There's Something You Should Know: A Brookview Novel, #1

By Autumn Marks

You never forget your first love...

When Katie Harris got pregnant as a senior in high school, the explosion of gossip drove her away from her hometown of Brookview, Ohio. Seventeen years later, an unexpected divorce lands her back in town to live in her grandparents' former home. The old place isn't like she remembers and as her teenaged son puts it, "It's ready to cave in." Fortunately, there's someone in town who's more than willing to lend Katie a hand and all he asks for in return is one date.

Trent Stephens knows how to fix things, but can one date really fix what went wrong in their relationship so many years ago? Katie isn't making things easy for him and there's no shortage of people in town telling him she's bad news. But Trent is willing to do anything to get Katie back, even if it means revealing a part of his past he'd rather keep buried. As it turns out, Katie has some secrets of her own to share and when those secrets threaten to tear them apart, they soon discover what binds them together runs deeper than they ever could've imagined.

**Each Brookview novel is a standalone with no cliffhanger endings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Autumn Marks
• Release date: Aug 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201850487

Book preview

CHAPTER 2

Katie’s back.

Even hours after seeing her, Trent couldn’t believe it.

Nearly half his life had elapsed in the time it’d taken her to come back—not that he ever expected her to. No, she’d made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with him when she broke up with him all those years ago.

He’d thought they would be together forever…and then she trampled on his heart.

And if their breakup wasn’t devastating enough, the real slap to the face had been seeing her with Brian. God…having to endure that relationship nearly broke him. Whenever he’d see Brian touch Katie or whisper something in her ear, Trent burned with jealousy—because it should’ve been him. It should’ve been his hand holding hers and his mouth on hers. But he’d had to play it off like he was okay with it.

Newsflash: He’d been the furthest from okay with it.

But now that they were divorced, Trent was going to see to it that she wouldn’t slip through his fingers again. Offering up his construction services was the perfect reason to be near her, even if it was only for a short while. He hoped that short span of time would be enough to, at the very least, get her to see him in a different light. He had to get her to see that he was the one she should’ve been with all along.

With all the tools needed to fix Katie’s front porch loaded into his truck, he headed to the local greasy spoon for a cup of coffee. He preferred it over the new coffee shop that had opened up a few months earlier. That was where the teens went, happy that something cool was finally in town.

Located between the post office and a hardware store, The Neighborhood was the place where people in this town went to talk—about other people in this town. As the only sit-down restaurant in Brookview, the lack of competition meant a remodel had never happened. Why bother? If the flaking exterior paint and grimy white awning on the small, aging building weren’t enough to scare patrons away, then nothing would. But despite the drab exterior, they knew how to make a cup of coffee. Not like that stuff they tried to pass as coffee at the fancy new coffee shop.

Trent parked his truck on the street and walked through the door, straight back to the dining counter. Booths lined the walls and a few tables were scattered on the floor, most of which were empty. A stale scent of brewed coffee and fried bacon permeated the air. It was mostly quiet, except for a TV tuned to the morning news and a group of men chattering amongst themselves. The Usuals, as he liked to call them, because they were usually there, were sitting at the dining counter shooting the breeze.

The Usuals consisted of three salty retired men who had grown up in this town and never left. They knew everyone and everything that went on in town, and weren’t afraid to spill juicy bits of gossip. If you ever wanted to know something damaging about someone, ask The Usuals—they were always willing to dish.

Their talking quieted down as he approached.

Trent nodded toward them. Good morning, gentlemen.

Good morning to you too, Trent, they said in unison.

What do you think about this weather? Trent asked, knowing their responses would provide some entertainment.

It’s this damn humidity. It’s so thick, I feel like I can’t even breathe, one said.

I’m sweating in areas I didn’t even know could sweat! exclaimed another.

If this keeps up, I’ll be coming to breakfast in my skivvies, said the third one.

I hope it cools off soon so we can all be spared that sight, the first one said with a laugh.

As The Usuals continued bantering with one another, Mickey, the morning shift waitress, handed Trent a lidded paper cup containing his usual coffee order.

Thanks, Mickey, he said, passing her a couple of dollars across the counter. He grabbed a few sugar packets from the holder on the counter, popped the top off the cup, and stirred them in, listening as The Usuals shifted their conversation.

I heard the Harris girl is back in town. And with that son of hers, one of them said.

What brings them back? Weren’t they living in Seattle? another asked.

I heard she and Brian got divorced, the third one chimed in.

One of The Usuals leaned in close to whisper, but they were all a little hearing impaired so his whisper was more like someone’s usual speaking voice. I heard she cheated on Brian.

That’s what I heard too, one of them said. He gave his chin a contemplative scratch before following up with, Wouldn’t surprise me. That family was always a little different.

Trent gripped his coffee cup tighter, his irritation bubbling up inside of him. Don’t worry, gentlemen, he said, straining to keep the edge out of his voice, I’ll let Katie know you guys were thinking about her. I’m headed over there right now.

That shut them up.

But Trent knew it wouldn’t last. He was sure as soon as he walked out the door, they’d be back at it…but they didn’t even wait until then.

He wasn’t about to let them ruin his morning. He had more important things to focus on—like Katie. With his coffee in hand, he walked out to his truck and headed over to her place.

Katie’s grandparents’ house was located about four miles outside of town on an old country road. The occasional tractor or Amish buggy was about the only traffic that went down that road and he wondered how Katie and Noah were holding up. Trent had never been to Seattle but knew enough about it to know that Brookview was a significant change from where they’d been living.

He pulled his truck into the driveway, the gravel inhibiting any attempt to be quiet. In the field across the road, the corn had already surpassed the knee-high-by-the-Fourth-of-July benchmark. Katie’s closest neighbor, Dale Buckner, was mowing his lawn with his brand new zero-turn mower. The Usuals had talked about it last week.

For it being only eight in the morning, the sun’s heat was already intense. The short walk from his truck to the front door left his skin sticky, his brow moist. Trent stood at the door and gave it a few loud raps. He waited a minute, expecting to hear some noise from inside. Nothing but silence greeted him. Peering through the front door’s window and seeing no movement from within, he knocked again. After about a minute, Katie appeared.

She cracked open the door and poked her head out. I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you so early. I’m still trying to get used to the time change.

Oh, right. There was three hours’ difference between Washington and Ohio. No worries. I’ll just wait out here.

Katie cursed herself for sleeping in. Her braless, pajama-clad state wasn’t how she’d wanted to look when Trent showed up this morning, especially after her appearance the day before.

Everyone wanted to look good for an old flame, right?

She’d gotten terrible sleep and it didn’t help that her ex had called her late last night, wondering how they were doing. Now that their internet was up and running, Noah had posted some troubling things to his social media account that had Brian worried. According to Noah, Katie’s grandparents’ house was falling in and Noah had made sure to tag the post with #countrylife. It had taken almost an hour for her to reassure Brian. Yes, they were fine in Ohio. No, she wasn’t ready to return to Seattle. After she’d hung up, she and Noah had a little talk about his sense of humor.

Katie rushed up the steps to Noah’s room. After pounding on his door and getting no answer, she flung it open and saw a mess of limbs tangled up in the sheets of his twin bed.

The twin bed was a downgrade, a byproduct of her divorce. Noah had always slept on a queen bed, but Katie didn’t take much with her when she left. The old twin bed, like the rest of the furnishings in the home, was all her mother had to spare.

Noah, wake up! Trent is here, she said, pushing his arm.

Noah opened his eyes slowly, took in his mother’s face, and then closed them again.

She pushed harder. Noah, come on! Trent is downstairs waiting for you!

Begrudgingly, Noah sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. What time is it?

It’s just after eight.

Why is he here so early?

He’s here when he said he would be.

Noah gave her a harsh look. This wasn’t my idea, you know.

She shrugged. What else was I supposed to do?

Noah threw off his sheets and placed his feet on the floor with a solid thunk. Fine, he said with a huff. Give me a few minutes.

While Noah used the bathroom and got dressed, Katie went downstairs to inform Trent of his helper’s whereabouts. He was gathering the tools from his truck and placing them on the porch when she poked her head out again.

Noah will be down in a few, she said.

That’s fine. I’m just unloading the bed of my truck to make room. I need to go get a replacement post from the lumber yard. Do you mind if Noah comes with me?

Don’t I get a say in this? Noah murmured from behind her.

Katie glanced at her son. He would love to accompany you!

Noah groaned and stormed out the door. Before he got in Trent’s black pickup, he glared at his mother who smiled sweetly back at him, all while throwing him a wave.

Once she was sure they were gone, Katie went upstairs to her bathroom to wash her face and put on a bit of makeup. Her reflection was…not pretty. She frowned at her hair that had somehow managed to form itself into a knotted mess. Carefully, she took her brush through it, then pulled it into a ponytail to get it off her neck. A bit of foundation, a touch of blush and powder, a swipe of mascara, and she was all set.

From her closet, she pulled out a sleeveless blouse and khaki shorts. Her outfit was nice and casual, without looking like she was trying too hard. It wasn’t like she wanted to impress Trent. She merely wanted an improvement over her disheveled look the day before.

Katie checked her appearance once more, then went downstairs to start on breakfast. Noah hadn’t had a chance to eat before leaving and would definitely be grumpy if food wasn’t consumed—soon.

Once in the kitchen, she pulled two bowls down from the cupboard and grabbed the Greek vanilla yogurt from the fridge. After spooning the yogurt into the bowls, she topped it with some chopped strawberries and drizzled maple syrup over the whole thing.

While the coffee pot was gurgling away, the front door opened.

Mom, what’s for breakfast? I’m starving. Noah’s face glistened with a thin sheen of sweat and his mop of hair kept falling into his vision.

I’ve got some yogurt with strawberries, she replied. Why don’t you see if Trent wants any? The least she could do was be a decent host.

No way. If you want him to join us, you need to ask him yourself. Noah breezed past her, making a beeline for the bowls of yogurt on the counter.

Fine. She walked out to the front porch where she found Trent leaning against his truck, looking out at Dale who was still toiling away in his yard. Noah is inside getting a bite to eat. Would you like something? I’ve got some yogurt with strawberries.

No thanks. I had breakfast before I came here. If you have coffee though, I could use a refill.

She smiled. I just brewed a pot. Give me your cup and I’ll fill it up for you.

Trent removed himself from the side of his truck and closed the space between them. He extended his hand with the coffee cup in it, and when she went to retrieve it, their fingers brushed ever so slightly. Under normal circumstances, the touch wouldn’t have registered. But Katie felt it, not just on her skin, but deep down. There was a fluttering in her stomach she tried to ignore because this was only Trent—and she felt nothing for him.

So why was her breath quickening?

Trent grinned, like he was in on some joke that only he knew about. Maybe he’d seen that little hitch in her throat when their fingers touched. Maybe he’d felt it too, that little jolt of electricity that sparked between them with just a simple brush of their fingers.

Thanks, she muttered, closing her hand around the cup. She went back into the house to the kitchen where Noah was placing his dishes in the sink. Wait. Before you go back outside, you can take this out to Trent. No way was she going back out there again.

Noah didn’t answer which suited her just fine. Once he had the refilled cup in hand, he walked out the front door.

Now alone, Katie sat down with her breakfast and tried to tell herself the tingling she still felt was all in her head.

CHAPTER 3

Trent stepped back to admire their handiwork. It wasn’t painted yet, but the post was securely in place and he was glad that Noah, while resistant at first, had been a willing and capable helper.

Are you sure you’re up to the task of painting this? Trent asked.

Noah gave him half a smile—a look that stopped Trent in his tracks. It was the first time he’d seen Noah smile since meeting him the day before.

Yeah, I think I can handle it. It’ll save you from having to come back out here, Noah said, erasing the smile with a look more severe.

Was Noah being considerate? Or was this his subtle way of telling him to stay away? Probably the latter, Trent concluded. I’ll leave the supplies here for you. You can paint it when you’re ready. He looked Noah in the eye. Thanks for your help today.

Sure, Noah said and reached for his phone in his pocket. Not bothering to say goodbye, Noah walked into the house leaving Trent to pack up his truck.

A few minutes later, Katie stepped out onto the porch. She’d been absent the entire time they were working, which bothered him more than it should. But he’d seen that little catch in her throat earlier, and knowing that one small touch had affected her so greatly would suffice.

Wow! This looks really nice. It blends so well with the other posts, she said.

I’m leaving the supplies here to prime and paint it. Noah said he would take care of it this week, Trent said, pointing to a pile of items on the porch.

I’ll make sure to hold him to that. Katie’s gaze dropped down to the ground. She ran her foot over one of the floorboards of the porch, brushing off some of the remnants of the old post that had gathered there. So…what do I owe you for this?

Don’t worry about it, he replied, pushing the tailgate of his truck into place.

No, I insist. It took a lot of time for you to do this.

He pondered a moment. How about I charge you for materials only? The labor is free.

Her eyes met his. Thank you. I mean it.

Was this it? Was this the last he would see of Katie besides a few chance meetings in the grocery store or post office?

No way.

This couldn’t be it. He hadn’t waited all these years to let this be the last he saw of her.

He opened the door of his truck, but instead of getting in, Trent leaned over the seat and scribbled something down on a scrap piece of paper. He walked over to Katie, noticing the way her shorts hugged the curve of her hips. Noticing the way her lips parted when he was within inches of her. Noticing that little hitch in her throat again.

Here’s my number, he said, placing the paper in her hand. If anything else happens, don’t hesitate to call me.

---

The next week she called him in a panic. It’d been a long day at work and the traffic coming home was terrible. A big accident clogged up his main route home, leaving him to take the long way, which added an extra thirty minutes to his commute. Right as he shut his front door, his cell phone rang. The area code wasn’t one he was familiar with and he almost didn’t pick up—almost.

Hello? he answered.

Hi…Trent?

Yeah, it’s me. Katie? Is that you? He’d know her voice anywhere, but he wanted to make it seem like he hadn’t been too eager to hear from her.

I need your help. You said I should call if anything else happened.

What’s wrong?

There’s an issue with Noah’s bathroom upstairs. He flushed the toilet earlier today and it nearly overflowed. I tried taking a plunger to it and some clog remover, but it didn’t help. I told Noah to leave it alone and I’d call you this evening. I assumed you’d be home from work by now.

Yeah, I just walked in. Are all the other drains working properly?

It’s just Noah’s that’s the issue.

Doesn’t sound like it’s the septic system then. It’s probably a clog deep down, Trent said more to himself than her. Give me a few and I’ll be over to take a look.

There was a brief pause before she spoke again. If you just got home, it can wait until later. I don’t want to trouble you.

A reason to be near Katie? No trouble at all. It’s all right. I’ll be over in a few.

He hung up the phone and changed into some work jeans and a T-shirt. After grabbing his plumber’s snake and a few other supplies he thought he might need from the garage, he loaded everything into his truck and made the drive over to Katie’s.

By the time he arrived, it was early evening and the sun was still plenty warm. Trent got out of his truck and stepped onto Katie’s front porch where the post was painted, just like she’d said it would be.

Before he could knock, Katie opened the front door.

I heard you coming, she said. The gravel driveway isn’t exactly quiet. She was wearing a pastel tank top that cinched at her waist and highlighted her curves. And her shorts revealed a set of shapely legs he longed to get his hands on. But she wasn’t his to touch—yet.

I guess I wouldn’t be able to sneak in, he said with a grin.

You wouldn’t have to here, Katie replied, acknowledging his reference.

Back when they were in high school and Trent was old enough to drive, he used to cut all the lights to his car and pull right up into Katie’s paved driveway. Her parents’ house was located on a road that branched off from a county highway. To a casual observer, it would look like he’d made a wrong turn and was using their driveway to get back to the main highway. But if anyone was watching, they would’ve seen Katie dart out from her position behind the bushes and climb into his car, where the interior lights were kept off to keep from blowing their cover. She would even wait to shut the car door completely until they were at a stop sign farther down the road.

They’d had to date in secret because Katie’s father had protested the relationship. Trent’s family were outsiders, coming by way of Florida, and didn’t have extended family in Brookview. They were unwelcome in her father’s eyes.

When Trent was in second grade, his family moved to Brookview when his father was offered the position of a supervisor at the local appliance parts factory. And who worked under him? Katie’s father. Whenever Katie’s father returned home from work to put down beer after beer, Katie would call Trent and ask him to take her far away from there. And he would…every time. Because that’s what you do when you love someone—you’re there for them, whenever they need you.

Trent was too busy reminiscing about times past to notice the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them.

Katie cleared her throat. So…do you want to hear more about the issue with the bathroom?

Trent didn’t want to talk about the bathroom. He wanted to talk more about fond memories they’d shared while in high school. He wanted to relive the moments that had brought them to that fateful day when Katie broke his heart. He wanted to know what had gone wrong between them.

Right, Trent said with a nod. Tell me about the bathroom.

I wish I knew what the problem was, but none of the tricks I tried helped any. We haven’t been here long, so I’m thinking it was something from the previous tenant. I worried about the toilet overflowing, so I didn’t want to mess with it too much, Katie explained. She was glad the conversation was steered to a safer topic. They didn’t need to be reliving their relationship. Doing so would likely lead to questions she didn’t want to answer.

All right. If you’ll lead the way, I can take a look.

She opened the door for him and as he passed through, she tried to keep the flutters in her stomach under control. Trent’s hazel eyes roamed over her body and her cheeks flushed with warmth. She shouldn’t be having these feelings, and as much as she tried to deny them, she couldn’t. His presence did something to her and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. She was going with not.

She needed some distance. I have dinner going in the kitchen that I need to take care of. Would you mind going up without me?

He gave her a small half-smile. "Sure. Which