Page 49 of The Sexy Part
“Do what?”
“Call me beautiful. We’re friends.”
“Right.”
He looks at me expectantly.
“I’ll take whatever’s your cheapest white wine, please,” I say.
“It’s on the house,” he says. “Let me get you the good stuff. We have a fantastic chardonnay from California.”
“I got paid today, so I’ve got it.” My voice sounds snippier than I’d like. I just find it odd that there’s a parade of grateful beautiful women who seek him out. First there was Gina on the day we met. She invited him back to her place, and now this woman Rachel wants him to go to some kind of showing.
He retrieves a bottle of chardonnay that I assume is the cheap stuff because I was very clear I’m paying my own way here. After he hands me a glass of wine, he says, “What’s wrong? You’re frowning more than usual. Bad news from your ex?”
“No. Things are okay. I have a date for small claims court in four weeks. Hopefully I’ll win and get some compensation for what he stole.”
“Isn’t your dad a lawyer? He could probably represent you and make it a slam dunk.”
I stare at him. “You remember that from the day we met?”
“I remember everything you tell me.”
“Do you remember everything Gina and Rachel tell you too?”
He puts his palms up. “Whoa. Green-eyed monster came out to play.”
I take a gulp of wine. It’s wonderful. I think he tricked me with the good stuff. “Why would I be jealous? We’re just friends. Obviously, I’m not looking for a relationship. In fact, the idea makes me want to puke.”
“When did you meet Gina?”
“The day of my wedding. I came in here, and she invited you to her place.”
He thinks for a moment. “Oh, yeah. She wanted to show me her apartment. I found an affordable place for her in a nice neighborhood in Eastman next door.”
“Not my concern.”
“I’m an open book. You can ask me anything.”
I press my lips together, not wanting to ask about Rachel. It’s really not like me to care who a guy I like as a friend talks to. I blame my ex. Once you’ve been betrayed, it’s hard to trust any man.
I take a sip of wine. “I saw Dave’s most recent social media post of him, Sheila, and a llama. They look very happy together.”
“Blech.”
“I immediately blocked all his accounts. It’s enough to know he’s moved on. I don’t need to see it too.”
He leans an elbow against the bar, close enough I can breathe in his woodsy scent. He’s so sexy. Anyone would think so. “Smart.”
What if I posted a picture of me and Cooper online? #Revengepost
“You have a look of intrigue,” he says. “Plotting something?”
I decide not to go there. That might give Cooper the wrong idea. “Just thinking. I guess having a near-death experience made Dave reevaluate his life. In some way, I went through similar with the death of my relationship and the future I thought I’d have. I’m reevaluating too.”
He holds up a finger to me and goes to pour beers for a couple of guys at the other end of the bar. He returns to me.
“Mackenzie’s on a date tonight with a lawyer,” I say.
