'Cause The Heart Won't Lie - 03
"So? How did it go?" Reba inquired the moment Brock came back from talking to Barbra Jean. She hoped everything went well for them, they were both her best... no, just friends, she wanted them to be happy with each other. Brock exhaled heavily and tossed a set of documents on the coffee table. Reading the heading, Reba sighed. "She means it this time, doesn't she?"
"I don't get it. Why did she make such a big deal? I've done worse things than that and she forgave me."
"That's what they say about the last straw that breaks the camel's back," mumbled Reba looking at Brock flopped down on the couch.
"I guess you're right. You and I broke up because of where you wanted to put the toaster too, didn't it?"
"I thought you and I broke up because your hygienist missed her period," smirking, she stated sarcastically. "So what are you gonna do now?"
"I don't know. I'm tired of fighting with her now. Maybe it's for the best. We can at least leave on good terms." Brock replied helplessly.
"You're not gonna try? I mean you can't be sleeping on my couch forever."
"I know, these past three days has given me back pain. This couch is old, you should get a new one."
"Of course it's old. It's one of our wedding gifts!"
"Yeah," he chuckled, "Remember one time we-"
"Ah, ah, ah," Reba raised her hand, "What past is past. Let's talk about the present."
Brock could have sworn, she blushed. It hadn't been since they confronted Cheyenne about getting pregnant and Reba accidentally mentioned the hotel hot tub that he saw her blushing. For some strange reason, his heartbeat increased a little. "Do you think we can put another bed in Jake's room?"
"What?"
"You don't expect me to sleep on the couch forever, do you?"
"No I expect you to go out and find a place of your own."
"C'mon, Reba. I have to pay 20% of my salary to you for spousal support, plus child support, and now I have to pay 20% to Barbra Jean too. And I still have to pay you for the rent of the house that Barbra Jean lives in, what makes you think I have anything left for another apartment?" Brock whined.
"Then why don't you stay with Barbra Jean? Go on, go home, beg for forgiveness. You haven't signed that have you?" She glanced at the document on the coffee table.
"I did. She said if I don't sign it, instead of doing this divorce on our own she'll go to a lawyer and that might be more than 20%."
"Urg!! How cheap can you be, you moe'ron! If you can get her to forgive you, then you won't have a second divorce." Reba grumbled smacking him upside his head. "And why can't you stay at Barbra Jean's place? She must have some spare room."
"Not really, there are only three bedrooms in that house, and Henry and Kyra are in the other rooms. C'mon, Reba."
"I let you stay on the couch, so don't push it." Brock ended up staying at Reba's place, but she told him to find an alternative as soon as possible because she wouldn't want him to stay at her place for too long for so many reasons.
Reba was doing the laundry and once again his clothes were in her hamper. She sighed but she threw them into the machine along with hers. She felt like she had to do more loads of laundry now that he was there. He had been staying at her place for more than a week now. At first, she thought he would bug her, but he didn't. Surprisingly, she enjoyed his company, like when he was sick with kidney stone. They had so much fun then. She went to Jake's room to replace the dirty bed sheet with a freshly cleaned one. She only had Jake to take care of now that Cheyenne was responsible enough to take care of her own family. She examined Jake's room and began to think; maybe if Jake didn't mind sharing a room with his dad, maybe she'd be okay with it too. She then went to her room and walked straight to her bathroom to replace the hand towels by the sink. Her eyes widened when she heard a constant splash hitting the toilet bowl.
"Jake, please tell me that it's you using the toilet," asked Reba afraid to turn around.
"No, it's me."
"Oh gross, Brock! What the heck are you doing in my bathroom!" Reba shouted, still not turning around.
"I think you have pretty good idea of what I am doing." He replied with a chuckle. "I saw you were in the other bathroom cleaning, so I came here. And you are the one following me in here."
"I didn't see you coming in. And the least you could have done was close the door!" Reba folded her arms looking at the ceiling waiting for him to finish.
"I didn't close the door when we were married and you never said anything." He flushed and put the toilet seat down walking to the sink to wash his hands. Reba turned around and smacked his shoulder.
"That was when we were married, but not anymore. You have no right to come in my bedroom, let alone using my bathroom and not close the door."
"It brings back some memories, doesn't it?"
"It almost brought back my lunch!" She grumbled walking to her bed to put the cover on it. Brock walked to the other side offering his help. She let him helped. However, when they were done, he flopped down on the bed spreading out and moaning.
"Ah… The feeling of a comfortable bed."
"That's my bed! Get up and get out!" Instead of getting up and getting out per Reba's demand, he got comfortable on where it used to be his side of the bed and hugged her pillow.
He inhaled her scent from her pillow and remarked, "Hmm… The smell of the clean linen. Well, I'm taking a nap. Good night."
"Good night what? It's three in the afternoon! And this is my bed, your bed is the couch in the living room. Now, get out!" She tried to pull him up by his arm. He resisted. "Urgg!!"
"Grandma?" Elizabeth poked her head in Reba's room. She noticed Brock was in the bed and Reba was beating him with a pillow, she yelled "Pillow fight!" and climbed on the bed and played with Brock helping Reba hit him with a pillow. Brock laughed and tickled the girl once Reba stop hitting him. She too couldn't help but laugh with them. "Are you sleeping in Grandma's room now?" The girl asked panting after laughing so hard.
"No, he's sleeping on the couch." Reba answered firmly sending a strong message to Brock. Cheyenne saw the door open and she was looking for Elizabeth, she came into the room and gave Reba a quizzical look seeing Brock in her bed. Reba rolled her eyes. "He's only helping me to change the bed sheet and he's going out now."
"But I'm comfortable. I haven't been on a comfortable bed since we came back from the Grand Canyon." Brock wouldn't budge.
"C'mon Elizabeth, mommy made you some snack. We'll let Grandma deal with Grandpa." Cheyenne took the girl's hand leaving Reba's bedroom.
"Why doesn't Grandpa sleep with Grandma?" The girl asked her mom.
"Do you want them to?" Cheyenne asked glancing at Reba's room. Reba could hear her grand daughter said 'Yes' from a distance.
"C'mon Brock. Stop this silliness and get out of my room."
"Fine…" He groaned in despair getting up and walked out of the room with her.
"How's things between you and Barbra Jean?"
"We talk more now about what we're gonna do next. She hadn't mail out the application yet but she said she will."
"Do you want me to help talk to her? So she wouldn't mail the divorce application and you'll be back where you belong." Reba offered her help.
"I don't think it's gonna work."
"We should at least give it a try."
Reba went to see Barbra Jean later that afternoon to tried and convince Barbra Jean to think more than twice about sending the divorce application, but she didn't seem to be success. Barbra Jean had her mind set. Reba thought maybe she would give it one last try to get them back together. That night, she made a reservation at a romantic restaurant and told Brock to be there and she would convince Barbra Jean to go there. Brock had to work his charm and win her heart back.
"I though you said you wanted to have dinner with me." Barbra Jean was actually tricked to come to the restaurant. She was so happy that Reba wanted to have dinner with her like two good friends. But she spotted Brock's car first as Reba pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Reba parked the car and waited for Barbra Jean to enter the restaurant.
"C'mon Barbra Jean. Give him a chance. He only made one tiny little mistake, not like he cheated on you."
"Not physically, but mentally."
"Oh for crying out loud. If that was the case, I've once cheated on Brock with Mel Gibson! Don't be ridiculous, get in there and work things out!" Reba tried to push Barbra Jean into the restaurant.
"No." Barbra Jean wouldn't budge.
"Well then you'll have to find your way back home, 'cause I'm here to only drop you off, and my job is done." Reba turned to her car. Barbra Jean walked past her to Brock's car and dangled the keys in front of her.
"I still have Brock's car keys and I'm taking his car back, so you'll have to take him back home." The blonde said getting in to Brock's car and driving off.
Reba groaned walking in the restaurant to get Brock. "She's not coming, is she?" He asked sounding casual.
"She did, but she took your car and left."
"Oh well, what can you do? She wants to divorce and she really means it this time. I don't think I should hold her back any longer. If divorce makes her feel happy, maybe that's for the best."
Reba exhaled heavily, "Let's go home then."
"After we have something to eat, 'cause I'm hungry." He poured her a glass of red wine.
"What are you doing?"
"You're not gonna let this romantic dinner go to waste, are you?"