Page 41 of The Moment I Knew

I stared out the window, gripping the edge of my seat. I would never have fun with her. Not now, not ever.

She turned on the music and sang along loudly to an overplayed pop song, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. She only paused her singing to tell me to stop frowning before I get early wrinkles or to stop slouching.

When we got to the coffee shop, I practically jumped out of the car to get away from her, even if it was just for a minute. I walked as fast as I could to the front door, leaving Hilary traipsing behind me, still humming to herself. As soon as I was inside, I immediately relaxed. I never thought I’d see the day that I felt anything besides stress and anger when I walked into The Corner Cup, but here I was, breathing in a sigh of relief at the smell of coffee and the hiss of the espresso machine.

But then my heart surprisingly sank when I realized that Cole wasn’t at the counter. I looked back and forth across the room as I closed the distance to the register, hoping I might see him. I stopped at the register and Hilary slid beside me, reminding me of her presence. Maybe him not being here is for the best. Now he wouldn’t see how Hilary treated me like a five-year-old today. No lectures about sugar or clothes or posture or makeup.

Then I heard the soft creak of the stairs above. I glanced up.

He appeared. Cole. Bedhead, hair sticking up like he’d wrestled it into a state of chaos with his pillow. Shirt untucked just slightly, sleeves rolled up. Watch halfway done, one hand fumbling the strap while he descended, still looking half-asleep.

Not enough to trip, not enough to stumble, just enough that my heart kicked up, fast and unexpected. My stomach dropped, and then filled with that weird heat that always seemed to hit me when he looked at me. I didn’t understand why. I hadn’t expected it. I hadn’t wanted it. And yet there it was—a sharp little jolt in my chest, making everything else fade, even Hilary’s chirpy chatter quieted beside me.

“About time you got down here,” the woman behind the counter said. I assumed she must have been his aunt. “Can you take their orders, please?”

Cole came up to the register now, sleeves rolled up, bedhead still messy, that effortless “I just woke up and look like this” thing he somehow pulled off. He was tapping at the register screen, watch still dangling half-closed on his wrist, and for a second he didn’t notice us at all. Then his eyes lifted.

Mine locked with his. Neither of us moved for a beat. I’m not confident I even breathed under his stare.

I felt that jolt again. My chest went tight. My fingers itched. My body felt the need to do something—look away, hide, shrink—but I couldn’t. He was just… there, and suddenly all Hilary’s energy felt like a spotlight aimed directly at me.

Hilary, of course, didn’t notice a thing that passed between us. She leaned toward him with that grin that tried to be playful but ended up cringe-level invasive.

“Well, aren’t you handsome?” she said, voice way too high-pitched, too flirty.

Cole blinked. Just stared at her. Blankly. Like she had sprouted horns or was speaking a foreign language. I wanted to curl under the counter. My face was already heating up, and we hadn’t even started ordering.

Cole redirected his gaze at me, his eyes softening slightly when they met mine again. “Hey, Imogen,” Cole said finally, voice low, effortless, a little amused. That sarcasm I knew he could wield without even trying. “Want your usual?”

I assumed he meant a Heartbreaker and gingerbread loaf, but at this point, I didn’t really care—anything with caffeine would do. I nodded quickly.

Hilary leaned in, hand on my shoulder like she was trying to mother me into submission. “As long as it doesn’t have coffee in it,” she said brightly. “You’re not old enough for that.”

I blinked at her. “I turn sixteen next week,” I said flatly.

She didn’t look at me. Didn’t register it. “Coffee’s still off-limits,” she repeated.

Cole’s lips twitched like he noticed the absurdity. “I’ll be sure not to put any coffee in it.”

His voice was so flat and monotone, but I thought I could feel the sarcasm behind the words. He winked at me and the corner of my lips twitched up into a small smile. Hilary didn’t notice as she turned back to me, all sweetness and cooing like I was five years old. “Do you want a cake pop?”

I froze. My mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Cole’s eyes—oh God, his eyes—were on me, and I could see him thinking, who is this woman?

“Uh…” I muttered, trying not to sound as mortified as I felt. “No. I’m… fine.”

Hilary, blissfully ignorant, leaned even closer. “Are you sure? You like chocolate, right?”

I wanted to vanish. I wanted to disappear into the polished concrete floor beneath my sneakers.

I looked at Cole. He was doing that half-smirk, the one that made me want to sink into the counter. I wanted to tell him to look away. To ignore her. But I couldn’t. Not with him watching.

“And what about a pastry?” Hilary continued, leaning even closer. “A croissant? Muffin? Scone? You need something to eat. You can’t just have a drink, that would be unhealthy.”

I felt my chest tighten. Every word she said made my stomach flip. I wanted to shout, I can eat by myself! I’m fine! But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to keep seeing Dad. And unfortunately for now, Hilary was part of that deal. If I snapped at her, she’d tell Dad and he’d never let me come over again. And I’d rather have him in my life and deal with her than not see him at all, even if it meant dealing with belittling comments from his mistress as he sat in a work meeting.

Cole glanced up again, this time letting a small sigh escape, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was witnessing. “She’ll be fine,” he said, voice low. “Really.”

Hilary ignored him. “And I’ll take a… homewrecker please.”