no, no. How did she end up at Brody’s place? She tried to remember anything from the night before, but she came up blank. Her stomach lurched again, but with a painful swallow, she managed to keep everything down.
He stood there, in a towel, holding a glass of water. ‘Drink this. I tried to get some water in you last night, but you didn’t want any. You smacked my hand and spilled it everywhere.’ He nodded his head toward a pile of sheets on top of a wicker hamper.
She took the glass from him and stared into it, unable to meet his eyes. Relief and embarrassment flooded her. ‘What happened?’
‘You wouldn’t tell me where you were staying.’ He smirked as if recalling a particularly amusing moment. ‘So, I brought you here.’
She forced the water down her throat. ‘We didn’t…?’
His eyebrows knitted. ‘Sleep together?’
She winced again. The light coming into the room overwhelmed her more than before. Or maybe it was her straining not to look at his chest. The last time she’d seen it, there hadn’t been much definition. Unlike now. There weren’t any gyms nearby, at least as far as she knew. Those muscles were all homemade from some activity around town. ‘So, we didn’t…?’
Brody smiled. A hint of amusement danced in his eyes. ‘I slept on the couch.’
A breath whooshed out of her.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’m going to make you some toast and get some aspirin into you. It will help.’
She followed him like a lost puppy across the space. This time, when she looked around, she saw each inch of the apartment as Brody’s instead of a stranger’s. She should have known he’d come to her rescue. The room was simplistic without many decorations or adornments. The wall behind the bed was exposed brick, giving the room a little rustic appeal. She never imagined a place like this above the bar.
Brody had always been a clean and neat kind of guy, but this place was almost sterile. Maybe he’d just moved in?
‘How long have you lived here?’ she asked, unable to help herself.
He pulled a toaster from inside one of the lower cabinets of the kitchen. ‘Three years, give or take.’
So, not new. ‘It’s nice.’
‘I’m not here much. Between shifts at The Siren and downstairs, I only sleep here.’
‘Why so many jobs?’ It couldn’t be that expensive to stay in The Burrow, especially with a shoebox apartment.
He hesitated. ‘I like to keep busy.’
He placed two slices of bread in the toaster and then grabbed a container of butter from the refrigerator.
‘I’m not sure I can handle dairy this morning,’ Reen said.
‘It’s not for you. I was an adult last night.’
He’d meant it as a joke, but Reen couldn’t help the flush in her cheeks. She had acted like someone who couldn’t handle herself. Coming home brought all the memories back to Reen from when she was a teen. Instead of keeping her guard up, she’d been careless and ended up in a situation far from the one she’d imagined.
‘I’m going to finish getting dressed,’ he said, and slipped past her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
She released a breath and hung her head in her hands. While away, anytime Brody had crept into her thoughts, she had shut them out. Now, she was inside his apartment while he changed behind the door.
Her bag hung from her chair, and she took a moment to check her phone. Surprisingly, there weren’t any texts from Rose. But she’d stayed with Shane the night before. Reen wondered when Rose would figure out that she hadn’t stayed at the apartment. The conversation played out in her head, adding to the ache in her temples. She needed to get to Rose’s place as soon as possible so that she would be none the wiser.
The toast popped up, and Reen jumped.
Brody strode out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a blue and white striped T-shirt. With clothes on, he was easier to look at. Though, her stomach still fluttered.
He handed her the dry toast and buttered his. The sound of the knife over the hard bread raked against her brain.
‘You all right?’ Brody asked.
‘Not so much. I haven’t done that in a long time. Why did you let me?’
He laughed, and she winced again.
‘I tried to cut you off earlier, but you got a little mean.’
The night had been a haze. ‘I did?’
‘I mean, I’ve seen worse.’
‘Sorry,’ she muttered.
‘Don’t worry about it. I know seeing your mom probably wasn’t easy. You get a pass from me. If you want it.’
Even though the details of last night were fuzzy, it had more to do with Brody than Mom. If it were possible, she felt even sicker because of it. Her anger with Mom had melted increasingly throughout the years. Seeing her yesterday didn’t bring it up again. Now, she was a sick old woman stuck in a bed. Reen would be a monster to be upset with Mom in her current state.
It wasn’t just that Brody had moved on with his life, but everyone had. Mom had gotten older, Brody and Rose seemed to have it all together, while Reen was flailing in her life. Jumping from place to place whenever she got the itch. Would it be so much to ask that her hometown remained in the bubble she’d placed around it?
Reality crashed over her, and she dropped her toast onto the plate. ‘I should go.’
‘Let me drive you,’ he said.
She lifted her eyes to his. ‘I thought you had to get to work.’
‘I do,’ he said. ‘Do you want to walk?’
Not in the least. ‘I have a car here. A rental.’
‘You feel okay to drive?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she croaked. Spending more time with Brody would only add to her hangover.
Brody eyed her, and the silence stretched on between them as he finished his breakfast. They walked together out of the apartment, down the narrow hallway and staircase to the street.
While they weren’t talking about last night, there were plenty of things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t force her mouth to form the words. She supposed it was better that way.
Reen grabbed on to all her years of hiding her feelings, and by the time she and Brody reached her car, she already had a smile on her face, even though she was slowly dying on the inside. ‘Thanks for watching out for me. I promise I’ll never do it again.’
‘Never say never,’ he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
She
