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“What do you mean?”

“It’s just in New York—and the job at the h pressure, deadline oriented, and I always h life at a full-on sprint But here…it’s just not like that”

“You don’t sound enthused about what you’re doing,” I observe

“It’s not just that,” she says softly “I mean, yeah…not what I want to do It’s just…the work’s not all that challenging, so I’”

I take a moment to replenish some lotion in hs so I can work on her lower back Brooke gives a tiny groan of satisfaction, her closed eyes scrunching tighter for a ht ain

She doesn’t say anything more about the job, but I a else, because Brooke told o back to New York if she could

“How’s your dad doing?” I ask her

Her eyes pop open and her head lifts frohtly to look back at me in question

I shrug “It’s just…if your dad’s doing good, and we’re going to be orchestrating our breakup in a feeeks, et your old job back in New York? You could even use the breakup as sort of an excuse to want some distance”

Brooke just stares at aze, stillmy hands across her lower back

Finally, she lays her head back down and slowly shuts her eyes as she answers, “He’s actually doing quite well I think training caot him back on track New team New home It’s the fresh start I think he needed to break away from the darkness he’d sunk into after my mom died”

“What was her name?” I ask

Another slight s of not just a child’s love she had for her aret,” she ie”

“I can tell by the tone in your voice that she was an a woman,” I say

“If you’d known her,” Brooke says in almost a whisper, “you’d understand immediately why my dad was so broken when she died”