Chapter 13 #2
Hilary, of course, didn’t notice a thing that passed between us. She leaned toward him with that grin that tried to be playful but ended up cringe-level invasive.
“Well, aren’t you handsome?” she said, voice way too high-pitched, too flirty.
Cole blinked. Just stared at her. Blankly. Like she had sprouted horns or was speaking a foreign language. I wanted to curl under the counter. My face was already heating up, and we hadn’t even started ordering.
Cole redirected his gaze at me, his eyes softening slightly when they met mine again. “Hey, Imogen,” Cole said finally, voice low, effortless, a little amused. That sarcasm I knew he could wield without even trying. “Want your usual?”
I assumed he meant a Heartbreaker and gingerbread loaf, but at this point, I didn’t really care—anything with caffeine would do. I nodded quickly.
Hilary leaned in, hand on my shoulder like she was trying to mother me into submission. “As long as it doesn’t have coffee in it,” she said brightly. “You’re not old enough for that.”
I blinked at her. “I turn sixteen next week,” I said flatly.
She didn’t look at me. Didn’t register it. “Coffee’s still off-limits,” she repeated.
Cole’s lips twitched like he noticed the absurdity. “I’ll be sure not to put any coffee in it.”
His voice was so flat and monotone, but I thought I could feel the sarcasm behind the words. He winked at me and the corner of my lips twitched up into a small smile. Hilary didn’t notice as she turned back to me, all sweetness and cooing like I was five years old. “Do you want a cake pop?”
I froze. My mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Cole’s eyes—oh God, his eyes—were on me, and I could see him thinking, who is this woman?
“Uh…” I muttered, trying not to sound as mortified as I felt. “No. I’m… fine.”
Hilary, blissfully ignorant, leaned even closer. “Are you sure? You like chocolate, right?”
I wanted to vanish. I wanted to disappear into the polished concrete floor beneath my sneakers.
I looked at Cole. He was doing that half-smirk, the one that made me want to sink into the counter. I wanted to tell him to look away. To ignore her. But I couldn’t. Not with him watching.
“And what about a pastry?” Hilary continued, leaning even closer. “A croissant? Muffin? Scone? You need something to eat. You can’t just have a drink, that would be unhealthy.”
I felt my chest tighten. Every word she said made my stomach flip.
I wanted to shout, I can eat by myself! I’m fine!
But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to keep seeing Dad.
And unfortunately for now, Hilary was part of that deal.
If I snapped at her, she’d tell Dad and he’d never let me come over again.
And I’d rather have him in my life and deal with her than not see him at all, even if it meant dealing with belittling comments from his mistress as he sat in a work meeting.
Cole glanced up again, this time letting a small sigh escape, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was witnessing. “She’ll be fine,” he said, voice low. “Really.”
Hilary ignored him. “And I’ll take a… homewrecker please.”
“I bet you will,” I mumbled under my breath. I wondered whether she even liked the drink or if she just picked it for the name.
Cole typed everything in silently, his movements slow, deliberate, and somehow patient. His bedhead hair fell into his eyes and my fingers itched to reach across the register and push it out of his eyes for him.
“It’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Cole said flatly. He tilts his head toward the pickup area. “End of the counter.”
“Thank you, handsome,” Hilary chirps, stuffing a five dollar bill in the tip jar before she steps toward the pickup area.
Cole leaned on the counter, elbows wide, smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You know, you could’ve just told her to shove it.”
I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
He tilted his head, eyes glinting, letting the silence stretch. “You just let her talk to you like you’re a kid. Nodded, smiled, all polite and proper. Didn’t make a peep. Just… went along with it.”
I crossed my arms, leaning back slightly, refusing to let him see I was even a little ruffled. “Not everyone solves problems by yelling or hitting things,” I said, voice steady. “Some of us think before we act.”
“Yeah,” he said, tilting his head back up to me, grin widening. “Right. Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to for a minute.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged, casual, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “You don’t say no. You don’t ruffle feathers. You don’t defend yourself even when you should.”
“You don’t know that.”
He rests his palms on the counter and leans forward. “I do know that.” I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off. “Princess, I came to your rescue the other day.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
His eyes glittered like the memory of nearly punching Mitch on my behalf excited him. Maybe it does. With his reputation, I wouldn’t be surprised. “You didn’t need to. Like I said, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I just want you to be able to defend yourself too.”
A fluttering worked its way through my stomach—at his words, his proximity, his encouragement. But before I could reply, Hilary called my name. I drew in a deep breath, then broke Cole’s gaze and turned to face her. She waved me over.
“Yes?” I asked as I stepped up beside her.
Her lips turned into a sad frown. She reached out a hand and placed it on my shoulder like she was trying to comfort me, and I knew before she even said the words that Dad had bailed.
“Sorry, Imogen. He just can’t get out of this one. But you and I can hang out! We can go get another manicure. I noticed your polish is all chipped off. You could use a refresh already.”
I grit my teeth together, preparing to go home with another horrible nail polish color after this wildly disappointing visit.