Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Brooke sat down on the other chair. “How could either of them think this was a good idea? It’s like they’re bringing out the worst in each other. And I don’t just mean the show, I mean, that was an awful idea clearly but how could they have thought that the affair, that any of it, would work out? They’re just - awful!”
I sighed. “Honey, I wish I had answers for you. I really do. But I gave up long ago on trying to figure out why they did what they did.”
“Mom was happy,” Brooke sniffed. We had never spoken so openly about what had happened before. I’d asked Brooke if she wanted therapy, and I’d done my best to be there for her, but we’d each dealt with our pain in our own ways and I think we’d each been a bit scared to bring it up to the other like this. “Mom was happy with us, wasn’t she? If she wasn’t, she did a real good job of pretending, right?”
“I like to think that she was. I believe that she really was, for a while. I think that…” I thought about it for a moment, trying to compress all of my thoughts on the matter into a few short sentences, trying to explain, to put words to all of my swirling ideas. “Your mother was always someone who wanted attention and wanted the high life. She used to love shopping with you all the time, remember? She always had to have the latest thing.
“I think that your mother saw that Theo wanted to go places that I didn’t. I like having just my one restaurant and being here taking care of that. Theo wants to be famous, to be in the limelight. To be rich. And your mother wants all of those things too. So I think for her she saw that he could give her what I didn’t, and I think she assumed that he could give her the same things that I already gave her, too.”
“Like what, an emotionally healthy relationship and sanity?” Brooke grumbled.
I chuckled. “Sure.”
Brooke put down the box of tissues and threw away her used ones. “Do you think that they’re really happy that way?” she asked. “I can’t imagine that they are.”
“Well, if they are or they aren’t, that’s not our business anymore. They chose this, and they get to reap the consequences - good or bad. They both want the limelight and so now they’ve got it. What happens now is on them.”
Brooke nodded. “I don’t understand. I mean, I’m sure some people do want attention, I get it, it’s… it’s attention. It’s addicting. I was pretty popular in high school…”
“Honey I might not know much about high school nowadays, especially high school girls, but even I could tell that you were one of the most popular girls there.” Not because Brooke played games or climbed the social ladder, so to speak. But because she was just a good person, a happy person, and people wanted to be around her.
Even if the rest of my marriage didn’t work out and went up in goddamn flames, at least Virginia and I managed to raise a damn good daughter. I am grateful for that, despite everything else.
Brooke gave a small, embarrassed laugh. “Thanks Dad. But I had a lot of attention and so I know how good that can feel, but… I don’t want to pursue that as my entire life. Just seeking more and more of it. I’d rather be here, with you, with the restaurant. Even if I’m not a chef.”
“You don’t have to be.” I got up and walked over, pulling her up into my arms. No matter how old she got or how big she got, she was always going to be my little girl. I might turn around after a few years and see Stevie as an adult, but Stevie wasn’t my kid, despite being the same age as Brooke. Brooke was always going to be that little girl to me.
Brooke hugged me back tightly. “I’m happy here with you, I just want you to know that. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Of course. And hey, I’m glad you’re here.” I pulled back, grinning at her. “I’d be lost without you.” Then I sobered up. “We’re not out of the woods yet, though. We’ve still got our work cut out for us. We have to make this work for the next few weeks. If we can just keep up this trend, we could finally pull ourselves fully into the green, okay?”
Brooke nodded. “I know. We can’t relax just yet.” She gave an odd half-laugh, half-sob. “I wish that Stevie was still here.”
My heart twisted. God, yeah. If only Brooke knew how much I missed her. “I do too.”