The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone #3)(72)

“Don’t.” Garrett nudged his dad out of the way so he didn’t cut himself. “I’ve got it. No worries,” he said to the sheepish-looking dog. “It’s okay.” He looked at his dad. “I thought you’ve been out of prison for a year, and that you’ve had Snoop since shortly after that.”

“That’s right.”

Garrett stared at him, taking in his dad’s disheveled appearance and realizing the truth. His dad had been camping out, or living in his truck, this whole time. Maybe a combo of both. And so had Snoop. He rose with the broken glass and moved into the kitchen, not liking the ache in his chest as he tossed the glass into the trash. He opened his fridge to find them all food and saw the new six-pack of beer he’d just bought. He picked it up and shoved it into a cabinet, out of sight, so his dad wouldn’t be tempted.

“What are you doing?”

He turned to face his dad, going for nonchalance. “Nothing.”

His dad gave him a get real glance. “My vice was hard booze, not beer, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Garrett blew out a breath and opened his mouth, but his dad shook his head.

“Don’t bother. I get it. I’m not exactly working with a stellar track record here. But I’m not drinking again, son. Ever.”

Garrett wasn’t sure he bought that, but okay. He put the beer back and found his dad looking into the laundry room. “Do you need to do a load?”

“I go to the laundromat.”

“You don’t have to do that now.” Garrett gestured to his washer and dryer, which was open, because that’s how he did things. He managed to wash his clothes and get them into the dryer, but he rarely, if ever, remembered to retrieve and fold them. Instead, he lived out of the dryer. Today, like every day, a few items were hanging out of the machine from his morning search for fresh clothes. A pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and . . . a bra.

Brooke’s, which she’d left here the night they’d slept together. He nudged the clothes all the way into the dryer and shut the door.

“You’re seeing someone,” his dad said.

“No.”

His dad raised a brow. “So you’re one of them cross-dressers?”

“Okay, I’m seeing someone. Sort of. Maybe.” Remembering how Brooke had left his truck a little while ago thanks to his own asshole behavior, he ran his hand over his face. “I don’t know.”

His dad smiled. “She’s got you all twisted up. That’s the very best kind of woman. What is she to you?”

His first instinct was to say “everything.” She was everything to him. But in truth, that was a pipe dream, and an old one at that, so he just shook his head. “There aren’t really words.”

His dad nodded. “Yep, some women are like that.”

Wasn’t that the truth.





Chapter 17


“I came, I saw, and I forgot what I was doing.”

Over the next few days, Brooke went through the motions.

She took photos and made time early each morning to sneak out to the Playground. And if she had Garrett to thank for that, she hadn’t yet mentioned it to him.

He’d been scarce. Okay, so she’d also done a bang-up job of avoiding him. Mindy, too, though her sister seemed to be avoiding her as well. And hey, if they didn’t talk, they couldn’t fight.

Denial, she was thy queen.

Her camera had once again become an extension of her, and it was currently the one good thing in her life. She took pics of the kids, her sister, Linc . . . even Garrett. She’d gotten pictures of his dad and Snoop, too, and as she did, a little voice inside her had said that if Garrett could forgive his father, he could certainly forgive her. But the truth was both simple and hard to take: She hadn’t really forgiven herself.

Now it was late, and she was lying on the futon telling herself to get up and get ready for bed. She needed to get out of her clothes and brush her teeth, because she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without going through her nighttime routine. But for the first time in her life, her OCD left her alone as she stared at the ceiling, wondering what Garrett was doing and if he was thinking of her. She was certainly thinking of him. What would he say to a late-night visitor?

Her phone buzzed. It was Cole and Tommy, holding her hostage in a group text.

Tommy: You ever coming back or what?

Brooke: Of course I am.

Cole: Don’t tease me.

Brooke: No, I mean it. And I want to talk to you when I get there.

Cole: Yes.

Brooke: But you don’t even know what I want to talk about.

Cole: Yes to anything. I’m a desperate man.

Brooke: I want to go back out there, I want to be a principal photographer again.

Cole: Okay, yes to anything but that. That’s a definite no. I’m not putting you out there where you could get hurt again.

Brooke: That’s not a decision you get to make for me.

Cole: So come home and fight it out with me.

Brooke: I will. Soon. I’m not quite done here.

Tommy: It’s about a guy, right? Why else would you be stalling? And don’t forget to freak out when he wants more than a good time.

Brooke: That’s ridiculous. I don’t freak.

Tommy: No? Why do you think you’re not wearing an engagement ring from Cole right now?