Oh, right. The damn condom.“Sure.” Brooklyn rolled to her side, and then to her back, and watched as Alec padded into her bathroom. A minute later she was able to arrive at the conclusion that she really liked watching him coming and going, especially when he was naked.
“I had an amazing time tonight,” Alec said, cozying up next to her in bed. “Dallas is such a sweet kid. I’d go trick-or-treating with him every day if I could.”
Brooklyn held back on any commentary about how painfully obvious it was that Alec would make an incredible dad. She wanted him to find his way to that conclusion on his own. She didn’t want to draw him a map. “You made his night. Although really, I should be pissed at you since I think cool Aunt Brooklyn is no longer his favorite adult.”
He smoothed his hand over her belly. “He still loves cool Aunt Brooklyn. I know he does.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“And I know I said I didn’t like what your mom said about faking it, but other than that, she seems really nice.”
Nice.That wasn’t a word many people used when it came to her mother. Brooklyn could admit that her mom had always done right by her and her sister, even when it wasn’t a blissful relationship. “Shecanbe great. It’s just a mother-daughter thing. We’re always going to hold each other to an impossible standard. It feels like it’s baked into the relationship.”
“You’re really determined to help her find another buyer for Aurora, aren’t you?”
Brooklyn propped herself up on her elbow and looked Alec in the eye. “I have to at least try. I don’t want someone to swallow up her life’s work and turn it into something terrible.”
“It doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes big companies buy smaller ones and it ends up being great for everyone.”
“More often than not, it’s a disaster. And I know that Virginia and I will never hear the end of it if that’s what happens. It’ll be all she talks about at Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and Easter, and every family birthday celebration between now and the end of time.”
“Okay. Then why doesn’t Posh Post buy it?”
Brooklyn bit down on her lower lip. “Wait. What?”
“If you and your sister want to be the custodians of your mom’s legacy, you need to take control. So buy it yourself.”
“We don’t have nearly enough money to do that. Nor do we have enough staff to take that on.”
“You don’t need staff. She already has that. Just find a couple of investors. Just keep their chunk of it smaller than yours. If a massive corporation is ready to write her a big check, that’s got to be enough evidence that it’s worth it.”
That really got Brooklyn’s brain going. Was this feasible? “It would mean more work.”
“Not once you find the investors. Money fixes a lot of things. And you already know you don’t want to run Aurora, so you won’t struggle to let go like you do with Posh Post. But you can still call the shots when necessary.”
“Hmm.”
“I can help you find plenty of people with deep pockets. I’m happy to pitch in.”
“Really? But you already have so much going on.”
“Yes, really. I want to help. Plus, maybe this will make your relationship with your mom better. I think you’re harboring a lot of guilt from leaving, and that just seems really unhealthy at this point.”
“Oh, so that’s the crushing feeling I get whenever I talk to her?”
Alec laughed. “I think so.”
This wasn’t going to be easy, but it really was the best option Brooklyn had. “Okay. I’ll try. I’ve got to talk to Virginia.”
“In the meantime, I’ll make some calls.”
“Yes. Please. The clock is ticking. Twenty-eight days.” A lot was going to happen between now and then. Alec had his interview. Brooklyn had her first appointment at the fertility clinic. Then Alec’s interview would air, and they’d have to see how it all went over, and then… well, Brooklyn wasn’t exactly sure how it would all play out, but she’d learned that there was only so much planning and guessing you could do. Sometimes you had to hop on the ride of life and see where it took you.
“I have a fair amount of final interview prep this weekend, but I can get the ball rolling on your stuff, too.”
“Are you nervous about the interview? It’s a big deal.”
“I think I’m more on edge. I’m excited by the prospect of doing well. I really want to nail it.”
