Page 14 of The Deadbeat DILF
“We visited them,” Alison said. “Cameron’s mom is an amazing cook. I’ll have to get her to teach me.”
My mind flashed back to last night when Robert had made a whole stack of pancakes, as well as bacon and eggs for protein. The food had been heavenly. He hadn’t lied — he was an excellent cook.
I’d sat on a stool at the kitchen island, talking to him. I’d offered to help, but he insisted I sit back and relax.
I’d tried not to notice how good he’d looked — a big, broad-shouldered man who moved around the kitchen with confidence and laughed easily.
“Your turn, Brooke,” Emilia said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I can tell you have news. Spill it.”
I blinked. “Well…” I began.
The truth was, I could trust my best friends with anything. They always had my back — more than ten years of friendship proved that. But…
Let’s just say that if one of them told me they’d invited a practical stranger to live with them, I’d think they lost their minds.
“Oh, no,” Alison said, her brow creasing. “It’s not bad news, is it?”
“It isn’t, not at all,” I said quickly. “I’m living with someone.”
“What?” Emilia demanded, jaw dropping. “Who? A boyfriend?”
“You don’t have a boyfriend,” Alison said. “Unless…he’s a secret boyfriend?”
I shook my head, fighting off the slight warmth in my cheeks. “No, he’s not a boyfriend.”
At that moment, the waiter appeared, placing our meals in front of us. I had ordered avocado toast, Emilia had eggs benedict, and Alison had gone with a granola and fruit bowl.
After the waiter left, my friends leaned in closer, eyes wide.
“You said ‘he,’ so he’s a man?” Emilia asked.
“He’s someone I know from the past. Mike’s dad,” I said, figuring that I might as well explain it all to them now.
“Wait, your ex-boyfriend Mike?” Alison asked. “Mike from college?”
“His dad?” Emilia asked. “That would make him fifty or sixty, right?”
“He’s actually forty-eight,” I said. I’d found out Robert’s age over dinner last night. He was exactly nineteen years older than me. “He’s a good guy. He got evicted from his old place and had nowhere to go. I wanted to help him, so I…”
“Offered your place? Brooke, you’re nice. It’s one of the things I love about you. But being too nice can put you in a dangerous situation,” Alison said in a gentle voice. “What if he’s a creep?”
“He’s not a creep,” I said. Sure, I didn’t know him super well, but it was something I knew in my bones. “He’s been nothing but a gentleman. I know how it sounds, but you two have to trust me. I’m capable of looking after myself.”
Alison and Emilia fell silent, then glanced at each other.
“We just worry about you, Brooke,” Emilia said, reaching out to squeeze my arm. “If you think this guy is okay, he’s probably okay. You do read people better than us.”
Alison nodded in agreement. “We trust your judgment. Just…” she trailed off.
“Just what?” I asked.
“You know you’re gorgeous,” she said.
Even though we complimented each other all the time, I still felt a flicker of embarrassment. I knew I was pretty — my parents hadn’t given me much, but I’d gotten my mother’s blonde hair and my father’s green eyes. But most of the time, I dressed down. At work, I kept my hair pulled back, wanting to be taken seriously as a lawyer.
“Thank you,” I said. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“See it from Mike’s dad’s perspective,” Emilia said.
