Hidden Desires (23 page)

"So, come on Sweetheart, tell me what is bothering you. Talk to Daddy. Is it Grant?"

"That putz," Harriet blurted.

Don't look at him, don't look at him.
"I'd rather not talk about it, dad, please don't force me."

Mr. Hewitt sank back in his chair and looked hurt. He shared a sad expression with his wife.

"It's not Grant," Brooke started.

"That putz," Harriet added again.

"Mom!" Brooke rolled her eyes. "I have a little something bothering me, but it's nothing you can help me with. I'm sorry."

Harriet looked skeptically at her daughter. "Is it work?"

"No, it's not work."

"If it's not work, or Grant, that putz, then what is it?"

"Harriet, she says she doesn't want to talk about it. She's a big girl, and she wants to work it out by herself. I can understand that. She doesn't need us," Bert said glancing at Brooke to see if it worked.

Brooke sighed heavily, "Daddy, it isn't that I don't need you... just forget it."

Mrs. Hewitt pointed at her husband and scolded him with a look. "Okay honey, whatever you want. You do realize that we love you and will support you through whatever it is?"

Brooke felt horrible. She nodded and stared at her feet. She opened her mouth and almost told them, but her heart suddenly began pounding in her ears and she stopped. "I know Ma, thank you."

 
*  *  *

Cayden was tired and a little cranky. She slept like hell, tossing and turning all night. She spent the subway ride smashed between two men who had never heard of soap, let alone deodorant, or mouthwash. They carried on a loud conversation around her, and Cayden thought she might be sick before her stop. It would figure that the men tried to cop a feel as she squeezed her way out of the train. She knew better than to wear a tank top during rush hour.

When she got to the shop, she failed to make it to the keypad in time, setting the alarm off and in her haste to press the code, dropped her coffee.

Yes, Cayden was cranky.

The tall shopkeeper spent most of the morning scowling and watching court TV shows. By late afternoon, she had won $500,000 on "Millionaire", and a trip to Hawaii on "Pyramid," lightening her mood just a drop. Despite the slight mood adjustment, Cayden still frowned at Jodie when she flounced in the door laden with bags.

"That's a pretty face you got there, Cayd."

"I save the special looks for you. What ya got in the bags?"

"It's a surprise. So," Jodie reached into her bra and pulled out a piece of paper, and smoothed it out on the counter in front of Cayden, "I thought you might want this," she said with a smirk

"What is it?" the shopkeeper inquired, leaning forward to investigate. Suddenly her eyes widened and she backed away. "How did you get that and why?"

Jodie smiled deviously. "I searched her up for you on the computer. You do remember I have that friend that is an investigator?"

Cayden tried not to stare at Brooke's address and phone number. "Friend, hardly. Isn't that the chick you screwed in McDonald's? Why are you giving this to me anyway? I don't want it." Blue eyes closed tightly to erase the words and numbers, but the writing on the paper was already seared into her brain. "Damn it Jo! I memorized it!"

"What's the harm? You know you want her. Go for it Cayd, make the first move. I think you owe her an apology anyway. And it was Burger King." Jodie stuck out her tongue.

"Christ, Jo, I don't want anything to do with Brooke Hewitt." The address once again flashed in Cayden's mind. "Shit!" she growled.

"Right, and I'm sure you haven't given her a second thought, like perhaps last night when you should have been sleeping."

Cayden narrowed her eyes to hide her guilt.

"I thought so," Jo replied smugly. "Hey, I have an idea."

"Oh, that sentence means nothing but trouble." Cayden groused.

"Why don't we throw a party?" Jodie asked, excitedly.

"For what?" the tall woman looked at her friend like she was crazy.

"For dog owners and cat people too! You know, like a mixer!"

"A singles party? Jo, are you nuts? Why?"

"Meet people, you know, maybe invite the less insane of your clients."

"Are you serious? Whatever gave you this crazy idea?"

"Actually, Wade came up with it and thought it would be a good way to meet people."

"The both of you are just sluts. You plan on using this party as a dating service... and where are you planning on throwing this thing?"

"Well, see, that's where you come in."

Cayden furrowed her brows, "Me?"

Jodie started to unpack party supplies from the bag.

"Oh no, absofuckinlutely not! No way!"

"Think about it, Cayd, you'll make a fortune! Dig out all those ridiculous jackets and novelty things from the back room. I'm sure people will be dying to outdo each other!"

"Oh Jo, this is the stupidest idea..."

"You know? This would be the perfect atmosphere to invite Brooke, and call a truce."

"What? Why the hell would I want to invite Brooke?"

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. So come on Cayden, maybe you will be able to meet someone new and you will make a shitload of money. You did want to go on that vacation."

"You mean
you
will be meeting new ho's... and I do want to visit Mom and Dad. Oh, but Jo, I don't know." Cayden began looking around her shop in a panic, imagining the nightmare of having people mingling.

"Pretty please?" Jodie begged, blinking rapidly and pouting.

Cayden rolled her eyes.

"If you say no to me, you'll have Wade to deal with when you get home," she warned.

"Of fuck... fine! Go on and make your party, but I'm not inviting Brooke."

"Fair enough," Jodie nodded.
You won't have to sweetie
. "Thank you Cayden, you're the best!" Jodie wrapped herself around her friend.

"Yeah, whatever."

B
ROOKE SPENT THE next few days convincing Bev, and herself, that there was no way to salvage anything between her and Cayden. She also skillfully avoided the third degree guilt trips from her parents. However, her nights were spent lost in carnal fantasies involving tall, dark, and unforgiving. Brooke was in a constant state of arousal, even a complete stranger brushing against her on the subway would make her nipples hard. The blonde was an emotional wreck half the time. Her unconscious brain wanted Cayden so much, in so many ways, that it wouldn't allow her to sleep quietly. It was because of these wild sexual dreams that Brooke decided not to face down Cayden again. She just knew that she'd never be able to look her in the eye without fainting away from embarrassment. There was no way in hell she was going to tell Cayden of her dreams. She knew that the tall woman would eat up the information and never let Brooke live it down.

It was late at night, after 11, and Brooke was drifting between erotic visions of a certain tall brunette when her cell phone rang. She sat up and stared at it sleepily, wondering who would be calling at such an hour. Whoever it was, was persistent, they hung up on the voice mail and rang again. Thinking an emergency, Brooke answered the phone, her voice husky from sleep and arousal.

"OOo, bad timing?" Grant said with an evil snicker.

"Drop Dead."

"You got mail." he said tersely.

"Oh, ok, I'll get it this weekend."

"No, you'll get it tomorrow."

"Excuse me? I'll get it when I get it!" Brooke yelled and slammed her phone closed. "The nerve of him!"

Mrs. Hewitt heard Brooke yelling and went to see what was wrong. She tapped on the closed door. "Honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, ma, I'm fine." She lied, irritation still evident in her voice.

Harriet didn't believe her daughter, she'd been moping and pouting around the house for days. She was going to get to the bottom of this right now. "Brooke, can I come in?"

Brooke sighed. "Yeah."

The older woman sat down on the side of the bed and Brooke turned on the bedside lamp. She watched her mom take a deep breath and knew what was coming.

"Honey, I know something is bothering you deeply, and you can't say its nothing. It can't be nothing, not with the way you've been behaving. You were always able to talk to me, please tell me what's going on."

Looking into her mother's eyes was the wrong thing to do if she was going to brush her off. Her mom was concerned, very concerned, and Brooke felt just awful about it. "Mom, listen, it's pretty complicated. It's an unusual situation..." she began, then bit her lip.

"So... would you feel more comfortable talking to your father? I can go get him if you..."

"NO!" Brooke interrupted. "No," She grimaced, fidgeted, and then sighed in defeat. "See, I have this crush."

Harriet raised her eyebrow and urged her daughter on. "And..."

"Well, remember when Grant's parents told you... wait that's not true... ok, do you remember that Grant thought I was having an affair?"

Harriet's eyes widened. "Honey... you didn't..."

"Actually, no, but Grant wasn't entirely wrong in his assumptions." She said, blushing slightly.

Harriet pondered that a while as she watched her daughter's eyes dart around the room nervously.

"Brooke.... this woman with a "K"... I mean... are you?"

"No, we aren't, but she's real, Ma." Brooke admitted, her mouth suddenly dry.

"I see." The older woman's lips went thin as she thought about this news.

Green eyes closed and Brooke took a deep breath.
Well, in for a penny...
"She works a few blocks over... where I bought Fred his cologne. The Fuzzy Belly Deli."

"Interesting name. What does she do there?" Harriet asked, trying to forge more information about the "K" woman.

"She owns it I think."

"Well," Harriet chuckled. "You could do worse."

Brooke blushed. "Mom, it's not like that. We don't get along well at all." She said sadly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we get near each other and fireworks start, we fight, terribly. We get along much better just looking at each other from a distance."

"You know, that's a sign of passion." Harriet said seriously.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Mom.. please. You don't know the half of it."

"So tell me." Mrs. Hewitt climbed into bed next to her daughter and settled down. "Go on."

"I don't think..." Brooke hid her face in her hands.

"It's not so bad honey, it's girl talk. How'd you meet?"