Hidden Desires (17 page)

"So, Brooke..." the older woman started, "Anything new?"

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "New? Like what?" She asked, carefully.

"Oh, I don't know. Talk to me."

"I already told you that I'm sleeping much better now."

"But on the couch, I hear." Harriet Hewitt said out of the side of her mouth.

Brooke colored. "You hear. Just where do you hear from?"

The older Hewitt shrugged. "Never you mind. How are things, Brooke? Is everything alright with Grant?"

"Not really." Brooke sighed. "Talk to me, Honey, what's going on?" Her mother moved to sit beside her and held her hand.

"I'm just not happy. Things are different now."

"What brought this on? Is he treating you any differently?"

"No, that's the problem, he's treating me exactly the same." Brooke said with a sour face,

"I see." Harriet said with a nod. "Well, it's about time. I don't know how you put up with it for so long."

"Mom!" Brooke looked at her mother in disbelief. "You knew and didn't say anything?"

"No, I didn't know much until recently. You haven't been yourself for a long time and I was concerned. You probably wouldn't have said anything to me if I didn't ask." Harriet said, slightly hurt.

"It wasn't important." Brooke mumbled.

"Of course it was! I'm your mother!"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, it's alright now. Deirdre told me Grant is away for a week at the cabin with Daddy Dear. You’re rid of him for a whole week."

"Glad you know where he is." She said bitterly, then thought about it a second. "A week? What about his job? What else did Deirdre tell you?" Brooke wondered, dying to know what Grant told his mother.

"His job will survive." Mrs. Hewitt chuckled and patted her daughter's hand. She sipped her tea and sighed humorously.

Brooke removed her hand and put her own tea down on the coffee table. "What mother?" She prodded.

"Well, the way Deirdre and Phillip tell it, you were abducted and brainwashed by a crazy cult of rollerblading lesbians."

Brooke's mouth hung open in shock. "What??!!"

Harriet giggled. "I know dear! It's a hoot!"

Brooke swallowed hard and took her hand back from her mother's grasp.
Holy shit on a stick!

"A crazy cult of lesbians? On roller blades?" She repeated, just to make sure.

"Yes dear. Whatever you did to that poor boy has scarred him. He's talking nonsense."

"Uh mom..."

Mrs. Hewitt stopped giggling and stared at her daughter. "Yes?"

"Nothing. Where do you suppose he would get such an idea?" She wondered. The cult stuff was crazy, but the lesbians? She was worried.

"It seems Grant is under the impression that you're having an affair.... with a woman." She said, tittering.

"I see." Brooke said quietly, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.

Harriet took in her daughter's behavior. "You're not are you?"

"No! No... I'm not." Brooke confirmed, still nervous and shaky.

"Oh good. You know, not that it's terrible to have an affair with a woman. You know your aunt Winnie, and her room mate of 20 years Beth. I mean, I still love her and everything. She's always going to be my baby sister."

"Aunt Winnie? Aunt Beth?" Brooke asked in surprise.

"Oh yes. 20 years and counting, they must be doing something right. But I don't care, to each his own I always say. Besides, how do we know that they aren't doing it right and we have it all wrong." Mrs. Hewitt joked.

Relieved by her mother's acceptance but still shook up by the conversation, Brooke stood up and put Fred on the floor. "I think I'm going to take him for a walk."

"Ok dear, be careful."

"I will."

Brooke went to her bag to retrieve her keys. "Oh mom? He didn't mention who he though I was having an affair with did he?"

Harriet thought a moment. "Yes, yes he did... wait a minute... K , it starts with a K."

Brooke paled and her stomach dropped to her knees.

"Brooke! Are you alright? You're not going to faint are you?" Mrs. Hewitt was getting up off the couch in concern.

"No, I'm fine. A week huh?"

"What?"

"Grant's going to be gone a week?"

"Yes honey. You know you're always welcome here if you don't want to bang around that house all alone. Dad and I would love to have you here. Not to mention Fred."

Brooke's mind was going a mile a minute." I need to go..." She said quickly and left.

C
AYDEN LOUNGED AROUND the house all morning. She loved her day off and took full advantage of it. Wade worked all weekend and their days off didn't coincide making a true alone day for Cayden. The tall woman whipped out a bag of Oreos and a tall glass of milk and plopped down on the couch in her underwear. She had the house to herself and refused to get dressed. The second that the bag of cookies crinkled, La La was at her feet, giving her the eye. She reached down and scratched the giant cat behind his ears, watching with a grin as his eyes closed and he began to purr. "You do realize that if daddy knew I really liked you, my cover would be blown?" she said in a whisper. "So don't go saying anything incriminating."

Cayden had polished off a handful of cookies and two glasses of milk and was just drifting into a nap when the doorbell rang. She scowled and glared at the door but the bell continued to chime. "It's my only day off... go away!" she yelled.

"I know that, silly. That's why I'm here."

"Jodie. Go away, and take whatever woman you have with you."

"Cayden. I'm hurt. I'm all alone." Jodie said with a pout.

The tall woman made her way to the door and looked through the peephole to find that Jodie was indeed, alone.

Jodie took one look at her friend and laughed. "Oreos huh?"

"What?" Cayden asked in confusion.

"You've got Oreo all over your teeth and there's a hole in your drawers. Good thing I didn't bring a woman with me."

Cayden ran off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Jodie made herself at home and started the coffee pot. By the time the tall woman came back, her friend was laying on the couch comfortably, remote in one hand, cookies in the other. "Cayd, do you mind getting me some coffee?"

The brunette scowled. "Oh absolutely master, anything else your highness?"

"Mmm... no, that will be all."

Cayden made herself some coffee too, brought both mugs into the living room, and set them down on the coffee table. "Feet please." she said, smacking Jodie's foot.

"Oh, a foot massage would be wonderful." The waitress said, wiggling her toes.

"Fuck off, Princess." Cayden smirked, throwing her friend's feet off of the couch and sitting in their place. "What brings you here on my sacred day off?"

"It's Sunday, my cable's out and I have no coffee."

"The tragedy of it all." Cayden said sarcastically.
This is taking too long.. 3... 2... 1...

"So, what happened with Denise last night?"

The shopkeeper chuckled. "Like you don't already know. I bugged out of our date."

"Knew you would." Jodie said smugly.

"Shut up." Cayden blew on her coffee and refused to look at Jo.

"Cayd, it's not you. I knew that."

"Yeah, yeah." The brunette focused on the television and winced. "I am not watching cartoons Jo, gimme." she reached for the remote but Jodie moved it away. "Jodie! Gimme!"

"No. I had it first and I'm not watching home improvement shows all day either."

"You're staying all day?" Cayden whined.

"I mean, it's bad enough you're obsessed with those shows, but you do nothing with the knowledge. You'd half expect this place to look like the Taj Mahal by now."

"You're not staying all day."

"Or at least like that jungle room room that Christopher Lowell created. That would be neat. What was it... Indonesian?"

"Jodie! When are you leaving?" Cayden demanded an answer.

"I just got here." Jodie complained.

The tall woman sighed. "I liked that Indonesian room you know, but I wouldn't want to live in it."

"Speaking of Indonesian, I'm going out for Thai food with Jennifer tonight, wanna come?"

"Thai food huh? Nah, I don't want to go with you and a date. That's tacky."

"I'm not dating her, actually she's hot for you." Jodie said innocently.

Cayden sat straight up and threw her arms in the air.
"NO! Oh no! No, no, no, no,.. and NO!
Forget it."

"Please? She's hot. She's got blonde hair and green eyes." Jodie said with a smirk.

"I don't care if she looked like JLo. No."

"Didn't say she looked like JLo. She looks like Brooke actually." The waitress snickered.

Cayden scrunched up her face at first, but was reminded of her dream the moment Jodie mentioned Brooke's name. Her heart started beating rapidly.

"You're considering it?" Jodie asked hopefully.

"No. I'm not. I can't play games."

"What games? Just have dinner with me and a chick. No expectations. She just wants to sit next to the great and powerful Cayden."

"Ha. No, I'd rather not."

"Such a waste of damned good looks you are." Jodie sighed in defeat. "So, what are you going to do about Brooke anyway?"

Cayden shrugged. "What can I do? Nothing."

"You know her name, I'm sure there aren't many other Brooke's with her last name in the phone book."

"What do you suggest I do, stalk her?" Cayden chuckled.

"Well, no, but if I were you, I'd find her number and call her."

"What the hell would I say? Oh hi there Brooke, I've stalked you this far, wanna have lunch?"

"No, how about starting with hello."

"Dry up Jo. What I mean is, what would I possibly say after this whole boyfriend thing? I really don't want to talk to her."

"I think she has the hots for you and used you as an excuse to leave him."

"I'm not flattered. What if he was crazy?"

"Ah, but he wasn't. Angry, yes, crazy, no. He thinks you're boffing his girlfriend Cayd, you'd be pissed too. Just call her and ask her how Fred is."