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She stuffed one cookie in her mouth and took down a glass to pour herself some milk. I hid my smile. She tried so hard to be grown-up, but she was still a kid at heart.

“Who else? They are your favourite. How were your exams?” I took a cookie for myself and sat on one of the kitchen stools.

“Meh.” Brooke waved her hand disinterestedly. “They were fine. I get my grades next week, but I’m not worried. Even my stats exam went okay.”

Pride had me swallowing past the lump in my throat. “That’s fantastic news. I knew you’d do well.”

“I’m so glad to be done. Looking forward to working at the hospital. I’ve seen my schedule. I’m going to be covering a lot of overnight shifts.”

Overnight shifts? I didn’t love that, but the job Brooke had landed paid well and gave her invaluable experience in her future career. Working overnights in the emergency room would expose her to all kinds of medical challenges.

“How are things going with Chad? Is he here right now?” Brooke’s voice was neutral, but I sensed her tension.

I chewed my cookie slowly, trying to find a way to reassure her that this was temporary. “Your father is at the dealership right now. He’s there most days. He has lived up to his responsibilities since he moved in. You should read the rules, so you know what he needs to do.”

I passed a copy of the rental agreement over to Brooke, one I’d had ready just for her. I let Brooke read the agreement as I thought more about my motivation. It would have been so much easier if I’d kicked Chad out that first night. Things with Carter would have been simpler, and Brooke wouldn’t have been so upset. Even Ethan would have understood. But I couldn’t live with myself if Chad was homeless and I could help.

“You actually expect him to live up to this agreement? There’s no way. He’s a slob, for one,” Brooke said derisively.

“I don’t. I expect him to break the rules, which will give me the ammunition I need to give him the boot, even if he is homeless. Chad has been making an effort with Ethan, and I don’t want to come between them. Ethan read the rules before I made Chad sign them, so he knows what his dad needs to do.”

I rubbed my hand over my face tiredly. Did I trust Chad’s new act? No. Was I concerned he was going to let Ethan down again? Definitely. But I’d come back home because it was what was best for me, and for Brooke. Ethan had thrived here, too, but the move had further fractured his already-tenuous bond with his father. Even after lots of therapy, I felt guilt about my part in that fissure. If Chad was truly making an honest effort, I couldn’t be the one to wreck that. And if Chad did something stupid, maybe Ethan would decide he’d had enough chances.

Brooke’s forehead smoothed out as I spoke. “Okay, good. Because he treated all of us like we didn’t matter, but he was especially horrible to you. I just don’t want to see him treat you like crap again. I don’t want Ethan seeing that either.”

I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, baby girl. For looking out for me and your brother. I’ve got this, I promise.”

Brooke was so protective of both of us, but I didn’t like that she felt she needed to be. She’d seen me at my lowest point after Chad and had seen me do the work to be stronger and independent.

Brooke pulled away, seeming to accept my assurances that I wouldn’t allow her father to use me again. She took another cookie. “How does Chad feel about Carter being here? It’s got to piss him off.”

Carter. I missed him when he was gone, even though we tried to chat often. Keeping our relationship hidden hadn’t been that hard when, ever since opening weekend, we’d had no real time alone.

We hung out together most nights, sometimes with Ethan, sometimes just the two of us. I liked being friends, even if there were a lot of nights when I went to bed so wound up with sexual tension I wanted to scream. Thank God for vibrators.

“He wasn’t happy,” I confirmed. “It helps that Carter is gone half the time on road trips. They don’t cross paths all that often.”

Brooke smirked. “Excellent. Anything that will make him leave faster. Is Carter at home? I’d like to catch up. Ethan tells me he’s been very helpful around here.”

I tried to parse the hidden meaning behind Brooke’s words. She and Ethan talked more than most teenage brothers and sisters, so it made sense that he’d been telling Brooke about Carter, but her words were layered with something I didn’t quite understand. I’d figure it out eventually.

“He’s on the road, back on Thursday. You have a few days to settle in.”

“Too bad. I was looking forward to catching up with him. He was always fun to hang out with.” Brooke stood up.

“I should grab my stuff. I have a ton of laundry to do. My first shift at the hospital isn’t until Monday after next, but I have plans for the week. I invited Mia down to spend the day on the Saturday before I start working. I thought I’d take her to a Fliers game, show her around Red Rock, and I want to catch up with some friends from high school before the weekend. You didn’t make plans for me, did you?” She bit her lip, as if realizing she hadn’t thought about what I might have planned.

I laughed and waved for her to get her stuff. “You’re going to be home all summer, and I have a lot to do at the bakery right now. Enjoy your week off before your job starts. Do I get to meet Mia when she’s here? Or is it too soon to meet the parents?”

I was curious about Brooke’s girlfriend, and if Brooke was bringing her to Red Rock, they had to be at least a little serious.

Brooke shrugged. “I’ll bring her by the concessions at the game, and depending on how things go, maybe we’ll come back here after. Not sure yet.”

Being a lesbian in a more conservative area of Canada presented its own challenges, although Brooke’s generation was far more accepting than mine had been about it. I wasn’t going to push. Red Rock was pretty liberal, for Alberta. Unlike me with Carter, Brooke had no reason to hide her girlfriend. If they had a good time at the ballpark, she would bring Mia around after.

Chapter 22

Carter