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The businessman owned Paradise Sands Hotel next to Cooper’s The hotel ankier than anything that had coht the old hotel and co it into an upscale hotel and conference center Some folks in town said the hotel was too swanky for Hart’s Boardwalk; that the people who vacationed here didn’t come for contemporary luxury but a little piece of tradition Sohn had uy had made a success out of the hotel
Cooper wasn’t too surprised The Manhattan-born businessely wealthy CEO of an international real estate and construction company
The boardwalk community hadn’t exactly waruy like him would choose Hartwell as his home He wouldn’t explain himself and people around there didn’t like that hn didn’t dointo Cooper’s every week for that shot of whiskey for the past year and Cooper had gotten to know hihn Tremaine than met the eye
“Thanks,” Vaughn ”
“Rough night?”
“Dentistry conference yesterday Those assholes can party One of theht”
“Jesus Your er okay?”
“Fine Just a swollen eye, thankfully”
“And the dentist?”
“Out on his ass Fuck knohere he went”
Cooper grinned “Did—”
A knock at the front door cut him off
Dana?
“Coop, it’s Bailey!”
Noting the way Vaughn tensed, Cooper smirked
Idiot
Ignoring Vaughn’s reaction to the sound of Bailey Hartwell’s voice, Cooper hurried over to let her into the bar
“Coop, Dana is on the boardwalk,” Bailey said a little breathlessly Her hair ept, suggesting she’d been running “I alking tothe bandstand and I saw that bitchthis way so I took off I’ive you a heads-up that she’s slithering around the boardwalk”
He laughed at her ra, but he did it while he shut his blinds and locked his door
When he turned back he nearly laughed again at Bailey’s reaction to finding Vaughn in the bar Her whole body had gone rigid
“Miss Hartwell,” Vaughn said with a lass
He never called Bailey by her first name Cooper knew it drove Bailey crazy and he hn knew that, too, and that was exactly why he did it
The two of them had clashed from the moment they met There couldn’t be two people hn Tremaine was the Prince of the Upper East Side, Bailey Hartas the Princess of Hart’s Boardwalk A descendant of the city’s founders, Bailey had inherited Hart’s Inn at the north end of their stretch of thepiece of real estate owned by the once incredibly wealthy Hartwells But the family Bailey was born into wasn’t wealthy They’d worked hard to run the inn, and when her brother and sister went off to live their lives elsewhere, Bailey’s parents had left the running of the inn to her and took off for their retirement in Florida
Nothing had coearing up to ant, wealthy businessman she saw as her competition
And, Bailey being the boardwalk’s sweetheart, most people came down on her side of this particular war
Cooper found the whole thing damn funny The pair was a comedy act and didn’t know it
“Mr Asshole,” Bailey replied
Vaughn just laughed and finished off his scotch
Bailey whirled around to glower at Cooper He assuhn, especially while the bar was closed “Don’t tell me I’m stuck in here with this idiot, Lawson”
The door handle of the bar turned and rattled A loud knock followed it “Cooper! I know you’re in there!” Dana yelled
“Yes,” he said quietly “You’re stuck”
“I have to get back to the inn Can I sneak out the back?”
He nodded “Go ahead If you see her—”
“Oh, I’ll take that bitch down before I let her in here,” Bailey assured hio
“I’ money down on the bar “Cooper”
“Vaughn”
Bailey threw a horrified look over her shoulder at Vaughn “Wonderful”
“You know, you really need to stop flirting with hn said as he strode toward her “It’s a little inappropriate”
She narrowed her eyes, ready to spit fire at him, but Cooper distracted her
“Thanks for the heads-up, Bailey”
“Anyti services are always available”
“How hn say as they walked through the staff door
“Oh, I’ll slap you for free”
“Kinky”
“You are such an asshole”
“I think you need to find a neord”
“Turd!” usinessman owned Paradise Sands Hotel next to Cooper’s The hotel ankier than anything that had coht the old hotel and co it into an upscale hotel and conference center Some folks in town said the hotel was too swanky for Hart’s Boardwalk; that the people who vacationed here didn’t come for contemporary luxury but a little piece of tradition Sohn had uy had made a success out of the hotel