Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
The leather under Cole's ass was cold, and the seat creaked as he bounced his knee, waiting for his shrink to fucking say something.
The office was all dark wood, brown leather, and deep reds.
The decor choice seemed odd for central Miami.
Most offices went for light and airy, the ones he’d seen anyway, but not this guy.
It always felt like he’d walked into some Gothic horror movie, especially with the deer antlers, low lighting, and slight musty smell that always seemed to linger.
Dr. Cumberland…John. The guy had told him to use his first name, because despite the ancient feel of his office, he was heavily into all that New Agey crap.
He was also younger than Cole. It had definitely felt weird at first, talking to someone who looked like he still ate Fruit Loops for breakfast. But he’d gotten over it.
Wasn’t like he had much choice. After he’d finished his mandatory trauma counseling through the force in New York and it became clear he’d need ongoing help, they’d referred him here since he was moving back to Miami.
The thought of finding someone else on his own hadn’t been high on his list of priorities. He may be stubborn, but he knew, for now at least, he needed this.
“How has your week been, Cole?” John finally asked, sitting forward on his pink exercise ball and staring at him over the top of his thick, black hipster glasses. The ball made Cole think of Piper. She liked pink. Her room was full of the color.
“Unsettling.” Did he want to talk about Piper? He got the feeling saying what happened out loud, admitting to what he did, would make it all too real.
“Do you want to expand on that?”
“Not really.”
John rested his elbows on his knees. “How’s the job going?”
“There are still a few teething problems, but it’s going good.”
“I know you were worried about working for your friend. Have any issues come up?”
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Not…yet.”
John scratched something down in his notebook. “You sound like you expect issues to arise? Is there something in particular you’re concerned about?”
He didn’t know why, but suddenly he couldn’t hold it in, he needed to get what happened with Piper off his chest. And yeah, if he was honest, he wanted someone to tell him not to go there with her.
To tell him to stop this now, before it was too late.
Maybe if this guy, with all his degrees and shit, told him what he was doing was wrong, he could find the strength to walk away.
If anyone knew how fucked-up he was, it was his shrink. “Yeah, there is something.”
“Okay.” John sat poised on that stupid pink ball, gaze fixed on him, waiting for him to spill his guts.
Fuck.
“My friend?” He released a harsh breath. “I slept with his sister.”
The guy nodded, didn’t flinch, didn’t bat a goddamn eyelash. “And does your friend know about your relationship with his sister?”
“No. And it’s not a relationship. It was sex. End of story.” He wasn’t even fooling himself with that shit. Did he really think he was fooling a professional?
John arched a brow. “You don’t have feelings for this woman, beyond sexual?”
“I’ve known her since we were kids. Of course I have feelings for her.”
“Can you tell me about those feelings? Friendship, affection?”
“Yeah, all of that.” And more, so much goddamn more.
“I don’t see the problem. You’re both consenting adults, and you obviously care for each other.” He shrugged. “Your friend gave you a job, has supported you in many ways during your recovery. Why do you think he wouldn’t approve of you and his sister getting together?”
Cole stared at the guy. Was he for real? “You fucking know why.”
“I think you need to enlighten me, Cole.”
“Have you listened to anything I’ve said these last few months? Anything at all?”
“Every word.” John sat back, resting his hands on his knees.
“Do you know what I think? I think you were hoping I’d give you a way out.
An excuse to turn your back on this woman you care about.
You’re afraid of what might happen if you allow your emotions to lead you.
You’re afraid of letting her in, afraid that once she gets to know you, the real you, she’ll discover you’re all the things you believe yourself to be and will turn her back on you. ”
Cole sat frozen in his chair. Everything he said was true, one hundred percent. But the problem was, this guy thought he could be fixed—beyond just getting through one shitty day at a time—and he was wrong. So fucking wrong.
“Are we finished?” Cole stood.
John did as well, placing his notepad and pen on his desk. “Don’t close off. Open yourself to the possibility of happiness. Despite what you think, you deserve it, Cole, like everybody else.”
Cole flinched. That was where he was wrong.
He didn’t deserve a damn thing.
Piper closed and locked the door on the garage, and then headed across the parking lot toward the cottage.
She’d repaired a radiator leak on a car after closing, then gotten some more work done on her secret project.
The Chevy was coming along nicely. After that she’d caught up on some office work.
They’d hired a part-timer to help out with the paperwork, giving Piper more time in the workshop.
But she still needed to put in hours behind her desk, and it was getting dark by the time she finished with the month’s accounts.
Cole still wasn’t home from work.
He’s avoiding you.
The previous two nights had been the same. He called and told her he was burning the midnight oil at work, which, okay, could be true, since the business had taken off with Cole as the new manager.
But she really didn’t think that was it.
He’s totally avoiding you.
The thought that he regretted what they’d done, to the extent that he didn’t want to come home and risk seeing her, made her belly churn like she’d downed a carton of sour milk.
As she hit her front lawn, a car door slammed across the street. A navy blue sedan with a big white and red sign on the door sat opposite her cottage. Daniel Taylor Real Estate.
Great, that’s all she needed. The guy didn’t understand the word “no.” She’d told him she wasn’t interested in selling until she was blue in the face.
Shoving her hands in her pockets, head down, she made for the front door, pretending she hadn’t seen him.
The guy was a menace. Not only did he show up at all hours, but he left phone messages and slid notes under her door like the one she’d found after Alex and Deke’s wedding.
“Ms. West!”
She gritted her teeth and turned to the persistent pain in the ass. “Look, Mr. Taylor, I’ve just finished work and I’m hungry. I don’t have time to talk.”
“Piper…can I call you Piper?”
“No, I’d rather you didn’t.”
“I just wanted to check in, see if you’ve had a change of heart. I have a very keen buyer. He’s willing to pay top dollar. You could buy a beautiful apartment in the city with what he’s offering.”
She’d tried to be polite, and it hadn’t worked.
No matter how many times she told this asshole she wasn’t interested, he kept showing up.
“I’m not selling. I have no intention of ever selling.
So please don’t come back, because you’re wasting your time and mine.
” She turned to leave, but he caught her arm.
“You’re making a mistake. You won’t get another offer like this.”
She yanked her arm free. “Do I need to call the police, Mr. Taylor? This is starting to feel like harassment.”
He smiled like a shark, eyes going hard. “You’re overreacting.”
“Just get off my property.” She didn’t wait to hear what else he had to say and speed walked to her front door, ignoring him when he called out, and locked herself inside. For the first time since Rusty and Alex moved out, she actually felt nervous.
She crept into the living room and, without turning on the light, peeked around the curtain.
The jerk was back on the other side of the road, climbing into his car.
He glanced over at the cottage one more time before slamming his door and speeding off.
The breath she’d been holding escaped in a rush.
With any luck, he’d stay away this time.
She headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, and when she was done, pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and an orange tank top. Then curling up on the couch with the romance novel she’d been reading, she settled in, picking up where she’d left off.
But it wasn’t happening. She tried to concentrate, but her mind wouldn’t settle, and she kept reading the same paragraph over and over. Throwing down her book, she went to the kitchen for a cold drink and couldn’t help looking out the window facing the garage. Still no Cole.
Shutting down her thoughts, she went back to the couch.
Her day had been long and busy and, to top it off, was ending with a serious case of sexual frustration and no relief in sight.
Not to mention her encounter with some creep harassing her on her own front lawn.
If he showed up again, left her any more messages or notes, she was calling the cops.
She picked her book back up…
Bang, bang, bang.
The knock on the front door was loud enough to make her jump. “Shit.”
Surely that Taylor asshole wouldn’t come back, not at this time of night. He’d seemed pretty pissed when she’d refused to hear him out, though.
The banging came again, this time more insistent.
“Crap.” Grabbing Deke’s old baseball bat from under her bed, she crept down the hall to the front door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Her visitor didn’t say his name, but he didn’t need to.
That voice could only belong to one person.
Unlocking the door, she opened it up, still shaky from the surge of adrenaline, and now also a good dose of excitement.
“Hey.” She stared up at Cole, trying to read his expression. “I wasn’t expecting you.”