Page 93 of The Love Lie
Sam ignores him and turns toward the father and son still very much locked in a stubborn, bullheaded, clearly familiar argument.
“He’s not going anywhere, Mr. Kelley.”
“I didn’t ask you,” the man sneers, not bothering to even glance in her direction.
He’s Cooper’s father.
Be cool. Be calm.
WWED—what would Emily do?
Definitely not say what Sam is about to say, but who is she trying to kid?
“Then it’s a good thing I’m a grown-ass woman who doesn’t need your permission to speak, isn’t it?”
The man rears back in surprise.
Sam steps closer and cocks a brow. She’s just getting started.
“Whether you asked me or not, the answer is the same. Your son isn’t going anywhere. And if you pulled your head out of your ass long enough to take a good, hard look at him, you’d know that for yourself. You might call him a boy, but he isn’t. He’s a man. A man who could have left a long time ago if he wanted to, but he didn’t. Because he loves this place. He loves this work. He loves this legacy. And despite whatever grudge you’re still holding for choices he made when he was a teenager, he loves you. So no, he’s notgoinganywhere. He’s actually doing anything and everything he possibly can to make sure he stays right here.”
“Is that so?” Frank Kelley answers calmly…a bittoocalmly.
Sam gets the distinct impression she’s running headfirst into a trap, but she’s already gained too much speed to stop now. “It is.”
“And you’re what?” The man gives her a once-over, his gaze snagging on her ring, her manicured nails, her matching two-piece athleisure set, and her four-hundred-dollar faux-fur slippers that wereyesa lot bit indulgent but are so damn comfortable she couldn’t resist. There’s no way he surmised their price tag, but the look in his eyes is clear. They and she don’t belong. “Going to stay here with him?”
No.
Obviously not.
But she’s in too deep to admit defeat now. Her only choice is to keep digging. “Yes.”
He snorts—snorts! The audacity. “You’re going to give up the fame?”
“Easily.” It’s not hers anyway.
“You’re going to leave the big city?”
“I grew up in a small town.” Not two-hours-to-the-closest-Starbucks small, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“You’re going to quit your job?”
“I don’t have to.” The answer rolls off her tongue before she can stop it, as if it’s been simmering there all this time, just waiting to wriggle its way free. “My sister and I co-own a jewelry design business, and thanks to the show it’s finally taking off. Last I checked, this place has a phone and the internet. I have everything I need right here.”
Frank offers an intelligible grunt.
Ha! Take that, she thinks haughtily, the taste of victory already sweet—until she flicks her gaze to Cooper. All at once it turns bitter. A soft smile plays at the edges of his lips. The corners of his eyes crinkle. Heat simmers in his gaze. Suddenly everything she just said hits her like an eighteen-wheeler to the face.Shit!
But it’s too late to take it all back.
“Clear this up quick.” Cooper’s father motions between the younger men. “The vet leaves in two hours and I’m not paying her to come out here again. And you—” He looks at Sam. “You’re having dinner at the main house. Six o’clock. Don’t be—”
“No can do, Mr. Kelley,” Wes interrupts. “We’re taking her to the Barn tonight.”
Cooper’s head whips sharply to the side. His tone fills with warning as he says, “Wes.”
“Tomorrow, then,” Frank says, ignoring his son.
