“Of course. She’s a bright and curious child. Yours in so many ways,” Scarlett added. And she’d only ever said good things about Cooper, without sharing his name.
“I suppose you’ve told her I died or something.”
She laughed. “No. I’ve told her she has a father who loves her, but he works far away and we can’t be together.”
Cooper snorted. “You expect that to hold up?”
“Not forever. But it’s one piece of the truth she can understand right now.”
“This isn’t a mid-life crisis. Memories of you brought me back. I wanted to be in a place where I felt happy.” The admission surprised her. “This isn’t a vacation, it’s more of a reset,” he continued. “The college closed.”
She recognized that look in his eyes. He’d come up with an idea and he wouldn’t be dissuaded. Solution mode. The anger might’ve faded, but not the intensity.
“I want to know my daughter, Scarlett.” His determination was clear. “I’m not going anywhere,” the level tone sent a chill down her spine. “I have all the time we need to catch up and set things right.”
For him maybe. Introducing him to Cora’s life couldn’t end well for her. “I see.”
“You will.”
Goose bumps raced across her skin. She was sure he didn’t mean to make that sound like a threat. But it did. He was a threat to everything: her heart, her future, and their daughter’s world.
He embodied the change she knew was inevitable. Her darkest secret was out, the vault was open, and her quiet, guarded life was over.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he said.
“And?”
“Do you have plans?”
“No.” She wanted to kick the honesty right out of herself. His grin only intensified the urge. “Why?”
“Because I’m coming over to help with a few things around here.”
“What things?”
He studied the house behind her. “Whatever you need.” His brow flexed. “Do you have basic tools?”
“Of course.” What did he take her for, some helpless damsel? “We’re not telling her tomorrow.”
“Agreed. Tomorrow I’ll still be your friend she met at the bakery.”
He had handled that well. “Fine.”
“I’ll bring coffee and breakfast and lend a hand.”
Before she could sputter any kind of reply tothat, the man was striding away and she was currently too emotionally exhausted to give chase.
CHAPTER 6
Cooper stood at the edge of the oyster-shell driveway, his own small toolbox—a battered, steel relic handed down from his grandfather—weighing down his right arm. He’d kept it with him through every move since he’d left home.
Today, he paused to study Scarlett’s house without the filter of a panicked confrontation blurring his vision. Though his stomach jumped and he wasn’t sure a second cup of coffee was a good idea, he could see she’d created a sanctuary. The weathered cypress siding silvered by the salt air, the vibrant hibiscus bushes, and those mismatched light fixtures flanking the door blended into an eclectic warm welcome.
Those mismatched lanterns really should’ve been off-putting. One iron, one copper, they should’ve clashed. Instead, they were perfect. Inviting. She’d made a bold choice, and as he stepped closer, he could see she’d installed both lights with a steady hand.
He wasn’t sure what was more terrifying: the fact that he was about to spend the day with a daughter who didn’t know his true role in her life, or the fact that he was starting to realize he didn’t know the woman Scarlett had become at all.
His assumptions, then and now, were catching up to him.
