Page 15 of Broken Heart

But now I was in a very tough spot.

Because I’d agreed to go to the charity event with him, and I’d already sworn off men. I wasn’t quite sure how this was going to work.

If there was one thing I’d spent the very few moments of downtime this morning considering, it was how crucial it was that Cooper had a very clear understanding of where things stood in my life.

I had no choice but to share that with him. As it was, I couldn’t stop stealing glances at him while he was working on the entrance to my bookstore, nor could I forget how it made me feel to hear his voice calling me sweetheart.

There was no question I might do something very foolish if I didn’t find a way to spell my situation out to him. I just didn’t want to do it and make him think I was ungrateful for all that he’d done to help me.

He seemed like a decent man, though. I had to believe he’d understand exactly where I was coming from, and I’d have nothing to worry about.

Plus, it was like he’d said. I needed to remind myself that Cooper’s reason for stepping into the encounter I had with Maria was about a moral obligation he felt. He had been merely doing for me what he had hoped someone would have done for one of his sisters.

So, this fake date to the charity event was just that—fake. Cooper was doing something nice for me, and that was all.

Would I look like a fool if I went out of my way to tell him that I wasn’t interested in dating anyone? It would be mortifying to do that and have him fire back that he was just trying to be a nice guy and had no interest in me.

It was on that thought I decided I needed to refrain from saying anything. I just needed to wait. If, and only if, he made a move to turn this into something more than just a kind gesture, that’s when I’d be entirely honest with him.

I’d just handed a bag filled with books to my customer and wished her a nice day when my eyes, once again, sought out Cooper. My body tensed when I found him, because he had his gaze pinned on me as he moved in my direction with a walk that was as confident as his voice sounded.

If I wasn’t so set in my mind about not taking any more chances with my heart, I’d have instantly developed a crush on Cooper. There was so much about him to like, and I’d only had two in-person encounters with him. I could only imagine how anything else I’d learn if I gave myself the opportunity would make that crush turn into something much more.

Cooper came to a stop in front of me, a slight look of amusement on his face. “It’s all fixed,” he declared.

My eyes drifted to the entrance, where I saw no evidence that there’d been a huge hole in the door just that morning. Returning my attention to Cooper, I said, “It looks fantastic. I think it’s even better than it was before it was broken.”

“Well, that was the one thing that was a priority when I realized we weren’t going to be able to reuse your door,” he started, his chest seeming to puff up slightly with pride. “I didn’t want to do something so drastically different than what had already been there and change the look of a building that’s been here for years. So, while this was a more modern upgrade in many ways, it certainly kept that classic look, too.

“I agree. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job with it and for insisting on getting it fixed so quickly for me. I really appreciate it,” I told him.

An appreciative smile spread across his face. “You’re welcome. Obviously, it wasn’t an ideal situation the day it happened, and I know that temporary solution wasn’t pretty to look at, so I’m glad you seem to be happy with this.”

My eyes shifted several times between my new entrance and Cooper, feeling genuinely impressed by the work he’d done. Nodding, my mouth quirking, I confirmed, “I really am.’’

He smiled at me, and I instantly felt a flutter in my belly. “So, I know you’re busy this morning, and I want to get out of your hair, but I was hoping to talk to you about something.”

I ignored the nerves I instantly felt at the prospect of an extended conversation with him and replied, “Sure. What did you want to talk about?”

“I know that we’ve decided to go to the charity event together, and I definitely still want to do that, but I was thinking it might be a good idea for the two of us to get together at some point before then,” he revealed.

“Pardon?”

That single word was out of my mouth before I had much of an opportunity to think about what to say to him.

Cooper offered a nonchalant shrug in response, as though this was all very casual for him. Evidently, he didn’t feel the same nerves about any of this as I did. “I thought it might be a wise idea for us to go out for dinner one night and get to know each other better.”

Okay.

So, perhaps I wasn’t going to need to wait very long to tell Cooper where things stood in my life with stuff like this.

Shifting nervously back and forth on my feet, I fidgeted with my hands and said, “Um, well, I want you to know how grateful I am for what you did for me this morning, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I’m not looking to jump into another relationship right now. In fact, I’ve pretty much sworn off men.”

I didn’t think it was necessary to mention that I also wasn’t particularly interested in making any new friends, either.

He let out a chuckle, the sound of it holding me captive. “That’s okay, Skye. I can understand why you’d want to do something so drastic. But I’m not suggesting we get together and officially start dating one another. I just thought it would be smart to prepare ourselves.”

“Prepare ourselves?”