Surrounded (Unsettled Series Book 2) (20 page)

Logan

I grabbed a coffee from the kiosk inside the boat cabin and found an empty seat on the other side of the ferry. I couldn’t say I was surprised by Brooklyn’s admissions, but I hadn’t expected her to be so bothered by the way I dealt with my past. Honoring the memory of my grandparents was of the utmost importance to me—and something I was accustomed to.  I saw how almost everyone in my family swept Pepe and Nana’s memory under the rug until the mention of their money came up. I didn’t want to be that person…but I guess in a way Brooklyn was right. I needed to ask myself who I was doing all this for, me or them?

So many thoughts and questions swirled through my head. The island that held so many fun memories stared me directly in the face and confirmed what I already knew. I was doing all this for them. How could I ever move on? As I’d gotten older, things weren’t as dismal as in the beginning, but the thoughts were always there. All I ever wanted was for them to be proud of me. Making them proud was what drove me to graduate head of my class and start my own business. Knowing I was doing something they would have approved of always pushed me past any boundary.

But I wasn’t happy…and Brooklyn knew it, too. It was funny how things turned out. I’d pushed myself to accomplish so many things, but I never really felt complete. Until Brooklyn. In all honesty we were both a little screwed up in our own ways, but somehow we worked. If Brooklyn was willing to come out of her protective shell and start to be more honest with me, I had to be willing to let her see the insecurities I tried to hide behind my power suits.

I took a final sip of my watered down coffee and stood from the bench, in search of the woman who made me want to be better just for her.

Brooklyn

I felt him press into my back before I saw him.

“I know you’re right,” he whispered in my ear.

“Are you mad at me?” With my camera still in my hands, I snapped a picture of the island in the distance.

“I can’t be mad when I know you made a good point.” He turned me to face him and I was so glad there wasn’t anger in his eyes.

“We’re both fighters. As long as you’re willing to fight for me, I’m willing to fight for myself. I can’t say I’ll get this right all the time, but I do want to make new memories…all with you in them.”

I wrapped my arms around his back and snuggled into his jacket.

“I love you, Logan” I said, taking in a whiff of the sweet smell that was only him.

Logan squeezed me tightly, “Me too, babe.”

Logan

“Let’s go,” I said, pulling on Brooklyn’s hand to help her from my SUV. We’d been back from San Francisco for a month and Trev and Mel were breathing down my neck about meeting Brooklyn. The girl I flew across the country for. I thought she’d like them, and vice versa. Trev was never Ash’s biggest fan and since Brooklyn was nothing like Ashley, I suspected he’d love her.

“You’re excited and I’m nervous.” She grabbed her purse and the bag of Tequila and Margarita mix. Mel had suggested we just come to their place so we could all chill out. Brooklyn suggested we bring stuff to mix Margaritas and she could teach them how to play Rummy. The whole idea sounded good to me. The less hassle the better.

“They’ll love you the same way I love you, “I said reassuringly. I didn’t know why she was so nervous, but I assumed it was because she knew I didn’t let many people get close to me. So for Trev to be considered my friend, he must be important.

She looked up at me with a coy smile on her face, “Those words haven’t got old yet.”

“Good because I’m not tired of saying them.”

We walked up to the door and I knocked. Mel appeared a few seconds later behind the stained glass cutout.

“Hey guys!” She swung the door open. A few seconds later Trev was by her side.

“What’s up, L! Good to see you man.” We did the standard fist bump half hug bro greeting. I pulled back and gestured to the beautiful woman beside me.

“This is Brooklyn,” I said proudly.

Mel smiled broadly. “Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. We’re glad you came. Come in!”

I pulled Mel in for a quick hug, “Hey, Mel, good to see you.”

“Hey, man! Glad you guys made it” Trev chimed in from behind Mel. “
Finally.
”

“Better late than never” I said stepping into the house. Mel closed the door behind us.

“Would you like a tour now or later, L?” Mel asked. It was the first time I’d been able to get to their new place.

“Definitely later,” I said. I didn’t feel like touring a house when I was ready to eat my fist.

“How about you, Brooklyn?”

“Sure” she said. “Let’s just get the alcohol in the fridge. Logan told me you guys don’t know how to play Rummy and I want to get you liquored up so I can win.”

Trev pointed at Brooklyn, “Hell, yeah. I like her, man.” He took the bags out of Brooklyn’s hands.

“I made Chicken Fettuccini for dinner. Is that okay?” Mel asked.

“Sounds amazing. Do you need help with anything?” Brooklyn asked.

I followed behind Mel and Brooklyn as they walked into the kitchen. “No, I think everything is pretty much done, I’m just boiling the noodles right now.”

I took a seat at the bar and Brooklyn slid onto the stool next to me.

“So how was the move?” I asked.

Trevor immediately shot me a nasty glare, “Dude, don’t even ask. It was a nightmare. Total nightmare.”

“It wasn’t that bad, Trev.”

“I don’t recall you being the one standing outside waiting for the locksmith to finish unlocking the door. Oh, yeah, that was all me.”

Mel groaned under her breath, “Let it go already!”

“Wait, what?” I asked.

Trev smirked. “Someone who shall remain nameless lost the only house keys we had at the grocery the very same night we moved in, so I had to call a locksmith to come and let us in. Now we have seven copies.”

I busted up laughing. “A bit much, don’t you think?”’

“Not when you’re dealing with this one!” he said, pointing his thumb in Mel’s direction.

“Thank you, L! That’s what I told him too, but ooh no, he couldn’t hear that from me.”

“Again, because I was the one standing outside in some random rain storm while you stayed all pretty in the car.”

“I said I was sorry like ten times already!” she laughed, stirring the pasta. “Dinner will be ready in about five minutes guys. Trev, you mind setting the table?”

“I can do that if you tell me where everything is,” Brooklyn offered.

“I would take you up on your offer, Brooklyn, but I think Trevor has worked his way into the dog house by ratting me out to you guys, what do you think?” She winked.

The corners of Brooklyn’s mouth turned up, “When you put it like that, I think I’d have to agree.” She returned Mel’s grin.

“Okay, Brooklyn. You’re officially on my hit list,” Trev said, pointing at her.

She laughed again, “Well, I guess I better make sure I stand behind Logan the rest of the night,” she retorted. “Especially if I plan on taking your money later.”

“Did I tell you she’s a keeper already?” Trev asked.

“I already knew that. Now hurry up and set the table, I’m starved.”

“Did you have a good time last night?” I asked putting the car in park.

“Yeah, I did. Mel and Trev are really cool. I like Mel. I was telling her that I like to take photos so she wants to see what I’ve got on hand to hang some around the lobby at Cinder Block. But I still want to take some new shots for their house." Since Mel and Trev didn’t live very far from the water, Brooklyn decided to take pictures of lighthouses and the ocean to go with the theme Mel had going on in certain parts of the house. She wanted to surprise them with a framed photo as a house warming gift. I agreed to drive her out to the bay today as long as we got to spend time together. Brooklyn grabbed her bag and waited for me on the other side of the car. Mel was going to be her first official client, and she seemed nervous. “Told you there was nothing to be nervous about,” I said.

“Yeah, well, now all I have to do is get her some nice pictures to hang around the house.”

“Give me the camera.”

She took off the lens and handed it to me. I took it and turned towards the ocean. I snapped three times and then turned the camera off.

“There, those are good enough. Now can we go? I only agreed to this so that we can make it back to Chesapeake before it gets dark. I didn’t have Amelia pack a picnic basket for nothing you know.”

“Give me that!” Brooklyn said, reaching for the camera. “It’s only eleven in the morning. I’ll be done in an hour or two. Just hold your horses.” She said, laughing.

“Fine, fine” I said, passing the camera back to her.

We spent the next hour and a half walking around and finding different areas that would look good as photographs. According to Brooklyn, I was pretty helpful when I wasn’t trying to nibble on her ear to make her lose focus or photo-bombing her shots. Around one o’clock she finally abandoned trying to get any more work done since I began to swear that my stomach was going to implode from starvation.

“So next weekend my family is going to take the boat out. My mom insists I invite you, you know, because you’re my girlfriend and all that,” I said.

“Well
, since you asked so nicely.” Brooklyn dipped a carrot into the ranch dressing beside me.

“Do you want to go?” I asked.

“I’d like to get to know your family more. I think it’s only fair, now that you’ve witnessed the chaos that goes on behind closed doors at my parents’ house.”

“Yes, your family is pure mayhem” I joked. I actually really enjoyed meeting Brooklyn’s family. They were down to earth and welcoming. Even with her dad’s
not-so-scary scare tactics, I still wouldn’t mind hanging around them again.

“Have you talked to your dad lately?” she asked.

I knew exactly where this question was coming from. Since we’d been back from San Francisco, I really was trying to make an effort to move forward. The one area where I kept faltering was when it came to my dad. I wasn’t really sure where to begin with him. In my gut I knew that I hadn’t put forth the effort it would take for us to move us past the emotional scar he left on me when I was younger.

“We’ve talked here and there.” I knew she’d hoped my dad and I would start having more meaningful conversations
rather than what his business prospects looked like. But we were taking baby steps, and that’s all I could offer right now.

I had 17 years of hurt to work through.

“That’s good news” she said, smiling. “I’m just glad you’re making an effort.”

“So I’ll tell my
mom we’ll see them next week. The weather is supposed to be nice. Not too hot.” June was upon us, and last week had been smoldering.

“I have one question. What does one wear to ‘take the boat out?’ I mean do I need to buy boating shoes or something?”

The glimmer in her eye told me that she was joking, but I decided to play along. “Yeah, I think that’s the best way to go. I think a nice pair of lime green shoes ought to work.”

“Okay, well I’ll get right on that” she said, biting into her sandwich.

I popped the cap on my Coke and took a swig. “When are you going to get the pictures developed for Mel?”

“Most likely next week. I hope she likes my work. I would really like to get more content on my site. Make it look more professional. I’ve been thinking about something…”

“What have you been cooking up in that beautiful mind of yours?”

“
Ah, you know I’ve sent out a ton of resumes and had zero bites. The job market is hell. Same as it was when I first moved here, which is how I ended up at Copple in a position I didn’t like—I don’t want to be in that predicament again.”

“I told you
that you didn’t have to worry about that. There are perks to having a wealthy boyfriend.”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I want to do this on my own.”

“Stubborn.”

She grinned. “Exactly. But maybe not finding another job right away is a blessing in disguise. I’ve been thinking I could start my own photography business
—beyond just selling random shots online,” she said biting her lip and smiling.

This news surprised me—in a good way. “Really? When did you decide to do that?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to do something on my own, but wanted to be practical. Now that I’m not working, I thought maybe I could branch out just a little bit more. What do you think?”

“I think it’s an awesome idea and you’ll be great at it!” It was exciting seeing Brooklyn open her wings without a fear of failing.

“Do you like working for yourself?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

I thought about
her question for a moment. “It has its ups and downs. I still manage a full staff, all complete with their own work styles and personalities. So some days are tough--but the pay-off is rewarding.”

“I figured I’d try this out—at least until I get something full time. But
if it takes off, that’s even better.”

I was really impressed with my girl right now. “I think that sounds great. What are you going to name the company?”

“I’m still trying to come up with a catchy name, but I’m leaning towards C
2
Photography.”

“Catchy,” I said, grabbing an apple from
the lunch basket. “What’s it stand for?”

“Us” she said shyly. “Caldwell and Colton.”

“Wow—I didn’t think” my words faltered.

“Well you were a large part of me deciding to try my hand at being an
entrepreneur so I thought it was only right.”

“Wow, babe. Well, w
hatever you need help with just let me know and I’ll do my best. This is great news, Starburst. I’m really excited for you.” I reached out and squeezed her hand. I really was speechless. I was honored to be included in her choices.

“Thanks
…I hope it will grow as time goes on. We’ll see what happens, though.”

I knew Brooklyn’s business venture would be great. She had a passion about her that shined every time she held her camera. Mel might be her first client, but I had no doubt there would be many more.