Chapter Six
The suitcase was closed, and she looked up with a smile on her face. The sunglasses that she had on the top of her head, nestled in her hair, fell down to rest on the bridge of her nose before she laughed. "Well, that's all of it. I'm done," she said with a bright smile.
"Why don't you take another week off or something?" Lance asked, from where he was laying across the free bed. The other one had her suitcase and backpack on it. "I mean, it's not like you have anything to do next week, right?"
Sighing, she sat down beside her suitcase, crossing her ankles. "I wish I could. Mia would absolutely flip her lid if I did something like that. She's already pissed about this thing between me and JC. I have to go back to Tennessee to do some major damage control with her. Besides, I need to spend some time at home before Austin comes back, and before the beginning of the tour. This is going to be one busy week for me, I bet." A smile spread on her face. "I really appreciate the fact that you asked me to come out here, though. Even if you were all sly about it."
He grinned before rolling over to look at her. "I wasn't sly about it. I just asked if you wanted to come out and see us."
"Lance, I talked to Chris about it. He came clean. He told me that you had him book the flight and the hotel room the same time that you were on the phone with me. Nice try, though. The innocent look doesn't work on me, neighbor." He finally laughed and watched as she went to go open her door. A bellhop took her bags down to a waiting limo that would take her to the airport. "This was definitely a relaxing week, though."
"Are you kidding? It was great to have someone new around here." They both turned when a new voice entered the conversation. Joey looked down at what she was wearing and narrowed his eyes. "Uh, Brooke? You promised that you would let me see you in the leather pants before you left."
She snapped her fingers and moved so that he could sit down with her. "Darn. And they just took my bags downstairs." She laughed and leaned a little closer to him. "You know that picture that I gave you of me in the leather pants?" He nodded. "Consider that seeing me in leather pants, because unless you come and see me during one of my concerts on a lucky day, that's the only time that you're going to see them on me. I try to stay away from those as often as possible."
All three of them stood up, and Brooklyn stretched her arms above her head. "Why don't you stay a little longer?" Joey asked.
"Same question that Lance asked me. Actually, there would be no point, sweetie. You guys are going back to Orlando soon. What would it matter if I was in New York? See where I'm coming from?" she asked, putting her glasses back ontop of her head. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to disappear from the face of the Earth. You have my number. You can call me whenever you want, Joey. Just...be careful if my brother picks up the phone. He's a little...over-protective of me, especially after what happened last time." A sweet smile spread on her face. "Any news about any press out there?" she asked suddenly.
"Yeah, one of our guards are going to escort you out to the back of the hotel. That's where the limo is waiting for you. You won't have to walk through the media circus out there," Joey added, pointing towards the window. "It's like Nixon resigned all over again."
She stared at him for a moment. "That was a little before your time, wasn't it? Never mind," she said, shaking her head. "Give me a hug so that I can get out of here. The last thing I need is to miss my flight."
With a laugh, she reached up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was picked up off the ground like she normally was around the guys, and spun around for a moment. "You know, I'm actually going to miss you," Joey said, with a surprised tone.
Another laugh ripped through her before she put one of her hands on the side of his face. "Well, don't sound so surprised, sweetie. I'm just that lovable and sweet and kind and caring..." She coughed lightly when Lance elbowed her. "Yeah, well, I'm sure that you all know that. Either way, I'm going to miss you, too," she added, smiling up at him. "I suppose that I should go say goodbye to everyone else before I go."
"I'm sure that they could appreciate it, Brooke. Besides, you're lovable, sweet, caring, kind, considerate..." This time, she elbowed him as he wound his arm around her shoulders. They were still laughing as they walked out the door and into the rest of the group.
Her mouth dropped open for a moment. "Lord save us all. It's," she paused to check her watch, "nine in the morning, and Justin has a smile on his face? There is no way in the world this is possible. Someone pinch me, I think I'm dreaming." She turned around and instantly slapped Lance on the back of his head. "I could tell where your thoughts and your hand was going. Don't even think about it, buddy."
He raised his hands in a pleading gesture. "Remember, I'm supposed to be the innocent one here. I wasn't going to venture into that...ahem...area." She smirked back at him before turning to look at the three that she hadn't said goodbye to yet. "Okay, five bucks gives you a minute with Brooklyn."
"Are you pimping me out or something?" she asked him. "Since when does such an innocent person have such a sick mind? One of you were a bad influence on him, and when I find out which one, I'll...I'll thank you," she finished with a grin. "Now, who's the lucky guy that gets the first go-round with me?" Her arms were out, waiting for someone to embrace her, a playful smile on her lips.
Justin laughed and went after her first, lifting her quite far off the ground. Her feet dangled and she looked down over his shoulder. "Hey, did I ever tell you that I have a small problem with heights, and you're about as tall as they come," she told him, laughing into his shoulder as she closed her eyes.
He grinned before putting her back on the ground. "Now you HAVE to come out to Orlando at least once to hang out with us. I demand it. I would love to show you around, and besides, my mom would just love you. She'd probably want to trade me for you, but that's beside the point."
She stepped back and put her hand to her chest with a look of mock shock on her face. "Were my ears deceiving me, or did the mighty Justin Timberlake just demand me to do something? The world has come to an end, everyone, because I never thought that the day would come when he did something like that. Did hell freeze over? I better go and buy some rock salt. This just cannot last," she said in an astounded voice. Even the security guards that were hanging around laughed at her comments. "Believe me, Justin, I'll make my way out there one of these days, but for me to do that, you have to come and visit me in Tennessee one time. Besides, what I wouldn't give to see you in a cowboy hat and a pair of Wranglers." An evil smile appeared on her face.
"Don't fall for it, man. I know exactly what that means, and you don't want to be a part of it. Besides, isn't he a little young for you?" Lance asked.
She just smirked again. "And I wonder why I like you so much. You're about to be replaced by one of these fine gentlemen who would be more than happy to take your place, I'm sure." She looked towards Chris finally and put her hands on her hips. "If I remember correctly, you owe me something, baby. I managed to beat you last night."
The night before, she and Chris has stayed up, playing as many hands of Crazy Eights, since they had nothing better to do. They had decided that the loser of the tournament would have to do something of the winner's choice. Brooklyn had already chosen, and she had chosen wisely. With a sigh before a grin, he dropped down to his knees and wrapped his arms around her legs. "Brooke, I love you so much," he began in a bored tone, "and you have to be one of the most beautiful women on the face of this Earth, if not the most beautiful. I would feel so special if you directed one of your smiles towards me. It would warm my heart and...would you let me finish?" he asked her when she started to laugh, bending from the waist. He waited until she got control of herself before speaking again. "As I was saying, it would warm my heart and make me fall in love with you all over again. Please, oh, please say that you'll be mine. There's nothing more that I want in life. Hold on, I need to take a few breaths."
From where he was leaning against the wall, JC was laughing loudly along with everyone else. "How much longer does this go on for?"
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "Wouldn't know. I just gave him a piece of paper that told him what he had to say. He's the one that's taking forever."
"A piece of paper? It was freaking three notebook pages long. Ahem, anyway," Chris said sheepishly when he saw her look. "I've had nothing but dreams about you and I together. You always look absolutely gorgeous to me, and everything you say makes my heart pound a little faster. I would be more than honored if you married me, and I would father all your children, all of whom would end up looking like little miniatures of you, because, while you can't beat perfection, you can always try to copy it. I love you, Brooke." She let him stand up, laughing. He finally wrapped his arms around her. "You so owe me for that one. That's like something out of a soap opera or something."
"It probably is," JC muttered lowly. Brooklyn shot him a bad look, causing him to smile at her over Chris' shoulder. "Man, have you finished manhandling her yet? I'd like a chance to say goodbye before she has to leave."
With a sigh, he let her go. "Chris, the first chance you get, you come out to Belleview to see me, and I promise that you'll never have as good a time as you would have with me, because, well, like you said, I'm perfection, right?" He laughed and nodded before moving off to the side for JC to say goodbye.
The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Brooklyn finally reached out for him. Everyone backed up a few steps, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. "I'm really glad that you came out here, New York. I miss seeing your smiling face all the time," he whispered to her, running one hand through her hair before it rested on her lower back. He still loved the silky feeling of it.
"I missed you, too. People say that you and I are practically attached at the hip, but I don't think I see you as often as I would like," she whispered back to him, a smile playing on her face.
Of all the things that she could have said to him. That hurt the most. Maybe because they both tried to spend as much time together as possible, and while it was true that Brooklyn normally had more time off than him, he was the one that was always busy touring or recording or promoting or doing one of many things that he didn't want to do when he thought of her sitting by herself back in Tennessee. "I know, and I wish that I could see you more. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just be happy that I grace you with my presence at all," she said with a laugh, raising her eyebrows. He laughed before bending down to kiss her cheek. Everyone else had decided that the gesture should be left to JC and JC alone. It was probably a smart decision, because as much as she didn't want to admit it, she felt tingles start from her toes and slowly work their way up her body until her scalp tingled along with the rest of her.
Clearing her throat nervously, she pulled away and smiled. The sunglasses remained over her eyes so that no one could see that they were beginning to turn red from the tears she was holding back. Her voice, however, didn't let them know at all. "I guess that's it. Just a long, boring trip home left. Now, I want you five to listen to me carefully." They all turned towards her, incredibly attentive for some reason. They were hanging on her every word. "You all better get a lot of rest, you better eat properly, and if anyone tells you that you're getting too skinny, head down my way and join in one of the famous Turner barbecues."
"Hey, when's the next one, anyway? I've heard a lot about them, but never encountered one," JC mentioned, leaning back against the wall. He didn't want her to see how hurt he was that she was already leaving. The invitation was a nice touch, though, he thought as he smiled at her.
"Oh, the next one that we have planned is in three weeks. Just before the beginning of the tour...did I mention that it got pushed back again? Either way, everyone and their brother is invited, so if you're around then, y'all stop by. I promise, you haven't seen a party until you've seen one of ours." She looked back down at her watch. "Well, I guess I better head out. Try to enjoy yourselves now that I'm gone, boys. I know that it'll be a little hard, but try for Brooklyn, okay?" She kissed JC's cheek quickly as she walked by and took her jean jacket from the security guard that was escorting her down before thanking him and slipping it over her shoulders. They could only watch as she got into the elevator and waved back at them before the doors shut.
She did a good job at hiding her emotions when she went out into the much cooler air, and said goodbye to the guard. The one time that she let everything hit her was when the limo door closed behind her. With a groan, she dropped her head into her hands and sighed. "You don't know how much I wanted to stay there, JC. You don't know how much you're affecting me, and I don't even know what to think of it yet," she whispered to herself before leaning her head against the window. Not even her sunglasses were going to hide the tears that were dripping down her face as they made their way through the heavy traffic towards the airport.
She stopped the jeep in the driveway and frowned. She hadn't remembered leaving the living room light on, but it was possible that she could have. Being in such a rush to get out of there, she didn't know if she had shut off the coffee machine before leaving, but luckily, it turned itself off in an hour. That was one thing that she didn't have to worry about.
It took a little while to gather her stuff, but soon enough, the suitcase was rolling behind her, and the backpack was on one shoulder as she made her way up the porch and towards the front door. The keys were already dangling from her hand as she picked out the right one instantly and put it in the lock. She turned it and waited for the brisk snap that accompanied the motion. When she didn't hear it, she frowned and leaned a little closer to the door. There was the unmistakable sound of music playing from a room in the house.
Maybe it was just her over reacting. Maybe it was just her thinking back to her ring that had mysteriously made its way to her, but her mind raced back to the times when she would come home and find music playing and...God forbid...Tim sitting on her couch. Tim with his arrogant and satisfied smile. Tim with his emotionless chuckle and dangerous glint in his eyes. Tim alone was a frightening thought and one that was bound to keep her up during the nights.
Her hands slipped into her purse and tried to find something that she could use as a weapon, just in case. Not that he could even be there, she reminded herself, but the practical part of her mind wasn't all that convincing. She knew that she was over reacting. There was no doubt about it, but she had been traumatized, and like hell it was going to happen again. Once burned, twice shy, she told herself.
The only thing that could even be thought of as a weapon was the pack of gum that she found. "What am I going to do, choke him to death with it?" she whispered to herself before letting go of her suitcase. She let her backpack rest quietly on the ground before she took her purse off of her shoulder. The strap was wound around her hand a few times before she took a deep breath. With the amount of crap and assorted items that she kept in there, it was bound to weigh at least seven pounds, judging by the strain her shoulder was usually under. It would do a lot more damage than her first could, she realized.
Her free hand settled on the cool metal of the door knob, and she turned it, swinging the door open. She forced herself to take another calming breath before following the sound of the music, towards the kitchen. All the lights were off in there, but she could tell that the door to the fridge was open. The light from inside barely lit the kitchen, but it managed to show her that there was someone looking in the fridge from the shadow that was cast across the floor.
The door slammed suddenly, and she screamed when the other person looked at her. The other person yelled in surprise to see her before whoever it was reached for the light switch. They both stood there, rubbing their eyes for a moment before Brooklyn let her mouth drop open. In front of her was a man that looked exactly like her. Honey brown hair, green eyes...she recognized him the second that she could see again. Not that she wouldn't recognize her own brother. "Austin? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, putting a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.
Austin wasn't doing any better as he bent slightly, forcing himself to take deep breaths. "My God, Brooke, you scared the crap out of me." She walked over and shut off the radio before going to pour herself a glass of water, drinking it eagerly. "I have been here for the past two days, not that you would know. Where were you, anyway? You could have left a note to tell me."
"Um...I thought that you were still in France, brainiac?" she retorted, hitting him lightly on the forehead. "Besides, all you had to do was ask Gina. She always knows where I am." Smiling brightly, she finished off the glass of water and put it on the counter. "Before you ask again, I was in New York, visiting JC and all his friends. I've been there for the past week."
He made a face. "No wonder I had to throw out the milk and do some major grocery shopping when I came home. You never told me that you were going out there." His voice was filled with an accusing tone.
"You never asked," she said, throwing him the old comeback they used against their parents when they were younger. "Besides, like I said, I thought you were still in France. What are you doing back so early?"
Shrugging, he put down the bottle of juice he had taken from the fridge. "School's over with, and after spending so much time in gay Paris, it gets a little old. I missed Belleview, and I missed you." Her eyes welled with tears before she jumped towards him and wrapped her arms around him. He laughed and held onto her for a moment. He did miss being around his little sister. She was his life, in a way. "Oh, and I wanted your help to stay away from Mia."
Pulling away, she kissed him quickly before going to pour herself another glass of water. "That is one thing that I cannot help you with. You know what happens when Mia puts her mind to something. She never gives up. You might as well admit defeat right now, and just go out with her. I'm sure that the two of you would have a great time, anyway. She really likes you, Austin." She smiled gleefully when she was the blush that quickly covered his face before disappearing. "I knew it. I knew that you liked her."
"Who are you to play matchmaker when you have the perfect guy right under your nose and you don't even realize it," he said sarcastically, patting her on the head as he walked by. She followed him into the living room and curled up on the couch beside him, tucking her feet under her. "I don't like that look on your face, Brooke. Are you okay?"
She nodded, slightly distractedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." With a sigh, she leaned forward and looked at her older brother. There was no one's opinion that she valued more in the world, and she really wanted to know what he actually thought about what she was going to ask him. Her eyes rolled as she realized how confused and stupid she was sounding again. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme for her. "Texas, I want you to answer me truthfully here," she said, pulling out the nickname that she had given him when she was a little girl. She was amazed when she thought about the fact that he never called her New York, like JC did now, considering the nickname that she had given him. "I know that you always tease me about JC, but what do you really think of him?"
He looked towards her and smiled. "Uh oh. I recognize that look in your eyes, and don't call me Texas. I thought that you outgrew that one."
"Fine then. I'll call you Cowboy. That's from the past, too. Happy now?"
"It's not as bad as Texas. I don't like to be named after a state," he said, poking her in the side. She giggled before turning serious again. "I actually thought about this a lot in France, especially when you kept telling me that you were around him so much. Brooke, I'm dead serious here when I say that there is no one better for you than Jace. You guys get along so well. You're like...peanut butter and jelly. Milk and cookies."
She made a face. "Please stop the food references. I didn't eat on the plane. There has to be something to eat here."
Smiling, he rubbed his hand affectionately over her head. "There's some left over grilled chicken in the fridge if you want some. Just toss it ontop of the Caesar salad and you'll actually have a good meal in you. I'm sure that hasn't happened lately." Again, she looked at him with her eyes flashing. "Okay, back to the topic at hand. When I say that there's no one better for you than him, I'm telling the truth. You guys are perfect together. You understand each other so well, you can relate to each other. I'm not even mentioning the fact that he's absolutely devoted to you and your well being. Plus, you're exactly the same way towards him. Really, Brooke, can you see yourself with anyone else?"
"That's the problem. I don't want to be with anyone right now, but JC...I don't know what it is about him. Even his friends started to question me about it. The only one that really knows anything is Lance, and I know that he wouldn't go behind my back and tell everyone. He was my replacement brother when you weren't here, but I have to admit that his advice isn't as great as yours." She smiled softly. "You wouldn't believe the questions and comments that Chris was making. It was like he was trying to push us together. He really made me think, too."
"Maybe that's what you need. Something to kick start this damned thing. You're attracted to him, I know that you are. From how he acts around you, I'd say that he's attracted to you, too. What I don't understand is why the two of you haven't gotten together yet."
The sigh that was coming out her mouth turned into a groan. Her head dropped onto the back of the couch and she closed her eyes for a moment. While it was true that Austin had some of the best advice for her, she didn't always agree with it. She knew that he would ultimately be right, and he was right about the fact that she was attracted to him. "You don't know that for sure. You can't know that he's attracted to me. He thinks that we're still just friends. Besides, I said that I wasn't going to get into a relationship with anyone for a long time. I don't want to go through what I did last time."
Austin shook his head. "Brooke, you know that JC isn't that kind of guy."
"I didn't think that Tim was, either, and look where it ended up."
He reached over and put his hand over hers. She relished in the pure love that radiated from him. It was almost like a warmth, and something that she could always depend on. "Honey, everyone but you could see that Tim wasn't right for you. You just chose to believe that he was perfect and that he would never do anything like that. Believe me, Jace would never do anything like that to you. I know because he's too much like me."
Her eyes widened for a moment, but she couldn't resist a wise crack. Brooklyn never could. "Why don't I just date you, then?" she asked, a quirky grin on her face.
"We may have grown up in Tennessee, but that's something that I just don't agree with. Besides, according to you, I'm promised to Mia." She smiled brightly at that. "Brooke, just do me one favor, all right? Describe JC to me. How you see him, not how someone else sees him."
She took a deep breath and pursed her lips in thought. He waited for her to take a long drink of water before answering. "Okay. JC is...well, he's honest to a fault, and incredibly trust worthy. He's caring and kind, always putting other people first before him. He's incredibly passionate about everything that he does or he goes after. I don't understand where this is heading."
He smiled suddenly. "You said something pretty interesting there. He's passionate about everything he goes after, right? That's what you said." She nodded reluctantly and slowly. "Imagine what it would be like to have that passion directed towards you, Brooke. Just think about it for a moment."
Again, her eyes widened slowly, but this time, stayed that way. "Cowboy, I'm so confused," she groaned, dropping her head down to his shoulder.
Laughing, he patted her on the back. "That's the effect that I was going for. Uh, Brooke? Do you know why it's so cold in here all of a sudden?"
"I forgot to bring my luggage in and shut the door. I'm sorry," she said, about to get off the couch.
"No need. I already did it for you, sweetie. Hey, you big hunk of man. My prayers must have been answered because you're here to sweep me off my feet, I suppose," Mia said with a bright smile as she walked into the living room, leaning against the doorframe. "I let myself in since the door was already wide open. Besides, I need to go over a few things with you, Brooke. Hope you don't mind. So, what were we talking about? How much Austin wants me, or how much he can't live without me?" she asked, moving to sit down in the armchair near them.
He rolled his eyes playfully, though the truth was he didn't mind the attention from her in the least bit. "Neither. Just replace you with Brooklyn and my name with JC. Then you'll have your answer."
Mia laughed, leaning forward. "I knew it," she squealed, much like Brooklyn had earlier. "Did you know that Vegas has bets going on you guys? It's like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones all over again. By the way, four to one for you hooking up with him."
"And I suppose that you already placed your bet?" Austin asked, looking at her.
She dug through her purse to find her wallet before she pulled out a small piece of paper. "A hundred bucks on JC and Brooklyn getting together within this year. This is money in the bank, baby. You should consider going down there and placing a bet. Smartest thing you could do, besides dating me, that is." She stood up and motioned for Brooklyn to do the same. "Oh, by the way. Tomorrow at six," she said to Austin before they headed out of the room.
His brow furrowed for a moment. "Tomorrow at six for what?" he asked, now as confused as Brooklyn had been feeling.
"Tomorrow at six is when you're going to come and pick me up, hot stuff. Don't tell me that you already forgot." She blew a kiss at Austin before they headed up the stairs towards Brooklyn's room. "I so cannot wait for tomorrow," she said with a longing sigh before following Brooklyn closely.
"Morning," she yawned as she came into the kitchen. Austin smiled at her disheveled appearance. The way that her hair was sticking out was comical by itself, but the fact that she had only one slipper on was what made him laugh. "I lost the other one coming down the stairs, and I was too lazy to bend down and pick it up," she said as a way of explaining before pouring herself a mug of coffee and coming to sit with him at the table.
She had missed having someone to wake up to, and it was with great joy that she was able to share that with her older brother. The house had seemed so empty without him around, since he had moved in with her again. "Brooke, I was going to ask you something." She looked at him tiredly, rubbing one eye with a balled fist. "When I...uh...go out with Mia tonight, what...I can't believe I'm asking you this."
She chuckled quietly under her breath before looking at him again. "I know where you guys are going, but I'm not allowed to say anything. All I'll say is that you don't need a tie, but I seriously suggest wearing a nice shirt and a sports coat. Make sure it's clean, too, would you?" she chastised him. "I can't wait to hear all the details about this date. This is going to be so funny. I never thought I would see the day when you would bow down to Mia and actually say that you're going out with her. You guys make such a cute couple."
"Oh, you mean like you and JC?"
"Bite me."
"I told you, this may be Tennessee, but I'm not into that kind of thing. Besides, I'll have my hands full with Mia tonight, I'm sure. Are you sure that it's safe for me to go out with her?"
Brooklyn looked up with a smile. "Have you had all your shots recently?" she asked with a teasing smile. Austin got a horrified look on his face. "Look, Mia's a sweet woman. You already know that. It's going to be like a normal date with anyone else. I know that she acts like a hormonal teenager half the time, but she's not really like that. It's basically an act that she puts on, which you know well enough. You'll be fine, she'll be fine, and when your wedding day rolls around, I'll be the maid of honor, so all is perfect with the world. Why can't you see that?"
He stuck his tongue out at her briefly. "If only you would follow your own advice sometimes. Stop telling me to go out with someone, when there's someone waiting for you right now."
She decided to ignore the remark. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with that subject, especially that early. "What is everyone's obsession with sticking their tongue out at me lately? I've had it done to me at least twenty times in the past week, and now you're contributing to that amount. Really, Austin, haven't you grown out of that oral fixation stage yet?"
"Have you been reading psychology books again? More specifically, have you being reading Freud again?"
"No, I haven't. I gave that up when I was fifteen, when I learned that I couldn't understand a word that they were saying, and it didn't make me seem any smarter. Just more annoying, really." They both jumped when the phone rang, and Brooklyn went to go answer it. "Hello, Turner residence."
She waited for the soft British accented person to stop talking and hawking whatever he was trying to sell before smiling. "Good morning to you, too, Chris," she said with a laugh.
"How did you know?"
"Like I said, I'm the master at this sort of stuff. What's up?"
He sighed on the other end. "Too bad you can't see me pout right now. I was just wondering if you landed all right, and if you made it home without an accident or something. Actually, Justin was going crazy that he couldn't call you. We didn't give him your number because we didn't want him to harass you all the time."
She smiled again before taking her coffee from Austin. "Thanks, sweetie. It's nice to know that you're thinking of me. I landed fine, and I made it home fine, but I had the freak of a lifetime."
"More than when you saw the ring?" he asked in a low tone. "What happened, Brooke?"
Like Austin's previous comment, she ignored that one as well. "I came home, and the front door was unlocked. I was incredibly freaked out when I walked in and found my brother looting through the fridge like some common cat burglar. We both had heart attacks, and then Mia came over."
She could just imagine the frown of confusion on his face. She hadn't known Chris that long, but she had learned quite a bit about him during her week long stay with them. "Something tells me that if I ever meet this chick, I should run for my life."
"Yeah, you probably should. She's quite...different, and believe it or not, my brother is going out with her tonight. He has some sort of death wish or something, I think. I suppose I should tell him that I'm not going to be held responsible for any scratches, bruises, cuts, or missing body parts when the date is over."
"You're really making me feel better about this, Brooke," Austin shouted from the table. She smirked and took a sip of her coffee.
Chris was still laughing on the other end. "Sounds like the two of you have a happy little house right now. So, Austin's going out tonight. What are you doing? Have a hot date, too, or something?" She knew that he had his fingers crossed, and he was praying that she would give him the answer that he wanted. Sometimes, she could read him like a book, but not very often. If there was one thing about Chris that she had learned, it was to expect the unexpected from him.
"Hm? Yeah, I actually do have a hot date tonight, and I am definitely going to enjoy this one."
When he spoke again, his voice was dejected, and if she had been with him, she would have seen his shoulders slump. "Oh, really? Well, that's great for you, Brooke...I guess. Who's the lucky guy?"
She snickered before sipping her coffee again and turning around to top off her mug. "Well, it's not exactly a guy. See, my date is with the television and the couch. I'm planning on putting in a movie and enjoying the fact that my brother is going to be mauled while I get to do nothing but relax for once. Life is grand, isn't it? I really had you going there for a minute."
"Yeah, you did. I thought that you were serious or something. Besides, I know that you're waiting for JC to ask you out." She shook her head, but suppressed her groan. "Brooke, don't shake your head. It's bound to happen sooner or later. We're all betting on sooner rather than later, though."
"Be prepared to lose some money."
Their conversation didn't last much longer, and Brooklyn hung up, going back to the table, her head spinning. A lot of what Chris had told her was true or could turn out to be true. She had no doubt that eventually, somewhere FAR down the line, her and JC were sure to go on one date that would make them think a little differently from normal, but it wouldn't last.
She had a feeling that most of her insecurities came from the fact that she didn't want him to lose interest in her, and being friends was the only way that she could think of keeping their relationship the way it was. The last thing she wanted was to date him, and end up getting into a fight that could rip them apart, or even worse, not talk ever again. She had seen it happen before, and she didn't want it to happen to her. It were those things that kept nagging her, and she couldn't help listening to those voices. "Austin?" she asked suddenly.
He looked up at her. "Yeah, Brooke?"
"What would you think if I actually made an effort to have JC look at me in another light, or maybe even date me. Do you think I could do it?" There was almost a pleading tone to her voice.
Smiling, he leaned forward, across the table, to kiss the top of her head. "I'd say that it was about damned time you came to your senses, but you're not going to be able to do this alone. I'm going to have my hands full trying to keep Mia interested in me," he paused when he realized what he said and blushed again. It was endearing. "Well, anyway, I think that you should enlist a little help, if you know what I mean."
She nodded, a shy smile starting to spread on her face. "You realize that this could be one of the biggest mistakes of my life, you know. I could ruin one of the best friendships that I ever had."
"Nothing like that would ever happen. Like I said, you and Jace are perfect for each other. Go make a few phone calls and see what you guys can come up with, okay? I can see that whoever that was made you think."
"He's been doing that for the past week, Austin. This is nothing new. I've thought about this for ages now, and I'm getting a little tired of mulling over it. I want to do something about it. And you're right. It's about damned time that I did." It was nice to see determination glowing in her eyes again, and it made him grin back at her. "I AM going to go make those phone calls, and somehow, this WILL work, even if I'm working on this until I'm thirty."
As she was walking out of the room, Austin leaned back in his chair. "In that case, you only have five years, so you better get to work!" he shouted after her.
Brooklyn walked up to her room, shaking her head. She was filled with a sense of apprehension, but at the same time, some kind of inner peace. She had finally shut up the voices in her head that were screaming at her to do something. She opened her bedroom door and jumped across her bed before reaching for the phone. Her fingers moved quickly over the keypad and she listened to the dial tone before the phone was picked up. "Hey, Lance, it's me, Brooke. Are you alone right now?"
"Morning to you, too, Brooke. No, I'm not. Why?"
She frowned. "A better question would be: is JC with you, because this is something that he doesn't have to hear. Just who is with you."
He paused for a moment. "Everyone but JC. He's in the studio, working on a new track or something. We're all hanging out at Justin's house again. Brooke, what is up with you?"
What confused him the most was the fact that she wouldn't answer his questions at all. "Does Justin have a speaker phone?"
"Yes. Do you want the number?"
When she said yes, he gave it to her and she wrote it down, promising to call them as soon as she hung up with Lance. She left the phone on the hook for a moment before dialing the new number and waiting. A chorus of "Good morning, Brooke" rang out to her. She laughed delightfully. "Wow, in perfect harmony. I'm impressed. Good morning, guys. Hello again, Chris."
Instead, it was Justin that answered her. "Brooke, what's up with you? According to what I've heard, you've been acting strange all morning. Even Chris said that you were strange, and he wouldn't know strange if it came up and bit him on the...ow! He's beating on me, Brooke. Make him stop."
"Chris, stop beating on the young, cute one. I have a few questions for you guys, and a few requests, if you wouldn't mind. Before you say no, I'll just start. First, were you serious about getting me and JC together. I need to know the absolute truth."
There was a slight pause before Joey began to talk. "Brooke, I can speak for everyone in the room when I say that we are dead serious about it. You're the best thing to come into his life since...well...us."
Her eyes rolled. "Thanks, Joey, I appreciate that. So, I know that you're serious about it. Do you think that a relationship between the two of us could actually work?"
"You and me? No problem, baby," Joey responded to her again.
"Man, shut up. She's serious. I know that it would work, sweetie. There is nothing more certain in my mind." She could hear the smile in Justin's voice when he said that. It was nice to know that he was taking it seriously, because it helped calm her nerves a little. A little, but not a lot. "What else do you want to know? Would you like me to call you back? You really shouldn't have to pay for a long distance call, Brooke."
Shaking her head, she rolled over onto her back. "Don't worry about it, Justin. I've made many long distance calls in my life, and I'll make many more before I die, which hopefully isn't coming for a half dozen more decades or somewhere around there. Um...if I say what I'm about to say, would you guys drop the flowery speeches about how perfect we are together unless I ask for one, because I might need one after awhile if I become discouraged."
She could tell that they were beginning to get excited about what was happening. She could hear it in the way that they all seemed to scramble closer to the phone. Justin must have a top of the line speaker phone, she thought to herself with a small smile. She could hear every little noise that they made. "We promise. All the way, Brooke. This is one promise that Lance won't break."
Her mouth dropped open slowly. "You ass! I knew that you said something. I told myself that you wouldn't do something like that, but you DID go behind my...it doesn't matter. It probably helped. Sorry, Lance. It just caught me off guard. Guys, this is a little hard for me to say, but I want to know...will you help me with this little crusade to get JC interested in me? I need all the help I can get, and you guys are closer to him than I can be, so I was hoping that you wouldn't mind helping out a poor muddled country singer."
Instead of the questions that she was expecting to be thrown at her, she jumped when she heard shouts go around the room. The loudest, without a doubt, was Chris, and she could tell that he was across the room from the phone. "Sorry, but...damn girl, it took you long enough to ask that question. They owe me ten bucks a piece now. Pay up, guys," Justin said gleefully. "This isn't going to be easy, you realize that, right, Brooke? JC can be damned stubborn when he wants to be, and he might not SHOW that he's too keen about the idea, but he really is. He's a complex person, and kind of hard to understand."
"Justin, I understand all of this. Really, I do. I've known him long enough to know that, and I'm prepared and ready for that. I won't just give up on this. Chris, you really got me thinking about this, and to tell the truth, I was thinking about it long before. Plus, the talk that I had with my brother last night...it sort of cemented all the feelings, and while I'm still confused, I can't help but want to do this. I want this, guys. I may still be confused, but I know what I'm feeling. Every fiber in my body is telling me to go for this, screaming at me to do this, and I have to. Like I told Austin, it could be one of the biggest mistakes of my life if I lose that friendship that I have with JC, but this...this is so important to me right now.
"You know, it's strange. I never thought that something like this could happen to me so quickly. I mean, I just came to this decision, and I usually have to think about something for a long time before I decide what to do, but this came so easily to me this morning. One minute I was sitting there, thinking how confused I was, and the next, I was thinking about how much...how much I want something like this to work out with JC. I shouldn't say something like this, I know. You don't have to tell me that. I know what I want with him. I'm just a little scared, I guess."
Four laughs rang out to her, and the sound of them warmed her heart. They sounded so happy, so willing to help that she couldn't help laughing along with them. "Brooke, you have nothing to worry about. Operation New York is about to start, and this is how we're going to do it."
"Who am I kidding?" she said to herself. It was three weeks later, and while all the hoopla over the planning of her tour was over, and all the planning of getting JC to finally admit to his feelings about Brooklyn was over, life seemed almost...boring. there was nothing for her to do, nothing for her to conquer.
Not that her time hadn't been occupied. Her and Austin had changed around the house so that they could room all five guys at once when they came out to visit. She had already been promised by Justin during one of her many phone calls to him that they were going to be out there for what the neighborhood was calling one of the biggest barbecue backyard parties they had ever heard of Brooklyn and Austin throwing.
It was just another way for her to go on with her life, to move on with her life, after what happened with Tim. This was a way of reassuring everyone that she was fine, and at the same time, having some fun. Not to mention, getting what was dubbed 'Operation New York' underway. Most of her free time was spent between calling the four guys to work on the plan and make sure that everything was set. Nothing was going to move quickly, they knew that. They were going to start out small and slow so that it wouldn't seem forced, but this was something that she had never done in life before.
"Brooke, do you know what you're doing?" Austin asked as he watched her carefully. She shook herself out of her thoughts and looked towards the fence. As usual, they needed some outside light, besides the torches that were around the yard for later that night. She had been set to work with the staple gun to make sure that the white lanterns adorning the fences weren't going to fall off.
She sighed and stapled another part of the wire against the wood. "I know what I'm doing, Austin. You're the one that knows nothing about tools. At least I know a little," she said with a frown, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. The rest was pulled back by a plain dark blue bandanna, making her green eyes intensify in color. "You know, we couldn't have picked a better day for this party. I was wondering, do you think we should throw a block party before the beginning of the tour, too?"
He turned around from where he was putting a stack of plastic white lawn chairs in a corner of the yard. "That's a pretty good idea. We could block both sides of the road and just invite everyone to come out and party with us. It was a pretty big hit two summers ago. We'll be sure to make that one a pot luck dinner, though. I'm not cooking all the food again, like tonight," he grumbled under his breath.
"Oh, you know that you love it." She grinned and finished with the staple gun before moving back. "I'm going to finish that side of the fence. Do you want to call Gina and make sure that it's all right for us to use her driveway for parking? I just thought that we should ask before we actually use it," she said with a small smile.
"Sure." He went back into the house while Brooklyn continued to work outside. He was about to pick up the phone when the doorbell rang. Sighing, he headed over to it, and opened it before grinning. "Jace. Nice to see you again, man," he said with a grin, shaking hands with him.
JC smiled from where he was leaning against the door frame. "Nice to see you again, too, Austin. Uh, this is Justin, Lance, Chris, and Joey." Once they were all introduced, Austin let them into the house, telling them to leave their luggage in the living room for now so that they could get something to eat before heading upstairs. "How was the date with Mia?" he asked as he opened the fridge, pulling out sodas for everyone.
Austin grinned. "Pretty good, besides me ignoring her usual comments. We've been out twice since then, but she's been really busy lately with the new tour. Do you want to call out to Brooke and ask if she wants anything? She's finishing up in the backyard right now."
With a shrug, JC headed outside onto the back porch when he stopped short. The rest of the men gathered around the door to catch a peek at Brooklyn.
He couldn't help watching her for a moment. Clad in a pair of jean shorts and a plain white tank top, she was leaning up on her toes to reach high enough with the staple gun. Her hair caught the sunlight, and the blonde streaks in her hair shone brightly. In fact, he noticed that her hair was turning more and more blonde every time that he saw her. She turned when she heard him clear his throat, and she smiled, pushing back the one piece of stubborn hair that wouldn't stay in the bandanna. "Hey! When did you get in?" she asked, putting down the staple gun.
JC looked around the backyard before answering her. It looked great, in his opinion. He had always thought that it looked cute of how the fence only was along the sides of the yard, while the back was open to the field behind their house. The trailer had been moved back somehow, but when he looked hard enough, he could see tire marks from a truck beyond the trailer. The backyard was completely free, and filled with the white lanterns and torches. It gave it almost a summery look, even if it was only spring. "Uh...we actually just got here. Are you going to come in for a little while? We were all just going to grab something to eat before we head upstairs to put our stuff away."
The smile on her face brightened when she heard that. "Sure. I'll be right there." She brought the staple gun in with her, causing Austin to chuckle. "Don't laugh. Remember, I'm the one that knows how to use this. You don't," she said as she pushed him, dropping it in the tool box that was sitting underneath the kitchen counter. "Thank you," she said to JC, who pulled out a can of ginger ale for her.
Everyone moved towards the table and Brooklyn crossed her legs, pressing the can against the back of her neck with a sigh. "I swear, it hasn't been this hot here for a long time," she said a little breathlessly, wetting her dry lips.
Everyone watched as JC's eyes were immediately drawn to them, but Brooklyn didn't notice it. Her eyes were closed as she took the can away from her neck and rolled it over her forehead before opening it and pouring the liquid into a glass. "Uh...New York. I was going to ask you how you got all the room for us. I mean, you only have two guest rooms."
She smirked at him as she opened her eyes again before taking a sip of her soda. "That was one of the easiest things to do. All of the guest rooms used to have two beds in them anyway, so we just put them back in there, and since Austin's room used to be a guest room, I figured that you wouldn't mind staying with him, unless you want to stay in my room." The offer was innocent enough, but Austin didn't take too kindly to it.
"I don't think so, Brooke. JC will stay with me, NOT in your room, all right?" She nodded, rolling her eyes.
Justin and Chris exchanged a troubled look. They knew that Austin had nothing against getting Brooklyn and JC together, but they didn't like how he automatically split up the two of them. They were hoping on Austin being a big part of the plan, but could he be its only downfall? "We're in trouble," Justin whispered as he reached for an apple from the middle of the table.
"Big trouble."
Chapter Seven
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