Read Online The Brookfield Series Volume One by Lacey Wolfe - Free Book Online

that. Even though Claire was like a best friend, his story wasn’t hers to tell.
    They spent the rest of lunch talking their own gossip as Claire filled her in on who married who and so on. They talked long after the food was gone. As it got later in the afternoon, though, they both knew they should be heading to their homes. Once the sun dropped, everything was going to freeze, and no one wanted to be out.
    Julie hugged Claire tightly. Claire snuck in a quick belly rub and expressed that she could not wait until there was a big bump there. Julie, however, could most definitely wait.
    As she headed back to her car, the air was crisp once again. The clouds looked fluffy, and she worried more snow was coming. She really hoped not. Snow was still everywhere, and huge piles loomed on each side of the streets. Some people’s cars were still buried. There was a thin layer of ice building on the snow, and the last thing Brookfield needed was a fresh layer of snow on top of the ice.
    Either way, she was getting back to the house as quickly as possible.
    When she pulled up to her mom’s, she saw Mark was gone. Hopefully he made it back soon. Once inside, she decided to try and get the fire going. How hard could it be?
    She tossed in a few new logs then wondered what she needed to do. What was next? She remembered her father had always crumbled newspaper and tossed it in lighted. A quick search showed a pile on the end table. She balled one up and grabbed the lighter. She lit the paper then threw the ball toward the wood. Nothing happened. Maybe another one. So she repeated it and tossed it in. A little fire started, but the paper was almost gone and not enough wood was on fire yet. There was a small stack of tiny pieces of wood. She lit one and held it, letting the flame touch the wood.
    This could take forever. So she wedged the wood between two logs then got another stick and did the same. Finally, a fire started. She had done it. She jumped up and down and started to spin around in a little booty-shake dance. Her dad would be so proud. Heck, maybe even Mark would be. Wait until he got back and saw.
    She went to wash her hands in the kitchen. A note was taped to the fridge, saying he would bring dinner home. Even though she’d devoured her calzone, she could definitely eat again. The joys of being pregnant. At least she hadn’t gotten sick in a few days.
    A car door shut out front. She skipped to the front door, ready to show Mark her glorious fire. Throwing the door open, she found it wasn’t Mark on the other side. A woman waited with some sort of pie in her hands.
    “Hi, can I help you?” Julie asked.
    “Hi, I’m Cara.”
    “Hi, Cara. Thanks for the pie. Are you welcoming me home?” Julie was being sarcastic. She couldn’t believe Claire had been right. This woman was so jealous of her that she had pranced over here dressed to the nines in hopes to dig her claws in Mark.
    “Actually, I was bringing it to Mark. It’s his favorite.”
    “That is so sweet of you. We will definitely enjoy eating this after dinner tonight. He’s out right now picking it up.”
    She knew she shouldn’t be so rude, but her pregnancy hormones were kicking in. And, well, frankly, she just felt like being a bitch.
    “Well, please tell him I stopped by.”
    “I will, sweetie. And thank you for the pie.”
    Julie shut the door and set the pie down on the coffee table. She sank down on the couch, realizing she was acting like a jealous girlfriend. And that wasn’t what she was. She’d only shared a few kisses with this man, and she was just as bad as Cara. When the truth was, Mark was in love with someone else. Someone she or Cara could never compete with. Could anyone ever really get over a loss like he had?
    Before she knew what she was doing, she was entering his bedroom. She had to see what Annabelle had looked like. And the tiny child he’d only known for such a short time. On the dresser sat a photo frame. It was of the three of