25. All Wires Crossed （Hattie） #2
“Long story short, I went to see him last night to tell him about Cooper Daley suing the company. He got pissed and left.” Margot’s heels click the asphalt, her words almost too fast to keep up with.
“He told me not to come after him, but you know Ethan—when he’s emotional and angry, bad things happen. ”
My brain whips back to the night we broke up.
The churning storm, his violent anger, and underneath it all, the hurt.
His grim determination to push me away and lock me out. Forever.
Barely sealed cracks in my heart reopen.
Margot gives us the rundown of what happened with the lawsuit.
“So you just told him? Hoping he’d grow up?” I force my voice to stay neutral.
“I didn’t have a choice. He’s the only one they’ll deal with in that contract,” Margot says. “He was ignoring everything from the office. Not even reading emails, no matter how urgent. He just quit life and decided he wanted nothing more to do with anything Blackthorn. Ridiculous.”
My heart skips.
The crushing weight that’s been piling up on me since the breakup threatens to crack through. “And what did he say? Did he freak out when you told him?”
“Yeah, but not like you’d think. It wasn’t anger, more like…
icy calm. He said he was going to make Cooper pay and just left.
” Margot tries to straighten her hair, which looks like she slept in it without a good brushing—a first for her.
Oh, this is bad. “And now he’s gone and I don’t know where to find him.
I don’t like the state he was in at all. ”
What the hell would Jane Austen do with this?
There’s only one answer.
“The books can wait,” I say. “Let’s go hunt him down.”
Margot nods and takes a deep, deliberate breath. “Okay, thank God. Okay, I’ll call the local police department. Just to give them a heads-up before anything gets out of hand like someone getting their face punched in.”
“Cooper Daley,” Mom says slowly, her forehead wrinkling. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“He’s gotten pretty big in real estate around here, Mom,” I tell her.
“He was an intern for Leonidas once, kinda screwed them over. Then he said he wanted to make nice with Ethan. They were planning some big ski lodge project up north. But now I wonder, maybe he was just looking for an excuse to sue and get free land?”
Yes, my voice is bitter.
I hate that I was the one who delivered the apology that started this mess.
My clueless ass believed him when he came crawling up to me and said how sorry he was.
And I backed him up after Ethan insisted he was a viper.
It’s not my fault, no, but there’s still a guilty sting.
If I hadn’t played messenger, Ethan might’ve never taken him up on the deal. And now the entire company might suffer, the inheritance that should still be his. I mean, if he ever comes to his senses and finds a way around the whole fake marriage problem.
He won’t be torn up and crazy forever, right?
Ugh.
My stomach knots.
Mom leans against the side of the car, chewing her bottom lip as she thinks. Then she digs out her phone.
“I’m going to need some help making sure those boxes are secure,” I say. “Mom, what are you—”
“Cooper Daley. This Cooper?” she asks, holding up her phone.
I squint at the picture on the screen.
There’s a pretty, fit blonde woman, front and center, and the man holding her is—
Holy crap.
Cooper.
Is that his wife? Ethan mentioned one.
Frowning, I lean closer, scanning every detail. It must be Cooper and his wife, I decide.
She’s gorgeous and regal in that picture-perfect way rich people have, decked out in a high honey ponytail and just enough makeup to mask any flaws.
She could’ve played a cheerleader in a movie. Her smile is bright, her head tilted, and one hand is braced over Cooper’s on her waist. It’s a cute couple’s picture that looks like it was taken by a professional photographer.
“That’s him, I’m pretty sure. Where’d you find it?”
“Luna Daley,” Mom says quietly. “His wife. I know her. She comes to my yoga class when they’re in town.”
“Small world.” I stare at her blankly. “But what are you saying, Mom? Did Luna know Cooper’s evil plans?”
“No, not quite.” She sticks her phone back in her bag and looks up, still frowning. “I’m just saying, everyone in yoga has heard of Cooper Daley.”
The way she says it makes me pause, every word frosted over.
“Why’s that? Are they all realtors?”
She snorts and shakes her head.
“I wish. Mr. Daley is a total alley cat. A real creeper.” Mom says it like she’s dropping a huge secret, but somehow, I’m not surprised.
Of course he is.
What sane human keeps coming back for that much elective dental work? His smile must get polished biweekly.
And now that I think about it…
Yikes.
Just look at the way he came on to me when we met, right before Ethan practically socked him in the face. Cooper just laughed it off like he was just being friendly.
“Can you prove it, though?” I rush out. “How do you know for sure?”
“Well, let’s see.” Mom taps her chin with her index finger, thinking. “He’s hit on at least three other women in our class. Luna invited them over for dinner, and he’d make his move right under her nose. The gossip train in our little yoga circle last winter just wouldn’t stop.”
Oh my God.
“Jeez, that’s bad. Does his wife know?”
“Luna? No. The poor thing was already pregnant with this going on. No one had the heart to spill the beans. One lady he cornered wanted to, but the other girls talked her down.”
Holy shit!
“But doesn’t she deserve the truth about her scummy cheating husband? Especially being pregnant.”
Now, I’m seriously pissed.
Mom sighs, regret dimming her eyes.
“I wish someone had told her now. She’s a lovely young woman, and being stuck with a two-timer who cheats behind her back—horrendous.”
No kidding.
Mom also knows a lot about that.
Judging from the photos, Luna looks like she’s around my age. And suddenly I remember all the ways a rich, powerful man can treat you.
Far worse than what Ethan did—not that it excuses any of his crap.
I rub my temples, trying to think.
What does this mean for the Blackthorns?
Cooper being a playboy snake isn’t a crime—that’s half the flashy, loaded men in the country, probably—but if he’s underhanded enough to hit on his wife’s friends under the same roof…
Jesus.
How underhanded can he get?
And what will he do if Ethan isn’t thinking straight?
If he tries to solve their disagreement with more than words?
I swallow roughly, wishing I could read minds.
“No wonder Margot’s crawling out of her skin,” I whisper, half to myself. “If Ethan confronts him… not good.”
Ares whines by my feet, leaning on my legs. I stroke his head absently, wiping my palm on my thighs when he pushes his wet nose into my palm.
“Hang on, I’ve got it!” Margot announces, jogging back over. Her designer heels don’t slow her down for a second. “He’s going to be at a Boston café in approximately”—she checks her watch—“two and a half hours.”
“With Cooper?” I demand.
“Probably. What else would he be there for? Oh, man.” Margot groans as she drags a hand down her face. “I cannot wait to shake some sense into that boy.”
“That makes two of us. I’m coming with!” I slam Mom’s trunk shut, flashing her a heavy look. The books can wait and I can trust her to keep them safe.
“And I’m driving. We’ll stop to unload a few of these boxes and then hit the road,” Mom says cheerfully.
Ares nudges my hand with his nose again. I look down at his wrinkled, lovable face and smile.
“Guess you’re with us, big guy. If we can’t get Ethan to listen, we’ll try woofs instead.” I rub his head until his loose skin flaps.
“And if that doesn’t do it, we’re beating the ever-loving crap out of him,” Margot adds.
If only it were that easy.
Truly, I have no flipping clue what kind of minefield we’re walking into.
But we’d better get there before this meeting happens and Ethan makes a life-eating mistake.
My stomach dips as I jump in Mom’s car, wondering if I’m ready for this drama.
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I’d see Ethan again today. Definitely not under these circumstances.
Mom fills Margot in on Cooper’s creepy-crawlies as we drive to her house. I do my best not to imagine Ethan in a blind rage, walking up to Cooper and breaking his face.
If we get there in time, maybe we’ll make sure cooler heads prevail.
Not that Ethan will listen to me, but maybe he’ll listen to his sister, or even Mom.
Someone has to convince him to slow down, to breathe, to think about how he really wants to solve this.
“Oh, good,” I hear Margot say from the front seat, and when I glance up at her, she’s smiling.
“Good? What’s good about any of this?” I ask.
“Cooper’s a total manwhore,” Margot says.
“Um, how is that good ?”
“Blackmail. If he makes one wrong move, his marriage goes poof.” She snaps her fingers sharply.
“Is that even legal? And hasn’t it been a while since this went down?” I say cautiously. “Maybe Luna already knows.”
“Doubtful,” Mom says as she changes lanes. “At yoga, she always talks about how amazing he is. It’s one of the reasons no one had the heart to tell her. She worships the ground he walks on.”
Sad.
“Even better, Julia.” Margot’s smile turns positively wicked.
“The farther he has to fall, the harder he’ll fight to make sure she keeps him on that pedestal.
I bet he’d do a lot to make sure it doesn’t come out.
And after we get through this, if someone just happens to slip Mrs. Daley a little note, welllll… ”
Mom laughs. Even I crack a smile.
Have I mentioned my bestie is criminally minded?
That’s why we love her.
“You really think it’s enough to throw him off this huge land deal, though?” I ask.
“What do you think is more important? Some big dumb greedy lawsuit or his marriage?” Margot clicks her tongue. “Trust me. This should work.”
Ethan isn’t my problem to solve, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this is exactly what Jane Austen would do.
The right thing.
I grip the seat with both hands, leaning forward. “Can this thing go any faster? We have like twenty minutes tops to unload a thousand pounds of books if we want to be there in time.”