Brody by Cheryl Douglas

downstairs.”
    “Yeah, Seb was keeping it at his place for me.” He tugged his T-shirt away from his body as I kicked off my high heels. “I had clothes at his place too, so I grabbed some of those.”
    “Oh.”
    He’d hopped a flight last night without so much as a suitcase. Fortunately, I’d had an extra toothbrush and, while I was ashamed to admit it, some of his clothes still hanging in my closet. When I’d shared that tidbit with him over breakfast, he looked at me quizzically, as though he was trying to figure out what it meant. I’d quickly changed the subject, hoping he wouldn’t force the issue. The last thing I needed was to be psychoanalyzed by my ex.
    “Is that okay?” he asked, looking suddenly wary. “I mean, I know I should have checked with you first…”
    “Any idea how long you’ll be staying?” I slipped out of my cropped gray blazer and hung it over the back of the white Parsons chair tucked up against my writing desk. The desk was a painted black piece we’d found during one of the antique treasure hunts I’d dragged Brody on. As his eyes drifted to the desk, I wondered if he was remembering that day too and how happy we’d been.
    “Um, I’m not really sure yet,” he said, reaching for the remote to silence the TV. “If you’d rather I stay in a hotel while I’m here, I understand.”
    It certainly wouldn’t be a hardship for a man who lived out of a suitcase, resting in one luxury hotel after another as he made his way around the world. But something told me he’d come here, to me, because he needed a friend, and my conscience wouldn’t allow me to turn him away. I knew if I needed him, Brody would always be there for me.
    “No, it’s fine.” I rolled back the sleeves of my white silk blouse with a sigh as I sank into the armchair next to the couch Brody was sitting on. Propping my feet on the ottoman, I asked, “How was your day?”
    I wanted to know whether he would tell me about Macy’s visit or try to protect her by keeping it to himself.
    “It was okay,” he said, slanting his body so he could share my footstool.
    I swallowed when he teased me by rubbing his toes against the pad of my foot. Trying to ignore his childish attempt to tickle me, I moved my foot just out of reach. “You said something about dinner with Seb and Skylar?”
    “Yeah, I just got in a little while ago. I saw Kane today too. I told him about my visit from the old man.”
    “How did he react?”
    Talking to him at the end of a long day seemed so natural. The only difference between what was happening now and what would have happened if we were still a couple was proximity. I would have been curled up beside him, wrapped in his strong arms while he slowly undressed me. God, I missed that.
    “He was pissed.” Brody slouched further down on the couch as he propped a fluffy white pillow behind his head. “I mean angrier than I’ve seen him in a long time. He thought I should keep the old man’s visit to myself, so I didn’t say anything to Seb.” He smiled. “He and Sky are so damn happy. I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin that anyhow.”
    I’d spent time with Skylar when we all attended Nex and Jaci’s wedding in Colorado, and it seemed to me Brody’s younger brother had finally found the woman who was made for him. I’d never seen him happier.
    “Think they’ll be the next ones to walk down the aisle?” I covered my mouth when I couldn’t contain a yawn.
    Brody smiled. “Are you asking because you want me to slip her your business card?”
    I laughed. “No, I have more business than I can handle, believe me. I was just curious.”
    “I think he’d marry her tomorrow if he could. But Sky’s a little more cautious. She’d rather they take their time, get to know each other better. As it is, they’re practically living together now that her uncle’s getting married.”
    “Yeah, she said something about that at the wedding,” I said, trying to recall all the