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I put my hands up and grin. “Really, it’s a small thing. And you can change it back if you hate it.”
“What did you do?” A perfect eyebrow arches in concern, and I feel my chest tighten at the thought of disappointing her.
What the fuck is this now? Why do I care about disappointing Sloane?
“I just added a small break down between verses, that’s all.” Now I back up a little into the doorway of my classroom. Preparing to shut the door between us if she goes on the attack. “Like I said, though, you can always put it back the way--”
“No, no,” she says, her face pensive as though she’s considering the change in her head, mentally playing the song with the new addition. Slowly, a smile returns to the surface, and I feel myself release the breath caught in my throat. “If it’s how I’m picturing it, it’s an interesting change. I’d need to hear it first, though.”
“I can play it for you if you want,” I suggest, half-hoping she turns me down. I’m not sure I like how I’m feeling about Sloane right now. She’s done nothing for me to like, but somehow, I still find myself thinking about her when I shouldn’t. And I definitely still look for her after every class. I’m starting to question if it’s really to piss her off like I initially intended or something more now.
For a minute, it looks like she might take me up on my offer. But then some mental parkour must happen because several emotions run through her before she says, “No thanks. I’ll wait for Penny to show me. She might change her mind about it over the weekend, and she probably shouldn’t hear we just talked about her song without her.”
While disappointed by the rejection, I can’t deny that her reasons are valid. It is Penny’s song, and it’s not for me to play for anyone without her. It was stupid of me to suggest it in the first place.
This is why I don’t mentor people. I suck at it.
“You’re right,” I say, feeling ten sides awkward. I give her a half-hearted wave. “Have a good weekend, Sloane.”
“You too, Cooper,” she replies as she heads into her room.
She said my name. My first name. Not, ‘Mr. Davies.’
She said my fucking name.
ten
Love is a Battlefield
Sloane
During the third week of the session, I like to hold meetings with the mentors to get status reports and see if any changes or improvements can be made. It’s an excellent time to get a feel for how things are going for everyone and head off any issues before they become full-blown problems. Every mentor was sent an email from Fiona with the time and place for the meetings.
Cooper Davies is now twenty minutes late for his.
Nobody else has had an issue with their appointments, and absolutely no one was a complete no-show.
Until Cooper.
Of course, he’s the one who has to be a problem, the one who has to be an asshole and think rules don’t apply to him. Of course, it’s him. I’m neither surprised nor disappointed. I can’t be disappointed because I never expected him to show up in the first place. What I will be surprised about is if he comes in on Monday now that he’s jumped the tracks. Apparently, he’s gotten what he needed from the program and doesn’t feel the need to participate any further.
After a few more minutes, I head out to the reception area. “Fiona, let’s start contacting the subs we discussed for advanced guitar.”
“Wait, why?” I hear Cooper’s voice and look up to see him saunter in as if the world should stop since he’s here now.
Fiona looks back and forth between us, anticipating the showdown she knows is about to happen.
“Because, Mr. Davies, it’s obvious you are working on your own schedule, and we can’t function as a program if everyone isn’t using the same clock.” I cross my arms over my chest to emphasize my point. Bullshit like this can’t stand.
He looks thoroughly confused. I’ll give him that much. But it’s not enough to persuade me into thinking he actually is. Guys like him are great actors when they need to play the martyr.
“What the fuck are you talking about? My own schedule? I’m five fucking minutes early, Ms. Castle.”
The clapback at using his formal name isn’t lost on me, but I ignore it for now.
“Your meeting was scheduled for a half hour ago. I’ve waited for you, and now I won’t be doing that any longer.” I wave my hands at him dismissively for him to leave. I’ve had enough of this guy. Never mind that my knees seem to lose strength whenever he’s around. I discount that as purely a physical reaction to an attractive man. It doesn’t mean anything. “Don’t worry. We’ve had subs lined up the entire time, waiting in the wings for this inevitability. Thanks for your time thus far. You’re free to go.”
The anger creeping up his face is slow but so intense I can feel it in my bones before he says a single word. A mad Cooper Davies is not something I want to be directed at me. Holy shit.
