Brooke had barely gotten home when her mother greeted her in the kitchen with big, inquisitive eyes.
MOTHER : Sooooo!?
BROOKE : I got the job!
Her mother's eyes expressed less surprise than the joy she felt for Boroke at this announcement.
MOTHER : That's great, Brooke!
BROOKE : That's cool, yeah.
MOTHER : Is it just me or do I feel like I'm more excited about this news than you are!?
Brooke obviously couldn't confide in her mother what troubled and worried her, so she had to force herself to lie to her.
BROOKE : No, it's great! I just have a little headache right now... And you know what? In two months, I would already have enough to repay you for a year of student loans!
MOTHER : Oh yeah, the salary is that good!? But you'll keep some of it to treat yourself next year! But I especially want to know how it went... With Peyton, and then with the little one, all that!?
BROOKE : Sawyer seems like a really nice little girl and she's so cute! And Peyton...
Brooke searched for words, she didn't really know what to say or what to think about it, finally.
BROOKE : Let's say it was impressive but I still need a little time to form my opinion... But as I expected, her dressing room is incredible! And the house too by the way!
Brooke spent almost an hour talking to her mother about her interview and her first impressions... Obviously avoiding the subject of Lucas and a sexual tension that was already too present from the start.
Brooke had finally gone back up to her room and decided to go fishing for information on Lucas and Peyton. Thanks internet! She learned that Peyton and Lucas had been married for five years, she quickly calculated by reference to Sawyer's age. She had deduced quite easily that Peyton was pregnant when she got married. Brooke also found photos. Her wedding dress was just magnificent... Bohemian, classic and chic all in one. Her belly was clearly rounded. There were one or two pictures of the couple, but the majority of the pictures were of Peyton posing in a castle. Brooke already knew almost everything about Peyton professionally so she decided to focus on their family life. Apparently Lucas and Peyton had met at a fashion show for which Lucas was the official photographer. She was still a beginner in the field and it was thanks to Lucas that she had finally been propelled to the top.
Lucas was the photographer of several American and international fashion magazines, Brooke seriously hallucinated when reading the article.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : American and even French Vogue, Grazia and even Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire ... I had vaguely heard that Peyton was married to a photographer, but I would never have thought of that!
Brooke had never paid attention to Peyton's husband, her married life had never interested her. But that was before. She continued and as she thought, there were no photos of Sawyer on the web. There were not many photos of Lucas either, a few shots at most, most often with Peyton.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : What a beautiful couple they make... They are smiling, beautiful and so elegant.!
Without being able to resist, Brooke's eyes lingered on a photo where Lucas was particularly visible.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : This man troubles me, it's a fact. But this man is married and happy as a couple, as a family.
She stared at the screen... She thought she could detect a hint of sadness in his smile and melancholy in his eyes.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : No, it's my brain trying to trick me and make me see a false reality that would suit me just fine!
Brooke ended up convincing herself that, starting tomorrow, she would be the most professional babysitter possible for Sawyer.
An hour later, Brooke had gone down to the basement, where she had set up her little design and sewing workshop. She was working on a dress she had been imagining for weeks, a dress that would be her first masterpiece.
The next morning
Brooke's mother had dropped her off by car since she had a big suitcase with her. She stopped in front of the big wrought iron gate.
MOTHER : Come on, you really don't want to let your old mother come with you!?
BROOKE : Mom, I promise you'll see them but not on the first day like that, I'm an adult, okay?
MOTHER : But yes, I teased you more than anything else... But it still works, even if you're an adult! Come on, my girl, here we go for your first week!
BROOKE : See you on Friday and we call each other every night, okay?
Brooke's mother made sure her daughter had passed the gate before starting up again to go open the hair salon. It was not yet eight o'clock when Brooke rang the bell and arrived in front of the door of the Scott family house. Like yesterday, it was Julia who opened the door for her, with a big smile more marked than the day before.
GOVERNESS : Hello Boroke ... Your name is Brooke, isn't it?
BROOKE : Exactly, yes!
GOVERNESS : Perfect, I'm still Julie! Shall I help you carry your suitcase?
BROOKE : No, that's nice Julie, I can manage and you probably have enough on your plate as it is!
GOVERNESS : In any case, you're punctual and I appreciate that! Not like the other one!
She finished her sentence by rolling her eyes, Brooke tried to find out more.
BROOKE : The other one?
GOVERNESS : Yes! Let's say that you succeeded a young girl who sometimes lacked manners and good manners! She wasn't mean but Sawyer was clearly not her priority... That's a shame for a babysitter. To tell you the truth, she was more interested in Mr. Lucas and the house facilities than in her job!
His sentence resonated in Brooke like a new warning. She wasn't the only one who fell under Lucas's spell.
BROOKE : It's unfortunate, I suppose.
A little uncomfortable, Julie had finally had the reflex to let Brooke into the house. Sawyer was already running towards her.
SAWYER : Brooke! Brooke! Brooke!
The little girl greeted him in her pajamas and her eyes were still a little puffy from waking up recently.
SAWYER : Are you coming to watch cartoons with me?
GOVERNESS : Brooke needs to pack her suitcase first and put her things away, Sawyer darling!
BROOKE : I guess I could do that later, right?
GOVERNESS : Mrs. Peyton doesn't really like disorder... But I'll take her up.
BROOKE : No, leave it! Sawyer and I will take care of this together, okay Sawyer?
The little girl nodded proudly at Julie then tried to pull the suitcase without being able to move it an inch.
BROOKE : It's heavy, huh!? Go ahead instead and make sure the passage is clear... I'll carry it!
Sawyer was in Brooke's room watching TV while Brooke packed her suitcase. Some of her stuff was still on the bed. There was a knock on the door while it was ajar.
LUCAS : Brooke?
Lucas was there, just behind the door. Brooke took a deep breath.
BROOKE : You can come in, Lucas.
Lucs slipped between the door opening and the bedroom entrance, without imposing herself further.
LUCAS : Hello Brooke, so are you settled in?
BROOKE : Yes, I only took a few things for this week... We'll see afterwards, as agreed!
Smiling, Brooke still took care to avoid his gaze as much as possible while staring at her clothes in the closet. Lucas approached his daughter a little who, captivated by the cartoons, paid little attention to him.
LUCAS : Hey, sweetie... What are you doing with our morning TV quarter hour, just the two of us?!
SAWYER : You can come on Brooke's bed, Dad. I'm sure she won't mind, right Brooke?
Sawyer tapped with his small hand right next to where Brooke's underwear was still lying. Brooke immediately glanced over at Lucas... Too late, he was already staring at them too, as if hypnotized. Slowly, his lips sketched a discreet smile and his eyes came to rest on Brooke, scanning her from bottom to top.
LUCAS'S THOUGHT : Damn, get back on your good resolutions and stop imagining her wearing those scraps of fabric!
BROOKE : Uh Sawyer, go downstairs with your daddy, sweetie, and I'll join you as soon as I'm done... I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't know...
LUCAS : There's nothing wrong... It's just that Sawyer and I have certain father-daughter rituals that I care about... We don't spend enough time together for my taste, so whenever I can, I want to enjoy her...
BROOKE : I think it's great and I'll adapt to your habits but I guess I still need a little time to...
LUCAS : ...To know them, of course! There's no reproach on my part, really!
Relieved not to have made a faux pas, Brooke finished putting away her personal effects... But she was already thinking.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : He is so attentive to his daughter and she returns it so well ... I find it touching, and not only ... In fact, I find it really sexy! This contrast between this pronounced masculinity and this fragility, this touching paternal affection ...
Their exchange was short and quite banal, but this tension and these looks between them... Despite all her good will, Brooke realized how difficult it was going to be to control her thoughts... Sticking to purely professional considerations, she would have to achieve it in actions and appearances... Because in thoughts it was another story, her body and her brain reacted far too much to her presence.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : Only one solution... I'm going to have to avoid her as much as possible!
Meanwhile, Lucas was lying down with his daughter by his side. He was trying to enjoy the moment.
LUCAS' THOUGHT : Here we go for a week of physical and mental torture...
Lucas had to change position on the couch because his cock was hurting so much... The effect Brooke had on him. The effect she had on him in her pretty summer dress, not to mention the one caused by his imagination and her underwear. He didn't have time to take another cold shower... He was going to leave for work soon.
LUCAS' THOUGHT : And I'm going to have to avoid her as much as possible, it's the only way to keep a cool head!