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He didn’t deny or admit it.
“I called her the other day,” Deidre said. “We talked.”
It seemed as though everybody was talking to Piper except him.
“Do you know she thinks the two of us should be a couple?” Deidre twisted a silver ring on her finger. “But that’s not going to happen, is it?”
He hated hurting women, but he owed her honesty. “I’m afraid not. And I’m sorry about that.”
“Not all that sorry.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and gave him a rueful smile. “Once I got some perspective, I understood why I’m not the right woman for you. You need someone more . . . unconventional.”
Interesting how all these women believed they knew what he needed.
“I’m sorry we won’t be doing business together,” she said. “If you change your mind, let me know.”
“I’ll do that,” he said, even though he knew he wouldn’t.
As soon as Deidre left, he picked up his phone, stared down at it, then sent Piper another text.
I love you. Not a little. With all my heart.
The text went undelivered. She’d finally blocked him.
22
“I don’t want to meet him,” Berni protested as Piper led her into the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet Willie Mahoney in exactly ten minutes. “He’ll think I’m some old lady who’s lost her mind.”
An apt description for the way Piper felt—old beyond her years and barely able to function. She missed Coop desperately. Getting out of bed in the morning was as much as she could handle, and only a sense of duty was forcing her to fulfill her obligation to Berni.
She played on the older woman’s soft heart. “He’s a nice man, and he’s lonely. You know what it feels like to lose a spouse. You’re the perfect person to cheer him up.”
“I don’t see why it has to be me. He’ll think I’m a crackpot.”
“He’ll think you’re interesting, and you need to see him for yourself so you can put this behind you.”
Maybe Piper could begin to put Coop behind her if only he’d stop trying to contact her, but he was too competitive to give up without a hard fight. She should have done what he wanted. She should have moved in with him and smothered him with so much affection that she stopped being a challenge. If she’d done that, he would have pushed her out the door as fast as he could. But she hadn’t done that because she wasn’t tough enough.
She and Berni were ten minutes early, but Willie was already seated at the same back table where he and Piper had talked a week and a half ago. “That’s him,” she said.
“You didn’t tell me he was so good-looking,” Berni whispered.
He’d slicked what was left of his hair to his pink scalp. His dress shirt looked as though he’d tried to iron it himself, and he’d accessorized his gray trousers with what appeared to be a new pair of white sneakers. Piper slipped her arm around Berni’s waist, grateful for the solid feel of her. “I
wanted to surprise you. Let’s go.”
Berni moved forward as though she were heading for her execution. Willie rose, and Piper introduced them. Berni charged right in. “I know you must think I’m a crazy old lady.”
Piper couldn’t let that pass. “The first time you saw Willie he was wearing a cheesehead.”
“That’s true,” Willie agreed as they all took their seats. “It keeps people away.”
Berni regarded him with concern. “Why would you want to do that? People need other people.”
“That’s what my kids tell me when they call. Once a week but they can’t be bothered to visit.”
“You’re lucky to have kids. Howard and I couldn’t. Howard had a low count, if ya know what I mean.”
Willie nodded sagely. “That’s too bad. Tough on you both.”
