She's Like a Piece of Home

"Hey. Hey, whore. Wake up." Raleigh opened her eyes halfway as Brooke shook her awake. "What do you want?" she muttered groggily. She bounced slightly as Brooke plopped herself down onto her bed.

"Anything good happen last night?"

"I already told you no last night." She pulled the comforter over her and curled up into a ball. Why had she given Brooke the spare key to the separate entrance to her wing? She heard paper rustling and Brooke cleared her throat dramatically.

"Luka Shvernik, center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was spotted dancing with Raleigh Shannon, daughter of Connor Shannon, former Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop and current manager of the Kansas City Royals. Ms. Shannon was in attendance with her older sister, Cami Belinsky. Shannon, a large supporter of the Barrett Foundation’s annual Care to Dance event, has clearly passed his philanthropist tendencies onto his daughters." Raleigh cringed. This cannot be happening. Brooke was waiting for her to respond. She finally continued on. "There's a lovely picture here of you two as well. So... you want to tell me again about how nothing happened last night?"

"Nothing happened," she repeated. Except for everything that did happen. Her heart was racing now remembering it. Shit. Did she actually kind of like him? That vibe was there, though. Her ‘don’t trust’ meter had been dully going off the whole night, but she had ignored it until the moment ‘hockey’ came out of his mouth.

And of course there was a picture.

"You look really pretty in this picture. So did you give him your number?"

"No." She pushed the covers back off her face and stretched her legs. No use in hiding. Brooke wasn’t giving up. “How is this in the paper already?”

"The Sunday Magazine section. Probably had an article already typed up and just threw some pictures in there. Anyway, did he give you his?" Brooke was looking down at her expectantly. She looked Brooke over, she had her hair pulled into a loose French braid, make up done, and dressed in a slate gray peasant style shirt that buttoned halfway down the front with khaki shorts. What time was it that she was already dressed for the day? She reached for her phone on her nightstand.

“It’s 7:30,” Brooke offered before her fingers even touch the phone. She groaned.

“What time did you wake up that you’ve already read the paper?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said with a shrug. “Did he give you his number?”

"I left before that could happen," Raleigh stated matter-of-factly. Brooke frowned as she returned her attention back to the paper in her hands.

"So you're never going to see him again? Shame. You two look pretty good right here," she commented as she tapped the page. Curiosity getting the better of her, she propped herself up on her elbows as she peered around Brooke's arm. The picture had to have been taken during the second time they danced, right before she found out who he was. She was close to him, looking up and smiling. He was sharing the same smile with her. Both of them were oblivious to their surroundings. If she didn’t know what had actually happened, the picture would appear to tell a very different story than the one Raleigh was providing.

"Not never." She fell back against her pillows and Brooke looked over at her, amused.

"Now, why do you say that?" she implored. Raleigh could see that Brooke was trying to keep a straight face. The sleepy brunette rubbed her face with her hands and sighed.

"Because it turns out that Cami and Quinn are friends with him.” Brooke arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Yeah… I can’t even right now. My brain almost exploded last night. So anyway, Cami works with this girl, Molly, who happens to be Alex Connor's girlfriend. Paige, or something, who is Carter Jonet's fiancé, is apparently having some sort of get together next weekend and Cami, Quinn and yours truly have been invited."

"And you’re going?" Brooke was intrigued. She had tucked her legs up on the bed and with an elbow on her thigh rested her chin on her hand.

She pushed herself up and scooted back so she was leaning against the bedframe. She tugged her ivory tank top back down behind her and cozied herself against the pillows. Her face twisted and she shrugged. "I couldn't say no. They were all staring at me."

“I don’t think you wanted to say no.” Brooke muttered as she folded the paper back up and purposely set it down picture up next to Raleigh. Her forwardness always caught her off guard and her eyes shot to Brooke.

“What?” She winced when Brooke gave her an incredulous stare. She had wanted to say no. She had wanted to disappear from sight the moment they had all turned to face her.

“I’ve never known you to say yes to something you didn’t want to do,” the blonde declared. Raleigh squirmed uncomfortably and looked away.

“I didn’t technically say anything,” she insisted as she crossed her arms. “They asked if I was busy next weekend. I shook my head no. I could be busy next weekend.”

“Lee-lee. I’ve seen you lie through your teeth to guys who have wanted to date you.” She sounded annoyed with Raleigh’s denial. “You couldn’t even talk? He must have been something.”

There was tiny knock on her door. “Aunt Raleigh?” Mackenzie started quietly as she poked her head in her room. She spotted Brooke sitting next to her. “Miss Brooke!” she exclaimed with a large grin. She pushed the door open and a flash of pink was seen as she sprinted to the bed and jumped into to Brooke’s arms.

“Hey, little Miss Mary Mac.” She embraced the little girl in a warm hug. Mackenzie crawled out of her arms and looked between the two of them with an I’ve-got-a-secret expression written across her face. A secret that she appeared to be eager to share with them.

“Mommy and Daddy were talking about you,” she whispered seriously.

Raleigh and Brooke exchanged amused glances. “About me?” Raleigh asked playing along in Mackenzie’s serious tone.

As Mackenzie nodded her little blond curls bobbed around her face. “They said you met Luka last night.”

“That’s true... Did they say anything else?” She couldn’t believe she was trying to pry information out of a four year old.

“No,” she said shrugging. “That was all I heared-“

“Heard,” Raleigh corrected.

“I think he’s cute. Like Justin from my school,” Mackenzie added sweetly. Brooke snorted. Raleigh glanced down at the paper.

“Yeah, he was kind of cute,” she admitted quietly as she folded her hands and let them sit on top of the comforter.

“So is he your boyfriend now?” Mackenzie inquired as scooted herself to closer to Raleigh. She was gazing up at her with large innocent blue eyes. Brooke couldn’t take it anymore. Both hands covered her mouth and she was trying to take deep breaths to calm herself back down.

“Nope. Just a boy I danced with last night,” Raleigh said as she peered at her curiously and trying to ignore Brooke’s snickers. “Hey, Mac… How come you never mentioned Luka before?”

Mackenzie shrugged as she looked up at her aunt. “Mommy and me play a secret game. Luka and Alex and Conner and… and…” She paused, as she looked at her little fingers, as though she were counting. “Uh, that’s it. No telling boys about you and no telling you about boys. But now you know Luka, so it’s okay to talk about him!”

Raleigh and Brooke exchanged now confused glances over Mackenzie’s head. “Is there anything else you needed, Mac?”

Mackenzie paused and put her finger up to her chin and tapped it. “Oh, yeah! Mommy asked me to see if you wanted breakfast.”

Brooke jangled her car keys over Mac’s head. “No, I’m going out with Brooke. Tell Mommy thank you anyways, okay?”

She nodded as she scrambled off the bed. “Bye, Aunt Raleigh! Bye, Miss Brooke!” Another flash of pink and she was gone. Brooke was grinning at her smugly.

“So back to the point at hand. He was kind of cute, huh?”

“Ugh, Brookie,” she moaned as she buried her face in her hands. “But you know, he’s really, really tall,” she added quickly. “Like I had four inch heels on and he was still a good six or so inches taller than me. And you know how I feel about those guys.”

“You’re doing that thing again.” The bed shifted under Raleigh. She must have been standing up.

“What thing?” She pulled her hands off her face and stared at her friend in disbelief.

“That ‘I’m going to find all these things wrong with him so I can convince myself that I don’t like him’ thing,” she stated knowingly as she crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said as she climbed out of bed and walked to her closet. She caught the gold dress hanging in the corner of her closet out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. Not again. Not him, she thought as she pulled a loose black tank top out. She was positive that he was just like the others, just like Devin.

*

“I’m just saying. If you can prove to me that you actually like her and you don’t just want…a piece, I’ll help you.” Molly added ingredients to the omelet in the pan and carefully folded it over without looking up at the men sitting across the island.

“You were willing to help last night,” Alex commented. Molly pointed the spatula at her longtime boyfriend.

“Hey, you keep out of this.” She turned her attention back to Luka, who was now busy pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Yes, I was willing to help you last night, until you turned into that thing that you guys like to do for fun. This isn’t going to be a just for fun thing.”

“I tell you I like her,” he said with a shrug.

Molly frowned. “Prove it.”

“What you want me to say? That I not stop thinking about her?” And it was strange for him, because he hadn’t. Maybe it was because she left that his mind hadn’t dropped it. It just wasn’t something he was used to.

“Might help your case.”

“Chance. I want chance.” He poked at her shoulder until she turned and looked up at him. He pushed his lower lip out.

Molly rolled her eyes and groaned. “Ugh. Fine! I’ll help you.”

Her cell phone began vibrating on the counter and she shoved Luka away as she answered. “Hey, Julia!” There was a pause and she turned her back on him. “When are you guys coming back to Pittsburgh? We’re having a cookout on Saturday.”

Luka grinned as he walked away still holding his coffee mug. He knew he could count on Molly the way he always did. While she had a soft spot for him, he was actually kind of surprised that he was able to get her to sway so quickly when she originally seemed so adamantly against it.

He needed to shake the thought of Valeriya off. She had called him again last night right as he was falling asleep. He couldn’t decide if he was bothered or not. Before they had split up for what must have been the tenth time, he had called her ‘his little ballerina’. She was both his favorite person and most hated. She drove him insane.

They had known each other since they were children, growing up at opposite ends of the same street. It was when they were in their late teens that he had developed a crush on her. Their mutual friends gave them moments where they would end up seeing each other when they would both be home on breaks. Valeriya spent their childhood in a ballet academy in Moscow, hours away from him.

He remembered when she came home after being accepted into Bolshoi Ballet. She had shown up on his parents’ doorstep, looking for him. Her long blond hair had been braided loosely and her big blue eyes were staring up at him with anticipation of how he would take the news. Caught up in his excitement for her, he kissed her. There was a moment of surprise for him when her hands were suddenly on his shoulders, pulling him closer. It was unlike the way things were done there, but he couldn’t help it. It was there that their turbulent ten year relationship began.

This last breakup, though, he was sure was it. It was definitely over. He wouldn’t go back to her. He just wanted to be over it.

And Raleigh Shannon, he had decided, was it.