I gasped.How dare he?But I doubled down. “Men in vests ismything.”
“Well, I’m a man. In a vest. So I guess it’s my thing, too.”
“You’re not a man,” I said, still trying to win. “You’reCooper.”
“Sorry to shock you, but I am both.”
It did shock me, in a weird way. Cooper had never been a man before. Who even was he now? I shifted back to my original point. “This outfit is tonally inappropriate. Do you see any other members of theDownton Abbeycast in this line?”
“Stop complaining.”
“I haven’t evenstarted, pal.”
But Cooper didn’t accept the legitimacy of my anger. He shrugged. “It’s not illegal to wear a vest,” he said. Then he added, “Or get a haircut.” He looked me over. “You got a haircut, too.”
“Yeah. I did. Before you messed it up.”
“Anyway,” Cooper said. “You were so traumatized by my beard last time—”
“Yourpigeon nest,” I corrected.
“I thought I’d come back looking better.”
“Yeah, but now you looktoogood.”
Hedidlook too good. I wondered what the math must be on that. Was it symmetry theory? The golden ratio? The exponential benefits of basic grooming?
There was no mathematical formula I could see that explained why Cooper’s glow-up had made him so extra handsome. He would have to remain, on this point and many others, an unsolved mystery.
“You sure are hard to please,” he said.
“I can’t relax around”—I gestured with my hands at his general vibes—“all this.” Then I squinted at him. “Didn’t you bring any T-shirts that say ‘Let’s Get Ship-Faced’?”
“I saw those guys ogling you, by the way.”
“Yeah, well. At least they didn’t mess up my hair.”
Why were we fighting, exactly? Seeing Cooper again at my failed wedding had been strangely lovely—despite the fact that we were, technically,estrangedat the time. And despite my life collapsing all around me as it happened. We’d gotten along so easily—just like always. He’d been a refuge in the storm.
But today, I felt irritated with him. For not turning out to be Finn.For showing up even better looking than last time. For claiming his right to wear avest. And maybe, deep down, for being the reason that I’d be themaidof honor at my sister’s wedding this week instead of thematron.
“Are you mad at me?” Cooper asked then.
“I’m not mad. I’m just wondering why you’re even here.”
Cooper shrugged.
“You RSVPednoto this wedding,” I reminded him, “just like you did to mine. Though a bit more politely on Ashley’s card.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He squinted, watching to see if his words rang true. “Because I thought you might need me.”
“What?” I demanded. “Why?”
Cooper tilted his head. “You’ve had a rough few weeks.”
