Brooke stood in the mirror fluffing out her hair with her hands. She had spent hours curling it herself and now it just didn't seem to look right.
"What's the matter now?" Haley asked.
"My hair", Brooke pouted.
"What about your hair? It looks great."
"You sure?"
"Sure I'm sure."
"The curls don't make me look old?"
Haley laughed at her friend's nervousness.
"The curls don't make you look old. I told you, you look great. The hair, the outfit…"
"What?"
"Here", Haley said, handing her a tissue. "Blot your lips. Less is more."
Brooke rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Surprisingly, Tutor Wife, had been right. She had gone slightly overboard with the red lipstick but with one blot, her look was back to perfection. There was still the flashy Brooke Scott style but the look had become a little softer. Her black top exposed two perfectly bronzed shoulders minus those icky tan lines and the outfit was capped off with white pants and black strappy heels.
"You sure I look okay? These pants make my ass look weird. Maybe I should change…"
"Don't you dare", Haley laughed. "Brooke Scott, will you calm down? Why are you so nervous? It's just Lucas."
Yes it was "just" Lucas but that was precisely the point. Brooke's feelings were divided. One side of her looked forward to the comfort and familiarity of being around a man she had known and loved for almost half her life. The other part of her was giddy and awkward and slightly terrified.
"I know it's only Lucas but I feel weird. It's like a second first date for us, if that makes any sense. I haven't been on a date since high school and that was with Lucas. And don't even mention that spell in college when we were broken up for a bit. I don't count standing in a bucket of ice wearing only a bikini in the middle of a frat house, trying to down a pint of beer from a garden hose attached to a homemade keg. That hardly qualifies as a date."
"You're gonna be fine. You and Luke go and have a good time."
Brooke smiled nervously as she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time. Her heart skipped as she heard the unmistakable sound of a car horn honking outside.
"Looks like your Prince has arrived, m' lady", Haley grinned. "You can't keep him waiting."
Taking a final deep breath, Brooke kissed her daughter good bye, as well as Aidan and Tristan and thanked Haley for all her help, most of all babysitting duty for the evening. Opening the door, she expected a limousine but there was none. Instead there was Lucas, clean shaven and looking dapper in a suit. In his hands was a bouquet of peach roses. He stood by the passenger door of a baby blue 1957 convertible Cadillac that had been beautifully restored.
"Wow", she said, as she accepted the flowers as well as a kiss on the cheek.
"You like the wheels?"
"Hell yes! Way cool car."
"I knew you'd appreciate it", he grinned as he opened the door. "Come on. We've got a busy night ahead.
Brooke could only imagine what Lucas had in store. She remembered back to the last time they had gone out together and what was supposed to be a quiet and simple dinner near the house turned into a the theatre, dancing and a seafood dinner in Toronto of all places. Although the timing hadn't been the best, she had always loved the gesture. Despite their problems and differences, that night had reminded her of her whole "Broody" and why she had fallen in love with him in the first place.
"So", Brooke smiled. "You gonna give me a hint where we're going?"
Lucas rubbed his chin as he pretended to think about her request.
"Uh…no", he grinned. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride. I have a surprise for you."
A half hour later, he maneuvered the car into the parking lot behind a large marina.
"Good evening, Mr. Scott", the valet greeted as Lucas tossed him the keys.
They climbed the dock and Brooke's eyes widened in amazement as she saw before her. Between Lucas and Nathan, the two brothers owned several boats but anchored in front of them was nothing like Brooke had ever seen before.
"You like it?" he asked. "I charted it for the evening."
"It's beautiful", she whispered. "Oh God, I've never seen anything like it except for…"
"For what?"
"Well, the Titanic. You know in that Leonardo DiCaprio move where they all die."
"Brooke…", Lucas laughed.
"What? Sorry. That was the only thing I could think to compare it to. You sure this baby is safe?"
"We'll be fine. And if not, we have a quartet on hand to play 'Nearer My God To Thee' while we sink, just like in the movie."
For the first time Brooke noticed the four tuxedoed gentlemen playing various string instruments.
"Lucas Eugene Scott!"
"Ooh, I hate it when you use the full name. I'm kidding, Brooke. It's a joke. We'll be fine, I promise."
He helped onto the massive boat as it took sail into the Pacific night. Brooke stood looking over at the choppy water just admiring the view.
"Hey", he said softly. "I've got something to show you. Come here."
He led her by the hand into one of the many ballrooms. A trail of red carpet led to a black velvet sofa.
"What's all this?" Brooke asked as they sat down.
Lucas smiled but was quiet as the lights dimmed. From the corner of his eye he watched her delighted reaction as the evening's entertainment appeared.
"Oh my God! How did you pull this off?" Brooke practically squealed. "The Media City Ballet giving a private performance?"
It had cost a few bucks to book the popular Burbank based ballet company but it had all been worth it. Lucas was more content to watch Brooke rather than the show. Her eyes danced right along with the performers as she took in every move they made. When it was over and they applauded, he could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.
"So. What did you think?"
"It was wonderful", she said truthfully, dabbing at her eyes.
"If it was wonderful, then why are you crying?"
"I don't know", she shrugged. "Maybe because I'm happy."
"Well, I didn't bring you here to cry. No. I want you to have a good time."
"Lucas, I'm fine. I…"
"Obviously, you're in need of some cheering up and I think I know just the thing."
Brooke screamed at first, startled but then her mouth formed a huge grin as she saw the juggling clown who had been hired to do a variety of tricks for her. It was like having her own private circus.
"Okay. I get my own ballet troupe and a clown. I'm afraid to ask what's next."
"You'll just have to see", he said as he led her to an even larger room that turned out to be the dining area.
The table was adorned with dozens of lit scented candles.
"You hungry?" he inquired.
"Absolutely starved."
"Good. Remember back in New York when you used to have all those dinner parties and I'd flip out about the menu?"
"How could I forget?" she smiled. "I can still hear you now. 'Cheery, what do we need to spend all this money on catering for? A six course meal is ridiculous when I could fry some chicken we have in the freezer'."
"Okay, okay. Yes I can be a bit, shall we say, frugal at times."
"Frugal? Try cheapskate", she teased.
"Ouch. Well tonight I spared no expenses. Bon a petit."
Brooke sat open mouthed as a waiter served them a deliciously prepared seven course dinner. It started with a cold appetizer of Salmon Tartare, followed by Cream of Mushroom soup. Escargot and Pasta al John followed. Brooke smiled when the break came and sorbet was served in shot glasses. Wow. Lucas had really done his research on this one. Through it all, the conversation flowed naturally. It was a relief that there was no tension or awkwardness. They talked about everything under the sun, just like they used to, freely and happily with a few flirty exchanges subtly passed between them. Brooke was having the best time by the time the salad arrived. The main course was Steak au Poivre and ice cream in Meringue rounded out the exquisite meal.
"I am absolutely stuffed", she patted her belly.
"Me too", Lucas said, handing her a cigarette and lighting it for her. "Nothing like a smoke after a meal."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't question it as they smoked their cigarettes.
"This has been fun, Luke. I have to give it to you. I didn't think you could but you totally topped Toronto."
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.
"Of course I would", she said taking his hand.
They danced to several songs in comfortable and sweet silence. Brooke smiled as she noticed one hour later and he hadn't stepped on her toes once.
"You're getting good", she smiled. "What? Have you been practicing?"
"Yes", he answered to her surprise. "I took a few lessons. I wanted everything to be perfect for tonight. Besides, I didn't want to bruise your toes or anything. I like your toes. They're cute."
She just nodded in awe, completely captivated by the moment as she buried her head in his shoulder and rocked their bodies to the soft music. They danced for a while longer then spent the remainder of the night engaged in a heated game of backgammon. When they first married it had been a favorite activity to stay up late and play backgammon. They hadn't done that in years. It felt nice.
"Now that I've beaten you, twice might I add", Brooke grinned. "I guess it's time to go back, huh?"
"Yeah", Luke nodded. "We're already headed back to the dock. The sun is about to rise in a few minutes. Do you want to watch it with me?"
She agreed and they stood on the boat sipping coffee overlooking the ocean and the beautiful orange and pink glow. Brooke couldn't help but look over and just smile at him.
"What?" he asked.
He had told he wanted everything for their special evening to be perfect. He had no idea just how much he had succeeded.
"Nothing", she said softly. "Just thank you."