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The Start of Something New
Chapter Twelve
Brooke tried to smile politely but a gush of anger flared instead. "What are you doing here?" she asked. She'd told Emily they'd get together next week. The woman had no business showing up unannounced. Hadn't Brooke made that clear yet?
Emily stared at Nick. "He's the reason you don't want me here. What is going on? Adam would be horrified. What are you doing? You forget him so quickly, on to the next man?"
Brooke was so astounded by her word she couldn't respond. Was that what everyone would think? That she didn't care Adam was gone? That she couldn't wait to get back on the dating scene again? It wasn't true!
"I don't believe we've been introduced," Nick said, filling in the gaping silence. "I'm Nick Dithers, Brooke's friend." He held up the bags from the baby store. "I was helping Brooke carry up the bags."
It could sound as if he'd just met her in the lobby of her building like he lived here too, Brooke thought. Not that she was trying to hide anything.
Emily didn't look mollified.
The door of the elevator opened onto their floor and Peyton stepped out.
"Brooke, I'm glad you're here. Emily called me asking if—"
She stopped when she saw the middle aged woman staring at the man holding bags that Peyton assumed was Nick—the guy who had Brooke being confused by her contemptible feelings.
Brooke was enraged with aggravation. How dare Emily call Peyton to infringe in her own life? She had only given her Peyton's number for emergency purposes. And last time Brooke checked—this was not considered an emergency. Well, not in her eyes anyway.
Brooke stepped around her and unlocked the door. Thank goodness she'd never given Emily a key—she'd be over here at every possible chance she got.
"Hi, I'm Nick," Nick smiled to Peyton.
"Hi, Peyton," she responded, acknowledging her own name, giving him the once over to make sure if Brooke ever wanted to embark on some kind of a relationship with him, he'd be good enough for her best friend.
Nick handed the bags to Peyton and left. Brooke was torn between wishing he'd stood by her, and feeling glad he had gone in case his presence agitated her former future mother-in-law.
Brooke waited until Peyton and Emily came inside the apartment and closed the door before speaking.
"I am so angry, I can hardly stand it. I asked you not to come over here unless I invite you. I gave you Peyton's number for a specific reason. I asked you not call her unless it was absolutely necessary—an emergency as you would usually call it. You've embarrassed me in front my friend and you're driving me crazy. Emily, I do not want you hounding me like this! I have my own life to lead and I need my own space to do that."
"You're Adam's fiancée, the mother of my grandchild—"
"I'm now Adam's widow. You will always be the grandmother of my baby, but the baby isn't born yet. I am in perfect health so there is no need to worry on that account."
She gave the woman a hug, wondering if she'd made a mistake when Emily clung. Brooke's heart ached for the woman. Her baby hadn't even been born yet she was bonding with the child that grew beneath her heart.
"I will always hold you in the highest regard," she said slowly. "But I am not your child. Adam was and you have other children. You have daughters; I can't be your daughter."
The older woman released her and went to sit on the couch. She had tears in her eyes. "I only want what's best for you and Adam's baby."
"I know you do. I appreciate—"
"I guess I'll go now that you're alright and you don't need me anymore," Peyton spoke with a sincere smile.
The older woman stood up and swiped her hands along the front of her pants. "No, it's okay. I'm going to go now and let you girls catch up. I know when I'm not wanted."
Brooke's pained. Her heart ached hearing the sound of feeling like a bother in Emily's voice. "Emily, it's not like—"
"I know dear," she smiled kindly, holding Brooke's hand. "I didn't mean it like that but I'm sure you two have plenty to talk about. You don't really need me interfering. Anyway, I've got to go to the grocery store to do some shopping. I'll see you another day."
"Bye," Brooke said.
"Bye Peyton. I'm sorry to have called you like this."
"Oh no, it was really okay. It was nice to meet you," Peyton smiled with gratitude to the woman. She didn't feel like being a bitch especially since she could tell she only wanted to feel love again. Much like Brooke, her heart had dealt with pain she didn't want again.
She released Brooke's hand and made her way to the door where she headed out of Brooke's apartment.
There was silence for a brief few minutes before either girl said anything.
Peyton grinned. "So, Ni—"
Brooke turned to face Peyton before she headed to the couch in the centre of the living area to assess the many baby supplies she did bring home with her. She knew what her friend was going to say about Nick.
"Don't say it," she said. "We're just friends—really we are."
"I didn't say a word," Peyton added. "Though if you're really just friends as you keep insisting then I can tell you that you have great taste in friends because he looks fine."
Brooke turned around and scoffed at her friend like she couldn't believe she had just said that.
"I'm sure whoever ends up with him will be an extremely lucky lady to have him to protect them," Peyton ended, though Brooke tried to ignore her last comment. The last thing she wanted to hear was talk of how Nick was going to make someone very happy when he came to meet someone—especially since she was barely holding it together herself.
She still had difficulty imagining she and Nick as friends only—sometimes hoping for something more than friendship but she knew she couldn't do it and it was only her flamboyant mind causing her to become distraught and bewildered at any given time when she was around him.
Instead, she put her mind onto emptying the supplies she bought at the baby store.
"I see you did some shopping."
"Yeah, Nick and I went shopping for baby furniture."
"Nick went with you? Really?" Peyton asked, sounding staggered.
Brooke spun around to face Peyton who was busy probing through the bags on the couch.
"Don't act as if you don't know. He asked if he could be of assistance and well, I required help so we went shopping. End of story."
She returned to unpacking bags when she was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone buzzing. She rummaged through her black clutch to find her phone near the bottom of the bag.
Flipping it open without bothering to check her caller ID, she spoke into the receiver.
"Hello."
"Hey Brooke, its Haley," she said from the other end of the phone.
"Haley." Brooke mouthed to Peyton who seemed distracted by the contents of her baby supplies. She may have gone a little overboard but she couldn't help herself. She fell in love with everything. She probably would have bought the entire baby store if Nick hadn't been beside her to guide her through the store at a rapid pace.
"Oh, hey Haley, Peyton's here too. What's up?" Brooke replied.
"I'm busy as usual," Haley said. Brooke had to hand it to her friend. She seemed to have everything in order in life. Brooke often wondered how she managed to be a wife, mother, teacher and then house cleaner in one then again she was an ostensibly self determined woman and always had been so it was no real surprise that she managed to be all these things at one time. "But I was just calling to check to see if you're still planning to have thanksgiving dinner with us. I know its four days away but with everything else happening at the moment, I just want to be able to be prepared rather than rush it."
"I'll be there. I'm looking forward to it," Brooke said.
"Great. Nick can come along as well if he has no plans—the more the merrier. We're all just dying to get to know him better and see why you like him so much as Peyton has told me…"
There was a brief pause through the line as Brooke could hear loud laughter and the distinct chatter of her son Jamie as well as Haley's voice. It sounded like Jamie had once again gotten up to some kind of mischief and at that, Brooke could only visualize her own child playing games and getting into their own waywardness as she would watch on. It was definitely a spectacle she couldn't wait to perceive.
"Sorry for the quick chat Brooke but I have to go. There's a bathtub calling Jamie's name."
"Sure, you go do what you need to do but about Ni—"
Haley cut her off. "I look forward to seeing you soon. Bye."
Before Brooke could respond, Haley had ended the phone call, leaving Brooke to abruptly hear the dial tone. Closing her phone down, she turned to Peyton and smiled sarcastically.
"So, Haley has invited Nick to thanksgiving dinner. Apparently she wants to meet the guy who I'm meant to like."
"Really?" Peyton replied, sounding as normal as possible. "That was awfully nice of her."
"Uh-huh," Brooke said. "You've been telling her of my bizarre friendship with him."
"What? We're with brothers, we talk together," Peyton explained like it was only natural she'd tell Haley. "Are you?"
"Am I what?" Brooke asked, gaining her focus to unpacking her bags.
"Are you going to tell Nick that he's invited to thanksgiving dinner?"
"I don't know…maybe. I'm not sure yet. There's no point. It isn't like I'm dating Nick nor do I have an intention to in the future."
Peyton shrugged.
"And I don't want to marry a police officer either," Brooke said decisively.
Peyton looked at Brooke. "Why ever not? I know I just met him but he's hot. If I weren't so in love with Lucas, I'd even date him."
Brooke laughed. Okay, so she did have to admit. She had great taste in friendship qualities and best of all she could rely on Nick as her own personal arm candy whenever she was in doubt or needed him as her bodyguard protector.
"Then again, I suppose if I don't ask him, you guys will only end up enquiring to see him another time."
"True," Peyton smiled. "You'll ask him?"
"I guess so. He can only say yes or no right?"
And in Brooke's sense, a meet and greet thanksgiving dinner with her friends, would only get awkward and lead to further sorrow on her part.
