Jilted

  "How long has that been?" Coop asks, and it actually dismays me slightly he doesn't know. I guess he never looked backward at me.

  "About eight years," I tell him. "I was getting too old for modeling and frankly, I was getting burned out."

  "Twenty-four is too old for modeling?" Coop blurts out as his head turns to me with surprise.

  Laughing, I nod. "Yeah, the industry isn't kind to aging. Particularly in high fashion."

  He turns back to the pancakes and starts to flip them. "How old were you when you did the Sports Illustrated cover?"

  "That was one of my last modeling gigs," I tell him. "So right around twenty-four, I think."

  "Well you sure didn't look old then," he mutters as he flips a pancake.

  "You saw that issue?" I ask curiously.

  "Well, yeah," he says as he looks over his shoulder with a grin. "There wasn't a man in Newberry that didn't get a copy I think. And for the record, at thirty-two, you could still grace the cover in my humble opinion."

  And just like that, my esteem reinflates knowing that Coop has keep track of me somewhat, and that compliment right there tells me he still thinks I'm attractive. That's a nice feeling to have, especially when I've been questioning all the things that are wrong with me that could have caused Brad to cheat.

  I take another small sip of the bourbon and decide to ask something that's been on my mind heavily. "Coop...what happened with the fire and your dad?"

  Coop's shoulders droop a bit from a silent sigh, but he turns from the pancakes and looks me square in the eye and with no hesitation. "He and I were working a crew over at the middle school, and he was around the back doing some trimming when he saw the smoke. Apparently it started in the cafeteria kitchen and spread across the back of the entire building.

  I blow out a distressed breath. There are classrooms on the back to left of the cafeteria.

  "He ran in," Coop continues, glances at the pancakes, and then looks back to me. "Hell, we all did once we realized what was going on, helping to usher the kids out until the fire department got there."

  "You went in too?" I whisper.

  "Our entire crew did," Coop says with a wave of his spatula. "They're all good guys."

  "What happened?" I ask, not wanting to know, but really needing to know. I had no clue Coop was there to witness this, and I'm horrified beyond the max to think of him being there.

  Coop turns away from me, and for a moment I think it might be too painful for him, but he merely reaches into a cupboard to pull out two plates. He starts moving the cakes off the griddle as he talks. "Dad went back in one time too many. We were pretty sure we had everyone out, but the fire department wasn't there yet. He wanted to make sure."

  "Did you try to stop him?"

  Coop shakes his head, turns off the burner, and brings the plates to the kitchen island. He'd previously set out utensils, butter, and syrup. He pushes a plate across to me and doesn't bother taking a seat, instead preferring to stand on the opposite side of me so we can maintain eye contact. He takes another slug of his bourbon, draining the glass with a hiss through his teeth, and then sets it down.

  He starts to put butter and syrup on his pancakes, then answers my question. "I didn't know he'd done it. I was on one side of the school helping teachers wrangle kids and make sure they were at their designated spots. Dad was on the other side, but if I knew he was going in again, I would have stopped him. But you know him, Eden...stubborn cuss. A hero to the end."

  My heart feels so heavy with sorrow I want to burst into tears. Coop Senior was the nicest man. Raised an amazing boy on his own who became my first love. For a clear moment, I have a wave of pure regret for ever leaving Coop, and thereby not returning to Newberry after college. I would have been happy here with people I respected and cherished. Instead, I got swept up in the most bizarre lifestyle that both brought me incredible joy, but also almost broke me on more than one occasion.

  "They say he was probably overwhelmed with smoke and got disoriented," Coop continues without me asking nosy questions. "Official cause of death was smoke inhalation."

  "It's hard to make sense of," I murmur as I stare down at my pancake. "An unfair waste of a good man."

  Coop gives me a smile that's both sad and accepting at the same time. "It wasn't a waste."

  "What?"

  "There was a little boy he found who had gotten separated from his class," Coop said softly. "He was unconscious but still alive. Dad got him out, and went right back in, afraid there could be more. He never came back out."

  My hand comes to my mouth and my eyes fill with tears. I suck in a breath and drop my hand. "Oh, Coop...I'm just so sorry. I know how close you were to your dad. I feel even more wretched about what happened when the town council reached out to me."

  Coop stares at me for a moment and I can't guess what emotion I'm watching form in his blue eyes. Finally he gives me a smile as he pours syrup on his pancakes. "Hey, it's all water under the bridge. But I think you should stick around. You clearly needed an escape, you've got the master suite, and I'm working most of the time so you'll have the place to yourself. You can get some rest and relaxation."

  "It's been forever since I took a vacation," I admit wistfully.

  When I left LA, it wasn't with the idea of having any "me time." It was pure escapism, but Coop has a point. I've got some appearances scheduled that can be moved or canceled, and I'm seriously doubting I'm going to do this movie with Brad. I've got to talk to my attorney about it, though, to see what kind of hit I'll take. It's a such a minor role and involves so few days on set that I doubt they can be too pissed if I back out.

  And then my next big movie starts the month after that, with filming to take place in Europe.

  "You know," I tell him as I forego butter and just stick with syrup. I drizzle it over my pancake and say, "I think maybe I will stay for a few more days and just chill out. I could get lost in the master library and decompress."

  "Before you get too cozy," he says as he cuts into his stack, scooping up a forkful, "want to go fishing tomorrow?"

  "Down at the creek?" I ask as excitement courses through me.

  "I've maintained the trail even though no one but me uses it," he says with a devilish smile. "I could use some downtime too. We'll pack a picnic. Make it a day thing."

  I tilt my head and look at him with curiosity. Just like that, we've slipped into easygoing conversation and we're planning to spend time together tomorrow. I have no clue what this means, but I know it means something if the butterflies in my stomach are any indication.

  Chapter 10

  It's just rebound sex...

  Coop

  I pull a T-shirt over my head before I trot down the stairs. I'd chosen a pair of beat-up khaki shorts as well my oldest pair of tennis shoes to hike down to the creek. I'm strangely excited to be going fishing with Eden today. I'm going to make breakfast for us first, then I'll put together a picnic lunch. I heard Eden's shower running just now and I know she'll be down soon. She might be a famous actress and world-renowned model, but I know Eden...she won't be putting on makeup or airs to go fishing. I'll be getting the country girl today.

  Funny. For fourteen years, I've not thought about her that much. I haven't seen her movies, and yes, I ogled the cover of Sports Illustrated, but that's because all the dudes in town were. I didn't stay up to speed on her famous life unless someone in town mentioned it to me, and I went on with my not-so-famous one.

  It isn't that we didn't love each or that we didn't want it to work. But we were only eighteen and our goals took us in two different directions, so it just wasn't workable. I stayed in school while Eden dropped out and traveled the world as a model. We really tried to make the long-distance thing work, but it wasn't long before it was clear that it wouldn't.

  Still didn't mean it didn't hurt on both sides, I'm sure.

  Just as I hit the landing, someone knocks on the front door. I don't even hesitate to reach out and open it, although
I can't imagine who it could be.

  The smile brought on by excitement for the day slides right off my face when I see Ashley standing there, and she looks pissed.

  "I deserve a better explanation than what you gave me last night," she demands with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping a hundred miles an hour on the wooden porch.

  I sigh heavily, because after Eden went to bed stuffed on pancakes, I did indeed call Ashley last night to end things between us. "I thought I was pretty clear when we talked."

  "You canceled our date we'd set for tonight," she snaps. "And when I asked you when we could reschedule, you said we couldn't."

  I shove one hand into my pocket and hold the doorknob with my other, effectively communicating that there's no invite to come in. "Ashley, we talked for a long time last night. The first fifteen minutes you were pissed. The second fifteen minutes, you were crying. But when we hung up after another fifteen minutes, you told me you understood that our time together was over."

  This was all true. While I might have not one ounce of heartburn over cutting Ashley loose because I just wasn't invested in her emotionally, I knew that wasn't the case with her. Even though I'd been clear from the start about my feelings, I knew she cared about me, so I gave her whatever time she wanted to take to work it out on the phone. I was trying to be a decent guy.

  Granted, I could have gone to her house and told her face-to-face, but I'm not perfect.

  "I don't get it," she whines as she uncrosses her arms. She reaches out, puts her hands on my hips. "We're good together."

  "In bed."

  "Huh?" she asks dumbfounded.

  "We're good together in bed," I reiterate. "But that's all it was, and you know it. We've talked about this. I've not promised you one thing."

  The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs hits my ears, and I brace when I hear Eden call out, "I cannot wait to get out there and start fishing."

  Ashley's hands fall from my hips and she steps to the side to look past my shoulder. I turn and look too, trying to make myself not slobber over how fucking good Eden looks coming down in clothes as ratty as mine, her wet hair in a ponytail and not an ounce of makeup on.

  "Oh, I get it," Ashley snarls as she leans past me to lock eyes with Eden. "You cut it off with me last night so you could fuck her, right?"

  "That is not the reason--" I start to say, but she's having none of it.

  "Get a fucking clue, Coop," Ashley hisses as she turns back to face me. "She's bad news. She doesn't want anything but to use you for a fun time while she's here because we all know how selfish she is. You're nothing more than a rebound to her."

  "Now wait a minute," Eden says coming to her own defense as she comes to a stop right behind me.

  But I need to tell Ashley something I didn't last night in an effort to keep things civil and spare her feelings. My voice booms so I get her attention. "For the record, I did not break up with you last night so I could fuck Eden."

  Ashley blinks at me in stunned surprise and I hear a choking sound from Eden behind me, but I don't dare look at her. So I give it straight to Ashley so she understands fully. "I decided to call it quits with you the minute I heard the things you were saying to Eden at Tilley's. I don't care what you or this town thinks of her, but it was snide, petty, and juvenile, and about the least attractive thing I've ever seen a woman do. That's why I broke up with you."

  If I expected that to put Ashley in her place, I've already forgotten the spectacle she made of herself at Tilley's last night. She sucks in a lungful of air, points a finger at me, and says, "I'll have you know, Cooper Mayfield..."

  I shut the door in her face.

  I do it softly--not a slam--and turn the dead bolt.

  Ashley shrieks on the other side and bangs her fist against the door. I lean back against it and close my eyes briefly as I let out a pent-up breath of agitation.

  "This isn't the last of it," Ashley yells through the door, and then there's a loud thump, which I'm betting is a kick, followed by the sound of her storming off the porch.

  When I open my eyes, they lock with Eden's, which are sparkling with amusement. Her lips are tilted upward but are practically quivering to go higher.

  "Don't even laugh," I warn her.

  She makes a choking sound again, and then finally she just lets out a huge bark of a laugh. And she keeps laughing.

  I can't help it, my lips quirk upward too and I chuckle over the whole nasty confrontation that just went down.

  "Oh God, Coop," Eden says as she sucks in breath through those full lips that are the sexiest thing about her. "I cannot believe you seriously attached yourself to Ashley Barton. She was a hot mess in high school and she hasn't changed much that I can see."

  I push off the door and smirk at her. "I have only two words to say to that. Brad. Wright."

  Eden's face goes slack, her eyes sort of deaden, and her laugh goes silent. I realize I've made a terrible mistake to joke about this man who cheated on her.

  But then Eden's snorts, her eyes crinkle before welling with tears, and she starts laughing even harder, her body bending at the waist as she holds her stomach. I start laughing again too.

  Eden takes one step toward me at the same time I push off the door, and she places one hand on my chest, the other still holding her stomach as she continues to laugh.

  "God that was a shit show earlier this week with Brad," she wheezes as she pats my chest in a friendly manner. "And it was broadcast for the entire world to see."

  "Guess my issues with Ashley are kind of lame in comparison," I mutter with a smile.

  Eden shakes her head, wipes the tears from her eyes, and tries to get herself under control. "Well, she did kick your door very violently."

  "Still lame," I have to admit.

  I get a slight giggle, and then Eden's hand starts to drop from my chest. I'm not sure why my instinct is to grab it to hold it there, but that's exactly what I do. Her smile fades only slightly as she looks at me with curiosity.

  "That shit you just saw with Ashley," I tell her, jerking my other thumb over my shoulder. "That really is nothing compared to what you went through. You were engaged, then cheated on, and then publicly humiliated."

  "Well, gee," Eden says dryly, but I hear the humor in her voice. "I'd almost forgotten all about that until you brought it back up."

  I give her hand a squeeze. "I'm just saying...I know you're going through a shitty time and I'm sorry."

  I can't explain how it feels right now, to be standing so close to Eden...holding her hand against my chest. I can smell her citrusy-smelling shampoo and her green eyes have never looked more beautiful up close. Add in the fact that I know Eden isn't the self-centered person this entire town believed her to be, and in this moment, I don't want to let her go.

  Eden's eyes cut away from mine, looking toward the door. I know I should release her, but I don't. I do, however, resist the urge to bring her in closer. Just a few more seconds of this, then we'll go fishing and all will be fine and dandy between us.

  "What if," Eden says slowly as her gaze raises back up to mine. Her eyes are speculative...maybe with some mischief brewing in there, "you were a rebound?"

  "You came here to have rebound sex with me?" I ask amused with my eyebrow cocked high in disbelief.

  Eden shakes her head and smiles at me impishly. "No, that wasn't on my agenda. But Ashley did bring it up, and seeing as how you're single now, and I'm single now..."

  Her words trail off as I watch bright tinges of red color her cheeks. She drops her eyes, embarrassed, and mumbles, "Forget about it."

  I snake my hand around Eden's waist and jerk her to me, my hand squeezing hers tighter to my chest. Her body presses into mine and she lets out a gasp of surprise. I look down at her, my eyes trying to discern what she really wants.

  Really needs.

  "Eden," I say softly, my entire body tightening from the warmth of her against me. "I know you didn't come here for that, but you b
rought it up. So tell me, exactly what you want and why?"

  She says nothing for a moment, but I can practically see her trying to work it out in her brain. I suspect her bringing up rebound sex was nothing more than a frivolous statement, brought about by us sharing some humor.

  I'm surprised when Eden pushes back from me so suddenly I'm forced to release my hold on her. She walks backward three steps until she comes up against the wall that borders the formal living room off the foyer. She never takes her eyes off me as she places her palms against the wall and leans back against it.

  "You and I have had sex before, and it was good, right?" she asks guardedly.

  At eighteen and losing my virginity to the only girl I've ever loved...yeah, it was pretty fucking great. "It was better than good."

  "But we were young," she continues. "And only months together like that before I left."

  "Okay," I say slowly, not sure where she's going.

  "Well, it's been a long time. You've learned stuff and I've learned stuff. We've...um...broadened our horizons."

  A sudden and not overly unwelcome image of Eden tied up on my bed, blindfolded and gagged while I fuck her from behind, assaults me and I have to blink my eyes to chase it off.

  "What's your point, Eden?" I ask her, because I don't buy this whole "we've both matured and learned stuff, let's get it on" thing she's laying on me.

  She swallows hard, her cheeks pink up again, and she sort of mumbles, "I'm not sure I really learned all that much."

  "Pardon?"

  Her face falls forward, her gaze goes to her feet, and she doesn't answer.

  "Eden...tell me," I coax her.

  When she looks back up, she says, "Well...Brad was cheating on me. That in and of itself implies I wasn't giving him what he needed in bed. And then he's been going around saying exactly that, and that's why he was driven into the arms of another woman."

  My brow furrows in complete disbelief and anger surges through me. "He fucking said that?"

  She nods and continues. "And, well, I've been stewing about that obviously. Obsessing about it really. I'm thirty-two years old and I have no clue if I'm any good at sex. And then...well, Ashley mentioned rebound sex, and there's nothing wrong with rebound sex, right? I mean if you have two consenting adults, and we know the boundaries, and we both like sex--and just so you know, Coop, I do like sex a lot--then there's nothing inherently wrong with it. More than that, though, you and I have history. Intimate history where we once cared for each other very deeply, and I'll admit it...I still do care for you. That's really never gone away. So maybe you and I should...well, have sex so I can know if I'm bad or just stupid at picking a fiance. At least that's my way of thinking, and well, if you think this is just too weird given our history--"