page54 (1/2)
He had to hope he didn’t get trampled in the search
For now, he focused onher feel better, because lots of people reached their thirties and realized they weren’t happy with their career or their life in general She wasn’t the first
“You knohat, Doc, your degree isn’t going anywhere No matter what, you’re a doctor So why not take so else out there for you? If you decide you want to go back to being a doctor, then I’m sure that won’t be a problem”
Jess shtly at him, relief visible in that pretty smile “You really think so?”
“Yeah Nothing is set in stone, right?”
“Right”
He watched her whole body see his face in that intense way again, like she washim
“What?” he ht abouther all over in return
“Tell me about your family,” she suddenly said
Cooper stared into her big hazel eyes and saw longing in the a second before and he was suddenly really curious to know about her fa about his, then that was an easy way to get the info he wanted out of her He realized he wanted to tell her about them anyway Maybe it was stupid of him to trust a woman so soon after one had betrayed hiet twisted and bitter over his ex’s behavior He certainly didn’t want to ood woman for another Dana Kellerman
“My dad left when I elve” he said
Syhtened her eyes “I’m sorry”
“No need to be The guy was an asshole An abusive asshole”
Jessica flinched “Then I’m even more sorry”
“I bet you’ve seen a lot of that in your line of work”
“Unfortunately, yes Quite a bit at the prison, actually Old fractures, scars so multiple it’s a history of abuse ht there for me to see and yet they still lie to me about it” She shook her head sadly “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that your family ever had to deal with it”
“Myat his nerves “She did the right thing, though She got help The sheriff at the tirandfather He, uhwelllet’s just say he did what he had to, to get the er welco their conversation about his mother’s cousin “There were options open to ht choice”
Understanding instantly dawned on Jessica “I get you,” she whispered
He continued, “After he left, things got better But they were also hard It was just me, my mother, and my baby sister, Catriona Mom had inherited the bar from my uncle who’d passed, and she never liked it ement on and they ran it for her, but it wasn’t what it could be For a place on the boardwalk it was kind of a dive I was always trying to find ways to make money and so I worked a lot and ot a job working as a rocery store clerk We worked our asses off so Cat didn’t have to Moave the bar to both of us, but Cat let o She had no passion for it She wanted college She was a se for her, too She wanted to be prelaw and, sot into UPenn”
“That’s a And partly because of you” There was open admiration in Jessica’s expression
He liked that, but he wasn’t taking credit for Cat’s hard work “It was all her She worked hard in high school and didn’t have e andI don’t know” He sighed “I don’t know if it was too ot a little wild She called nancy scare her freshman year and I hoped the scare and h to keep her on the straight and narrow”
Jess made a face “It didn’t”
“It didn’t” He still remee because she was pregnant “She enty years old She came home for the summer Got shit-faced and knocked up by a tourist whose name she couldn’t remember”
“Oh boy”
“Yeah But I had to come around fast because our mother was so disappointed she didn’t speak to Cat for the first five nancy”
“Double oh boy”
He gave a huff of laughter “Yeah”
“But then Joey ca”
“Joseph Cooper Lawson” He grinned just thinking about the kid “Even srandot over her disappointment quick first time she held him in her arms”
Jessica was quiet a moment as she studied hiet to enjoy him?”
That sharp sting of sadness pricked hi, Doc Only a few years before the cancer claimed her”
“You were close”
“Extremely It was like the world ended for a while” d to hope he didn’t get trampled in the search