Dedicated to my first 9 reviewers, especially to BrookenRachel for giving me encouraging words to keep writing this story.

Chapter Four- Start From The Outside and Work Your Way In

-RING RING-

"EHLO?"

"Oh, sorry Brooke, I didn't mean to wake you, well actually I sort of did because you said a week ago that you would be able to take Jamie today. It's been really hectic at the studio considering Peyton's not here so I'm pretty much managing myself…" Haley went on and on and Brooke could barely keep up, let alone open her eyes.

"…so does that sound good?" Haley asked finally.

Brooke replied, "Ya, I'll be there in a few." After getting off the phone with Haley, Brooke stood up from what she thought was her room only to find out by bumping her knee on the coffee table that she had slept in the living room. She forgot that she had fallen asleep there, if only she could also forget what happened a few nights ago.

"AUNT BROOKE!" Jamie ran up to Brooke, who looked like she normally did prior to the attack.

Concealer really is a girl's best friend, She thought as Jamie jumped up in the air for her to carry him. Brooke, always excited to see him, looked at him with a beaming but painful smile because of the bruises and sores on her arm, as she caught him up in midair.

"Hey Monkey Man! Ready to spend the day with me?" Jamie nodded as his kind blue eyes smiled at her.

Haley was standing near the doorframe with a pen over her ear and a notebook clasped under her arm. Haley noticed Brooke looking at it and answered, "This is just some doodling for a new song I'm suppose to finish by Thursday."

"Mama, can we go now, pleeeeeeeeease!?" Jamie impatiently said giving his mom his trademark puppy dog eyes.

"Oh alright, you be a good boy okay, buddy?" He nodded as his mom gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Daddy will pick you up at 2," Haley looked at Brooke, "he said he had some business he had to take care of so I think he is at the Rivercourt conditioning." Brooke just politely smiled.

Driving around town Brooke asked Jamie what he wanted to do.

"I wanna go to your store so I can watch TV."

Trying to think of a good excuse on the spot, she said, "Jamie, you are suppose to have fun and what's the fun in watching TV when you could just stay at home and watch."

He retorted, "but you have a 52-inch widescreen plasma TV," pushing his luck he unleashed his puppy dog eyes.

Brooke looked over at her rear view mirror, "As handsome as you are that's not gonna work on–" no sooner had she finished her sentence Jamie added new techniques to his puppy dog eyes; the lower lip and the fluttering of his eyelashes, "—me."

Scared to lose, but him winning her over, Brooke warned, "Clothes Over Bro's is actually being renovated which means there is going to be a huge pile of messy clothes everywhere, kind of like your stinky room."

"Hey!" Jamie said sticking out his tongue, "you have to clean your place, Brooke, or else you might go to jail like grandpa." And with that the conversation started to dawdle down.

Brooke had to face the inevitable. She had to get used to being inside her store again, but to her surprise it had been easier to step inside than she realized. Everything was back on racks, clothes were sectioned off to the fall and spring collection, her first check she received from the store was newly reframed, and the mannequins stood upright. The mannequins' ensemble, however, was horrible pleated plaid pants matched with a floral minidress obviously confused as a long shirt and topped off with an embellished yellow cab car color clutch.

"What the f--" Jamie looked straight up at her, "…fruit cake happened to my store?"

Jamie replied in a matter of fact tone, "Remember, you're re-nerve-eating"

"Ren-o-vating, Jamie." Nathan corrected him. This time he was wearing a tattered white tee with a pair of even more rugged jeans all under his utility belt.

"Say what, Jamie, how about you go to the back and help draw some sketches for my new boys line. Could you help me design capes, please?" Brooke didn't take her eyes off Nathan and neither did he sheepishly.

"COOL!!" and with that Jamie ran straight to the back room.

Nathan couldn't read Brooke's expression as she walked towards him.

"Look, Brooke, I know you might be mad, but I know how hard it is to deal with something this traumatic unless you have a frien--"

Brooke wrapped her arms around him and whispered thank you to Nathan's relief. He let out a sigh and walked around her new interior designed store.

"So, I divided things from the Fall Collection to the Spring Collection."

"Surprisingly, you did" Brooke followed, while poking around through the clothes racks.

Scratching his head he replied, "Yeah, well I saw the store catalogue Millicent left, so it helped a lot."

"Oh, and I tried dressing up the mannequins but I don't think it turned out as well as I expected," Nathan said looking up at one of the mannequins.

"Sure it did, Nate. If you were expecting to dress up a homeless person," Brooke laughed.

"Hey," Nathan said smiling, "That's the thanks I get for fixing up your store!"

Brooke's laughter stopped and Nathan thought he had said the wrong thing.

"I…umm…was just joking" Nathan said feeling he was on shaky grounds.

"It's not you, it just reminded me of something that's all."

It didn't remind her of something, yet it did remind her of someone.

"Brooke, you are such a child…This is the thanks I get for helping you…Remember if it wasn't for me there would be no Clothes Over Bro's."

"DADDY, AUNT BROOKE!" Jamie ran towards them hands in the air with a paper and his cape flapping along behind him.

"Let's see what you got, Jimmy Jam." He picked up Jamie and gave the drawing to Brooke while looking over her shoulder.

The drawing had three people hand in hand; a woman, a man, and a boy. They all had their backs facing forward and each wore a different type of cape. The woman with curly brown hair had a purple cape down to her elbow. On the corner of the cape there was a sparkling "B" on it. The Man next to her, also had brown hair, was wearing a royal blue cape down to his ankles with a lining of black fabric. Lastly, the boy had a long cap down to his ankles and looked pretty much similar like Jamie with his red cape and blonde hair.

"This is Amazing, buddy!" Brooke turned around, scuffled his hair, and kissed his cheek.

"I know," Jamie smiled.

"You think after you are done you could drop that by the house so we can hang that on our fridge as proof that Jamie owns 15 percent of your profit," Nathan joked.

"Ha ha," Brooke said sarcastically.

"If it's alright with you, Brooke, I was wondering if I can take Jamie out for the rest of the day? Besides, you can have you hands free to fix the mannequins the way you like," Nathan stated as he gave her a smile.

"Sure, but I want a raincheck with my favorite godson."

"I'm your only godson," Jamie replied.

Nathan headed out the door with Jamie in his arms as Jamie waved goodbye to Brooke and the 52-inch widescreen plasma TV he didn't get to watch.

Brooke turned around facing her store, took a deep breath, and knew that today would be the start of something better.