“Don’t answer,” I tell her.
“I have to,” she mutters with frustration as she rolls to grab the phone. “Just in case it’s something urgent or something’s wrong.”
Fair point. I wouldn’t answer, though.
When Brooke rolls back my way with her phone, she sets it between us and puts in on speaker when she answers. “Hello.”
“Br-o-o-o-o-ke,” Nanette yells into the phone with a slurred voice.
“Hey…what’s up?” It’s a good thing Nanette appears to be drunk on the other line, otherwise she’d totally hear the tightness in Brooke’s tone.
“Hello…are you there? Can you hear me?” Nanette is yelling into the phone in an effort to hear herself above the din of whatever bar she’s in.
It forces Brooke to yell back. “Yes. What do you need?”
“Come out and party with me,” Nanette pleads into the phone. “I’m having so much fun.”
“No,” Brooke snaps, not even bothering to hide her annoyance. “It’s late and I’ve got work tomorrow.”
“Oh come on,” she replies, undeterred and oblivious she’s pissing Brooke off. “It will be like the old days.”
Brooke shoots me a look that says, Old days, my ass.
“I’m not coming, Nanette. I’m in bed and ready to go to sleep.”
There’s silence on the other end, although we can still hear music and the chatter of lots of people in the background. Then Nanette sighs before snapping at Brooke, “Fine. But you have to come get me. I don’t have any money to get home.”
“What?” Brooke’s look to me is as dumbfounded as I feel right this moment. “What about your credit card? You used it to take an Uber tonight.”
“Well, I didn’t have much on it,” she says in a pissy voice. “And I thought the guys would be out tonight. They said they would, but they never showed, and I figured they’d be buying my drinks tonight and give me a ride home.”
The guys? I mouth to her.
Brooke sort of shrugs but mouths back slowly and clearly enough I can read her lips. Erik and Legend. Another shrug tells me she’s not sure.
“Just come get me,” Nanette demands impatiently. “I’m at the Sneaky Saguaro.”
She then hangs up and the line goes dead.
Brooke looks at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. “I can’t believe she just did that.”
“What a bitch,” I commiserate.
Brooke groans and starts to roll away from me. I grab her quickly and pin her down. “I’ll go get her. You put on your sleep clothes and get to sleep.”
I can tell she appreciates my gesture, but she shakes her head. “She’s my problem, Bishop.”
“Since you’re my girlfriend and soon-to-be fake fiancée, she’s my problem too,” I tell her with a grin and then a hard kiss. “Go. To. Sleep.”
“But—” she attempts to argue.
“No buts,” I tell her, give her one more kiss and roll to the opposite side of the bed. I start putting on my clothes that I pick up one-by-one from the floor. They flew off kind of fast tonight. “I’ll grab her, give her an ass chewing because as your boyfriend I can do that without any repercussions coming back on you, and you can get some rest.”
Brooke looks suddenly overwhelmed and exhausted as she lets her head flop back onto the pillow. I know that fucking I just gave her is responsible for a good chunk of that, plus a little bit of alcohol, but Nanette’s responsible as well for that expression on her face.
And I’m damn sure going to give her a piece of my mind for it.Chapter 20BishopThis is not how I was hoping to spend my fucking Friday night. I’m currently not the guy who would spend it partying with friends. I’m now the guy who wants to spend it with my girlfriend.
Yeah…my girlfriend. That’s exactly what Brooke is, and it’s something that is actually real between us. At least, in my mind.
Between all the tiptoeing around the actual subject of what we are to each other, and couching our feelings in terms of “let’s have a good time” and “we’ll extend the charade for the benefit of everyone,” I came to one stunning conclusion tonight.
There mere fact that I’m beyond furious at Nanette and I’m heading there right now to deal with her so Brooke doesn’t have to and can get some sleep means that she is without a doubt my girlfriend, and it’s as real as it comes.
My personal interactions with Nanette have been nominal, mostly observations, because Brooke is right, she likes to hear herself talk. Those observations include watching her that first night we met for drinks and the following night when it was just me, Brooke, Dax, and Nanette. We had dinner and drinks, and yeah, Nanette held the spotlight for most of the night. I wasn’t surprised Dax took her home that night, but I knew he would cut her loose very soon. He’s not looking for anything long term, but he’s the type of guy that is monogamous. I know he just wants it to be with someone who is at least pleasant to be around if they’re not fucking.