7. Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Sutton
I ’m dreading going to work today.
I know I’ll be asked a thousand questions about how the wedding went.
And I have no idea how to answer them.
Usually, I’d bullshit my way around a problem or a question I don’t want to answer.
But there isn’t a way out of this one.
Everyone in the building knows I was getting married last weekend.
They’ll definitely notice when I walk in without a ring on that particular finger. And that I’m back a day early.
My dread was—and still is—running so high this morning that I burned myself not once but twice with my curling iron as I got ready and then completely skipped my normal cup of coffee.
Cooper thought I should take the days I already had scheduled off to plan out how to handle everything.
But I knew that wasn’t how it would work. It would just be a few extra days for me to dread the inevitable.
And this morning with Cooper and Dillon was nothing short of a nightmare. While Cooper, being his normal, annoying self, acted as a shield from Dillon, I still had to put up with his constant questions and judgment of my life. And don’t get me started on the video game console he just had to bring with him when we went to pick up more of his things for his extended stay. The man was already glued to the screen by the time I walked out the front door, taking advantage of the fact that he doesn’t have to be at work until an hour after me.
My fingers tap on my steering wheel the entire drive to the office. When I pull into my assigned spot in the parking garage, I place the car in park. Closing my eyes, I grip the wheel as tight as I can.
You’ve got this. You are Sutton fucking Hale. You convinced a passionate man to play decoy boyfriend. You are capable of wonderful things. A few nosy Nellies are nothing. You’ve got this.
I open my eyes and release the steering wheel. My stomach churns and my heart feels like it’s pounding so hard that it should be visible through my shirt.
Balling my hands into fists, I place them on my hips in a superwomanesque pose that Vivian taught me. She said it helps to increase confidence or something like that. Honestly, I didn’t listen at the time; I was too busy laughing at her as she stood in front of me looking like she was about to save the city from an alien invasion.
But I’m desperate, so I hold the ridiculous pose for a solid four minutes as my racing heart slows down.
I’ve got this.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I give my hair one last fluff.
At least I look good.
My hair and makeup are immaculate. I’m wearing the sexiest pantsuit I own without being indecent. And my heels are the highest I’ve ever worn.
I look better than good. I look hot.
Grabbing my purse off the passenger seat, I turn and open my door. Somehow, I manage to make it to the elevator without seeing one person from my company, which is a relief. The ride up is filled with people getting on and off. Some I recognize, others I don’t. I smile at them all and try to ignore the obvious stares at my left hand—at the absence of a ring.
I’m only three floors away when the elevator opens and a woman from accounting walks on. Her eyes beam when she sees me. “Sutton, you’re back early. Was the wedding as beautiful as you imagined?”
I nod. “It was, and you know there’s no rest for the wicked, unfortunately.”
The elevator numbers climb as we lift a floor closer.
“You’ll have to show me pictures of the floral arrangements. My daughter is looking for a florist for her wedding and needs to see the big picture.”
“I can do that.” I don’t mind showing pictures of the flowers and wedding setup. It was beautiful, and the people who worked endlessly on it deserve the praise.
Finally, the doors open to our floor, and I walk out as fast as I can without looking suspicious.
Keeping my head high and my eyes focused on where I’m going, I scurry through the main lobby, rushing past the hag Hadlee’s desk and through the crowded cubicles. I don’t glance in anyone’s direction. But I can feel all of their eyes on me. Burning through me like lasers. Quickly, I drop my lunch off in the break room fridge before rushing back to the elevator and heading down to my office one floor below. When I finally reach my office, I close the door. Then throw my purse on the filing cabinet as I round my desk to slink into my chair. I bury my face in my hands and let out a silent scream.
A ping sounds from my purse. Followed by another and another, drawing my attention away from my meltdown.
I groan as I side-eye my purse from across the room before sliding out of my chair and onto the ground to crawl across the floor and grab it.
I’m not proud of the crawling. Add it to the pile of other things I’m not proud of.
Grabbing my purse off the cabinet, I dig inside for my phone. The screen lights up as I pull it out, finding the texts are all from the same person.
Cooper
You’ve got this.
Never forget that you are 100% terrifying. A little office gossip is nothing. Go out there and scare them shitless.
Also, if it helps, you looked smoking hot today.
My phone dings again with another message from him.
Not in a pervy way. More like an appreciative way.
A laugh bursts through my lips. What a goober .
Sutton
It’s fine. I’ll take both the pervy and appreciative compliment.
And thank you, Cooper. I needed that.
I can do this.
I lift myself off the floor and return to my seat. I’ll take Cooper’s advice and make them terrified to ask me any questions.
The plan works for the most part. I manage to go all morning without another peep from anyone. Yeah, I get the occasional double take when they don’t see a sparkle shining from my hand. But for the most part, people keep their mouths shut.
It’s refreshing.
But sadly, it doesn’t last.
I’m a couple of steps outside of the break room when I hear it.
“I heard she’s already shacking up with another man.”
“I heard that her new husband caught them in bed together.”
“Well, I heard—”
“You heard wrong,” I interrupt them. Every head swings in my direction. I proceed to walk to the microwave, taking out whatever they had heating that smells like day-old tuna, and place my chicken-and-rice casserole inside. I place the timer for two minutes and then take a deep breath before turning around.
Three sets of eyes are glued on me.
I smile. “Anything else you want to say—to my face this time?”
Two of the women at least have the decency to look ashamed as they avert their gazes to the table.
But not the office bitch, Hadlee. No, Hadlee smiles brightly right back at me.
I hold her gaze for a moment longer before turning back around and gathering packets of salt and pepper for my food.
“Actually,” she says, her voice freezing me in my tracks.
Don’t. Don’t do it, I mentally scream at her. Don’t. You. Dare.
I spin around to face her, quirking an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
“Is it Cooper?”
My throat bobs as I swallow. “Why?”
Her long red nails drum against the table. “Oh, I don’t know. I just thought you would want to know that he was with Sarah this weekend.”
I blink. There’s no way Cooper had been with that woman. He told us all that he was done with her months ago. And Coop doesn’t lie… Or does he?
Shit.
She’s good.
The witch has already planted a seed of doubt in my mind.
Heat fills my veins, and I use everything in me not to react.
“Oh, poor Sutton. Did you really think he was sitting around pining for you while you planned your wedding to another man?” Her evil laugh bounces around the small room, ringing in my ears.
Of course I didn’t think that.
Cooper is my friend-ish.
There was no pre-wedding pining.
Or was there?
Why else would she bring it up unless she noticed pining?
Was there pining on his end?
I, for one, am one hundred percent sure there was no such pining on my end.
Nope. No pining or lusting at all.
She’s still laughing when the microwave buzzes, my food finished heating up.
I gather my things. Not bothering to spare Hadlee another glance.
Rage boils in my stomach as I walk out of the break room and back to my office to eat my food in peace.
I stood up for her with Vivian. I’ve been nothing but kind to her. For what? She’s still the same horrible, catty woman as always.
I guess being a mother hasn’t changed her personality.
Closing my office door behind me, I set my food down on my desk and wait for it to cool off.
My fingers itch as I peer at my phone.
I want to call Vivian and question her about Cooper and if she thinks he was—or is—pining or if he’s a secret liar. But I can’t. She and Nate are currently hungover from the trunk load of booze they consumed on the mini honeymoon I gifted them over the weekend. And the only reason I know that is because she sent me a questionable voice message this morning where she proceeded to vomit a minute in before crying about how she is never drinking again.
Cursing myself, I pick up my phone and dial the one person who can put this issue to bed for me.
“Hello.” Cooper’s deep voice fills the line.
“Were you with Sarah this weekend?”
“Define with?”
I gasp. “I can’t believe you. Here you are playing house with me when you were just with her.”
“Sutton—”
“Don’t ‘Sutton’ me, you shady manwhore.”
“Sutton, stop. I bumped into the woman outside of the gym the morning of your non-wedding.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh . What is this even about?”
“Hadlee said—”
“Hadlee?” he laughs. “There’s your problem. You listened to that wicked woman.”
I groan, “I know it was dumb, but she goaded me by basically saying you were dicking down Sarah instead of pining for me.”
“Did you want me to be pining?”
“What—I—that’s not the point, Cooper. She got in my head. She made me doubt things even when we aren’t real.”
“Take a deep breath, Sut. I’m not with Sarah. I haven’t been with her in months. We ran into each other and spoke for less than a minute the other day. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Oh, really? Then what is this call about?”
“It’s about the fact that an alleged dalliance between you and that woman could make us look less credible and, in turn, cause Dillon to never leave and make you look bad at work.”
“Don’t worry about me, Sutton. I will be okay. But more importantly, so will you. Now, next time anyone decides to talk to you like that, remember you are HR. You can write them up.”
“Holy shit. I can write them up for bullying.” I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before.
Cooper’s laugh rings through the line. “Feel better?”
“Yeah. Thanks again, Coop.”
“Any time.”
Hanging up, I find a new sense of confidence. Cooper wasn’t with the slimy Sarah, and no one can talk crap about me without risking my wrath.
Exhaustion seeps through my bones as I leave work. My entire drive home is done on autopilot. I honestly don’t know how I make it home without wrecking into something, but here I sit in my car, decompressing, seeing that Dillon’s van is still in the driveway. But beside it is Cooper’s truck.
I don’t even make it out of my car before Cooper opens the front door and walks out to me. He pulls my door the rest of the way open and wraps his arms around me.
I freeze at the contact for a moment before sinking into his warmth with a sigh. Thank God for him.
“How did you know this was exactly what I needed?” I ask him with my face smooshed into his neck as I hold tight, squeezing him as hard as I can.
“I just knew. I don’t know how, but I did,” Cooper says.
He unbuckles my seat belt and gently pulls me from the car. Instead of setting me down, he taps my thighs, and my legs automatically wrap around his waist.
He walks around to the other side of the car, opens the passenger door, and grabs my purse before carrying it and me into the house.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dillon yells as Cooper moves us past him in the living room and down the hall to my—I mean, our bedroom.
He still doesn’t set me down. Instead, he sits with me still wrapped around him like a crazy person.
“You okay?” he murmurs.
I nod into his neck.
“Are you sure?”
This time, I let out a cry that is part frustration and part sadness.
Cooper’s hands leave the back of my thighs, moving to my back, where he draws pictures.
After about five minutes, he asks me to guess what he drew.
“A fairy drowning in the middle of a shark-infested sky-rise pool,” I answer.
He pulls back to look at my face. “That was oddly specific.”
I wipe my nose on the back of my hand. “Did I get it right?”
He grimaces. “Not even slightly.”
“Well, what was it?”
“It was you perched on the edge of a building, with your hair billowing in the wind, looking like an evil, hotter version of Batman.”
“Draw another. But this time, make it what you would spend your money on if you were Batman.”
His finger traces up and down my back, exciting and relaxing me with his touch.
Sutton
SOS!
Vivian
Our usual spot in thirty minutes?
Make it twenty, and I promise to buy you a muffin, muffin.
Your bribery is accepted.
Fifteen minutes later, Vivian walks into our favorite coffeehouse that used to be home to our hour-long breaks when we worked together.
My heart is still pounding in a panic-induced race like it has been since Cooper comforted me last night, and I knew the second I woke up that I needed my favorite sounding board, Viv.
I bounce in my seat as I wave her over to the table I secured us.
She beams at me as she catches my hand frantically beckoning her over.
Stopping two feet from the table, she glares at me. “Where is my muffin?”
“No time for food when I’ve made a horrible mistake.”
She gasps and clutches her purse to her chest. “There is always time for food, Sutton. Always.”
I grip her hand and pull her into the chair across from me. “You’ll agree once you hear what I’ve done.”
The scowl on Viv’s face falls. “Don’t tell me you got back together with Dillon?”
“What? No. Ew. I would never.”
She crosses her arms, leveling me with a stare.
“Okay, fine. I have before. But not this time. It’s really done.”
“You better mean it.”
“I do. Trust me, the last thing I want is to get back with Dillon Oak.”
“Good. Now, what could you have possibly done other than the d-bag that would have you calling an SOS the moment I got back from your honeymoon?”
I gnaw on my bottom lip for a few seconds before squeezing my eyes shut and letting the words tumble out of my mouth. “Cooper and I are pretending to be together to get Dillon to leave me alone.”
Her eyes widen as she leans in. “What was that?”
“Cooper is temporarily living with me, and we are pretending to be madly in love to trick Dillon into leaving.”
She sits there silently, staring at me for a good thirty seconds—so long that I consider calling an ambulance for her, afraid I shocked the woman into an early grave. But that bubble bursts when she laughs.
No, not laughs. Cackles.
The bitch is bracing one arm on the table while the other rests on her stomach as she cackles like a wicked witch she’s clearly channeling.
“It’s not funny,” I hiss.
“You’re right. It’s hilarious.”
“Ha-ha,” I mock her, leaning back against my chair. “Laugh it up, but I am in deep trouble here.”
She wipes at her eyes, the bitch having laughed so hard she cried.
“If by ‘in trouble’ you mean at risk of finally admitting your feelings for Cooper, then yes, you are in deep trouble.”
I scoff. “I have no feelings for that man, unless you’re counting the ones of utter contempt.”
“I’m not.” She shimmies her shoulders. “I’m talking about feelings of the sexy variety.”
“Psh, never have I ever had such feelings for that man.”
Viv gives me a smile that screams “bless your heart” as she pats my hand. “Sure.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not.”
“I know,” she agrees, which only spurs me to dig myself even deeper in my defensive trench.
“I’m not lying. I’ve never once thought about Cooper in a sexual way. Nope, not once. Not even that time he was super sweaty, and his shirt was stuck to his muscles while he helped you and Nate move in together.”
Viv nods slowly as I continue on.
“Like I would ever be attracted to someone who looks like Clark Kent with those ridiculous glasses. I mean, does the man even need them? I swear he can see fine without them.”
“Sutton.”
“What? Do you think he is wearing contacts the other times? Or maybe he is risking all our lives driving around as blind as a bat without his four eyes?”
“Babe, you just said he looked like Superman.”
I rear back. “No I didn’t. I said Clark Kent.”
Her eyes crinkle in the corners as her lips form a flat line of a smile. “Same person, honey, and you know it.”
“Ugh, whatever. I didn’t ask you to meet me here to argue. I needed your advice on what to do about this weird fake relationship bargain with Cooper.”
“I’m going to give you the same sage advice you always give me when I come to you with man problems—”
“Vivian Fisher, I swear I will cunt punt you if you say what I think you’re—”
“Fuck him.”
I toss my hands up in the air. “And you did it. That’s it. Stand up and ready your hoochie of a coochie for the hit.”
Still sitting, she withdraws her arms from the table to cover her crotch. “There will be no snatch slaps today,” she declares in a high-pitched voice that turns multiple heads in our direction.
I sneer at them all except for my favorite barista, Kevin.
No, Kevin gets an apologetic smile and will soon be getting a fresh twenty placed in his tip jar.
I put my hands up in surrender and sit. “Fine, I won’t hit you this time, but watch your back, Fisher.”
“Sut, you can’t threaten to pussy punch people when they tell you things you don’t want to hear.”
Bullshit, I can’t. I’m Sutton Hale, and I can do whatever the hell I want.
The problem is, I probably shouldn’t do whatever I want—like threaten my best friend’s baby box. But what can I say, I’m a wild card like that.
“Fine,” I cry out dramatically, resting my forehead on the table. “But I need genuine advice. I need Vivian advice, not Sutton advice. Clearly, the Sutton way isn’t working since it keeps getting me into these insane situations.”
“Okay, okay,” she says, lifting my limp head from the table. “But I need you to start from the beginning and tell me everything. No details left out.”
And I do. I spill my guts to her about it all. About sleeping at Cooper’s. About the look on Dillon’s face as he jumped to the most ridiculous conclusion, and how I couldn’t help feeding into his delusions about Cooper and me. I tell her everything. Only leaving out the parts about how I felt sleeping next to Cooper and how his note on the mirror made my heart flutter like a fool.
“I lied. I did look.”
My first instinct should have been to be pissed. Not only did he pull a peeping tom on me while I showered, but he used a thirty-dollar lipstick to write on the mirror.
I should have been screaming like a banshee in furry at him for using one of my favorite shades for something so dumb.
But I wasn’t.
No, instead of getting pissed at the sight. My chest warmed.
And an odd flutter sensation filled my belly.
The idiot’s confession gave me butterflies.
It was a secret I would take to the grave.