Chapter One
Brooklyn Snyder assumedthe downward dog pose, her hands on the front of the mat, ass in the air.She stretched her feet out behind her, and blew out a long breath that sounded more like a pained sigh.
“Are you okay?”her friend, Amy, asked in between yoga stretches.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”Brooklyn played dumb, stalling the inevitable conversation about her ex as long as possible.
From her own upside-down pose, Amy frowned.“Wearegoing to discuss this after class.”
Brooke had known Amy Jenkins since middle school where they’d sat together at lunch and had become inseparable ever since.If Amy said they were going to talk, she wouldn’t be deterred, but Brooklyn was grateful for the end-of-class reprieve anyway.
Listening to the instructor, they stretched, then lay on their backs for Savasana, the resting pose.Was it bad that this was her favorite part of yoga?she mused.
Once the instructor released them, they rolled their mats, put other accessories away in the back, and walked out of the room together.
“Brooke, do you want to get a shake?”Amy pointed to the small café inside the gym with a few tables and a counter where the person working behind it made the most delicious chocolate and peanut butter protein shakes.
“Definitely.”Her stomach rumbled in agreement.
They waited for the icy drinks to be created and luckily found a table where they could sit and talk.Or should she sayunluckily, as Brooke didn’t want to discuss anything related to Aiden Sterling, and that was definitely where this conversation was headed.
“Okay, so are you prepared to see Aiden at work next week?”
It was just like Amy to get right to the point, Brooke thought and groaned.“Couldn’t you wait for me to at least enjoy my first sip before you started grilling me?”
“I’m not grilling you, I’m asking as a concerned friend.It’s one thing to see Aiden on his occasional trips home, another to know he’s back for a prolonged time, and yetanotherto have to work with him.”Amy gave her a pointed stare.
Stalling, Brooke took a long pull from the straw and allowed herself to enjoy the chocolatey sweetness before meeting her friend’s gaze.“With a little luck, we’ll be working in the same office but not together.”
During college, Brooke had interned for Sterling Investments, and she’d been employed by them ever since.Yes, she’d known the family for years.When she was fourteen, the Sterling patriarch, Alex, had bought the estate where Brooke and her mother lived in the gatehouse.Alex had five children, and Brooke became close with each.Her mother remained the housekeeper and Brooke grew up with the family.Fallon, the only girl, was Brooke’s other best friend and Brooke’s mom was now dating Alex Sterling.
Brooke had earned her Chief Operating Officer position at the firm by working hard and dedicating long hours to proving herself.It helped that Aiden, who’d broken her heart, had been gone for five long years, and only returned for big events and when he could take time from his roving journalist job.
“Okay, but you still have to face him and talk to him.Or are you going to continue keeping him at arm’s length?”
Brooke’s heart skipped a beat at her friend’s question.“Keeping Aiden at arm’s length is for my sanity.I’m afraid if I get close to him, I’ll slap him for all the pain he put me through.”
“And he’d deserve it.”
Brooke nodded.She’d given him her virginity and her heart, and he’d tossed her away the next day in favor of his career.He hadn’t even allowed them the chance to make a long-distance relationship work.He’d never taken her feelings and her needs into consideration.What she wanted hadn’t mattered.
But that was in the past, even if the anger she felt was current and real.“I can handle seeing him,” she said.“I’ve already done it at family get-togethers.I’ll be fine.”She wrapped her hands around the icy drink, the condensation seeping into her skin.
“And are you still keeping what happened from the family?You still won’t tell Fallon?”
She shook her head.“Nobody knows.I don’t want Fallon to feel like she has to take sides.”Which was why she’d never told anyone but Amy what had happened with Aiden.Oh, they knew something had changed.Especially Brooke’s mom.It was obvious she and Aiden were no longer close, but Brooke never spoke of why.
Holding her pain inside hadn’t been easy but she’d done it once before, when her dad died, keeping things in so her mother wouldn’t worry about Brooke while she dealt with her own grief.Continuing to pretend things with Aiden were fine but distant should be easy.She’d been doing it long enough.
She and Amy finished their drinks.Together, they walked out, parting ways at Brooke’s PT Cruiser and Amy’s SUV parked side by side.
“See you Wednesday night?”Amy asked.They met two times a week for yoga, Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.
“I’ll be there,” Brooke said with a smile.She headed home to the gatehouse she still shared with her mother, not wanting Lizzie to be alone.
Aiden would be at work this coming Monday morning, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Chapter Two
