"So! High school bestie. What a crazy world, right?" He plops down in the chair at the far end of the table across from me, adjusting the collar of his button-down shirt. "And you're getting awfully cozy again, huh?"
"I'm… not sure what you mean," I stammer, flicking my gaze back to my computer screen. "What Brooke and I had back then was great—"
"So, you admit that youhadsomething together? How incredibly interesting."
"Sorry, Darrell, I don't quite understand what's happening here." I furrow my brow and cross my arms. "If you're implying there's something unprofessional at play, then I would suggest you discuss with your People Team representative."
"No—" He stops himself and sighs. "I didn't mean anything like that, Dustin. I'm sorry. I haven't seen Brooke this happy in a long time, to be honest. She put on a braveface ever since her divorce, but she'ssmilingthese days. Like actually smiling, no real reason, just all the time. And the way you looked at her like she hung the moon when you brought cupcakes to Fiona's party?"
"Uh."
"I'm not saying anything is going on. I just knew there had to be something in your past besideshigh school best friends. Can I take a guess?" He spreads his hands wide. "You had it bad for her, and she didn't know you existed."
I snort. "Oh, she knew I existed. She enjoyed my existence quite often, I might add."
He laughs with a bit of a sparkle in his eye. "Good for you, buddy. Listen, I'm not here to rain on any parades or throw any accusations around. I'm just saying, whatever you're doing? Keep it up. And if you hurt her, well, my husband knowsseveralundisclosed locations where you'd never be found again."
"You can be a little bit scary when you're serious."
"I know." He rises from his seat and raps the table with his knuckles. "Hey, do you think there's going to be an open bar on this cruise?"
"I'd bet on it."
Turning back to my laptop, I feel a little bit lighter. Keep doing what I'm doing? That's easy enough. I love making Brooke happy, and it seems her team lovesseeingher happy. This is going to be amazing.
Throughout the week, Brooke keeps sending me screenshots of various dresses she's considering for the cruise party. Every single one of them is fantastic—obviously—and I'm really no help in picking. But it does make me think about what I should wear. Would it be too much to try to coordinate styles?
Wait, that's a bad idea. While Darrell and the team are happy about Brooke's happiness, that doesn't mean we should start flaunting our relationship. What is our relationship, though? What do I do when it's time to leave? Hoist her over my shoulder and take her back to Chicago? I have to admit, the idea is more and more attractive. Does Huey travel well? Do I need to get some kind of kitty-xanax prescription for him?
Those thoughts roll around in my mind as I sit on the sofa in my corporate apartment, absentmindedly stabbing at my salad. Okay, priorities. First, something appropriate for me to wear. Everything I packed for the trip is the usual: business casual wear and seasonal choices. I'm not entirely sure of the dress code for this party. I wish they made these things more obvious.
That's what I like about working in offices, anyway. Corporate life has a strict set of rules that need to be adhered to. I amverygood at adhering to rules—my current situation with Brooke notwithstanding—and it just makes sense. Clean appearance, do your best at the job, look for process improvements, and you're golden. It's worked for me, anyway.
And I am deeply looking forward to a specific process improvement. Namely, asking Brooke to be my girlfriend. Again. It's a bit silly to be worrying about this at the ripe old age of thirty-two, but here I am. What if I've severely misread the signs? What if she meant she loves me as a friend? What if she fucked my brains out (multiple times) to be polite?
I need to talk to Alicia. After fumbling with my phone for a few seconds, it rings twice before she picks up, sounding a bit harried.
"What's up?" she asks. I can hear Orion and Nova babbling together in the background.
"Is this a bad time?" I wince.
"I mean—kind of. But if it's important, I can make time. Hey, kids? Mommy's gonna take a shower. Orion, you're in charge."
I stifle a laugh as Orion shouts triumphantly. "I just, uh, well. You know how you told me to keepit in my pants?"
"And we established that you didn't do that? Yes, I remember very clearly. Why?" Her tone drops. "Do I need to fight Brooke?"
"No," I groan. "No, no fighting. I'm just… I have a lot of emotions right now. And you know I'm not especially, um, good at that."
"So, have you planned the wedding in your head?"
"Yes."Shit!"I mean, no. What? What are you talking about?"
Her muffled sigh crackles in the phone speaker. "Jesus, Dustin. What do you want me to say? That we all knew Brooke would come back, and you'd get your happily ever after? That she's the only person who'd ever put up with your bullshit? That Mom will be overjoyed?"
"Mean. But yes, I'd like to hear that very much." I fidget with the hem of my shirt.
"Well, I won't lie to you. I didn't think she'd come back to you. I didn't think you'dtakeher back. But, of course, Mom will be overjoyed, and Brooke really is the only person on earth who'd put up with your ass long-term." Alicia snickers. "So, what are you going to do?"
