Stone clears his throat behind me. “Cole. Your father is waiting.”
And just like that, Cole’s softened expression hardens instantly. He turns to Stone. I’m not sure if the man is Cole’s driver, bodyguard, or maybe even both. Cole gestures to the car. “Go on. I’ll be right there.”
It’s obvious Stone doesn’t want to leave, but after Cole glares at him long enough, he walks over to the car.
As soon as he’s gone, Cole looks at me, almost pleadingly. “I want to see you.”
My eyes widen. “Well, uh, I’ll have your rent in a few days. I’m working at the diner tonight, and I’ll make enough in tips to cover the rest of it.”
Confused, he shakes his head. “I thought you worked at the animal shelter.”
I nod. “I do. But I work at the diner to pay rent and buy food for the animals.”
He stiffens. “What diner?”
I gesture across the street. “The Old Town Diner.”
His jaw tightens, and he shakes his head as he curses. “Fuck.”
I hold my hands out for Leo. “Can I have my cat now?”
He continues stroking it. “I think Leo likes me.”
I glare at the cat because I can hear him purring from here.Traitor.
He lifts Leo and gently places the cat in my arms.
I hold him to me, wanting and needing something to hold on to.
I gesture to the brick building behind me. “Thank you for giving me some time with all this. And thank you for helping me. I’m sure this was the last thing you needed to do today.”
A phone rings, and Cole pulls it from the pocket of his jacket. “Fuck,” he murmurs. With regret, he shakes his head. “I gotta go. I’m sorry.”
I wave him off. “No, I get it. Go. I’m fine… because of you.”
He opens his mouth to say something and then slams it shut when his phone starts to ring again. He brings the phone up to his ear. “I’m on my way, Father.”
My eyebrows skyrocket as he hangs up the phone without saying goodbye or anything. He pockets the phone. “I gotta go.”
I nod and hold Leo a little tighter. “Bye, Cole Kingston.”
He looks like he doesn’t want to walk away, and for just a second, I wonder if he’s going to request my number or maybe even ask me out on a date or something. But instead, he just lets out a gruff breath. “Bye, Luna.”
He walks away, and I wait for him to turn back to me, but he doesn’t, not once. I stand on the sidewalk, watching the blacked-out SUV drive away. Leo has stopped purring and stretches in my arms. I hold on to him, nuzzling my face against his soft fur and inhaling Cole’s cologne that must have rubbed off on him.
I let out a breath. “Well, Leo, that’s that. It’s time for us to get back inside or I’m going to be late for my shift at the diner.”
He meows like he understands me and doesn’t like what I’m saying. I chuckle. “Yeah, I know, it stinks, but if you want to eat this week, I gotta get to work.”
I glance down the street one more time and then walk inside the shelter and back into real life. Yeah, Cole Kingston saved me temporarily, but that’s all this was.
He may have bought the building, may have pushed back the clock a little bit to give me a little more time, but that doesn’t change anything. My life is early mornings and late nights. Dogs barking, meowing cats, and grease stains from my shifts at the diner. My life is about counting tips and stretching a dollar.Cole lives in a world I know nothing about. There’s no reason I should even daydream about what it would be like to be held in his arms. I square my shoulders, set Leo down, and get back to work. This is my life, and even though it’s nothing glamorous, I have animals depending on me, and I’m going to make the most of it.
CHAPTER 3
COLE
I look at my watch again.
