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Did he?
He couldn’t possibly. She hadn’t actually seen him in person since he moved to New York, butgod, she hoped he didn’t look that good in person.
“Oh no, that one was an unretouched outtake,” Olivia offered unhelpfully. “It said so in the caption.Au naturel.”
Esther rested her chin on her hand. “So what are you going to do with your hot underwear model while he’s here?” Her mouth twisted into a smirk. “I can think of a few things…”
“He’s like a brother,” Brooke insisted. A brother she used to have a huge crush on, granted, but that was a long time ago.
Esther tilted her head to one side. “Is he really though?Ishe like a brother?”
Olivia nudged Brooke with her elbow. “Yeah, didn’t you go to prom with him?”
“Well, yes,” Brooke admitted. “But only as friends.”Mostly. Sort of. But not exactly. Wow, all this cheese was making her mouth dry. She reached for her wineglass and took a drink.
“Didn’t youkiss himon prom night?” Olivia persisted.
Brooke gulped down more wine and wiped her mouth before answering. “That was just a fluke. A one-time thing. We both regretted it instantly.” One of them did, anyway.
Esther grinned across the table at her. “Okay, so what I hear you saying is he’s less like a brother and more like a hot guy friend you’ve totally macked on at least once.”
Brooke turned a glare on Olivia. “I’m regretting ever telling you anything about him.”
“So you do like him!” Penny accused, pointing a cheese straw at Brooke. “I knew it!”
“No, definitely not. Not like that.” Brooke reached for the bottle of Syrah and poured herself another glass.
“Then why are you buying new towels for him?” Lacey asked from the other end of the table. “Who gives a shit about towels?”
“I happen to love new towels,” Tessa said, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend.
Brooke fidgeted in her seat. “He lives in New York City, and goes to all these swanky parties, and hobnobs with celebrities and New York fashion people, and travels all over the world staying in fancy hotels and resorts. I just don’t want him to think I’m lame. Scratch that. I don’t want him to know how lame Iam.”
“Sounds to me like you like him,” Melody said, and Tessa nodded her agreement.
“I think we should change the subject back to Penny and her upcoming wedding,” Brooke announced, turning toward the bride-to-be. “Are you excited?”
Penny’s smile faltered a little. “Mostly nervous—not about getting married, but about all the family stuff. We still don’t even know if any of Caleb’s family are coming, and my mom is freaking out that there won’t be anyone sitting in the front pew on Caleb’s side of the church.”
“Would they really not go to their own son’s wedding?” Olivia asked. “I mean I know there’s some tensions there, but would they really miss his wedding?”
Brooke thought about her own parents, who hadn’t been to visit even once since she’d moved here, not even for her college graduation. Would they show up if she was getting married? Or simply make up another excuse not to come?
She had a feeling she knew the answer.
The irony was, Brooke used to be really close to her parents. Sure they’d been strict, and they’d pushed all three of their kids to be overachievers, but she’d believed they loved her in their own slightly rigid, constrained sort of way. She’d spent most of her childhood vying for their approval and preening when she managed to secure it—which was often, since she was a good student who rarely got herself into any sort of trouble.
Until she’d gotten herself into the worst kind of trouble.
Her parents hadn’t been thrilled when she’d first started dating. They held strict views on relations between unmarried men and women, and there had been grave concerns about their daughter having a boyfriend. But Kyle was from a good family who went to their church. Brooke’s parents knew his parents. He and Brooke belonged to the same youth ministry and had matching Virginity Pledge Cards, complete with Domino’s Pizza coupons on the back. He seemed as safe a choice for their daughter’s first boyfriend as they were likely to get. And so, reluctantly, they’d given their blessing to the relationship.
Little did they suspect that, despite the virginity pledge and abstinence education, Kyle was as horny as any red-blooded boy of his age—and Brooke was equally keen to find out what all the fuss was about. The Deed turned out to be somewhat less magical than she’d imagined, but still fun enough for repeat performances whenever they could contrive to be alone. Unfortunately, neither of them had wanted to risk being seen buying condoms, and birth control pills were wholly out of the question, so they’d foolishly relied on the “pull and pray” method of contraception.
Their praying skills, as it turned out, weren’t so good.
Brooke’s relationship with her parents had never recovered after the ignominy she’d brought upon herself and the family. Though whether the greater crime in their eyes was her promiscuity or her choice to terminate the pregnancy was still unclear. Not that she cared what they thought anymore. They’d essentially written her off, so she’d returned the favor.
“I’m just trying to keep Caleb from freaking out,” Penny said, and Brooke snapped back to the present conversation.
