Page 272 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs
“Yes ma’am,” Louisa muttered. She moved to leave. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go. My son has a program at his school this evening.”
Brooke’s face fell. “But you can’t leave! Who’s going to clean up this mess?” She motioned to the dresses, which were strewn over the bed and nearby chair.
“You have two hands! Maybe you could try cleaning it up!” Gracie said.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Louisa stammered, looking down at the floor, “but I informed Mrs. Matthews last week that I would be leaving early today. I can clean it up now, if you would like.”
Brooke thrust out her lower lip. “Don’t bother. I’ll do it myself. Utterly incompetent!” she muttered, shooting Louisa a disdainful look. “Just go!”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry.” Louisa gave her a curt nod as she hurried from the room.
Brooke turned her attention back to the mirror. She felt a smidgen guilty for treating Louisa so harshly. After all, she wasn’t really upset with Louisa as much as she was simply annoyed with the situation. She and Sheldon had gone out on three dates. Things had gone well on the surface, but she kept getting the nagging feeling he was simply going through the motions. She was so accustomed to guys falling at her feet that she could hardly fathom why Sheldon wasn’t falling in line. Then again, Sheldon was a cut above most guys. With looks like his, he could have his pick of any girl.
Her thoughts went to her daddy’s demon secretary. She was convinced that she was really Gracie, but how could she prove it? When she’d questioned her daddy about her, all he wanted to do was sing her praises, going on about what a great listener she was and how everyone at the agency loved her. She may have pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes, but she wouldn’t fool her!
After leaving the agency, she’d gone straight home to do some digging. She’d tried to find a website, but there wasn’t one. She couldn’t find a number either.Strange.It had been relatively easy to find information on the inn when she went looking for Dawson there. It was as if the place had vanished into thin air. She even resorted to calling local businesses in Midway to ask about the inn. According to the people she spoke to, the inn was closed and on the verge of being torn down. Something strange was going on, and she felt it was somehow connected to Gracie … or Alice … or whatever her name was.
“Knock, knock.” Her mother entered the room. She was holding a rolled-up newspaper in her hand. “My, my. It looks like a tornado tore through here,” she said dryly.
“I’ve been trying to find a dress for tonight,” Brooke countered defensively.
“Yes, I can see that.” She strode over to the chair in the corner and grabbed the bundle of dresses. She deposited them on the bed and then sat down in the chair, crossing her long legs. “You were a little hard on Louisa, weren’t you? She was nearly in tears when she left.”
Brooke made a face. “I can’t help it if she’s incompetent.”
She let out a long sigh. “You could at least pretend to tolerate Louisa. Do you realize what a difficult time I’ve had getting good help? You ran the last two off.”
A hard amusement came over Brooke’s face. “Excuse me? I ran them off?” She shook her head, chuckling. “That was all you, Mother. Nothing was ever good enough for you. The beds weren’t made correctly, the silver not polished often enough, the bathrooms not sanitized. The list goes on and on.”
A petulant scowl formed on the older woman’s beautiful face as she waved a hand. “I’d rather not go into all of that, if you don’t mind.”
“Wow, I can’t believe how much Brooke looks like her mother,” Gracie said, wide-eyed. The woman was about Brooke’s same height and size, but her hair was short. Judging from the plastic look of her face, she’d had more than a few surgeries in an attempt to preserve her youthful appearance. It was like catching a glimpse into the future and seeing Brooke. “What’s her name?”
“Her full name is Evelyn,” Gertrude said, “but she goes by Evie.”
Evie leaned forward and patted the bed. “Have a seat.”
Brooke shook her head. “Sorry, Mother, I wish I could, but I’m in a hurry. I have to get ready for my date.” Her phone buzzed, and she reached for it. “That’s probably Sheldon, saying he’s on his way.” As she read the text, her face fell.
“What’s wrong?”
Brooke cursed under her breath and dropped the phone on the dresser, where it made a loud clunk. “It’s Sheldon. He can’t go out tonight.”
“Really? Why not?” Evie said, frowning.
Brooke sat down on the bed, a dazed look on her face. “He said something came up. He left town and doesn’t know when he’ll be back.” Tears formed in her eyes.
A feeling of exultation swelled over Gracie, and she almost punched a fist in the air … until she realized Gertrude was standing next to her. She ignored the look of reproof on Gertrude’s face and turned her attention to Brooke and Evie.
“Well, it’s probably for the best. We don’t know anything about him … except that he’s pretty.” She arched an eyebrow. “And, honey bun, trust me when I say that dating a man who’s prettier than you is asking for trouble.”
“Sheldon is not prettier than me!” She gave her mother a worried look. “He’s not, is he?”
Evie studied her carefully. “Well, your hair is looking a little dry. What kind of conditioner are you using?”
Brooke touched her hair. “My usual.” She made a face. “Do you really think it’s dry?”
Evie nodded. “A little. How’s your diet and exercise? Your face looks a tad puffy. Maybe you should up your cardio classes to five days a week.”
