The way she says it makes me pause, every word frosted over.
“Why’s that? Are they all realtors?”
She snorts and shakes her head.
“I wish. Mr. Daley is a total alley cat. A real creeper.” Mom says it like she’s dropping a huge secret, but somehow, I’m not surprised.
Of course he is.
What sane human keeps coming back for that much elective dental work? His smile must get polished biweekly.
And now that I think about it…
Yikes.
Just look at the way he came on to me when we met, right before Ethan practically socked him in the face. Cooper just laughed it off like he was just being friendly.
“Can you prove it, though?” I rush out. “How do you know for sure?”
“Well, let’s see.” Mom taps her chin with her index finger, thinking. “He’s hit on at least three other women in our class. Luna invited them over for dinner, and he’d make his move right under her nose. The gossip train in our little yoga circle last winter just wouldn’t stop.”
Oh my God.
“Jeez, that’s bad. Does his wife know?”
“Luna? No. The poor thing was already pregnant with this going on. No one had the heart to spill the beans. One lady he cornered wanted to, but the other girls talked her down.”
Holy shit!
“But doesn’t she deserve the truth about her scummy cheating husband?Especiallybeing pregnant.”
Now, I’m seriously pissed.
Mom sighs, regret dimming her eyes.
“I wish someone had told her now. She’s a lovely young woman, and being stuck with a two-timer who cheats behind her back—horrendous.”
No kidding.
Mom also knows a lot about that.
Judging from the photos, Luna looks like she’s around my age. And suddenly I remember all the ways a rich, powerful man can treat you.
Far worse than what Ethan did—not that it excuses any of his crap.
I rub my temples, trying to think.
What does this mean for the Blackthorns?
Cooper being a playboy snake isn’t a crime—that’s half the flashy, loaded men in the country, probably—but if he’s underhanded enough to hit on his wife’s friends under the same roof…
Jesus.
How underhanded can he get?
And what will he do if Ethan isn’t thinking straight?
If he tries to solve their disagreement with more than words?
