“You did good, Owens. She’s a keeper.”
“So, you trust her?”
“Until she shows me any differently, I think I know enough to comfortably hire her in your place. Don’t you? She was your top choice, right?”
“Yes, she was my top choice.”
Coop walks over to the large bay window in the common area and stares at the street below us with his back to me. I can’t help but take a few moments to think about what my sisters would say if they were here at this moment. Coop may be a lot of things, not all of them good, but one thing I could never deny is that he is hot.
Today he’s wearing a casual white tee and a pair of jeans that look like they were tailor fit for his physique. The simplicity of his outfit plays up the definition of his upper body and the sleek lines of his long athletic legs. His hair is loose and a bit messy which only adds to his laid-back sexiness.
“I realize that attending training camp has never been your favorite responsibility,” he says still facing the window. “You can skip it today if you want.”
“Skip it?”
“Yeah, might as well let Jane jump right in the deep end. That’s how you learned.” He turns to me. “Remember?”
I do remember. I was so nervous, so determined to do a good job, and constantly looking for Coop’s approval.
“You’re right, that is how I learned.”
He moves closer to me, and I find myself stumbling a step or two back.
“Unless you want to go with us today?” he asks tentatively.
“If you want me to go I’ll go. Whatever you need to make this easier for everyone.”
“Easier.” He parrots back the word almost as if it’s almost ridiculous.
“Yes, easier.”
He pauses for a moment then turns back around to the window. His demeanor completely nonchalant again.
“Well I don’t think I need the two of you there today, so theeasiestthing would be for Jane to go and for you to hang back.”
My eyes almost well up.
“Fine.”
“I’ll talk to you later then.”
“Sure … I guess while the two of you are at practice, I can go to your house and make sure your food service is delivered for the week. Maybe put it away in the deep freezer for you.”
“Thanks for that but I didn’t want to bother you with work that the maid can easily handle. I should have never asked you to do that anyway, so I had her come in today to accept the deliveries.”
“Oh.” My voice cracks.
Finally, Jane returns from the bathroom.
“I’m ready, Mr. Barnes.”
Coop abruptly turns to grab his things.
“Tito, we’re ready!”
When the three of them walk away together and only Tito looks back at me, I feel a crushing pain in my chest. The ache takes me by surprise. I’m not sure if I’m being territorial, possessive, or what. The decision to leave was supposed to feel liberating, but all that it feels like at this point is freakin’ lousy.
* * *
