page70 (1/2)

Stor around the bar, he threw up the counter with so es He was vaguely aware of his na for anybody

Dana looked up froirlfriends turned to watch him storm toward them

He saw uneasiness in her expression as he approached

Good

He pushed past two of her friends and leaned on the pool table so his face was level with Dana’s He wanted this to truly sink in at last “You listen to ood You and I are over, Dana Over I don’t want you I’ll never want you again and I don’t kno et it Soyou threaten Jessica again or harasslike a fucking crazy person”

Dana flinched

“Do you understand me?”

She stared at him in shock

“Do you understand me?” he yelled

The whole bar silenced behind him

Dana sed and straightened away from him She nodded slowly

Cooper stood up

He couldn’t stand the sight of her

Calh, he said, voice soft but no less angry, “Now get the fuck out of my bar and don’t ever come back”

Sorabbed their purses, but not Dana She held her head high as she strode out of his bar, refusing for even a second to be humbled

When he was younger he’d thought she possessed sexy confidence Now he knew it as blind, ignorant arrogance

Cooper looked out over the crowd Everyone was staring at hiulars wore looks of sympathy, while tourists looked unsure

God damn it

“Sorry about the interruption,” he said, striding back to the bar “Next round is on the house”

That should settle the tourists

As for hi His eyes fell on Jessica He knew exactly hoanted to work out the adrenaline racing around his syste warned him off

He slipped behind the bar

“It had to be said, Coop” Ollie clapped him on the shoulder

He gave him a nod but made his way over to Jessica

He didn’t knohat to say

He wanted to knohat she was thinking

She looked like she wanted to knohat he was thinking

But there were too many people around for that conversation

“Um” Dahlia said, “what did I just walk into?”

Bailey grinned up at her friend “Dahlia, irlfriend and our new best friend”

Dahlia laughed as she gazed at a still shell-shocked Jessica “Ah Now everything makes sense”

“Whatinto the space between Jessica and the customer on her left

Bailey glowered at hi here?”

“I’esting it was anything but

“And what good news is that?” Dahlia said

Vaughn looked at Cooper and the uneasiness in his eyeshi up Ian Devlin is gloating all over town about how he’s finally going to have a spot on the boardwalk”

“Fuck!” Bailey snapped

Vaughn flicked her a rueful look “For once, Miss Hartwell, we are in absolute agreement”

Jessica

I was still so stunned froot whiplash froe of subject

It was like he’d appeared out of nowhere

“Wow, things have gotten exciting around here,” Dahlia said beside ain”

“Exciting? This isn’t exciting,” Bailey huffed “This is horrifying”

Confused, I held up a hand to stop anyone fro else I understood no one liked the Devlins, but they were acting like this neas Areddon “Okay, I know Ian Devlin is unscrupulous, but why exactly is it such a bad thing for him to have a place on the boardwalk? Won’t it uys?”

Bailey sighed “As businesses ork closely together Well”—she shot Vaughn a suspicious look—“ether, and none of us want to ith Devlin”

Vaughn leaned on the bar beside ray eyes as they focused on me “Despite Miss Hartwell’s lack of enthusiasm for me, there really are no issues between any of us We understand one another’s place here Devlin, however, is the kind of man who likes to stir up trouble and he has a certain vision for the boardwalk All of this—Cooper’s bar, Bailey’s inn, Dahlia’s gift store, Ira and Iris’s place, the bookstore next door—doesn’t fit Devlin’s vision He wants to bulldoze it and create so sleek, ner stores and five-star restaurants”

“Your hotel fits that description,” Bailey said

Vaughn flicked his gaze to her “I’m aware But my hotel is successful because Hart’s Boardwalk is popular As it is Rule of thumb in business and life, Miss Hartwell: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

From the sound of Ian Devlin’s vision for a new boardwalk, he wanted to destroy everything I loved about this place He wanted to take away all of its character and authenticity andfor just the elite “He can’t do that,” I snapped ing around the bar, he threw up the counter with so es He was vaguely aware of his na for anybody