Page 102 of Work with Me

“Sorry, man. I’ll call her tonight.”

He gave a noncommittal hum. “So when are you coming back?”

My stomach tightened. “Don’t know.”

“I could really use some help here. I’m presenting to the board in early January, and I’d like you to join me.”

“Really?” He hadn’t asked me to do that in a few years. I hated getting up in front of the board, but having Cooper trust me enough to ask might make it worth it. Except— “I can’t. I’m staying here for a while.”

“How long? You could take a break from your sexfest to do some real work.”

I let myself imagine it for a minute, what could’ve happened if Alicia had forgiven me. We could’ve slept together every night. If it weren’t for the holiday, we could’ve spent a lazy weekend in bed. I’d be curled around her right now, breathing in her scent, letting her hair tickle my nose. I rubbed my hand across my chest. “I wish.”

“You—what?”

“I’m still waiting for her to forgive me. To trust me. It’s going to take some time.”

“And you’re sitting on your ass in Austin waiting for her to come around? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“You ever been in love, Coop?”

He was silent for a while. “Yeah.”

Huh. I wondered who it’d been. Some girl in high school before I’d met him? Or a relationship I hadn’t even noticed while I was selfishly focused on my own problems? “So you understand why I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

“You can wait here in San Francisco.”

“No. I need to stay here, prove to her she’s worth staying for. Sorry, Coop. I’ll do whatever I can to help you from out here. We can get on a video call tomorrow.”

“You know you’re being an idiot.”

“Who said, ‘We are all fools in love?’”

“Jane Austen.Pride and Prejudice.Freshman year literature. Though you only watched the movie.”

“Right. Right.” Maybe I’d watch it again, get some tips. Maybe Weston was right, and I needed a fancy mansion. It’d worked for Mr. Darcy. My apartment in San Francisco wasn’t going to woo anyone, especially since I’d spent a month there losing my mind over Alicia and not caring about the mess. “Call me tomorrow. We’ll work on your presentation then.”

“Fine.” That word carried the weight of others, but I didn’t want to hear them.

“Remember, Coop, get your donation into my foundation by the end of the year. Marlee can tell you how.”

“Fuck off.” But there was no heat, only fondness in his tone.

“You know I’ll bug you until you do.”

“Looking forward to it. Night, Jay.”

“Night.”

In the middle of the next week, between Christmas and New Year’s, I pulled up behind an idling, sporty black Lexus. A man sat inside, his head bent like he was looking at his phone. Was he an actual stalker?

Leaving the Webers’ breakfast in the car, I walked slowly up to the driver’s side window.

Rick, my former workout buddy, sat in the driver’s seat, texting. He wasn’t here to bother Alicia, was he? Or—my heart stuttered—at her invitation?

I tapped on the window.

Rick’s head shot up, and when he saw it was me, his hand went to his clean-shaven jaw. He lowered his window halfway. “Jay.”

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