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Her lips tipped into a small smile. “That’s similar to what Hailey said.”
“Clearly, Hailey’s a smart girl and a good friend.”
“She is.” She smiled at me, and for the first time, I saw the woman she would have been if she’d never met Levi. She was strong and confident. She was happy.
Tenderness swept through me. “I know you want to protect yourself, but you don’t need to with me. I’ve got you.”
Brooke looked at me with a mixture of awe and surprise.
I handed her the bowl of popcorn and grabbed a few smaller ones to take outside.
“What took you so long?” Cammie asked when I handed her a bowl.
“We were just chatting.” Brooke smiled at me as I sat next to her.
It wasn’t my imagination that she was lighter for having told me her secret. It might have been my reaction, too. She’d worked it up in her head and probably concluded I’d want nothing to do with her. But I didn’t see her as weak. I saw her as the strong person she’d always been. Trusting didn’t make you weak. Holding yourself back did.
ChapterTwenty-Three
BROOKE
Keeping my secret locked inside made it bigger somehow. After confessing everything to Ben, I felt like I could breathe for the first time.
I was more open to whatever was happening with him. I realized I’d been holding myself back before, creating unnecessary boundaries. I hoped I wasn’t wrong in trusting that Ben was genuine.
What tilted things in his favor was his reaction to my past. I was so hard on myself that I expected others to be, too. Especially Ben. His standards were as high as mine, so I was shocked when he didn’t blame me for what happened.
He’d blamed Levi. And I wonder if that was where it should have been all along.
Over the next few weeks, we texted and video-called during breakfast and at night before bed. We went to the kids’ baseball games. It was nice, but I wished we had more time alone together. Work was busy because I was coordinating the renovations and anticipating the change from coffee shop to wine market, and I needed to order supplies and plan the party.
I still hadn’t shared any of my plans with Ben. It seemed wrong when he was my direct competitor, and I justified that by changing my business model. But something told me he wouldn’t be happy when he found out I wasn’t just giving the place a face-lift.
Ben had been too busy to stop in. Instead of working less once his business opened, he was working even more. He’d mentioned that Cammie was acting up because he wasn’t home as much, and he was conflicted between work and her.
I didn’t want to make things worse for him. He didn’t need me demanding time with him, too, but I missed spending time together, just the two of us, and the times spent with Cammie and Hunter. That night in his yard had felt like we were a family. I liked it. I could so easily fall for them. Maybe I already had because my chest ached when I thought of Ben and Cammie.
On top of work, Ben was still trying to find a house to buy. When he had any spare time, he went to showings and researched listings online. I didn’t complain because he’d said it was so we could have more time alone together. Although, how he’d manage with his parents not living in the same house, I wasn’t sure.
It was time to close the store so Sam could finish the front counter area. It would raise some questions, especially with Ben. Ones I wasn’t prepared to answer, but I couldn’t keep my plans a secret much longer. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t prepared for the fallout.
I looked up in time to see Ben opening the door and walking inside. His gaze scanned the tarps at the back of the store, and when he saw me behind the counter, he smiled. “Are you going to tell me what you’re changing around here?”
He’d eschewed his suits a while back for a new uniform of white button-downs and dress slacks. Except today, he’d rolled his cuffs, exposing his forearms. It was sexy.
I tapped my chin like I was thinking of a good reason to tell him and flashed him a flirty smile. “It’s a secret.”
“I would think we’re past keeping secrets at this point.” His words were heavy, but he kept his tone light.
Sobering, I tipped my head to the side. “You’re my competition.”
He gave me a pointed look. “I’m also your boyfriend.”
A customer came to the counter for a refill, and I nodded at my barista to handle it.
Moving from behind the counter, I motioned for him to follow me to the back. I was a little surprised by the use of the label. I leaned against the wall in the hallway and crossed my arms over my chest. My heart was pounding under my hand. “Are you my boyfriend?”
“After everything we shared, I’d say I am.”
