Page 79 of The Love Lie
Sam:The only thing I hate about you is that I’m pretty sure I don’t hate anything at all.
Cooper:Get on the plane, Sam.
Cooper:That’s all you have to do.
Cooper:Get on the plane.
Cooper:When you land, I’ll be there waiting. And it’ll all make sense. I can’t tell you how I know but I do. Just get on the plane. Just get here. Just come.
Sam:Good night, Cooper.
Cooper:Sam.
Sam:I’ll see you tomorrow.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
sam
Oh god.This is a bad idea.
The thought has plagued Sam all morning. On the subway. At her office. In the meeting she couldn’t afford to skip. In the taxi. At the airport. On her flight. During her layover. On the second flight she almost—almost—didn’t board. And now here, with nothing but metal doors standing between them.
This is a bad idea.
She stops in the middle of the hallway. The other passengers on her flight flow around her like a river to a rock. She puts a hand to her stomach, as if she can somehow feel the knot that’s twisting and tightening her insides. Her fear has been festering for days, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Apparently, now is that moment.
She can’t move. She can’t breathe.
Panic swells her throat.
This is a really bad fucking idea.
What is she doing here? She doesn’t belong here. She’s wearing three-inch pumps and a black suit that probably cost more than her plane ticket. The airport is hardly bigger thanher apartment. There’s not even a baggage claim. They just unloaded the plane right on the runway and set up shop.
She should’ve left everything that happened with Cooper in the Maldives. A vacation fling. A blip on the radar. A fun memory to look back on with a smile. Not…whatever the hell it is now.
She should’ve told Nina to go screw herself.
Really, she should’ve told Emily the truth as soon as she had the chance. Except that would’ve involved a phone call—which would have been difficult enough before but now seems completely impossible with Em begging her to become CFO of the business. Turning the offer down via text was hard enough. If she actually hears her sister say the words, she won’t have the strength to say no. And she has to say no. She has a plan. If she sticks with her job, she’ll be earning millions by the time she’s in her midthirties. Practically guaranteed. Who is she to pass that up on a startup whim that may very well fail before it even begins? When she told herself no one in her family would ever want for money again, she meant it. She still does.
And that plan does not include falling for a cowboy from the middle of nowhere either. Get a grip.Sam swallows and squares her shoulders. She’s built this up too much in her head. She’s builthimup too much.He’s not as hot as you remember. It wasn’t as good as you remember. You will not let a man unravel all the goals you set for yourself, all the promises you made. You—
“If you’re planning on running, I’d reconsider. The next flight out doesn’t leave until tomorrow, and there’s nowhere you can go in this town where I won’t find you.”
A shiver works its way down her spine as that deep rumble punctures through every one of her defenses to settle in her bones. All at once, everything becomes clear.
He is that hot.
It was that good.
And she just might.
Fuck.
Sam lifts her chin and turns around. “Cooper.”
