Page 40 of Broken Heart
Just like that.
Cooper not only understood I was having a hard time speaking, but he also found a way to make it known I had done nothing wrong to warrant how they had treated me.
If I hadn’t been so unsure about every decision I made being the wrong one, especially in a situation like this, I might have thrown my arms over Cooper’s shoulders and kissed him.
“That’s so sweet of you,” Maria said, her tone too saccharine to be anything but condescending. “I’m really glad Skye didn’t miss this, either.”
This wasn’t about her genuinely wanting me to be here because she knew how much it meant to me. This was about her wanting to rub her new life in my face. That was the only reason she was glad I was here.
Had she been this much of a bitch when I thought she was my friend?
Somehow, I ignored her comments and decided it was best to offer official introductions. “Cooper, this is Maria and Simon.” Waving my hand back toward him, I said, “This is Cooper.”
Keeping his arm firmly around me, Cooper extended his free hand toward Maria and said, “It’s nice to meet you.” She shook his hand, and when he shifted it to Simon, Cooper said, “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Westwood’s.”
Simon’s face twisted with confusion. “Welcome to Westwood’s? What’s that supposed to mean?”
I pressed my lips together in an effort not to burst out laughing. My eyes went to Cooper, who had since let go of Simon’s hand. He was looking completely unaffected by the pair when he offered a nod and explained, “Yes. Well, I feel it’s the right thing to do when anyone visits my family’s business.”
“This is your family’s business?” Maria asked, her eyes nearly falling out of her head with undeniable shock.
Cooper offered a smile and a nod. “Yes. I’m Cooper Westwood.”
When I looked back at Simon and Maria to see their reactions, I got stuck on Simon. Because his horrified and disbelieving eyes had fallen on me. And the expression he wore told me precisely what was going through his mind. It was hitting him that he’d done me a tremendous favor by cheating on me, because what I got in return was far better.
Granted, I realized Cooper and I weren’t actually together and that this was simply a little scheme we’d concocted in an effort to get this exact reaction from Simon, but Simon clearly didn’t know that. And it seemed we were doing an excellent job of being convincing, so far. From where I was standing, it was unclear whether Simon felt any regret about what he’d done, but I was positive he believed I had traded up.
Even better, Cooper’s fingers stroked along the skin on my bare shoulder, and Simon’s eyes shifted there.
Okay, so perhaps there was a bit of regret there, because he realized another man was doing something he’d never be able to do. He’d never touch me again.
“Cooper!” a voice called out from behind us.
We both glanced back in that direction and saw the bartender had placed our drinks on the bar. Cooper released his hold on me, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a tip for the bartender. After he handed mine to me, he reached for my hand. Then he turned his attention to Simon and Maria and said, “Well, it was great meeting the two of you. I’m going to take my girl to grab a seat for dinner, because you know how much she appreciates food. And then maybe we’ll see you two out on the dancefloor later. I hope the two of you enjoy your evening.” Cooper turned his attention to me and asked, “Ready, sweetheart?”
I nodded with a bright smile on my face.
Without giving them another glance, I allowed Cooper to lead me away toward a table near the front of the room. And as we made our way there, my thoughts were entirely consumed by Cooper. All I could think about was how wonderful he was, how he’d done what he’d done—basically dismissing Simon and Maria like he just had—and doing it so effortlessly and with such confidence.
I wondered whether he was just that good at pretending, or if it was possible that he might really care about me. The next question that popped into my head was which of those options I would have preferred to be the answer. Because even if I had initially believed Simon and Maria’s betrayal was a good reason not to open my heart to anyone else again, Cooper was showing me I might have gotten that wrong.
We made it to the table, where Cooper pulled out my chair, so I could sit. The moment he was seated beside me, he asked, “How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” I assured him.
He smiled. “Are you sure? I could tell when they first showed up that you weren’t doing so hot.”
Shaking my head, I explained, “I didn’t know what to expect seeing him for the first time. It was awkward, at best.”
“Yeah. I’d say so. He wasn’t very talkative, and she seemed to be overcompensating,” he pointed out.
I nodded. “It’s strange. I really didn’t want to see them at all, but now I’m thinking it’s a good thing that I did. I’m not the kind of person who feels the need to seek revenge or anything like that, but in this case, I have to admit, it felt good to be able to show them, especially him, that I’m happy and much better off without them.”
“Are you?”
I jerked back slightly, confused by his question. Did he think I wasn’t better off? “What?”
Cooper took a sip of his drink, placed it on the table, and reached his hand out to cover my forearm before he spoke with such tenderness in his voice. “Are you happy now?”