Brody - Ellie Masters Page 0,41

has a miraculous touch. Mark and I march up the steps leading to the large, wraparound porch. We head around the corner and stare at what’s surely a miracle.

Mom sits in her chair with blankets piled on top of her lap. Abbie sits beside her, and they giggle like little girls. Abbie holds a book in her hands, a well-worn book with frayed edges, dog-eared pages, and a broken spine from frequent re-reads.

I know that book very well. It’s what I once shared with Brody.

Fifteen

Grace

I see the iconic cover with the gray tie, but Mark’s oblivious. When they hear us, their laughter cuts off. Abbie hides the book, tucking it behind her back, and smiles brightly at us.

“How did it go?” She clasps her hands in her lap and looks expectantly at me.

Before I can answer, Mark opens his mouth and spills the beans about Sterling Enterprises.

“They’re taking us on.”

“You’re kidding!” Abbie gives a little clap and reaches over to grasp my mom’s arm. “Did you hear that, Lucy!”

My mom turns toward me. There’s a weak smile on her face, and her movements are slow, but her eyes brighten and brim with tears. I don’t remember her being that pale.

“I knew you could do it.” She lifts her hand and her fingers tremble as they beckon for us to join her. “Tell me everything!”

I drag another rocker to sit beside Mom and recount our meeting with Brody. Every now and again, my gaze shifts to the book Abbie is doing a poor job of hiding, and my heart skips a beat.

“I’m going to grab a celebratory bottle of wine.” Mark rocks back on his heels. “Abbie, will you join us?”

“Absolutely!” Her bright eyes dance with joy. “This is such good news.”

That may be true, but I can’t help but feeling I’m in way over my head. Mark departs, leaving the three of us alone.

“So, Brody is coming home two weekends in a row?” Abbie’s eyes sparkle. “This is a wonderful treat. He’s never done that for me.” Her attention shifts to me. “You must be special.”

“I don’t know about special, but I’m excited. This gives us the breathing space we need to get our feet back under us. And he has some really exciting ideas.”

I don’t know how much Abbie La Rouge knows about what happened between me and her son when we were in high school, but she’s more attentive than people give her credit for.

“Honey,” Abbie leans back and rocks in her chair, “to bring Brody out of the city on a Friday is pretty damn special. For him to drive out here, then back for whatever this Gala event is, and make yet another trip out here?” She gives another shake of her head. “I’m going to have to thank you for this magic trick.”

“I don’t know how thankful you’re going to be.”

“Why’s that?” Her brows tug together.

“He said something about checking out your new boyfriend? He said it tongue-in-cheek, but I feel like you deserve fair warning.”

“Oh, girl, thanks for the heads up. You and I are going to get along really well.” She rubs her hands together like she’s looking to stir up a bit of trouble. “How much fun do you want to have with my son?”

Her comment takes me off guard because my mind heads straight to the gutter and toward fifty shades of fun, but I don’t think that’s what she’s talking about. In fact, I know it’s not.

So why did your mind go there so quickly?

Because, I’m hopeless, and despite everything, I still harbor a crush on my very first love. That’s not something any girl really recovers from.

Brody La Rouge.

First crush.

First love.

First broken heart.

He checks all the boxes. He might still check some of the boxes. Brody was, and continues to be, my worst mistake.

I must be a sucker for punishment because I had a chance to stop him in his tracks and did nothing. Instead, I gave him the green light to proceed. If there’s one thing I know about Brody La Rouge, he’s a man who goes after, and gets, what he wants.

Only he doesn’t know I’m not the same, impressionable girl he used to know. I’m older, wiser, and carry a decade’s old grudge.

Bring it on, Brody. Bring it on.

“Tell me about this boyfriend he seems to want to interrogate?”

“Well…” She drops her voice to a whisper. “It’s Judge Simon. I’ve known him forever. He’s been entirely respectful toward me since…” Her voice hitches. Abbie grows misty-eyed,