My Best Friend's Ex Read Free Page A

turned into a nightmare. 

Chapter Five
     
      Pulling her car into Garrett’s driveway, Brooke
checked the address again to make sure she was at the right house. The
two-story house had a nice yard with holly bushes running next to the porch and
under the front window.
    Nervous, Brooke drew in a deep breath and gathered her
things. Stepping out of the car, she shoved her purse strap onto her shoulder
and carefully held the cheesecake with two hands.
    For the last few days, she’d debated with herself the
decision to come here.  Even after talking to Janet, Brooke still didn’t know
if this was the right thing to do. Yes, she loved Garrett, had since she met
him as a freshman in high school. She wanted him to be happy. That was the only
reason she’d stepped aside when he showed interest in Janet.
    Now, though, things were different. He’d experienced
married life and probably knew more of what he wanted in a wife.
    Brooke walked up the steps to his front door. Did he
really want her?
    She might not be the small asteroid she was in her
teens, but she still struggled to maintain her weight.
    Thunder roared in the west and a few sprinkles hit her
arm. She rubbed her sweaty palms off on her faded jeans. Juggling the serving
dish in her hands, she managed to push the doorbell.
    Shouldn’t she at least give them a chance?
    After all, she’d stayed away from him during the
divorce. Now, Janet had moved on and was dating other men. She also said she
didn’t care what he did.
    Still a small remnant of her dream plagued her, and
she fought to keep a clear head as to the possible pitfalls of them having a relationship. 
“I just need to take this slow and make sure I’m not making a mistake.”
    The lock clicked, and the door opened.
    Suddenly wanting to escape, she stared at Garrett.
    A roller in one hand, he had paint splatters all over
his clothes. Shock flashed across his face. “It can’t be six o’clock?”
    Fascinated by the light yellow specks in his dark hair,
Brooke edged backward. “Is it a bad time?”
    He opened the door wider and ushered her
into the house.  “No, it’s just that I...forgot the time.”
    “I, uh...” Brooke glanced around. The living room had
furniture piled in the center, and a plastic tarp covered the floor next to a
half-painted wall. “Maybe, I should come back later?”
    He locked the door and blocked her retreat. “No, I can
have this cleaned up in no time. All I need to do is pour the paint back into
the can and clean the roller. Once I’m done, I’ll fire up the grill. We can start
the movie and eat while we’re watching it.” He closed his hands over the
serving dish and tugged the cheesecake free from her grip.
    “I’ll just set this in the kitchen and then store
everything away.” He hurried down the hall.  
    Rain beat against the windows. The weather reminded
her of the dreary days of winter, and the nights, she sat huddled on her couch
alone, drinking hot tea. She studied the room and the evidence of his hard
work.
    In less than ten minutes, he could be done. At the
sound of his footsteps behind her, she turned.  “But Garrett, you’re not
finished. You don’t want to drag all this stuff back out tomorrow.”
    “It’s no big deal. I can always finish later.” The
frown on his face showed his displeasure at forgetting their date. He walked to
the area where he’d been working before she interrupted.  
    Brooke smiled and shook her head. “This was one of the
things that drove Janet wild. She hated how you’d go off and spend time helping
friends with their home improvement projects and forget to come home until late.”
    The new, light-yellow color lightened the room and welcomed
her. “I never understood why she didn’t go with you? I always thought it would
be fun.”
    Crouched down, he studied her for a moment before
pouring the paint from the roller’s tray into the paint can. “It can be a lot
of work and make an awful mess.”
    “Yes, but