Epilogue
Hey, turns out the brains of the place is going on vacation with his girl, and I’ve gotta pick up the slack ;) Forward all his emails to me, will you?
-Robbie
I slide the Post-it across Coop’s assistant’s computer screen, cap my pen, and whistle my way to the parking garage.
Good riddance; he’s been a party pooper for weeks on end, and I told him all he needed was to get a little action to snuff out the blow of getting dumped—it’s worked for me so far.
Instead of taking my brilliant advice, he professed his love and hooked a ball and chain around his leg.
If I’m as smart as I know I am, then I’d bet he’s planning to put a ring on it before they get back.
I hop into my Maserati and head over to Coop’s for one last night before he jet-sets on outta here.
He’s got a pile and a half of papers to approve, and I’m not letting him leave me to it.
I’m good at running things, talking up clients, and making the money that we’re swimming in—I’m just not the one to call when that money needs to be managed .
Traffic isn’t too bad considering it’s six on a Friday.
I take the main highway past a giant building that houses one of the fastest growing women’s magazine’s in the country.
I’ve been dying to get some of our client’s ads in there, but I gotta schmooze the editor in chief over there first. I hear she’s single.
Coop is lodged up at a hotel with Maya until he gets a place of his own in her hometown.
He said he finally locked down on something, but it’ll take another few months to get it up to code.
I’d wonder if Maya was just in it for the monetary perks if I hadn’t met her.
I’m an expert in spotting the gold diggers and knew Coop was safe the minute Maya picked the picture she did from the test shoot.
She picked the one that Coop looked the best in, not her.
She definitely had better shots—not that she had any unflattering ones—but I found it sorta interesting that she chose one that focused more on him.
As much as I hate seeing my brother torn away from bachelorhood, he found someone worth giving it up for.
I drive past the garage gate and park next to Maya’s VW bug.
A chuckle rises from my gut from just the image of my big brother trying to squeeze into that thing.
The girl at the front desk has a gorgeous smile as I pass, and I make a mental note to talk to her on my way out.
The few months in mountain city may have been successful for him when it came to dating, but it left me pretty high and dry.
I’m anxious to get back on the horse now that the Cozy King deal is done and I’m back in the hustle and bustle of the city .
I take the elevator up to the top suites, slapping the thick manila folder against my palm and whistling along with the numbers as they climb and climb.
The doors open to a silent hallway, and my footfalls echo around me as I make my way to room 810.
“It’s huge , Cooper,” I hear Maya’s voice through the door, and I pause halfway into knocking.
“How in the world did you fit that in your mouth?”
“Determination,” my brother answers.
“And a craving for meat.”
My eyes bulge, and I rap a knuckle against the wood, holding back a smile for when I get some context around their conversation.
Maya opens the door, her mouth splitting wide when she sees me.
“Hey Robbie,” she says, circling her arms around my shoulders in greeting.
Ain’t gonna lie, that took me some getting used to.
Coop and I were never a hugging type of family, but as soon as he locked Maya down for the long haul, she became extremely relaxed around me.
Her eyes don’t even travel to my scar anymore.
“Babe, your brother’s here,” she calls over her shoulder.
“Send him away! My vacation started when I left the office.”
She makes a face, her nose scrunching up and her tongue slightly poking out as she waves me inside.
I like her more and more every time I see her.
“He’s in a mood, huh?”
“Oh he’s grumpy because I’m making fun of him.” She brings up a maroon book, our high school name embossed on the cover.
“If he didn’t want to laugh, then he shouldn’t have shown me this.”
A chuckle rumbles in the back of my throat and I swap the paperwork Coop’s gotta sign for the yearbook.
“You checking out the hot dog eating contest pictures?”
“It was the only picture there was of him aside from the class pictures.”
I follow her into the suite, flipping through the pages for that particular section.
Coop was known for his big mouth and his math scores; high school isn’t anyone’s finest hour, but for him, it especially wasn’t.
I’m surprised he’s letting Maya look through it at all.
He must really love her.
“Did you get to the class picture yet?”
“No, she hasn’t,” Cooper says as he comes out of the bedroom, his eyes begging me to keep my trap shut, but he should know by now that it’s my job as a younger brother to screw with him.
“He had the worst haircut. You gotta see this one, Maya.”
“It is not as bad as your emo phase.”
Maya giggles at us, sidling up to me and looking over my shoulder as she hands off the paperwork to Cooper.
The moment I find his pic and slap my finger to it, she presses her lips together.
“It’s okay, you can laugh,” I tell her, flicking my gaze up to Coop just in time to see him flip me the bird.
But she doesn’t laugh, only lifts her wide, hazel eyes to my brother.
“You were so cute.”
“Cute?” I counter, ignoring the look of arrogance Coop is now giving me.
“He looks like a Backstreet Boy.”
“Don’t you dare knock BSB,” Maya scolds, and I shake my head.
Teasing him isn’t going to be easy when he’s got a woman here to stroke his ego.
He better realize how lucky he is.
“You hold onto her.” I close the book and drop it on the coffee table.
There’s a heavy weight settling in my gut, and I run a hand over my stomach to alleviate the pressure.
It’s not that I’m not happy for my brother that he’s found his other half.
It’s more like I’m reminded that things are going to be different, and I’ll be honest, life gets lonely as hell when you go from being the main wheel to the third.
I gotta find myself a life outside of work.
“Oh!” Maya says suddenly, jerking me out of my thoughts.
“I think my phone charger is in the bag I left in the car.” A tinkle of metal reaches my ears as she stretches across the kitchen bar for the car keys.
“I’ll be right back.”
Cooper looks up from the forms in his hands.
“Coming with you.”
“I’ll be quick.”
“It’s late, and you’re heading into a parking garage. It’s non-negotiable.”
She laughs and slips on her flip flops even though it’s pretty cold out there.
Coop sets the papers next to the yearbook and puts his own shoes on.
“There’s food in the fridge if you want,” he tells me.
I let out an annoyed sigh.
“I need your signature on those.”
“I know, I know.” He slips into his jacket.
“We’ll be fast.”
The door clicks shut, and I slump into the couch and get comfortable.
I know this whole thing with Maya is new, and his priorities are gonna be all over the place for a while, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying he’ll let his work go from his only priority to his last. I can’t lose my numbers guy.
I lean forward and tap the edge of the forms, eyes drifting over to the yearbook.
I’m in that one, more than just my class picture, too.
I got a full spread on the prom page.
Checking to make sure Maya and Coop aren’t already making their way back, I reach for the book and flip through until I find the dance sections.
We got a full-color yearbook that year, something that the committee was excited about.
I know because one of my best friends was editor, and when she found out, she tackle hugged me in the hallway so hard I bruised.
The prom page is littered with collage pictures of horrible dancing and cheesy grins, none cheesier than the one I’m donning under my crown with Kendyl Green smiling next to me as queen.
She was the one , at least for that year.
My heart thuds thick and heavy as I remember that night, how blissfully unaware I was to someone else’s feelings.
Someone who meant a lot to me, too, but after that we were never the same.
I flip past that page, knowing she isn’t on it; she wasn’t there that night—my fault—and I get to the sophomore class and stop on the Y s.
It’s just one picture, and I can see her in my mind as clearly as I did when we walked through those halls together.
Mousey, bushy brown hair, thick-framed glasses, green and blue braces, and she always wore a pair of brightly colored hoop earrings that could double as bracelets on her thin wrists.
Though I can only see her top half in the picture, I remember the lead stains between her thumb and forefinger from twisting her pencil round and round as she processed everything before writing it down.
I remember her brightly colored tights and overalls.
I remember her toe socks, her rainbow-colored backpack, her very un-cute laugh.
I remember her dropping everything on a dime to help me out with a problem, hanging out on Friday nights, and trying to convince her into toilet papering a house.
She was probably the best friend I ever had, and I was a blind, stupid ass who didn’t know any better.
I let out a long sigh, sinking back into the cushions and running the pad of my thumb over her adorable, fifteen-year-old face.
She probably hasn’t thought of me in years.
Maybe wouldn’t even recognize me if we bumped into each other, not with the jagged scar now on my face.
But if we ever do cross paths, I promise here and now that I’ll do anything to get her back in my life.