
“You did, but it’s no problem,” Zac said, answering for both of us.
Brooke set down the mimosa mix on top of the island in the center of her kitchen and looked over at me and then at Zac. And she was smiling again.
“Whose bed were you sleeping in, Buchanan?”
I cut my eyes at him but he kept his focus on Brooke.
“Stevie’s,” he said, now smiling too.
“I thought so. And Stevie?” Brooke continued, turning her attention to me. “This is how Zac and I are when we’re not around the others on the team. We talk openly and candidly about our lives. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m great with that.”
“I was hoping so.” Brooke walked over to a cabinet and pulled out three champagne glasses. Then she started making our mimosas and while she was, she continued with her candidness. “Last night, I told Zac that I knew about his romantic involvement with you and I also told him I’m okay with it, and that I understand it, as well.”
“Yes, he shared that with me.”
“I knew he would and I’m glad that he did. I just wanted to tell you the same thing in person. I’m truly good with every bit of this that’s happening between you and Zac.” Brooke looked over at him with adoring eyes and then looked back at me. “I know his story and I also know yours, Stevie. You two falling for each other is so easy to understand. I had a strong feeling that it was gonna happen because I saw sparks fly between you and Zac when you met at Mystic Bar. Literally, as soon as he turned around and saw you and you saw him—and it just continued from that point on.”
“I tried so hard to hide how I was feeling that evening,” I said.
“So did this one,” Brooke said, poking Zac in the arm. “But I saw right through it—also when we all went back to Mystic Bar on Monday.”
“Okay, I’ve gotta ask,” Zac interjected. “How did you figure out Stevie and I were seeing each other?”
“I saw you kissing.”
“In the hallway at Mystic Bar! I knew it!”
Brooke shook her head no. “Not there. Did you really kiss Stevie at the bar?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God. You did not,” Brooked chuckled.
“Okay, wait. Where… Damn. You saw us in the parking lot by your office.”
“I did. I was on my way out to my car and saw the two of you in that sweet embrace, kissing like lovers do—and my heart melted for you. I watched you for a few seconds then turned around and went back up to my office. What I needed to get out of my car could wait.”
Zac and I looked at each other and both our faces were so red. Then we started laughing.
“You two are something else,” Brooke said, handing us our drinks. Then she raised her glass toward Zac and me. “Here’s to being in love. Cheers, my friends.”
We clinked our three glasses together and took sips of our mimosas. Then Brooke led us into her dining room. The table was already set with brunch ready to eat. We sat down—Brooke at the head of the table and Zac and me to her left—then we began filling our plates. Brooke had baked a breakfast quiche, made waffles, and also prepared three fruit bowls full of blueberries, sliced strawberries, bananas, grapes and kiwifruit with yogurt drizzled on top.
While eating, we talked about Brooke’s birthday party the night before and how much fun everyone had. Brooke loved her cake and gifts and thanked Zac again for the gift certificate he’d gotten for her, from the nail spa she went to. Then she thanked me again for my gift: a bottle of Wayfarer Chardonnay. It was Brooke’s favorite.
She brought up my case against Zac and teased him about my win. He took it while grinning, and then Brooke told us something that neither of us had been aware of. She’d watchedZac and I go rounds that day. She’d come quietly into the courtroom, sat on the back row, and then left right before court was adjourned.
“You’ve met your match in more ways than one, Buchanan,” she said.
