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I grab the stapler and head back to my desk, thinking about the email I need to dictate before I leave for the day. But, as I slide into my chair, Penny pops her head through the doorway.
Which, automatically, makes me think of Cooper.
Not that he hasn’t been on my mind all day. For hours, I’ve been fighting the urge to text him back. But each time I’ve picked up my phone, I think about the way his face lit up when he told me about Gia and his other nieces and nephews, and I tuck away my phone along with the wish that circumstances were different, that I was different, because those are things that will never change.
“Hey, there.” Penny’s changed for softball practice, and her bag is slung over her shoulder. “How’d it go this weekend? The sleepover for Cooper’s niece?”
Is she simply curious, or did she stop by because he’s sent in reinforcements? He’s texted me half a dozen times since yesterday, and since I haven’t responded, I wouldn’t put it past him, but as she hops up onto a student desk, her warm smile seems genuine.
“Great, thanks again for the referral.”
“Of course.”
“How’s business? Still booked most weekends?”
“Business is booming, and yes, it’s been busy. Plus, I got another idea for a new theme when I was at Cooper’s on Saturday. A rainbow design thanks to the amazing playroom he has. Have you seen it? It’s gorgeous.”
Penny nods. “I have. Coop’s mom is an interior designer, one of the most sought after in Chicago.”
“He didn’t mention that, but I can see why she’s in high demand. His whole place looks like it’s straight out of a magazine.”
Penny picks at an invisible piece of lint on her leggings. “How much of his place did you get to see?”
As I read between the lines, silence descends and lays thick in the air like fog over the lake in the fall. He may not have told her everything, but she certainly knows enough to guess what might have happened between us.
I lift a shoulder. “Enough.”
The side of her lips curls up. “Is that why you’re ghosting him?”
I knew it. Man, he’s not giving up without a fight.
“Is that why you stopped by this afternoon?”
She shoots me a full-blown grin. “Figured, didn’t you?”
“I had an idea. Look,” I say, busying myself with straightening my desk. “I liked Coop, despite your warning, but I… I just… I’m not interested in seeing him.”
“Really? Why?”
“Let’s just say it’s complicated.” I run my fingers through my hair. “Plus, it’s not like he should be surprised I’m not responding. Before I left yesterday, I told I didn’t think it was a good idea to see him again.”
She frowns. “He didnotmention that.”
“What did he say?” I ask so quickly Penny’s eyes shoot to mine. When they narrow on me, I can’t play it off as if I don’t want to know.
“He thanked me for the suggestion for your company and said what a pleasure it was to get to know you.”
A pleasure, hmm? You could say that again.
Penny continues, “Then he mentioned how he’s been texting because he wants to ask you out, but you haven’t been responsive, even though it’s been over twenty-four hours.”
“I’m guessing patience isn’t one of his virtues.”
“No,” she says with a chuckle and pops off the desk. “But persistence is.”
“I can see that.”
“If you say you liked him and you two seemed to hit it off, why don’t you want to see him again?”
