Page 73 of The Sexy Part
“Would you like to have lunch with me?” he asks. “My treat.”
I smile. “Sure.”
We walk down the street together, heading to a new beginning.
* * *
On the train ride home, I consider next steps. I have my condo deposit back, and the money Dave owes me will eventually get to me. Dad told me there’s ways to make sure I get that money, and he’ll stay on it. So now I have options. I don’t have to stay in Clover Park, working for Hailey, living with Mackenzie and Harper, seeing Cooper. Dammit, Cooper, why did you have to make things so complicated?
I fell for him, even though I tried my best not to get sucked in. And then he had to go behind my back, bringing Dad into this. How can I trust Cooper not to do something like that again? He’ll think he’s helping, but really he’s treating me like a woman in need of rescue. It doesn’t matter that it worked out with Dad. Cooper broke my trust.
Is it time I left Clover Park? My mind flashes to memories of my time there: dinner with Mackenzie and Harper, watching our favorite mystery show and yelling at the screen, little Felix always wanting to be in my lap. Shane’s Scoops with the best ice cream in the state. Hailey with her warm vibrant personality, cheering my efforts on, inviting me to Sunday family dinner.
I love working with her. I’ve been seriously considering asking if I could stay in a permanent position there. It seems like there’s room for me to grow. Maybe even be an equal partner in the business one day.
And then there’s Cooper. Wonderful Cooper, who’s been everything I didn’t know I wanted. But he crossed the line. Big time.
If I leave Cooper, the rest goes away too. They’re his family; they’ll side with him.
I exhale sharply. I have to do what’s best for me in the long run.
16
Cooper
My stomach drops. “What do you mean you’re breaking up with me?”
Rowan and I are in the back office of Happy Endings for this private conversation. She walked into the bar with a solemn expression, and I knew right away it couldn’t be good news. I thought maybe she’d lost the case, but she won. Everything worked out, yet she’s dumping me.
Her chin lifts. She’s standing close in the small space, but she’s never felt farther away. “I mean I can no longer trust you, so it’s over.”
I sit on the edge of the desk and pat the space next to me. “Let’s talk about this. Tell me why you can’t trust me.” I’m grasping at straws because, even though I knew winning the case would give her the option to leave, I hadn’t thought through how hard it would be if she did. My gut churns.
She remains standing. “You called my dad behind my back, knowing he abandoned me and we have, like, zero relationship, and had him represent me today.”
“But you won. Isn’t that the most important thing?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I throw my hands up. “Because I knew you would call him off, and I wanted you to win.”
She shakes her head. “I trusted you, and you know how hard that is for me to do after Dave.”
“You can still trust me, I swear.”
“Right. Just like I trusted Dave, and look how great that turned out. I knew it was a mistake to get involved with someone so soon.”
“The timing wasn’t great, but what we have is real.”
She’s quiet for a long painful moment. “I’m getting the full settlement of ten thousand dollars. Dad and I had lunch together—”
“That’s great.”
“But none of that matters between you and me. I can’t be worrying constantly about what you’re doing behind my back.”
I swallow hard. “Does this mean you’re leaving Clover Park?”
“I have to, don’t I? Everyone I know here is because of you. Your family won’t want to have me around once they know you and I aren’t together anymore.”
