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Jonah greeted Piper with a grunt and a rough slap on the back, his simian version of an olive branch. She gave him an elbow to the gut but was glad she didn’t put any force behind it because at least one of the bouncers stayed close to Coop all evening, something Coop didn’t look pleased about.
Deidre Joss showed up again, this time alone. She and Coop disappeared. When half an hour passed and he hadn’t returned, Piper started to worry.
She checked the alley first. New security cameras had been installed as she’d recommended, and Coop’s Tesla sat there unharmed. He must be in his office. But what if Deidre were still with him? Piper couldn’t imagine anything worse than walking in on the two of them doing whatever they might be doing, and she knocked loudly on the door. When it swung open, Coop looked irritated. “You need something?”
“Security check. I wanted to make sure no one was in here who shouldn’t be.”
“Is that Piper?” Deidre said from inside the room.
Coop opened the door wider. Behind him, Piper could see Deidre standing near the couch, her hair a perfect waterfall, her dancer’s carriage upright, her stilettos arranged in third position. She even wore a softly draped ballerina-pink dress.
Deidre was exactly the kind of high-achieving woman Coop was most attracted to, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the two of them married. In between board meetings, Deidre would bear him three beautiful children, and on weekends, she’d prepare gourmet meals. Piper wondered if Coop would someday look back on his fling with her and wonder how he could have been so crazy.
“I’ve been looking for a chance to talk to you,” Deidre said. “Come in.”
Piper reluctantly did as she was told.
“According to Noah, I owe you an apology,” Deidre said. “He told me in no uncertain terms that I made life difficult for you by not letting you tell Cooper I was the one who’d hired you.”
His name is Coop, Piper thought, even as she plastered on a smile. “No harm done.”
“Other than my threatening to sue her,” Coop said.
“Oh, no! You didn’t.” Deidre looked horrified. “I am sorry, Piper. I didn’t know that.”
She was so damned nice. And smart. And successful.
Piper hated her.
Deidre directed her attention back to Coop. “I have to be up early, so I need to get home. Good talk.” She extended her arm to shake his hand, when what she really wanted to do was give him a long, deep good-bye kiss. Or maybe Piper was projecting. One thing she did know: Coop genuinely liked Deidre. And why wouldn’t he?
“See that Deidre gets to her car safely, will you, Piper?” He squeezed Deidre’s hand. “Apologies, Deidre, but I have to get back on the floor.”
Deidre smiled. “One of the things I most admire about you.”
Along with his abs, his smile, that incredible mouth . . . Which I’ve sampled, and you haven’t.
Piper’s self-disgust hit a new high . . . or low, depending on how she looked at it.
She escorted Deidre from the club to the lot across the street where she’d left her BMW. “You really didn’t need to walk me to my car,” Deidre said.
“It’s nice to get some fresh air.”
“Did you know that Noah’s become a big fan of yours?”
“Really?”
Deidre stopped and smiled. “You’re the first woman he’s shown any interest in since his divorce.”
Piper made a noncommittal murmur.
“Girlfriend to girlfriend . . . He’s solid. Ambitious. I don’t know what I’d have done without him after Sam’s death. He can be a little intense, I’ll give you that, but maybe you should let him take you out to dinner and you can see if you hit it off.”
“I don’t really have any time to date now.”
She tilted her head. “Because of Cooper? I heard a rumor that the two of you have more than a professional relationship.”
Piper hadn’t seen this coming. “Fascinating what people will say.”
