I whirled toward him. "Think for a second. If our situations were reversed, would all of those things be enough to make you walk away from me?" I asked.
Brody stared at me as though he was finally seeing me for the first time. "No."
"Then, why would you think that about me?" I asked. God, I wanted to be mad, but really I was hurt. It hurt so badly. I wanted to be his rock. He could depend on me.
"Because I'm a dumbass," he answered with a sigh. Brody got to his feet and came toward me. "I'm so sorry, Cam. I fucked up. Bad."
I shied back from him as he reached for me. "Give me a minute. I need space right now."
His face fell and he dropped his hands to his sides. "I ruined it, didn't I?"
I sighed, a short, harsh sound. "No, you didn't ruin it. I still love you, even if you're not the brightest bulb. But I'm so mad at you right now that I'll brain you with something if you get too close to me." I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I needed to calm down and think. As far as first fights went, this was one hell of a doozy. "How much longer do you think it will take you to get your ducks in a row and implement your sly plan?"
"A couple of weeks maybe."
"Come see me in a couple of weeks, then. I'll probably be less angry by then."
"Probably?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I'm not precognizant. I can't tell you what the future holds."
A smile quirked Brody's mouth. "And if I tried to convince you to stop being angry at me?"
"Then I'd say you have your work cut out for you."
The smile widened. "I'm widely known to be an exceptionally hard worker."
"Hmmm. We'll see."
I rose up on my toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, stepping back before he could grab me. His hands brushed my arms and he frowned at me.
"Now, I have an appointment with Sierra at the bank. We can continue this conversation in two weeks. Or when your ex issues are resolved. Whichever comes first."
"Why are you meeting Sierra at the bank?" he asked.
"Because she's going to become the new owner of my mortgage. I'm arranging to pay off my car loan too."
His eyes widened. "Sierra has the money to do that?"
I grinned at him. "She does. She has a trust fund and a job that pays extremely well. She also invested in Crave."
He studied my expression. "I thought about offering to do the same thing for you, but I didn't think you would let me."
"I probably would have said no at first," I admitted. "But as long as you arranged it so I could pay you back, I would have caved eventually." I lifted a hand and cupped his cheek. "We've known each other for a long time, but that doesn't mean we're both still the same people we were as teenagers. I'm still stubborn and prideful, but I'm also reasonable. I've finally learned the art of compromise."
"I made a fucking mess of things, didn't I?" Brody asked.
I patted his cheek and lowered my hand. "That's okay. I'll probably make a mess of things at one point too. But buttering me up is still a safe bet."
Brody grinned. "I'll do that."
I backed away until I reached the door, but he didn't move or follow me. Before I grabbed the knob, I said, "I don't mean this in any sort of bitchy way but please hurry up and handle this stuff with Monica. I miss you."
"I miss you, too."
I wanted so, so badly to run across his office and throw myself in his arms, but I knew I wouldn't leave if I did. And I wouldn't be able to stay away.
Jacks deserved to have Brody in her life on a daily basis. He loved her above everything else and he worked hard to be a good father.
I slipped out of his office and shut the door behind me. Brody was working to protect himself from his ex-wife's machinations.
It was time for me to do the same.
31
The next two weeks were strange. Sierra and I concluded our business and she was technically the owner of my mortgage. She also remained stalwart in her refusal to let me pay her back with interest. So, now I was making the same monthly payment on my house but I would have it paid off in less than half the time.
I would never admit it, but Monica Murphy had done me a favor. Every cent of my mortgage payment was going to the pay-off amount. I no longer had an escrow but my taxes and insurance were manageable enough to handle on my own.
There was also the fact that Sierra and Ben had made up from their fight. She hadn't told me the whole story until after it was all over, but she was the happiest I'd ever seen her. And obviously in love.
Financially, I was doing well. When it came to my love life, well, I didn’t see or speak to Brody. At all. It sucked.
But he communicated with me in a way that I had soundly come to expect from him in the two decades we’d known each other.
Sierra showed up at the shop the following Monday with a huge bouquet of flowers. Not roses or lilies, but sunflowers and, well, a bunch of other flowers with names I didn’t know.
There was no card and all she would tell me was, “These are from a secret admirer.”
As my best friend, I knew she wouldn’t deliver flowers from just anyone.
“How did he talk you into delivering these to me? I thought you hated his guts.”
“Oh, I did,” she answered. “At least until you told me what his ex was up to. I’m still kinda mad at him but he agreed to let me fuck up Monica’s life a little once he’s done his thing, so I no longer think he’s a complete asshole.”
“And how are you planning to fuck up her life?” I asked.
“Well, I won’t be forking her yard, that’s for damn sure,” Sierra mumbled.
“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious. No, I’m more worried she’ll end up broke and homeless and sleeping on Brody’s parents’ couch. They love her.”
Sierra waved a hand. “They wouldn’t put her on the couch. They have 5 guest bedrooms.”
I frowned at her but she ignored me.
“Fine, enjoy your petty revenge,” I said, using a snooty tone as if such things were beneath me.
“I think you’ve been around Brody’s parents too long."
I gasped in outrage and clutched my chest. “Take that back.”
“Nope,” she said with a shake of her head. “I call’em like I see’em.”
“Sierra,” I growled.
“Is that any way to talk to the woman who owns your house and your business and quit her job to move to town and live near you?” she asked, making a tisking sound. “For shame, Cameron.”
“You forget that I know I’m the only beneficiary in your will. I’ll get them both back as soon as I find a cliff for you to accidentally fall off of.” Then the rest of her words filtered through. "You quit your job? When? Why? I thought you loved it."
She lifted a hand. "Whoa, slow your roll there, little lady. One question at a time."
I nearly smacked her arm, but she seemed to read my mind and stepped just out of reach. "Just tell me."
She sighed. "I didn't tell you because at the time, I wasn't sure I was going to move here permanently. I'd already quit my job, but I wasn't sure I could handle being in Farley if Ben and I couldn't work things out. Then I realized that I'd let other people and their hurt feelings control my life for way too long, so I decided that I'd move here anyway. I spend most of my time working from home or in the office here anyway, so it's not like I'd see him much."