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I gave him a sad smile “Sometimes women in love are fools”
“Not just woave a heavy sigh “Well, I need a stiff drink after all of this What do you say?”
I nodded again, sht”
The trendy bar just off Main Street was nice, but it lacked the coziness of Cooper’s George had first suggested that we go to Cooper’s and as soon as he saw my face, realization dawned “You’re the doctor?”
See—small town
“And it all begins tome a smile
So we’d ended up at Germaine’s For obvious reasons I’d never been there before
And by the ti Island (nowhere near as tasty as Coop’s), I’d made up my mind to tell Cooper the truth
Cat’s words the other day had played a part in the decision My thoughts of Julia and how much she’d like Cooper were part of the decision So I’d already arrived halfway to the decision when George Beckwith’s love for Sarah saved me
Yes
I did consider it saving me
Because even if I did tell Cooper and I lost hiret that Sarah had lived with A regret that she found peace froe never did
I couldn’t do that to myself or to Cooper
But I was terrified I’d spent all these years creating barriers between me and everyone else, even Matthew, and I wasn’t sure ould happen to me once I tried to take those barriers down
Without telling George the details I gave hialed me with his fond memories of Sarah He also talked about Annabelle, his late wife, and the fondtheir beautiful daughter, Marie It was for Marie and his grandchildren that he was packing up his life in Hartwell and heading to Canada
“Oh, excuse h round table ere sitting at “Bladder isn’t what it used to be” He winked at h
I watched hi for his age, and I sahat Sarah had seen in him
Only a few hours
That was all the tie’s company, but I knew instinctively that he was a decent ood man
Like Cooper
Suddenly the vision of George walking aas blocked by a man
I blinked, as the e’s stool
I was about to tell hinition
Jack Devlin
Bailey hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d first told me about Jack He was a handsome devil The day I’d bumped into him at the music festival I couldn’t help but s
Of course I lost hts as soon as I realized who he was
Right then he wasn’t s at me
He wore a cold, blank expression that I found“What do you want?”
He shrugged “Just saying hello”
“Hello Now you can leave”
That earned me a hint of a smirk “Last I heard, you and Cooper were broken up”
“So?”
“So that means we can talk”
“No, it doesn’t”
“You’re still loyal to him?” He scrutinized me
“So loyal that if you don’t get your ass off that stool I’ to make him, since he had half a foot on me, but I’d try!
Jack took a swig of his beer in reply, looking around the bar casually as if I hadn’t just threatened him with bodily harm
“Well?”
He flicked his gaze back to o Just after the music festival, actually”
“I don’t care what you and Dana get up to,” I snapped
He shrugged again “Just thought youthat the reason she came to me was you”
“Oh?” I said, dryly, still not giving a shit
“She wanted me to seduce you” His eyes hardened with dark humor “Seduce you Those were the exact words she used”
Fury hto use what he knows about you”
I tensed, thrown by the sharp subject change And then by the knowledge that Jack knew, too
I started to tremble
Shit I had to get to Cooper I had to tell him
“And why is that?”
“You broke up with Cooper You’re no longer of any use That doesn’t ood resource when he sees it He’ll keep that inforain”
Disgust roiled through me “You son of a bitch Both of you”
Jack shrugged, his eyes narrowing in the direction where George had gone
Reliefhis way back to me
Jack got off the stool but rounded the table to face me
I tensed as he studied me, and then he offered quietly, “Cooper’s liquor license”
“What?”
He gave me a pointed look, his face hard with frustration “Cooper’s Liquor License”
And that hen understanding dawned e him a sad smile “Sometimes women in love are fools”