Brooke & Ben: Before Fate Interrupted (29 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Thanks to Hicks,
Ben landed some work at Jimmy’s studio whenever the guys had a day off or went
on vacation. Ben’s customers followed him, but a limited number of chairs
prevented it from becoming much more than two or three days a week. So Ben got
a part-time job at a bar around the corner and, month after month, he and
Brooke scraped by, living paycheck to paycheck without dipping into
their
nest egg. Before she knew it,
their one year anniversary had come and gone. It was bitter sweet. Sweet
because they got along like soul mates - bitter because his dreams were fading
further from reach with each day that passed. Ben did his best to hide it, a
trait she admired in him, but she could see it in his eyes or hear it in his tone.

Despite managing
to keep their nest egg from shrinking, they hadn’t added to it either. At one
point, he wanted to use it for a down payment on a house but Brooke wouldn’t
allow it. She insisted they stay positive and imagine his studio’s grand opening
– the place packed with an enthusiastic crowd turned on to his mind-blowing
skills through word of mouth alone. The months came and went and the picture
grew darker, fuzzier around the edges, the idea beginning to rust.

Brooke was above
the clouds now, figuratively and literally.

Then she was in
them.

Mist streaked
across her window as the plane descended into General Mitchell International
Airport where Ben was waiting for her out front. He hadn’t even been gone a
full week and she couldn’t wait to drop her carry-on and spring into his
waiting arms, just like in a movie. This was it. The dream was finally within
reach, and with his skills in a city the size of Milwaukee there was nothing
stopping them now.

At first, she
had hedged at the idea of leaving her family and friends. Leaving her home.
However, Wisconsin’s small business tax credit changed that in a hurry. It was
the only way this could work. And when Hick’s cousin, Jared, had come into a
small inheritance and wanted to open a tattoo studio with Ben and Hicks, it
could only be fate knocking at their door. She would not stand in the way of
opportunity; instead, she opened the door and let it inside.

She wiped her
palms on her jeans, her ears plugging with the change in cabin pressure. She
tried clearing them with a manufactured yawn that didn’t work so she popped in
some gum and started chewing. A baby cried a few rows back, sounding like it
was a mile away. Her nerves were as jumpy as a cat’s tail in a mouse trap
factory.

This was it.

This was their
chance to pave their own way. A chance to provide for the family they often fantasized
about. The one with two beautiful kids chasing their dogs around the lush
backyard while Ben manned the grill and Brooke watched from a nearby chase.

A few nerve-wracking
bumps and bangs later, the plane landed and finally came to a stop. She checked
her watch and smiled. Not bad for a forty-five minute flight. Easy and direct.
She could still visit her family and friends in Iowa. Even the five and a half
hour drive wouldn’t be that bad. Brooke dug her phone out and turned it on, her
head still in the clouds, the smell of airplane thick in the air.

This. Was. It.

Although she had
no idea what she would do in Milwaukee – probably catering again – she could
feel it in her gut. Ben’s moment to shine had arrived and she would personally
apply the wax. When her phone woke from its slumber she sent him a quick text.

Just landed.
Can’t wait to smother you in kisses!

***

Just like she
had imagined, she dropped her luggage and sprang into his arms, clinging to his
neck as he twirled her through the air like a ballerina. He set her down and
kissed her on the lips. Brooke’s foot rose into the air behind her like an old
black and white photograph, a snapshot in time she would never forget.

“Gotta keep
moving, folks!”

They broke their
kiss and turned to the cop strolling past.

He pointed to
the black carry-on. “No unattended bags.”

Ben snatched it
up and threw it into the back of the F-150. They jumped inside and the air-conditioning
felt good against Brooke’s skin.

“Do we look like
terrorists?” she said, adjusting her wind-swept hair. “That bag was like two
feet away.”

“Right?” he
replied, navigating past two lines of taxis and glancing at her out the corner
of his eye. “You look beautiful is what you look like.”

“Why thank you,
muffin. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Her eyes danced across his short
sleeve button down, the black sleeves strangling his biceps. The shirt went perfectly
with his dark jeans and black Adidas. A coy grin took her lips by surprise.

“Can’t wait for
you to see this place.”

“Where are Hicks
and Jared?”

“We’ll catch up
with them later.”

She reached over
and took his hand, her stomach still feeling like it was flying through the air.
A commercial airliner flew over them, blotting out the sun for a moment. “This
is so exciting!”

“Isn’t it?”

“And it’s not
even that far from home. That flight took less than an hour!”

“How awesome is
that?”

They found the
interstate and before long Lake Michigan stretched across the horizon, sun
sparkles winking off its surface like millions of shiny diamonds.

“Wow, it’s so
big!”

Ben glanced out
her window at the majestic body of water. “Wait till you see the trail system
that runs along it. You’re going to love it.”

“It looks like
an ocean.”

“One hundred and
eighteen miles across to Grand Haven, Michigan.”

“That is so crazy,”
she murmured, watching a ski boat zip past a lazy fishing boat.

“I think we’re
really going to like it here.”

She turned to
him and squeezed his hand. “I’m so happy for you, baby.”

Her unbridled smile
brought a similar one to his face, their hopes as high as the Hoan Bridge they
were now crossing. The traffic made her adrenaline race. They had been to
Chicago three different times and that traffic – compared to that of Des Moines
– had been downright scary. Milwaukee’s traffic wasn’t quite that busy but
still managed to make Des Moines seem like a one light town. She couldn’t wait
to explore the entire area until she knew it like the back of her hand.

“How much
further is it?”

“Not much.” He
stopped at a red light in the long shadow of the US Bank building anchoring
downtown. “Already got the key.”

“I’m anxious to
meet this Jared guy,” she said, taking in the sights. “I hope he’s easy to get
along with.”

Ben smiled.
“He’s fine.”

“Well, it’s just
kind of weird opening a business with someone you’ve never met in a town you’ve
never been to before.”

“I’ve been here
before.”

“What if this
Jared guy is a drunk and leaves empty cans and cigarette butts all over the
place?”

“Brooke,
everything is going to be great. Trust me.”

A weary sigh
passed her lips. “I know, sweetie. I just want you to be happy. You’ve been
given a gift and I want to help you to share it with the world.”

He glanced over
at her and smiled. “You mean like your boobs?”

She frowned at
him. “You want to help me share my boobs with the world?”

His smile faded.
“That came out wrong.”

She turned back
to her window and bit back a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

Ben pulled over
and parked in the street, their heads jerking with the sudden stop in motion.

She looked
around the block, twisting in the seat. It was cute with huge flowerpots dotting
both sides of the sun splashed street. A stable of rentable bikes sat on one corner
while people meandered along the wide walkways, window shopping and enjoying
the warm weather at the same time.

Ben took her
hand. “Listen, as long as you’re with me, I’m always happy. Don’t worry about
anything.”

“I’m always going
to be with you. You know that.” Brooke turned back to the busy stretch of road
before them. “I just really want this to work.”

“It will.” He
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her softly. They parted and
looked into each other’s eyes, sharing a tender moment. “Now get out.”

Brooke popped
her door open and climbed down from the truck, her eyes scanning the shops on
both sides of the street. “Which one is it?”

He came around
to her side and jerked his chin to the building right behind her.

She whirled on
her yellow high heels and stepped back for a better view, her teal scarf
blowing in the wind. “This one?”

He nodded
proudly.

“Oh, it’s so
cute! I love the huge window, Ben!”

“Wait till you
see the inside.” He went to the glass front door, unlocked it and held it open
for her.

Brooke stepped
inside, her eyes widening when he hit the lights. “Ooh, I love this checkered
floor! It’s so old school.”

“And, as you can
tell, the air-conditioning works.” He followed her gaze around the room, taking
in whatever she was.

“I didn’t expect
it to be so big.”

“Neither did I.”

“Oh my God, look
at the size of that booth in the corner!”

“That’s the Tony
Soprano booth, VIP ballers only.”

Her eyes kept
moving, scanning the bowed glass cases and peeling peach colored walls. “It
needs some paint but it’s really nice.”

“Come on,” he
said, head behind the counter.

She followed,
taking it all in. “What did this place used to be?”

Ben shrugged.
“Noodle joint or a deli or something. I forget.” Ben pushed through a swinging
door and held it open for her. “Check this out.”

She followed him
into a darkened room and bumped into him when he stopped.

“Sorry,” he
said, feeling the wall. “Trying to find the light switch.” After a few more
seconds, he found it and with a soft click, the fluorescents stubbornly blinked
to life.

Her brow folded.
“A kitchen?”

He pulled out a
stool and took a seat at a large island table in the middle of the room. “Walk-in
is over there and the office is around the corner. Pretty cool, huh?”

Brooke scanned
the place through dubious eyes. “Yeah but, all of this for…?”

“Tattoos?”

“Yeah.” She pulled
open one of the ovens built into the far wall and peered inside. “Do you really
need four ovens, Ben?”

“No,” he said,
watching her every move. “But you do.”

She closed the
oven and turned to him, confusion wrinkling her face.

He held the keys
up and let them dangle from his fingers. “It’s all yours, lemon drop.”

The lights
buzzed in her ears and reflected off the keys. “I don’t understand.”

He got up from
the stool and wrapped the keys in her hand. “This place is yours now.”

“
Mine
?” She choked on a laugh. “What are
you talking about?”

“The tattoo shop
fell through.”

A stunned moment
made the lights even louder. Brooke swallowed dryly, her eyes examining the
keys in her hand before looking back up. “What? How?”

A dejected sigh
shrunk Ben’s posture. “Hicks went to jail for assault two nights ago.”

“He what!”

“It’s a long,
horrible story, but needless to say there was a change of plan.”

“Is he okay?”

“Physically,
he’s fine. Legally, he’s in some trouble. We’re going to go visit him after
this, if that’s okay with you.”

She shook the
cobwebs from her head. “What happened?”

He hedged before
answering. “We were at some bar Jared goes to all the time and Hicks got into
it with some guy over something stupid. Ended up smashing a pint glass across
the guy’s face while I was in the bathroom.” Ben shook his head, a storm
passing through his eyes. “I should’ve been there.”

Brooke covered
her mouth. “Oh my God, why would he do that?”

Ben lifted a
shoulder to an ear. “Who knows? It was incredibly stupid and I’m having a hard
time not being pissed at the guy. That’s not the Hicks I know.”

“Well, what
about Jared?”

“He didn’t want
to do it without Hicks and neither did I. Would’ve been too weird.”

“I don’t believe
it.”

Ben dialed
Brooke back into focus and inhaled a deep breath, determined to shake off the gloom
smothering his surprise. “Anyway, we checked this place out a few days ago and
all I could see is you and your own bakery after things fell through.”