I'd respected his wishes for a long time, but if he was going to give me shit about Reina, then his personal life was fair game.
I just remembered how my mom had warned us against pushing him for more information about his home life.She wanted him to feel safe at our house.I hadn't understood what she'd meant when I was a kid.But I listened to her because she was so emphatic about it.
But now?Cooper was an adult, and I wanted to know what was going on with him.It would also distract me from ruminating on the situation with Reina.
I felt like a jerk for avoiding Reina, but I'd vowed to protect her, not take advantage of her in a vulnerable state.She had a roof over her head, and I'd secured a vehicle for her.Other than that, I needed to keep my distance from her so I didn't do something I'd regret.
Tom didn't need to be worried about me screwing around with his sister while he was deployed.When he came home on leave, I wanted to be able to say his sister was safe, and I'd made sure of it.
The only way to accomplish that was to keep my distance.I couldn't be attracted to someone I didn't spend any time with.
Chapter7
Reina
Morgan texted me this morning, letting me know that I could expect a truck to be delivered to the house today.After the first night I moved in, he'd been working late and leaving early in the morning so that we almost never crossed paths.I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or if it was his usual work schedule.And I didn't have anyone to ask.
I hoped I wasn't making him uncomfortable.Maybe I should've looked for another place to stay.The problem was that most of the other shop owners lived in small one-bedroom or studio apartments above their stores or had moved in with their significant others.I didn't want to intrude on a new-couple situation.
I thought it would be complicated to live with Morgan, but he was making it easier by making himself scarce.
I suspected the truck was his way of not having to drive me everywhere.But it meant that I could get to the town hall's kitchen today without begging for a ride from someone.So I was grateful.
I'd focus on building my catering and online ordering business.The sooner I could get a place of my own, the better.
I showered and made breakfast, sipping my coffee while I waited for the truck to arrive.When the truck pulled in, Cooper was driving, and another Sterling truck pulled in behind him.He came to the door and knocked.
When I opened the door, Cooper handed the keys to me.
"I can't thank you enough for this."
He stuffed his hands in his pockets."It was Morgan's idea."
"How much do you want for the truck?I could rent it until the bakery reopens."
Cooper chuckled."It's a gift.Or at least that's what I think Morgan intended.He just said to bring you the truck, and here it is."
"Thank you for taking the time to drive it here.I wanted to get to the kitchen today to bake.My clients will appreciate that I'm able to keep up with their orders."
His brow furrowed."How are you doing?"
"I'm okay.I wish it hadn't happened, but Morgan said the bakery will be better when it reopens."
"Yeah, he said you wanted to do some upgrades."
"I might as well get exactly what I want.And I have the catering business to keep me busy in the meantime.Otherwise, I'd be bored out of my mind."
He raised a brow."How's it living with Morgan?"
I laughed."Not bad since he's never here.I saw him the first night when I moved in, and that was about it.I had the girls over though, so maybe they scared him away.We baked chocolate chip cookies and drank wine.It was exactly what I needed."
He studied me for a second."I wondered why Morgan's working long hours all of a sudden.”
I tipped my head to the side, not understanding his meaning."That's not normal for him?"
"He says he wanted to get our current jobs completed so he can focus on the bakery as soon as the investigation is done."
"That's really nice of him."That was different than thinking he was avoiding me.
