Road to Recovery (28 page)

Finally catching on to his ploy, Brooke
stood. “Oh right, yes. I forgot the trial is this week. I’m sorry
to leave so quickly. But we really must go. I will touch base with
you before we leave tomorrow.”

Richard stood and gave Brooke a quick
kiss and a discreet squeeze to her hand, then shook Lucas’s hand
while Brooke kissed her mother goodbye.

They couldn’t get out of the house fast
enough. “What was that all about?” she asked as she buckled her
seatbelt in Lucas’s vehicle.

“
Thank your brother. He was
on the phone and told me to get you out of there, so I did,” he
replied calmly.

Brooke laid her head back on the
headrest and shut her eyes. “Mac always saves me. Even growing up
he would try to make it easier for me. One of these days I should
play the peacemaker for him. But he never seems to need it.” She
turned her head to look at him. “I guess we really do owe him
big.”

***

The next morning Lucas woke up later
than normal in an empty bed. It was late by the time he had finally
fallen asleep. He kept being jarred awake by Brooke’s tossing and
turning. He wanted to hold and comfort her, but she kept rejecting
his efforts, saying she was fine and just overtired. But he knew
better.

The minute they walked into Mac’s
townhouse the night before, Brooke announced, “I’m going to take a
hot bath in Mac’s tub.”

She had been in there for close to
twenty minutes when Mac arrived home to see Lucas drinking a beer
on the couch with ESPN playing in the background.

“
How’s she doing?” Mac had
asked.

“
She’s relaxing in your tub
right now,” Lucas said solemnly.

“
That’s fine.” Mac looked
more closely at Lucas. His hair was all disheveled from running his
fingers through it. “How are you doing?”

“
What?” Lucas asked
absently. Then the question registered in his brain. “Oh, I’m OK.
I’m more worried about Brooke.”

“
She will be fine. She’s
used to it. I can’t tell you how happy I was that she moved away.
Looking at it now, I can see she needed it more than I realized.
She will be bounce back.” Mac then added thoughtfully, “You’ve been
good for her. Now you know why I said to give her time.”

“
I want to help her. But I
don’t know how.”

“
You are already. Just be
there for her.”

Lucas replayed that conversation with
Mac over and over in his head all night long, trying to think of
ways to help Brooke. Without her realizing it, of course. He knew
she didn’t want or wouldn’t accept help, but he couldn’t stand to
see her like he did last night.

Throwing back the covers now, he
grabbed his clothes and made his way into the bathroom to get ready
for the day.

He smelled the coffee when he walked
into the kitchen and expected to see Brooke. But all he saw was a
quickly written note on the table that explained she was going to
her parent’s house this morning before they left.

Lucas sighed and wished Brooke weren’t
so stubborn that she felt she had to go alone.

Brooke had taken Lucas’s Range Rover to
her parent’s house. She didn’t think he would mind. Besides, she
didn’t know where Mac’s keys were and she had seen Lucas’s on the
bedside table. So without thinking anything through, she grabbed
them and walked out the door before either Lucas or Mac had
awakened.

Tossing and turning all night, she
finally came to the decision that she needed to go back to her
parent’s house rather than phoning them this morning. She knew
she’d been rude by leaving so unexpectedly last night and needed to
apologize to her mother. If she didn’t do it now, it would be
thrown in her face more than she cared for. From past experience
she knew it was best to apologize and put it behind her, even if
she wasn’t at fault.

She walked to the back of the house
knowing the door would be unlocked for Marie to have breakfast
prepared for her parents. Needing the distraction and the time to
pull her thoughts together better, she went to say goodbye to the
woman who taught her everything she knew about cooking.

Marie turned with a start and threw her
hand to her chest when Brooke opened the door to enter the kitchen.
“Brooke, you scared me.” Rushing forward, she hugged Brooke tight.
“You left so early last night. I never had a chance to talk with
you. That is one fine man you have there,” she said with a
wink.

Brooke loved talking to Marie. Growing
up, she had secretly wished Marie were her mother. She always felt
more comfortable around the older woman than her own mother. She
didn’t have to think before she spoke or acted. She was free to be
herself.

“
Yes, he is, Marie,” Brooke
said, smiling fondly.

“
What are you doing here
this early? Your parents are up. However, you know they don’t see
anyone until late morning.”

Glancing at the clock, Brooke noticed
it was barely nine. “I wanted to say goodbye in person. And
apologize for leaving so abruptly last night.”

Marie snorted and waved her hand. “They
should apologize to you. Or your mother should. She was beyond
inconsiderate to you last night.” Marie stopped her before she
could interrupt. “I overheard her. Bringing up Robbie time and
again, asking you if you found a plastic surgeon. Rude, plain and
simple.”

“
She is who she is. You know
that. Perfection. I guess I’m not perfect enough for her.” Brooke’s
shoulders sagged and she turned to look around the kitchen
absently.

“
Stop making excuses for
her. No one is perfect. You are who you should be. Don’t change for
anyone,” Marie chided her. “Do you have time for breakfast? Or at
least a cup of coffee?”

“
No, thank you. I would
rather get this over with. I’m assuming my father is in his study?”
At Marie’s nod she added, “I’ll go say goodbye to him first then.”
Brooke hesitated and then went with her gut and gave the older
woman she’d loved so much while growing up a big hug. “Thank
you…for being you.”

***

Brooke was surprised to hear voices
coming from her father’s study. Almost no one was allowed in there
when he was working, and she couldn’t fathom who was here this
early on a Sunday morning.

But as she got closer, she recognized
her mother’s voice. If hearing her mother’s voice coming from her
father’s study wasn’t strange enough, it sounded like they were
arguing.

Brooke couldn’t ever remember a time
when her mother argued with anyone. Paula stated her opinion time
and again, calmly. And continued in that format until you did what
she wanted. Even Brooke’s father went along most of the
time.

She moved forward and watched them
through the cracked door. “Paula, I’m telling you right now, what
you did last night…totally unacceptable,” Richard Malone stated to
his wife from behind his massive desk. “Do you want her to stop
coming here? Are you trying to drive her even further
away?”

“
What are you talking
about?” Paula asked indignantly. “She would never stop coming here.
This is her home. We are her parents. She was raised to respect her
parents and that means she is obligated to visit us when we request
it.”

“
Obligated?” he asked,
irritated. “Is that what you want of our children? To see us out of
obligation?” He pushed back from his desk and stood.

Brooke knew it was rude of her to
eavesdrop, but she was beyond caring. Her father had never, ever
defended her and Mac, least of all to their mother.

“
Richard.” Paula tried to
placate him. “You have never had any say about how I raised our
children. You’ve never complained before, so why now?” She tilted
her head to the side. “You have always been happy to go your merry
way. Your business trips and work took precedence over your family.
It was my job to run this household smoothly for you. That is what
you said you wanted out of a wife. I gave you exactly what you
asked for.”

Running his hands through
his white hair, he started to pace. “That is not what I asked for.
Not the way you have done it. You have tried your hardest to turn
Brooklyn into a version of you. It’s not what
she
wanted.”

Brooke had never seen her father like
this before. He’d always maintained a calm and cool exterior.
Always in perfect control. It was one of the reasons he was such a
well-respected doctor.

“
Of course it was. If you’d
been around more, you would know that.” Paula crossed her arms over
her chest in a huff. “Besides, I was grooming her for Robbie. They
were made for each other. Everyone thought so. He was going places
with his father’s development firm. He was being groomed to take
over and I was preparing Brooklyn to be the wife he
needed.”

Richard narrowed his eyes at her.
“Don’t think I don’t know you pushed that relationship. Or pushed
for her to be hired at their firm. You and Priscilla have always
wanted Robbie and Brooklyn together. You were both forever making
plans and talking grandchildren. Did you ever think maybe Brooke
wouldn’t want to stay home and raise children like you? Maybe she
wanted a career?” He stopped his pacing, towered over of her, and
glared hard. “Or a life?”

Paula held her ground. “She had a life.
She was working, learning the business so that she could entertain
for Robbie when the time came. It was exactly what he wanted,” she
explained, not the least bit intimidated by her husband, who stood
almost a foot taller than her.

“
And how do you know that?
He never told you. His mother told you,” he spat out. “And you
assumed Priscilla knew what was best for Robbie. You two were
completely selfish. Neither of you ever took into consideration
that they might not have wanted to follow your plans.” His voice
rose, losing the monotone that he carefully maintained.

“
Robbie was exactly who
Brooke needed. He was going to make the perfect husband for
her.”

“
I repeat. How do you know
that? I had my doubts about him. I always did. I never cared for
him or his behavior. He was never good enough for her in my eyes.”
Richard started to pace again. “But like an idiot I stood back and
let you have your way. I heard rumors about him with other women,
but I let it go. I have to live with that. And any unhappiness
Brooklyn carries around as a result.” He threw his hand to the
side, the motion causing papers to shift on his neatly organized
desk.

“
Nonsense. Besides, even if
he was seeing other women, he loved Brooklyn. He would have settled
down with her eventually.”

“
Do you even hear yourself?
Are you condoning that Robbie may have cheated on Brooklyn? How can
you even think that? Where did the person I married all those years
ago go? You would have never felt that way about me. I clearly
remember when I asked you to be my wife and what I wanted out of a
wife. You agreed and came back with one condition. You stated and I
quote ‘I will do everything in my power to give you the relaxing
home you deserve to come home to, as long as you remain faithful to
me.’ How can you demand it for yourself and not want it for your
own daughter?” he yelled in disgust.

For the first time in Brooke’s life she
was rendered speechless. She didn’t even know her parents had it in
them to act this way. They had always maintained complete control
over their actions and emotions in the presence of others, even
each other.

Her mother’s words shocked her. They
shouldn’t have, but they did. How could your own mother say those
things? And her father—he was standing up for her. She didn’t know
which was more surprising at the moment. She couldn’t process
anything and needed to leave right now before they saw her. But she
couldn’t get her feet to move.

“
What about me? Did you ever
think I was hurting too? I lost my best friend in that accident.
She blames me for Robbie’s death.” Paula blinked at the tears
forming in her eyes. “She said I was to blame for not having better
control over my child. For months I couldn’t even show my face at
half of the committees we’re on together.” She reached over
Richard’s desk, grabbed a tissue and gently blotted her eyes, not
smearing her makeup.

“
You? Seriously? You should
have blamed Priscilla for the way she and her family treated
Brooklyn before and
after
the accident, blaming her for Robbie’s death,
firing her. But no, you were too worried about yourself to think
about anyone else.” He crossed his arms over his chest, then leaned
back against his desk.

Brooke had heard enough, as she turned
to leave she heard her mother coolly state. “I’m done with his
conversation. When you calm down and want to speak to me
respectfully you can find me in the gardens.” The French doors
opened on the other side of her father’s office, then her mother
made her exit.

Brooke knew it was time to leave, was
two steps away from the office door when it opened completely and
her father saw her there.

“
Brooklyn? How much did you
hear?” he asked defeated. “Never mind. I can tell by your face.
Come in, please.”