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“I do.”
“You’re going to Bubba’s tonight.”
“I’m supposed to.” Who knew what was happening after this morning? “And we should probably…”
“We will. Text me when you head home?”
The question pulled at me. “Save a kiss for me?”
“I’ll save every kiss you want,” he promised. We lingered like that, trapped in the raw honesty in his answer. He wanted more, and Jake’s soft promise that no way Coop was going to wait echoed back at me.
No. I didn’t want him to have to wait either.
“Time to go,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he said. “Arch’s waiting.”
“And coffee.” At the comment, Coop flashed me another swift grin.
“The fastest way to your heart.”
“Ha.”
The soft beep-beep of his car alarm engaging echoed as a pair of hands clapped. Turning away from Coop, I met Sharon’s bland stare. Patty stood not a foot behind her. “Thanks for the performance,” Sharon said as she held up the phone. “Though I have to wonder why anyone would be fighting over scraps ofyourtime.”
Coop let out a little sound, but I caught his arm and didn’t look away from Sharon. “You know what?”
“I know everyone is going to see what a slut you are,” she said with a smirk as she tapped on her phone.
“Your jealousy is showing.”
Patty snapped her gaze up and Sharon scowled.
“I know,” I told her as I started forward, slinging my backpack on and keeping it casual. I actually used to feel sorry for her. But not anymore. I paused close enough to see her phone screen and the Snapchat she had open. Before I said, “I’m sure you still have biggest bitch in school all locked up.”
When she gawked, I smiled.
“See you.”
Then I marched inside with Coop hot on my heels. Inside, I was shaking a like a leaf. But fuck Sharon.
Seriously.
Just fuck her.
“That,” Coop said as he slung an arm around my shoulders, “was epic. You just achieved like—seriously—mega levels of hotness. Be my friend? Please?” He leaned into me on the last.
I rolled my eyes, laughing. “You said that when I punched John in kindergarten.”
“I did, and when you socked Felicia MacNamara.”
Ugh. I laughed, head back. “I forgot about her.”
“I didn’t. You had a wicked right hook, even when you were five.”
Despite the banter, I couldn’t quite shake the trembling on the inside. But hell if I would show it. Not with there already being an issue. Archie sat at our table, drumming the fingers of one hand until he caught sight of us.
“Finally,” he said as we got there, and he shoved my iced coffee over to me. At the pinched worry around his eyes, what little humor I’d cobbled together fled.
