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I pull up to the curb, and she places her hand on mine. “Thanks for today, Cooper,” she says quietly. “But, like I said, I’m not sure we’re cut out to be together.”
“Why not?”
“You’re… Wasn’t one time enough? Isn’t that what usually satisfies you? Then you get bored and move on. Can’t you move on now?”
I shake my head. “That might have been true before, but no longer. There’s no amount of time in my life that would ever be enough now that I’ve found you, Eve. Plus,” I add, lifting her hand to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. “We both know this isn’t about incompatibility, and it isn’t about my past.”
“We do?” She whispers the words so low, as if the fear I can see what she’s truly hiding terrifies her.
“Yes.”
Surprise flickers across her face. She must not have expected that, but I pay more attention than people think. Especially when it comes to people I care about. Like Eve.
“Cooper,” she says, her voice wavering. “You’re… You’re looking for something I just can’t give you.”
I choose my words carefully. “Let’s talk about this later, okay? After you’re done with work for the day. Can you come over later so we can talk? Please?”
She opens her mouth, and I’m sure she’s about to deny me, to say no, but hope blooms when instead I hear her quiet, “Okay.”
Eve
IapproachCooper’sluxuryhigh-rise from the front tonight rather than the loading dock around back. The doorman tips his hat as he opens the door for me, and I offer him a tight smile. The lobby is filled with fragrant fresh flowers and polished stone floors that my heels click against as I cross it.
A confusing cocktail of apprehension and heartache pulses through me. I take a deep breath as I press the Up button at the bank of elevators, straightening my dress and steeling myself for the conversation that’s to come.
As the elevator dings and the doors slide open, a woman and little boy emerge, holding hands. The boy, no more than two years old, drops the teddy bear he’s holding and pulls away from the woman to stoop and pick it up, blocking the way.
“Sorry,” the woman says, with an apologetic smile before glancing at my arm.
“No worries,” I assure her, swallowing the lump in my throat and waiting until he toddles away before to I enter.
The doors slide open once again on the fifty-fourth floor, and Cooper is there, leaning casually against the wall as he tends to do, with one foot crossed over the other at the ankle. Pleasure courses through me at the sight of him, waiting for me. I may as well enjoy it while I can.
But when I meet his eyes, he presses off the wall and approaches, concern etched on his face.
“What is it?” he asks, reaching for my hand.
“Nothing.” I squeeze hard and offer a smile as much to reassure myself as to emphasize to him I’m fine.
“So excited to see me you had to wait by the door?” I ask, trying to inject a touch of humor into the moment.
“Something like that.” The worry is still there in the press of his lips, but there’s a sparkle in his eyes, as if he’s got a secret and can’t wait to share it.
My curiosity is piqued even more when Cooper stills, his hand on the door handle. “What?” I ask.
He opens his mouth but then closes it again.
My eyebrows draw together and unease fills my chest. “Cooper?”
“You’ll see,” is all he says before swinging open the door and stepping back to allow me to enter first.
My first thought is that we’re on the wrong floor, surely a different apartment, but no, the space is the same. It’s the decor that’s completely different. Instead of the minimalist neutral-colored design Cooper’s apartment was six days ago, it’s now a tasteful kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and bold patterns. A curated selection of abstract art adorns the walls, each piece asymmetrical and more mesmerizing than the last. The design evokes feelings of warmth and whimsy that make my heart swell.
“Coop, this is amazing,” I breathe, unable to tear my eyes away from the breathtaking scene. “You did all of this…for me?”
He shrugs nonchalantly, though there’s pride and pleasure in the golden rays in his hazel eyes. “I had some help.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” I murmur, and it’s the understatement of the century as unease riots through me.
