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“No, he would never understand” I shookmy arms around myself
Cat huffed and glanced over her shoulder at Sadie and Cooper Sadie was touching his ar him her coame”
I got a sudden unwelco herand it felt like poison sliding down my throat
“Not now, but at soive ht about that?”
I squeezed my eyes closed “Cat”
“Jesus, Jessica, look at howthe truth about you be any worse than how you already feel?”
My eyes flew open at that, her words reverberating around and around my head
Will Cooper knowing the truth about you be any worse than how you already feel?
Will Cooper knowing the truth about you be any worse than how you already feel?
WILL COOPER KNOWING THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU BE ANY WORSE THAN HOW YOU ALREADY FEEL?
I flinched away froo”
This time she didn’t stop me, but as I moved toto see another wo with him
As I openedinin on me
His whole body tensed
And then he pushed away fro to come to me
Will Cooper knowing the truth about you be any worse than how you already feel?
I didn’t know!
I didn’t know, but I couldn’t figure that out in the ten seconds it would take hi with my car door, I practically threw myself in, started the car, and reversed back so fast my wheels spun
Before he’d eveninof my heart
TWENTY-SIX
Cooper
For once Cooper liked the bar better empty
He cleaned down the bar top, wishing like hell he could afford to just shut the place down for a few days Of course Ollie could keep running it for hiain, but he knew he couldn’t run from his life
Or the pain
Being with Jessica the other nightthat was like having a stinging cut for days and then suddenly so cool balm over it
His head was all fucked up about her
Part of hiry, furious, resentful That part wanted her to get the hell out of his town and never coer part of him that felt like if he could only find out what the hell it was she was hiding, then maybe they could work this shit out That part of him was responsible for the fear he felt, and Cooper hadn’t felt fear since his nosed with cancer
He feared Jessica packing up froood
When the ru an affair, he didn’t even entertain it, which was surprising, considering Dana But he didn’t believe that of Jess What she was hiding wasn’t an affair No He orried it was much darker than that
In fact, he orried that if he did find out, Jessica’s fears would be proven right; that in the end the truth would be too much for him to handle
Yet the idea of not wanting to be with Jessica for any reason seemed absurd to him He couldn’t seem to stay away And so he’d taken what he’d wanted froh If anything, the taste of her onlyhi thatto find her and repeat the other night
His head was all fucked up
The knock on his bar door was like a shot of adrenaline through him The knock reminded him of all the times these past few months that Jessica had come to him before the bar opened
He braced hi her on the other side of his door
The disappointht of Ian Devlin on his doorstep
“You do not want to be here right now, believe me,” Cooper warned
His warning went unheeded as Devlin pushed past hi place
“Bad mood, Cooper?” Devlin shot him a sreedy eyes
Cooper kept the door open This asshole was leaving Now “Worst ever Which means I’m not in the mood to deal with your shit”
“You heard about Beckwith selling to so star chef from Boston?” Devlin sneered
He had to admit this part of their conversation lifted his spirits a little “Didn’t knoho he sold it to Just kneasn’t you”
“And you loved that, didn’t you?”
“Not going to lie, it didn’t suck”
Devlin narrowed his eyes “I’m not the one that screwed your wife, son”
Dick
Cooper kept his expression blank, not willing to give him a reaction
“And now another woood doctor is shacked up with Vaughn Treers along the top of Cooper’s bar “Adton’s caliberAnyone as snize what she is would know a s” o;No, he would never understand” I shookmy arms around myself