Free Matt & Brooklyn: A Standalone in the "Again for the First Time" Family Saga (AFTFT Book 2) by Raven St. Pierre

discovering the link between our grandparents. That was what people were most interested in. However, I knew this industry well even though I hadn’t been on the big-business side of it all that long. The bottom line is: people also love drama, love to watch tragedy in order to feed their own morbid curiosity. For that reason, I also knew people would eat up a firsthand account of Nick’s fall from grace—especially seeing as how the general consensus when it came to him was overwhelming: people thought he was a dick. He was the douchebag everyone who saw the film loved to hate.
    The feel of Brook’s fingers lightly grazing the back of my hand brought my attention to her.
    “You just gonna ignore me?” she asked playfully.
    “No, just thinking,” I said back. “I have a few ideas for more social experiment-type projects, but those are really just in the conceptual stage, notes in a notebook. Cliff did, however, spring it on me today that someone is looking to work with me. Actually, I pretty much have the job once the contract is signed and all the paperwork is complete.”
    Brook pulled her sunglasses down her nose a bit so she could glare at me. “I don’t get a name?” she asked with a smile.
    “Pete Nelson,” I clarified. “It’s an action film. He wants me to be his production manager.”
    Brook was squealing before I even finished explaining. “OMG!! Matt!!” The term made her sound like a teenage girl and I had to laugh. “How do you come in the house all cool and laidback with news like that?” She was sitting up in her seat, smiling big. “I’m like… beyond proud of you. There’s not even a word to describe how much. Gigantenormous,” she said, deciding to just make one up.
    This, hearing her say those words, how proud she is of me, was the highlight of my day. Not the news about Glastenburg; not working with Pete Nelson.
    This.
    Something else dawned on me. “And apparently I’ve been invited to a private screening.” My gaze went to hers and I couldn’t help but to smirk when I asked, “Wanna be my date for that, too?”
    I hadn’t gotten to see her face when I asked her a similar question in regards to Mara and Dean’s wedding, but I imagined her cheeks hinted at red then just like they were now. The wording clearly made her uncomfortable. She didn’t react to it, though. “Um… sure! Sounds fun,” she answered.
    My eyes lingered on her longer than they should have, but she didn’t notice. She was still smiling to herself, still thinking about my invitation, I assumed. As far as I was concerned, we’d talked enough about me. It didn’t make sense to share the Glastenburg news with her yet because I wasn’t even sure it would happen. Maybe we’d talk about it later.
    “How was your day?” I asked. “Talk to anyone from back home?”
    The liquid inside the brown-tinted bottle she held swished from side to side as she thought. “Yeah, Lissy called to complain about Dallas.” She laughed and then went on. “Apparently, he’s getting on her nerve being needy. He’s used to me holding him all the time, so he’s following her and Luke around the house meowing, trying to get attention.”
    “You should’ve brought him with you. I wouldn’t have minded.”
    Brook shrugged. “I didn’t think of that, but maybe next time.”
    Her words made me freeze with the bottle halfway to my mouth. Next time— I liked the sound of that.
    “He’d love it here,” she added with a smile.
    I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess all this sand would be like heaven to a cat. One big, giant litterbox.”
    Brook’s slap stung my arm when she burst out laughing. “Shut up! Dallas is a civilized dude, I’ll have you know. He only uses his box. Thank you very much.”
    I got lost in the light, airy sound billowing from her throat. I’d missed hearing it in person. Over the phone or through video chat hadn’t done it justice. As I watched her finish the last of her drink, a thought hit me. It’d