“You’re mad again,” Scarlett murmured, matching his stride as he headed for the garden gate.
“No.” He sighed. “Maybe.” He shook his head. “Not really mad. Just processing all of it.”
Her hand brushed his shoulder, so achingly familiar. “We’ll tell her.”
“Okay.”
But telling Cora was only the start. He wanted to be a part of her life, wanted to give her the world. Scarlett too, if she’d have him. And if he said all of that right now, they’d likely wind up in an argument easily overheard by Cora.
“We need some time alone to talk,” he said. “Soon.”
“I know.”
“Good.” He went to work on the gate and Scarlett eventually walked away. He could just hear the two of them around front. Somehow, he’d figure out the next step. Because there wasalwaysa solution. And this problem was worth every ounce of attention and focus he could bring.
Scarlett and Cora were his family. He felt the truth of that in every beat of his heart. He was a father already in love with thelittle girl who had no idea of his place in her life. And, Scarlett wasthe one. He’d let her slip through his fingers once, but not again.
Together, they would figure it out. He would prove that she could count on him, beyond today. For more than just part time. He wanted the whole package, a full and complete family, for the rest of his life.
He might’ve lost his career direction, but as he looked around at Scarlett’s home, he realized he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
CHAPTER 7
On book club night Scarlett walked into Palmetto Perk ten minutes late, her pulse thundering in her ears. She’d left Cora in Cooper’s care. At her house. Wishful thinking or pure idiocy? The world may never know.
Maybe the wishful thinking was that there would be a day when he wasn’t at her home. Since he and his toolbox arrived, it seemed she was constantly tripping over him, or preparing to meet him for another fun outing.
Of course she trusted him. Mostly. But what if he slipped up or Cora asked a pointed question and suddenly the dad word was out there—a bomb detonated before she was ready? She owed him a conversation about this, but it was hard to carve out the time that would change her world forever.
He’d been attentive and wonderful with Cora. The two of them were like peas in a pod and although her heart positively delighted in that undeniable connection, her gut churned with worry.
It was all well for now. But how much would her daughter hurt when he left? And he would leave. He’d come to Brookwell for the month and eventually that time would run out. She had no doubt he would get another offer to guide the next generationof bright minds. Cooper wasn’t built for small-town life. He didn’t fit in with the roots she’d given Cora or the vision she had for where and how to raise their daughter.
Through it all, he’d been a perfect gentleman with her. He didn’t get too close, didn’t make any familiar advances, which meant all this pent-up attraction had nowhere to go. It was making her mad enough to growl at inopportune moments.
This was insanity.
Her house smelled different with him in it so frequently, his masculine scent mingling with the vanilla candles she usually lit to relax. It left her edgy, and tiptoeing around the persistent evidence that the sanctuary she’d created for herself and Cora had been breached.
“You look like you haven’t slept in days,” Holly said with somber concern when Scarlett dropped into a chair. “And you’re late. That’s two strikes against your typical orderly behavior.”
“It’s been a week,” she muttered.
Grace nudged a cup of her favorite tea within reach. “Want to talk about it?”
Yes!“No, thanks. I’m good.” Everyone was already reading and that’s what they were here to do. She wouldn’t wreck this special time with her problems. What advice could they offer? Legally, Cooper was entitled to see his daughter. He’d never had the opportunity to revoke his parental rights. Knowing him, seeing him with Cora, she knew he’d hire an attorney if she didn’t come around. He’d probably hire someone anyway, just to keep the solution civilized.
Civilized solutionswere slipping further from her reach.
There were moments when she could believe this temporary happy family vibe was real. Moments when she wanted it to be real. And then reality would smother her, making it hard to breathe through the inevitable pain of his next departure.
She pulled her own book out of the bag, but suddenly the true crime held zero appeal. She swallowed the urge to growl, reaching instead for her tea and opening her book. But the words didn’t inform or entertain. They dissolved and scattered like ants across the pages.
She was the bad guy here, the villain of this drama unfolding right under her nose. A runaway train she’d never stop in time.
She’d kept her secret for all the right reasons, no one would convince her otherwise. But now that Cooper knew the truth, keeping it from Cora would only backfire. Maybe not today, but tomorrow, next month, or next year.
The precise timing was irrelevant. Scarlett would shatter if her daughter resented her for the choices she made in this moment. Cora’s needs superseded her desire. Either she’d find a way to co-parent with Cooper or she’d break the precious bond with her daughter.
