Page 74 of Scoop Me Up
He ticked them off on his fingers. “The mayor. Sage. Mickey. The crew from D-and-D nights. Probably more. I can’t keep track of them all.”
My cheeks blazed with heat at the thought that half the town knew my feelings before I did. I didn’t realize we were that obvious. I was quiet for a bit, biting my bottom lip as I thought about what to say next. “What if he doesn’t want to stay? What if he wants to go back to Burlington?”
Cooper sipped his coffee, silent for a moment. “That’s not going to happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
He put his cup down. “Listen to me. That man is over the moon about you. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he’s staying. And he’s doing it for you. Well, and Ellie.”
I hadn’t thought about how this all impacted her and a cold sensation washed over me as I let it sink in. “Ellie. What if he doesn’t want to do thisbecauseof her? It might confuse her, right?”
Cooper gave me a stern look. “First of all, there’s nothing confusing about being in love. Second, her mom has datedpeople, so why wouldn’t Gabe? Besides, Ellie adores you. There’s no chance of this being an issue.”
His words caught up to me before I could formulate a protest. “Wait—in love?”
Cooper shrugged. “You know you are. And he’s not going anywhere. He’s here for you. He wants to be with you. Everyone knows it. It’s not going to be a problem with Ellie or Jennifer or anyone in town.”
WasI in love? I wasn’t ready to make that decision yet. Instead, I poked holes in Cooper’s assertion. “Unless we break up.”
He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “You’re putting the cart before the horse a little, don’t you think?”
My breath caught in my chest as overwhelm threatened me. “What if—” Before I could carry out that thought, someone called my name. I looked up to find Jennifer, of all people, her leg in a brace from hip to ankle, crutches supporting her.
“Hi there. I don’t mean to be presumptuous but can I join you two? There aren’t a lot of free seats and I need space for this stupid brace and these crutches.”
My heart raced, pounding hard in my throat, worrying that she’d heard our conversation or wanted to confront me about my relationship with Gabe. Cooper, noticing my panic, took over and pulled out a seat for her. “Be our guest.”
We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, Jennifer informing us that, to her relief, Ellie had been at a sleepover, giving her a little time to be out and about. Eventually, the conversation lulled. I opened my mouth to speak, but what was I going to say?I’m sleeping with your ex and I might be in love with him. Are you okay with that?
Jennifer cleared her throat. “Sam, can I be candid about something?”
My stomach flipped and my body went cold, breath catching in my throat. “Yeah, of course.”
“Where do things stand between Gabe and you?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”
Her soft laughter caught me by surprise. “I don’t know why I expected anything else. Gabe isn’t good at talking about his feelings.” She leaned forward and looked directly at me. “Let me tell you something. He really cares about you. I can’t remember the last time I saw him this happy in a relationship. It’s been years. Don’t let him panic and chicken out on talking it over, okay? Sometimes he needs a nudge in the right direction before he can gather the courage—and common sense—to say what needs to be said.”
“You… don’t mind?”
Jennifer reached over and put a hand on mine. “I want him to be happy. You make him happy. That’s all that matters. We’ll figure out the rest together. As a team.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “He turned that job down for a reason and I don’t think for one second that it was only about Ellie. I know he doesn’t want to lose you.”
I furrowed my brow. “Job?”
“Didn’t you know?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about a job.”
Jennifer tightened her lips, pinching them together in a straight line. A second later, she grimaced. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said anything then. But… he did. He turned down a major job offer that would’ve put him in another state. He didn’t want to get too far away from the things that matter most to him.”
My chest squeezed and my breathing tightened. “Ellie.”
“And you. He didn’t say it in so many words, but I can tell.”
The need to take action slammed into me and I stood, jostling the table. I needed to talk to Gabe. Right away. “I have to go.”
They both laughed and looked at each other. Cooper was the first to speak. “Go.”
