Page 311 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“Talk to you soon, Laura.”

“Yeah…”

She ended the call then twisted to face me.

“Well?” she asked.

“Well what?”

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“Why would I give you the number if I minded?”

“I don’t know. You can be… too nice sometimes.”

“That’s my problem, is it?”

“I need to go get ready,” she said, standing up. “It’s okay if I leave already?”

“It’s okay, I promise,” I said, nodding toward the bottle. “More wine for me.”

“Thank you for this. I need to find a good man so bad.”

“I hope he works out for you.”

She waved and walked toward the door.

“Call and let me know how it goes,” I said.

“You know it.”

After she left, closing the front door behind her, I sat back and took another drink of wine. My eyes moved to the laptop screen where I saw a large photo of Max without a shirt.

I thought about Cooper and Max both for the next few minutes. Did I even like either of the men? No, I told myself. You’re fine being alone for now. Concentrate on your career.

As the night wore on, I found myself becoming more than a bit jealous of Laura going on a date with Max. Why had I set up my best friend with him?

With each passing minute, I became a bit more upset with Cooper and the games he was playing too. Why should I tell him everything if he wasn’t telling me everything?

The night stretched on forever with no call from him.

I eventually went to bed, feeling more alone than ever before.

TWENTY-TWO

Jade

The next morning, waking alone, I missed Cooper. Why did he have such an effect on me? Had I made a mistake giving Laura Max’s number? Was he the better man for me? I couldn’t have both and at this rate might not even get one.

As I dragged myself out of bed and through my morning routine, I wondered whether I should call Cooper or not. I decided against it and went to visit my father instead.

I usually visited him at least one Saturday a month, and I hadn’t done so yet in June. He lived in Staten Island, which would take me a while to get to by train.

The time I spent with him was worth it. Growing up, my father had also played the role of mother after my mother died. Whenever I felt stuck in life, I went to see him.

Lately, I’d been bogged down quite a bit. Did I really need either man? Sure, Cooper could make me feel good in bed, but he kept secrets from me. And Max.

In the kitchen, eating toast and jam for breakfast, I wondered how he and Laura had gotten along. Had I made a mistake bringing those two together?