Page 90 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

The question I’d been avoiding, asked by someone who had every right to an honest answer. Katrina was my friend, but she was also Cooper’s sister. I could see the protective concern in her careful tone.

“I don’t know about forever,” I said honestly. “But the mayor did offer me a position with the city—event coordinator for the tourism department. If I get it, I’ll be sticking around for a while at least.”

Katrina’s head snapped up, her eyes bright with interest. “Really? You didn’t mention that before.”

“I wasn’t sure I should get anyone’s hopes up, including my own. I have to get through the Yuletide Festival before any official decisions are made, but so far, so good. Cooper knows about it.”

I felt like I needed to make sure she knew I wasn’t keeping anything from Cooper. It did feel strange, like making it real by saying it out loud.

“That’s fantastic, Joy. Really. The tourism department could use someone with your vision and energy.” Katrina’s smile was genuine, but she had a look on her face like relief mixed with concern.

We returned to our decorating, but I could feel the weight of unasked questions hanging between us. Finally, Katrina set down her icing bag and looked at me directly.

“Joy, I have to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me.”

My stomach tightened. “Okay.”

“Are you going to hurt my brother?”

The question was asked gently, but there was steel underneath the soft tone. This was Katrina the protective twin who’d probably been looking out for Cooper since they were in the womb.

“Not intentionally,” I said. “God, Katrina, I would never intentionally hurt Cooper. I’ve always cared about him.”

“As a brother? As the brother of your friend? Or something more?”

I took a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe all of the options. I would never intentionally hurt him. I would never hurt anyone, but especially not him.”

“I believe that. But intentions and outcomes don’t always match up, especially when hearts are involved.” She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. “Cooper’s fragile, in ways most people don’t see. Not like he’s a hot mess and he’s obviously not fragile in the physical sense, but he’s in a rough spot. He still hasn’t gotten over the jilting.”

The confirmation of what I’d suspected made my stomach drop. I had seen the shadows in Cooper’s eyes, the careful way he approached emotional intimacy, but hearing it stated so bluntly made it real in a way that was hard to ignore.

“He’s still in love with her?” I asked, my voice smaller than I preferred. I didn’t want to sound weak or needy.

“No, I don’t think it’s love anymore,” Katrina said carefully. “But the damage she did? That’s still there. She didn’t just break up with him, Joy. She convinced him that his love was too much, that his caring was suffocating, that everything he thought he knew about being in a relationship was wrong. She made him question everything about himself. Somehow, she made him feel damaged. Like he loved her wrong.”

My chest ached thinking about Cooper’s heartache.

“Wouldn’t he have moved on by now if she didn’t mean anything to him?” I asked, voicing the fear that had been growing in the back of my mind.

“That’s not how trauma works,” Katrina said. “It’s not about still loving the person who hurt you. It’s about learning to trust your own heart again when someone you trusted completely used that trust to tear you apart.”

The explanation made horrible sense. Cooper’s caution I understood. But his surprise when I appreciated his thoughtful gestures had been different. He seemed to expect rejection or criticism.

“I’m already in too deep,” I whispered, the admission escaping before I could stop it.

Katrina’s expression softened. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know where I’ll end up in life, what job I’ll take, or what city I’ll live in or what my future looks like. But I know I want Cooper at my side through all of it. I want him holding me and supporting me and making me feel complete.”

I just admitted to my maybe-boyfriend’s sister that I was falling in love with him, possibly had already fallen completely.

“Oh, honey,” Katrina said, reaching across the coffee table to squeeze my hand. “You’ve got it bad.”

“I do,” I agreed with a shaky laugh. “I really, really do.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re good for him. I think you see the real Cooper, not just the careful persona he shows most people. Just be patient with him, okay? And be honest about what you want. He can’t handle games or uncertainty right now.”

I nodded, understanding the responsibility she was placing on me. Cooper’s heart had been broken badly enough that putting it back together was going to require patience and honesty and probably more courage than either of us possessed.