AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I squeezed a generous amount of the lemon-and-sage–scented cleanser in my hand and with gentle sweeping motions applied it to his upper torso and then his angular, perfect face. So maybe he had some blackheads on his nose. I supposed that meant I should throw in an extraction for him. What a pity. He deserved a little torture.
“That stuff stings,” he complained.
“It’s the price you pay for beauty,” I sang, not even caring that he was shifting in discomfort while I continued to apply the cleanser. To be more wicked, I added in, “You have really large pores, and I see a lot of lines on your face. I recommend getting a good moisturizer.”
“I have wrinkles?” He sounded oh so vain. His eyes flew open, begging me to tell him it wasn’t true.
I had to press my lips together before I smirked at him. “There are different types of wrinkles. You have some frown lines around your brow. I suggest smiling more.”
He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know I don’t?”
“Just a hunch.”
“You’re awfully presumptive, Jane.”
“Am I wrong?” I challenged him. Which I would have never done with any other client. But Brooks was different. He always had been for me.
He gave me an icy stare. “I don’t see why that is any of your business.”
“My apologies. You’re right. You are absolutely none of my business,” my stupid voice cracked. I mean, it wasn’t like I hadn’t been in love with him for over half my life.Chapter ThreeI let out a huge sigh the moment I reached Pecan Orchard’s city limits. There was something so soothing about my hometown. I wasn’t sure if it was all the cute shops on Madison Street—the main thoroughfare—that were tightly knit together and made of brick with classic awnings. Or the way the shopkeepers still swept the sidewalks and dressed their business windows for each holiday. Currently they were all decked out in red, white, and blue in commemoration of Memorial Day, which would be in a couple of weeks. Life was slower in Pecan Orchard, and I loved it. When you went to the grocery store here, you learned to always get your frozen foods last because it was inevitable that you would run into someone, or several someones, you knew, and long conversations would ensue. Many cartons of ice cream had melted at Dixon’s Grocery Store while people were shooting the breeze.
Tonight, I needed home more than ever. My time with Brooks today had me reeling. Which was ridiculous. I was a grown woman who had not spent the last twenty years mourning Brooks. Sure, I had thought about him more than I would like to admit. So maybe I stalked any photos Carly posted of him on Facebook. Perhaps I had even checked him out on LinkedIn. And whenever Tom had any news of him, I paid extra close attention. Could anyone blame me? I’d had a voice in my head tell me we would get married. With all that said, him not recognizing me today hurt. It felt like prom night all over again. I was the forgotten girl.
It had been one thing for Brooks not to see me romantically, but I’d thought we were friends. Like best friends. At least good enough for him to have given me a heads-up that he had been planning on ditching me. Good enough that even after twenty years he would have recognized me. Although, after two decades of no word from him, it was stupid how hurt I was by it all. Thankfully, I would never see him again. He had made sure to mention to me after his appointment that while I had done a good job, my attitude was severely lacking and he would be posting a poor Google review. I’d told him I looked forward to writing my rebuttal. He’d sneered at me before I’d walked out to allow him to get dressed.
Lorelai and Colette got a big kick out of him complaining about me to the owners. I’d had my wits about me and knew he would be one of those complainers, so before he got to them, I had made sure to tell Lorelai and Colette that he thought my name was Jane. They’d happily played along and said all the right things, including that they would discipline Jane. We’d all had a good laugh about it, even if inside I had been crying a bit. I missed the old Brooks. Not to mention I was having a hard time forgetting how wonderful it had been to touch his broad shoulders and taut chest. It was as if my fingers were meant to touch his skin.
I had to shake those thoughts. It was poker night with the boys, a.k.a. my daddy and Tom, and I needed to be on my A game. Plus, I had to conceal from Tom that I’d seen Brooks today. He would be ashamed of him if he found out how deplorable his son had behaved. Or worse, he would blame himself. Poor Tom.
