The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone #3)(78)

Someone had turned the hose on them.

The dirt became mud, and as people waded in to separate them, some slipped and fell on top of the pile of limbs.

Mindy’s life was flashing before her eyes when she was finally lifted to her feet by a stunned-looking Linc.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She had no idea. She was bleeding from a few cuts, including one on her lip, but Brooke looked even worse, covered in mud, bleeding from a cut beneath her eye, holding her wrist funny, cradling it to her chest. Michelle was the dirtiest of all of them, dripping mud from every inch of her, but there was no blood on her that Mindy could see.

Linc took in the sight and his mouth tightened into a grim line. “Car,” he said. “Now.”

The kids stayed at the party with Brittney as he drove them to the hospital. No one spoke in the car, at least not until they arrived at the ER. Linc parked, and then Brooke suddenly started breathing funny. Her eyes dilated, her skin went pasty white. Every protective instinct came out in Mindy because she knew Brooke was having an anxiety attack, probably because the last time she’d been in the hospital, she’d nearly died. She reached out to hug her, but got a don’t-you-dare-touch-me death glare.

Still worried, Mindy insisted on sharing a cubicle, so they ended up on twin cots, waiting to be treated while Linc was out front filling out paperwork.

In the silence, Mindy could hear Brooke still breathing too fast, and she struggled to sit up.

“What are you doing?” Brooke asked. “The nurse said to lie still and ice your eye until she can get a doctor. You never listen.”

“Says the queen of breaking rules. And oh my God, you’re also wearing my sandals. At my funeral, make sure to sit me up so I can see which of my clothes you’ve stolen to wear.”

Brooke stared at her. “You’ve lost your collective shit.”

“Yes! Now you’re finally getting it.” And since it hurt too much to stay seated, she lay back down.

“You know what really gets me?” Brooke asked a few minutes later.

“What?”

“That I only got three hits in. I needed to get that fourth hit in.”

“Because you needed it to be an even number?”

“Because I really wanted to hit her again.”

Mindy managed a laugh as the doctor came in. Nothing was broken except maybe her pride. Brooke’s wrist was sprained, and she did need five stitches below her eye. After that was handled, the doctor left to write up a prescription for antibiotics for Brooke.

More awkward silence filled their cubicle. From the corner of her eye, Mindy could see Brooke doing a crossword puzzle on her phone, which she did only when she was deeply upset. Mindy argued with herself and then finally spoke. “I’m ready for my apology.”

Without taking her gaze from her puzzle, Brooke gave her a suggestion. With her middle finger.

Mindy nodded. “Apology accepted.” She paused. “You took a punch for me.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So it cost you five stitches and a sprained wrist.”

Brooke shrugged, like she’d have done more if she’d had to, and Mindy felt her throat close up tight. She sniffed, but the tide couldn’t be stopped. A tear popped out.

Brooke looked up and stared at her. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re crying.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!” Brooke pointed at her. “Stop that. You know that’s unfair. When you cry, you win, and it’s not your turn to win, Min!”

“Then you should’ve cried first!” Mindy sobbed. “You stuck up for me.”

“Well, duh. You’re family.”

Mindy cried harder.

Brooke sighed the sigh of a martyr. She stared up at the ceiling. Swung her foot. Sighed again. “Remember when we used to sneak out of the house to go to parties? Well, now I want to sneak out of parties to go home. That was a terrible party.”

Mindy laughed and wiped her nose with her arm. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so self-absorbed and haven’t taken good enough care of you. I’m going to do better. I just can’t stop thinking about how you never told me about you and Garrett. I thought we were closer than that. I want to be closer than that.”

“At the time, I guess I’d convinced myself there really wasn’t much to tell.”

“And now, with hindsight being twenty-twenty?”

Brooke waited a beat too long to say, “Same.”

Mindy sat up. “You hesitated.”

“Did not.”

“You did. Come on, Brooke, lie to yourself if you have to, but not to me. If it were really nothing to you all those years ago, you’d have said so. Which means it was way more than nothing.”

“Okay, fine.” Brooke closed her eyes. “At the time, I guess I really did think it was a lot more than nothing. I thought it was . . .”

“What?”

“Everything,” Brooke whispered. “I thought he was going to be my everything. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you back then because I knew you’d freak out. But you’ve kept things from me, too.”

Brooke had had her heart broken and Mindy hadn’t been there for her, and it took her a moment to find her voice. “Like what?”