Play Fling (A Stupid Cupid Book) (16 page)

Millie rotated her wine glass again.
“Weird.”

“Yeah,” Brooke said. “But in a really good
way.” She peered around into the kitchen. When she’d seen him at
the mall he’d looked startled. Unnerved. Would he look happy
now?

A deep chuckle echoed from the kitchen. Nancy
greeting someone.

A lot could happen in two weeks. Had it only
been two? Seemed like she’d known Elliott longer.
Elliott
.
His name blanketed her mind. His face, the shadow of stubble along
his chin, the evening sky through the window behind him. He’d
looked at her like she was the only thing he’d ever known, ever
wanted. She’d felt precious.

“Hey, what is he doing here?” Accusation
laced Millie’s voice. Her fingers stopped twisting up a tendril and
she nudged Brooke. “Isn’t that the dude from the mall?”

Before Brooke looked she knew, deep down in
her core. Millie meant Elliott. He was here? She couldn’t move. Her
gaze held to Millie’s face and watched her react instead. Millie’s
eyes narrowed, her jaw flexed, anger flashed in her eyes. Anger?
No, that didn’t make sense. Brooke was probably projecting her own
fears.

“Elliott’s here?” she said.

“Yep. That’s him alright,” Millie said then
mumbled something Brooke couldn’t hear above the roar in her veins.
Millie downed her chardonnay. “I need to call AJ. Where’s the
bathroom?”

Brooke gladly led the way to the restroom,
almost asked if she could come in, too. But a rational part of her
remembered that Millie’s boyfriend, AJ, though working, was giving
up his girlfriend for the holiday to Brooke, who he’d only met
twice. And, most importantly, he hadn’t pitched a fit about it.
Thankfully, thinking of AJ may have prevented Millie from noticing
Brooke’s panic. If Brooke was going to spill her guts, it would not
be now, not like this.

“Find out if AJ can come over,” Brooke
blurted out as Millie shut the door.

She stayed in the short hallway to wait. What
if AJ’d gotten out of work early? Nancy wouldn’t mind. Oh, but what
if he wanted Millie to leave? No. Millie couldn’t leave her. What
good would AJ joining them do, though? Make her feel less stark
naked amid her ex-family? She’d still have to face Elliott.

Maybe she could leave out a window.

Her night with Elliott would definitely go
down as her
least
favorite mistake. Stupid song. Blowing her
nose on that note and flushing it had felt so good at the time, but
now? She should have saved it to throw in his face, along with a
cold drink.

Brooke stared at the door, willing Millie to
hurry.

Millie would help her leave. They could use
AJ as an excuse. Well, so long as Nancy didn’t force them to call
him so she could make him comfortable enough to come over. She’d
witnessed the woman in action. Once she’d snared a guest, only two
helpings and a finished dessert would free them. And only after
dark.

Brooke couldn’t think straight. What should
she do? Face him? And what was taking Millie so long? Brooke lifted
her fist to knock but a male voice carried down the hall, killing
her knock mid-air. Someone was coming. What if it was him?

Brooke glanced to her left. The guest bedroom
was her only chance. She ducked inside and backed into the shadows.
The bed was piled high with coats, the armchair with purses. The
shush of jeans and pat of footsteps chorused her thumping
heart.

Of all the homes to be in today, how had
Elliott found his way into this one? She hadn’t lied about Nancy’s
penchant for strays. The woman’s childhood in foster care inspired
her, and she made it known bringing a friend got you special
treatment on all holidays. Her approval was addictive. But who
could have brought him? Why was he alone on Thanksgiving, anyway?
Didn’t he have a home to go to? Some mom somewhere itching to do
his college laundry?

The bathroom door opened. “Broo—oh, uh,
excuse me.” Man, Millie could sound superior when she wanted
to.

Footsteps down the hallway—Millie’s?—leaving.
Brooke swallowed, willing the door to close again so she could
follow. Getting separated meant certain death by gross humiliation.
If she ran into Elliott without Millie at her side, who knew what
she would say. Or do.

No closed door. No footsteps either. Just the
hush of the toilet refilling its tank.

Brooke let her held breath leak out. She
rubbed her palms against her slacks. She couldn’t risk Millie
getting far.

A voice hissed outside the door. “Jason! You
scared me.”

“Mmmm. Did I?” Jason said low. Brooke covered
her mouth. She slid down to a crouch on the floor.

Wet sounding smooching noises.

Her heart thumped louder. Jason brought a
date? Why wouldn’t he have warned her? Oh, wait. Maybe he had. Was
telling her to bring someone his way of playing fair?

She didn’t want to know. She wanted
him—them—to go back to the party and leave her to…what? Find
Millie. Avoid Elliott.

Heavy breathing, more kissing, the rustle of
clothing drowned out the noise in her veins. Tears stung in her
eyes. She hated them. Crying was the last thing she needed. Hell,
she shouldn’t have any tears left.

Please, just let them go away. Make them
go away
. She didn’t want to be found like this. Not by Jason.
Not when she’d been so excited to see him again. Memories she’d dug
up and dusted off, of their marriage’s good parts, swelled inside
her. She’d let herself miss him for the first time. Had he missed
her, though? No. He was in love again. She’d thought his happy
voice had been for her. An olive branch. A truce.

She should have known better.

The kissing stopped. “No. Not here.” Hope
filled the whisper. “What if someone sees us?”

“Let them,” Jason said this, his voice level.
“I’m not ashamed.”

Another kiss. Ashamed of what?

Hushed. “I know. But, not like this. Please?”
Spoken so quiet.

“Okay. But, can you feel what you do to me?”
Ew. Longer kisses. “I’ll meet you out there,” Jason said.

Brooke wiped her face. She righted herself,
ready to come out of the shadows. She wanted to confront Jason, to
stab a finger in his chest and demand an explanation. He’d set her
up. But, she knew better. Then it hit her. What if Jason had
invited Elliott?

The bathroom door closed. Whoever else was
there left. Quiet.

“Get a hold of yourself, Brooke,” she
whispered. “You’re better than this.”

Jason finding love didn’t mean anything. How
could it? He didn’t get the right to turn her world upside down
anymore. Not that he did much turning before.

She felt better telling herself so, too. Good
enough to suck it up and locate Millie, Elliott be damned. She’d
just play it cool. Act like nothing, not a kiss, not a touch, not
even a sneeze, had passed between them. He didn’t deserve to see
how hard she’d taken his rejection. No one ever had to know.

To think, she’d actually hoped he’d call,
change his mind. Who cared, though? Right? Her eyes pinched against
the hallway light. The fact that she’d almost cried like a
teen-aged girl over her ex certainly didn’t help. She straightened
her shoulders. She’d blame allergies.

Right.

Forget him, remember? Still her mind begged,
why? Had he been insulted? Had he seen her wedding photo and
thought the wrong thing? Should have hidden the stupid picture.
Shouldn’t have it out in the first place except seeing it every day
motivated her to never, ever settle again.

She strode down the hall. Forget him? She’d
forget the entire night—the entire span of ever seeing those damned
blue eyes. It would be wiped from her brain. Clean slate.

As soon as she figured out how. Flushing that
note had been a good choice. An excellent decision. Just like
giving Elliott a good blow off now would be. If he dared to think
he could talk to her. They might be her ex-family, but they’d back
her over a stray any day—not that she’d reveal the truth.

Still. Good to remember.

Brooke rounded the hallway corner and, thank
God, spotted Millie.

Chapter Thirteen

“He left five minutes ago,” Millie said as
Brooke joined her back at the tree.

“He did?” Brooke’s stomach jumped. “He’s
gone?”

“Yep.” Millie’s gaze bobbed from her to other
guests milling around. “I gave him directions but you may need to
clarify for him. I’m geographically challenged.”

“For AJ? You mean AJ left five minutes ago?”
Not Elliott. How would Millie know she wanted to run and hide at
all, let alone from whom? “Sure, I can tell him how to get here. Do
you want me to call now?”

Millie chewed her lip. “Yeah. Just in case.
Here, let’s go outside.”

The cold air fingered through Brooke’s hair,
soothed her hot neck. The holiday din evaporated as she shut the
glass door behind them. Millie handed her phone over and Brooke
upgraded AJ’s directions. He was a few blocks away. She thanked him
four times. Probably too many, she knew. Couldn’t help it,
though.

She hung up. “Where ever did you find him,
Millie? How cool of him to come over and spend Thanksgiving with a
house full of strangers for his girlfriend’s friend.”

Millie clapped her hands and rubbed them
together. “Yep. He’s the best.”

“Thank you for staying, too. For not ditching
me. I’m sure AJ would be better company today.”

“No big deal. So, when do I get to officially
meet Jason?”

“You met him,” Brooke said, hardly hiding the
nervous giggle in her throat. She had introduced them, hadn’t she?
Or had she stood there gaping at Elliott like a starved animal? “At
the mall. After my makeover.”

“Brooke,” Millie said pointedly. “Yeah, I got
his name. I meant, when do I get to know him, meet him? He did
invite you to his family’s home on Thanksgiving.”

Brooke tucked her hair back. “His mom wanted
me here. Nancy likes having big get togethers. And we’re friends
still.”

“Friends or not, you two are divorced. Don’t
tell me he doesn’t have something on the agenda.” Millie sounded
rather pleased, too.

“Well, if he does, it isn’t about me. In
fact, he brought someone home to meet the family.” There. She’d
said it. No choking up at all, either. “I think he’s in love.”

“What? No. That’s impossible!” Millie threw
her hands up. “Jason can’t be in love. Why would he invite you if
he was in love?”

“Uh, yeah. He can. He is.” Had Millie thought
this was some sort of a date? “I overheard him in the hallway after
you left the bathroom. He was kissing someone. I guess inviting me
here is his idea of a truce or…I don’t know.”

“You saw him?” Millie scowled to the sky.

“I heard him.” How could she not overhear?
Jason couldn’t whisper to save his life. “I’m sure he’ll be
introducing her as soon as he sees us.”

“When? After I left the bathroom? But, where
were you?”

“I was in the bedroom, hid…,” she said, then
paused. She didn’t want to tell Millie about Elliott. “To find my
purse for some Chapstick. My lips are so dry from the wine.”

“Stop licking them so much and they won’t get
dry,” Millie snapped and began massaging her temples.

“It doesn’t really matter if Jason was
kissing someone. I mean, we’re not together.”

Millie stared at her. “You’re not upset about
it?”

“A little, I guess. No, a lot. I wish he’d
told me first is all. I feel set up.”

“You know what? I just need AJ here.
Everything will be fine just as soon as he gets here.”

Oh no. Millie was regretting this whole
thing, wasn’t she? Brooke couldn’t ask. Imagining facing Nancy made
her belly squirm. Brooke tried to sound chipper. “We can go wait
for him around front if you want.”

She pointed to the side gate too late.
Millie’d already gone in the door. Whatever aggravated Millie had
her marching. Brooke caught up, keeping her eyes forward lest she
spot Elliott. She’d rather be stuck in an elevator with Jason’s new
love than anywhere near Elliott right now.

Millie exited the front door soon. Brooke was
only a few paces behind. Doing well. Almost there. Could they just
get back in the car and drive away? How furious could Nancy get?
She reached for the knob.

“Brooke?”

Simultaneously, her hand melted and froze on
the knob. That voice. Lovely and deep and sexy. So close behind
her. Tentative. Slowly, she faced him. “Hi, Elliott.”

Time tilted. His blue eyes glittered with
hope and seemed to see right into her soul.

“I knew it was you,” he said. “I saw you from
the living room. Your back, actually. I thought, no way is that
her. But it is. You’re here.”

Her knees went a little watery. How could he
look at her with such hopeful eyes? Didn’t he remember what he’d
said to her?

“Yep. It’s me,” she said, her hand
involuntarily slapping her thigh. “Here. Thanksgiving. Family. All
that. Jason and I…we, uh….”

“You look amazing,” Elliott interrupted
before his brain could fit a muzzle. “Really just amazing.” The
willowy way she walked, her neckline, her mouth. The second he’d
seen her, he’d known. Unmistakable.

“Um, you too.” She blushed and looked
away.

That very morning, again, the urge to call
her pounded his head and he’d resisted. What if she’d be there?
Nah, he’d decided. Not today. Her at her ex’s mom’s place?
Unlikely. Probably the last place she’d spend a holiday. Maybe
tomorrow. Don’t rush. Wait until tomorrow. His pulse had picked up.
Who knew what kind of fool you’ll make of yourself if you see
her?

And now, here was, doing exactly that.
Say
something, idiot!
Elliott unclenched his sweaty fists. “When
did you get here?”

“A while ago.” Brooke kept her gaze on his
chin. “You?”

He wouldn’t have come at all, but Gordon had
begged, bribed and threatened. Couldn’t meet the family alone. Not
the very day Jason would come out of the proverbial, suburban
sized, closet. He had to be there for Gordon. He always had been
for him. “A while ago.”