There was nothing girlish about Brooke anymore. Not in the way she looked. And sure, as hell not in the way she moved. She had a woman’s full lush body with all the right curves in all the right places, and she knew what to do with them.
The weather was a touch too cold and wet to be waiting out here for long. I tugged the collar on my jacket up, covering the back of my neck, and settled in to wait. It wasn’t as if I was eager or something.
I was definitely up for something. I was beginning to think I was making a fool of myself. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It had to be a fascination with the sexy attitude that she had brought with her to the gala that evening. That dress she had worn was something else.
Fuck it. If all this was simply a fascination over a gorgeous woman in a sexy dress, then why was I acting like some kind of schoolboy with a crush when I saw her in the mornings? She wasn’t dressed to seduce wearing those scrubs. But my libido reacted as if she were.
“Sorry, have you been waiting long?” Brooke asked as she strode out to meet me.
She was wrapped in a thick woollen coat, and a scarf wound around her neck.
“Cold or trying to be cool?” She reached up and tugged at my coat collar.
“Get in the car,” I ordered. I stood up and walked over to the passenger door and opened it.
“I don’t think so, Doctor Mark.”
“I told you to call me Mark. I’m not your doctor.”
I stared at her and willed her to get into the car.
“I said I would meet with you after I got off work. Not that I would go anywhere with you.”
“I thought I could buy you lunch?”
She crossed her arms and shook her head. “I don’t think so. You had only asked me to meet after work and not proposed going out, so why would I go anywhere with you?” She stared at me.
“Oh, come on Brooke, you know you can trust me.” She was playing games. Why had I bothered with a younger woman? I stared back. She had a perfect heart-shaped face, with a little chin and a mouth that was made for kissing, that’s why.
“You’ve been hot and cold, and ignored me for almost an entire month. Why would I assume anything from you? Most molesters are known to the family.”
“I’m not a molester Brooke.” I closed the car door. She was going to drive me nuts.
“I know you aren’t. I was just pointing out the fallacy in claiming I could trust you when you haven’t exactly proven to me that you are trustworthy.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that if you won’t take the history we have together as proof?”
“What would you do for someone you haven’t known for years? You’d ask her out. You haven’t exactly tried that yet.” She held her hand out as if she were presenting me with a great secret.
I mimicked her motion. “Brooke, will you go out with me?”
She scrunched up her face the exact same way her mother did, only on her it was incredibly adorable.
“I’ll think about it.” She turned on her heel and bounced away.
I stared gob smacked at her retreating back. “Brooke!”
She waved at me over her shoulder and kept on walking. I slumped against the side of my car and watched her.
Hours later I found myself complaining to my brother, David.
“I don’t know what to do about this woman.”
We had reserved court time at his church’s community center. He tested out a few of the balls, there were always one or two flat ones that never seemed to hold air pressure.
He tossed me the ball and I began dribbling. I wasn’t doing much more than warming up my hands when from the left, Peyton DeBoise, reached in and took the ball from me.
“Are we playing or standing around bitching?” He laughed as he ran down the court and took a shot.