I blinked, jerked out of my thoughts. There was a spark of hopefulness in Bailey’s expression and I recognized it as an ember from a matchmaking fire. I rolled my eyes. “I’m here for three weeks. I’m not here for a relationship.”
“Yes, but clearly friendship is in the cards.” She gestured between us. “So why can’t you be friends with him, too?”
It was complicated. But Bailey didn’t need to know about the complicated so I told her what she wanted to hear. “I guess I can.”
Bailey seemed happy with that answer and from there she led me off the boardwalk through Main Street. She told me more about the town, its people, and her family as we shopped and explored. By the time evening was falling, she led me back to Antonio’s for dinner. The place was packed, and Iris and Ira were too busy to stop and chat with us. I had their delicious pepperoni pizza and enjoyed the family atmosphere of the place.
“So all day I’ve been talking your ear off,” Bailey said after swallowing a forkful of pasta. “And I haven’t learned anything more about you other than you were a surgical resident—I repeat: I’m in awe—before you took the job at the prison. What about family? Friends? This not-really-a-relationship thing you have going with some guy?”
The pizza I was currently chewing became tough and hard to swallow. I felt cold all of a sudden, and a familiar tremble started in my hands. I was never very good at fielding personal questions. I wasn’t exactly what you’d call an open book. Taking my time, keeping my expression neutral, I finally managed to swallow my food. I hid my hands under the table so she couldn’t see them tremble. “I don’t have any family left. Not blood, anyway. My best friend, Matthew, is my family. He lives in Iowa, where we grew up.”
Bailey’s eyes were bright with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Jess. You don’t have to talk about them.”
“Thanks. It was hard losing them, but Matthew has always been there for me and because of him I have Perry, my goddaughter, and she’s just an adorable devilish angel.”
She grinned at my description. “Do you get to see her a lot?”
“Not as much as I’d like.” Partly my fault because of my work schedule and also because I didn’t like going back to Iowa. “But we FaceTime a lot.”
“And what about back in Wilmington? What about this guy?”
As we moved onto this safer topic, I felt the cold begin to leave me and my trembling eased. “Andrew. He’s a cardiothoracic surgeon. We met at the hospital while I was a resident. The hours were so insane—even worse than my hours now—it was impossible to have any kind of relationship with someone who wasn’t a doctor. And honestly I didn’t want a relationship. I still don’t. I like my autonomy and Andrew gets that. He gets all of it. We’re friends with benefits.” I thought about that term and snorted. “Except we’re not really friends, either.”
Bailey surveyed me. “And how long have you two been benefiting each other?”
I chuckled at the way she phrased the question. “We started a few years back and then he met someone so we stopped for the length of their relationship. That was about a year. He decided he didn’t want a serious relationship after all and so we started up our thing again.”
“And close friends in Wilmington?”
Until I arrived in Hartwell I hadn’t realized how much I lacked a social life back in Wilmington. I had no time for the realization to dawn on me. “You know, it occurs to me that I don’t have a whole lot going on in my social calendar. I have colleagues that I like, but we don’t go out or spend our free time together. I work long hours.”
This garnered me a worried look.
“It’s fine,” I said, but her expression didn’t change. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just glad you came here.”
“Why?”
She shrugged and gave me this secretive, mischievous smile. “I just am.”
NINE
Cooper
It was a fact that the coffee at Emery’s was better than the coffee Cooper had at the bar. On days he wanted that coffee bad enough he would hit Emery’s place first, before work, and he did this knowing he’d have to endure the painful shyness of the owner.
That day was no different from any other. As soon as he stepped into the bookstore-coffeehouse, Emery blushed from the base of her neck to her hairline at the sight of him and lowered her eyes.
It would have been cute if her discomfort didn’t make him so uncomfortable.
“Morning, Emery,” he said, approaching the counter. “I’ll have the usual.”
She nodded, her gaze aimed somewhere over his shoulder. In the entire time he’d known Emery Saunders he thought maybe she’d made eye contact with him once. Cooper would never understand it. She was a few years younger than him, probably about thirty or so, beautiful, and she’d managed to open her own business at a really young age. All of that should have given her plenty of confidence, maybe even a hint of arrogance, but as far as Cooper could see, Emery had none of that.
The first time he came into her coffeehouse, years back, he thought maybe she was attracted to him because of the way she blushed when he talked to her, but over time he came to realize she was shy with most folks, especially men. She blushed that pretty color of pink when Jack spoke to her, too.
He frowned. No need to think of that son of a bitch. But it was a hard habit to break, considering the man had been his best friend for the bigger part of his life.
“Anything else?” Emery said quietly, still not meeting his eyes.
“No, angel, that’s it.” He paid up, getting out of her place fast like always. It might make him a dick, but that woman was hard to be at ease around. He felt like his presence tortured her, considering the way she whispered or stammered around him. He felt he was being nicer getting the hell out of her way as quickly as possible so she could go back to breathing normally.
Cooper stepped outside her store and sipped at his coffee.
Pure heaven in a cup.
Made the awkwardness from the owner worth it.
Coffee in hand, he started walking toward his bar. His footsteps almost faltered, however, when he recognized the figure waiting under the bar awning.
Think of the devil and he shall appear.
Fucking Jack.
He felt a familiar cold hardness settle inside him and coil around his muscles, like it always did these days whenever he encountered his ex-friend around town.
“Here on business.” Jack held up his hands defensively.
Cooper’s anger toward Jack was so controlled he managed to keep his face blank. He stopped mere inches from him, sending a message by getting in his personal space. That message was, You don’t bother me, asshole; you’re not even on my radar. He sipped casually at his coffee as Jack stared back at him just as impassively. Ignoring the ugly regret in his gut, Cooper finally said, “And Ian thought it was a good idea to send you?”
Jack shrugged. “I gave up trying to figure out how my father’s mind works a long time ago.”
“And yet you work for the bastard?” Something Cooper never could understand.
Sidestepping his remark, Jack said, “He’s upping his offer on the bar.”
Jesus Christ, what was it with the people in his life that they couldn’t take a hint? First Dana. Now Ian. It was good he had control over his anger because right now it wanted to simmer a little too close to the surface. He stepped even farther into his old friend’s space to drive home his point. “You tell your father what I’ve told him every year since the bar became mine . . . I. Am. Not. Selling. And while I’ve got breath in my body I never will. You tell him if he ever comes back here with another offer, he and I will have a serious problem.”
Jack nodded, face still blank, stepped back, and then walked away.
No fight. No argument. No cajoling.
This was the first year
Ian Devlin had sent Jack to make his case. It was also the first year Cooper had gotten rid of a Devlin boy in under a minute. Usually they tried to irritate him into considering an offer for the bar.
He frowned, watching Jack walk away.
Nothing about his old friend’s behavior made sense.
Unlocking the bar, Cooper took a moment after shutting the door behind him. His adrenaline was up. He wanted to throw his coffee at the wall or punch his fist through it. Anything to expel the horrible burn in his blood.
He took a sip of the coffee. Reminded himself that the coffee was too good to be wasted over Devlin.
But it wasn’t Ian Devlin’s persistence that had pissed him off.
As always, it was seeing Jack.
He just couldn’t figure that shit out.
Thirty years he’d known Jack, ever since they were six years old and Jack defended him during recess when a bigger kid was picking on Cooper. Despite the fact that Jack was a Devlin and came from the moneyed south side of Hartwell, and Coop didn’t have much and came from the north side, they’d become best friends. And then as they got older they realized they had more in common than they thought—they both had really shitty fathers. Cooper’s took off and Ian Devlin might as well have taken off, too, for how little attention he paid to his wife, his third son, and his daughter. By the time Cooper and Jack were teenagers their lives were actually pretty similar. They were both on the football team, were both popular, both had part-time jobs, and more importantly both looked out for their mothers and sisters. Cooper was the man of his house. Jack was the only man in his house that seemed to give a real damn about his mom and sister.
As far as Cooper was concerned Jack Devlin was his brother and they had a bond stronger than most. They’d had each other’s back always. Jack cried by his side at Cooper’s mother’s funeral and helped him take care of all the arrangements.
For Christ’s sake, he’d even tried to talk him out of getting serious with Dana.
“She’s no good, Coop. You keep thinking there’s something deep buried under all that pretty, but that woman is as shallow as a kiddie pool.”
It was the only time they’d fought about anything. Jack apologized soon after, but he’d never been very warm toward Dana.
Jack had been the truest man he knew.
Until suddenly he quit his job and started working for his old man—something he’d sworn his whole life he’d never do. Cooper knew then something was up, but Jack got distant and closed off, wouldn’t talk about it at all.
And then he’d fucked Dana.
Cooper had to wonder if Jack had secretly been attracted to his wife the whole time . . . but that didn’t sit right. He knew how Jack was with women he was attracted to. At least he’d thought he did.
He’d thought he’d known Jack Devlin better than anyone.
Turned out he never knew him at all.
And that was the betrayal that cut the deepest.
That was what hurt the most.
Not losing Dana.
But losing his best friend. His brother.
Pain Cooper kept buried deep shot up and across his chest.
“Fuck,” he muttered, wincing.
He took a fortifying gulp of coffee and willed that pain back down.
That evening the bar was the busiest it had been in a while. It was closing in on high season and his business was feeling it. The place was filled with regulars and tourists now.
The busyness of the place was the reason he was trying to curb his irritation with his waitress as she rounded the bar from the staff room, tying on her apron.
“Lil, you’re late. Again.”
She flushed at his scowl and threw him a pretty, pleading smile. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t get my car to start.”
Damn it, she couldn’t even come up with decent excuses. “What? That brand-new Toyota you can’t really afford?”
She flushed again and hurried to clear away plates. The kitchen was now closed, but an hour back they could have really used her.
“Done, boss.” Crosby appeared at the end of the bar. He gave Cooper a nod, clapped Old Archie on the shoulder, and headed out. That was Crosby’s way these days. He kept himself to himself. Cooper tried not to worry about his cook. Not while he was in the middle of worrying about his waitress.
She was becoming a problem. The kind of problem he liked to avoid in his life. He decided to do just that and took an order from Riley, who had been filling in for Lily out on the floor.
“Good thing I’m a multitasker,” Riley said as he poured the two gin and tonics she’d ordered. “It’s getting busy.”
Doesn’t help when you have a waitress taking advantage of you, he grumbled to himself.
Riley smirked as if she’d read his thoughts. “Boss, you do what you need to do,” she said pointedly as she took the drinks.
He shot a brooding look over at Lil. She was smiling as she jotted down a drinks order.
She was a nice girl, good at the job when she actually turned up on time . . . and he hated firing people.
The door to the bar opened and in stepped the distraction Cooper needed.
The doc.
His whole being became alert at the sight of Jessica walking into the bar with Bailey and Tom.
It had been a week since he had seen her and he had to admit he’d thought about Jessica often, hoping she’d come into the bar again. The more time passed without seeing her, the more his resolve grew that if she didn’t come in soon he’d go in search of her himself.
“Coop.” Bailey grinned as she approached the bar with Tom and Jessica in tow. “How’s it going?” She slid onto a stool. Tom took the stool on her left while Jessica took the one on her right.
As always he was happy to see Bailey. She was like a little sister to him. Sweetest, funniest, most outspoken woman he knew. His eyes slid to Tom Sutton. The guy worked for a small Web-based company in Dover. He and Cooper were different types of guys so they didn’t spend a lot of time together, but he seemed to make Bailey happy, and that was all that mattered.
He nodded at Tom and he grinned back.
Then Cooper’s gaze slid to the doc. His eyes drifted over her pretty face and that fantastic hair of hers, and then down.
His blood heated.
She was wearing a dark red shirt and the top few buttons were undone, showing off her cleavage. He instantly imagined what lay underneath the shirt.
Lust stirred within him, but he kept it under control when he lifted his gaze to hers. “Evening, Doc. Nice to see you again.”
“You, too,” she said in that soft, sultry voice.
Damn, he’d forgotten how much he liked the sound of her voice.
“What’s your poison tonight?”
“I’ll have a Long Island.”
Bailey shot the doc an envious look. “Ooh, that sounds good. But I shouldn’t. I’m technically ‘on call’ tonight and I’ll get drunk on a Long Island. I’ll just have a white wine.”
“You need more staff.” Tom sighed. “You need your life back.” He turned to Cooper. “I’ll have my usual.”
He got to work getting their drinks, all the while listening in on the conversation. Mostly to hear Jessica talk.
“The inn is my life,” Bailey said.
“A building is not your life.”
Cooper would have to disagree with Tom on that. The bar was his life. He knew exactly where Bailey was coming from.
“Since my business is inside that building, then yes, it is my life. It’s not all my life, but it’s a pretty damn big part of it.”
“Look at Jessica,” Tom said. “I mean, she’s a doctor and she has managed to find time to live her life.”
“Uh, what do you mean by she’s a doctor? Are you belittling what I do for a living?”
“And
I should say that I take one vacation a year . . . the rest of the time I work . . . a lot . . .” Jessica added.
“No, I wasn’t belittling you, sweetheart,” Tom said, ignoring the doc. “What you’ve done with the inn is amazing. I just worry about you.”
Cooper turned back with the Long Island as Bailey gave Tom a small kiss on the lips.
“I’m fine,” she promised.
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, seeming to share some private communication, Cooper looked at the doc and was instantly arrested by what he saw on her face.
Not only was there a hint of longing there, but also a strange mix of curiosity and sadness.
She glanced over at him, caught him studying her, and immediately wiped her expression.
Interesting.
“Your Long Island, Doc.” He put it on the counter in front of her.
“Thanks.” She refused to meet his eyes.
“Boss,” Lily called from down the bar.
Riley was busy making up another drinks order so Cooper reluctantly moved away from Jessica to take Lily’s order.
All the time he was working he shot surreptitious looks Jessica’s way. From his viewpoint it would appear as if she and Bailey had known each other their whole lives. They sat close and chatted with ease and familiarity, laughing together at whatever Tom was saying to them.
Finally he got a break to move back up the bar to them.
“So, Doc,” he interrupted. “You enjoying Hartwell?”
The Long Island must have hit her pretty fast because she gave him a far more open smile than the one she’d given him earlier. “I love it. Good people.” She nudged Bailey with her shoulder and Bailey chuckled. “Good views. Good restaurants. Good atmosphere. I’ve never been somewhere that is such a close-knit community. You’re all like one big family here. I feel like you’d probably do anything for each other. I’m kind of envious.” She grinned. “And quite frankly this is the best Long Island I’ve ever had.”
He nodded at the compliment. “Glad you’re enjoying it. You want another?”
The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk) Page 10