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“That’s what I feel, Doc, when I see her I don’t see her betrayal anymore I see his I see Jack’s She could have cheated with anyone Any asshole But she did it with hi knew, that man was like a brother to me”
I heard the venoripping his hand tight as tears stung my eyes There was so much pain there So much pain buried down deep
And I could see, I could recognize now, that it wasn’t for Dana It was all for Jack Devlin
“We were friends since ere kids” He squeezed ht it was al I ever went through, Jack was there by my side There afterside at her funeral,” he muttered
I wanted to cry for hiht now “I’m sorry”
His blue eyes pierced throughDana like I always did because I didn’t want to give her what she wanted— to fuck up e have the way she fucked up my friendship with Jack” He leaned in, his voice thick “That heat I gave her wasn’t about her, Jessica, it was about you”
His words drew me forward until my mouth hovered near his, and just like that the uneasiness that had resurfaced earlier at the mention of Sarah’s letters was shoved back down by my undeniable attraction to hi his lower lip “It just made me more determined to explore this connection between usto make you happy”
Cooper groaned and captured uid kiss, but it was also deep and drugging, pulling ently broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against reat job, Doc”
“Hh my blood
He sly “Fuck, you’re adorable”
“I’reat job of what?”
“Ofme happy”
A thrill zinged through ed with fear “Oh”
“Yeah” He grinned “Oh”
EIGHTEEN
Jessica
“You knowa bite of the pancakes Cooper had whipped up along with bacon and scras
Cooper had made me breakfast
I’d never had a guy make me breakfast before
I’d never stuck around long enough to give a guy time to make me breakfast
“How do you feel about that?” Cooper said, sitting across fro his coffee He’d already finished his food
I was savoring mine
Savoring the moment
“It’s scary,” I said truthfully “Not the new job Bailey showed o along”
“So what’s still scaring you, Doc?”
“Well, that, for a start” I gestured to hi-a-doctor part That is scary”
“Rean’s office His daughter used to work for him, but she moved up to New Jersey with her husband He needs another doctor in there Soht call that fate”
I gave him a wry smile This town and its belief in fate
Although, to be honest, I was teht that maybe it was fate It would make life easier to believe that, because it was a job I did well and one that hadforfor Bailey However, I still wasn’t sure why I’d chosen to beco had flipped on its head since I’d arrived in Hartwell, and I still wasn’t sure that being a doctor wasn’t repentance rather than a dream
“I justI need soed
“Sure that’s all it is?” he said
I tensed at the suspicion in his voice Looking at ain “Sure”
Silence fell between us and it didn’t feel as comfortable as usual I had to fill it before he spoke up with more questions I didn’t want to answer “What do you want to do today?”
Bailey had toldthat, and Cooper didn’t work the bar on Sundays He left the ement of it to Ollie on Sunday since it was one of the days he didn’t serve food, and things were a little easier to handle
Cooper had just opened hisat the front door two seconds before a tall, pretty brunette strode in with a young boy at her side
His house was on the north side, a few blocks from Bailey’s small ho was open plan You walked in off the porch into the main roo up to the second level To the left of the staircase was a sitting area, to the right a dining area, and at the back of the rooe kitchen
We were currently in the dining roo stared at by the brunette and child
“Oh” The brunette was visibly confused “Coop, I’m sorry It’sjustSunday”
The boy looked just as confused, his blue eyes boring into mine
Cooper stood up and I found uessed who the intruders were and now I had nervous butterflies in my belly “Cat, Joey, this is Jessica Jessica, this is my sister and nephew” o;That’s what I feel, Doc, when I see her I don’t see her betrayal anymore I see his I see Jack’s She could have cheated with anyone Any asshole But she did it with hi knew, that man was like a brother to me”