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He gapes at me. “What the hell doesthatmean?”
I take a deep breath. “I took Hazel out to dinner so she could interview me. But there was some paparazzi guy there I didn’t see. He got a photo that made it look like we were doing something...compromising. We weren’t,” I hasten to add. “My dad squashed the photos, but he assumed I was purposely fucking up the chance he’d given me to improve my reputation with this book.”
I can see Cooper putting the pieces together in his mind. “He threatened your shot at CEO.”
“And Hazel’s career. He said he was going to ruin it. He wouldn’t believe that she hadn’t done anything wrong,” I say. “I lied and convinced him we were engaged and going to get married. Obviously, he was thrilled. It’s Hazel.”
Cooper shakes his head. “So what, you told her she had to fake a marriage to you, or she’d be ruined?”
“No,” I say. “I didn’t tell her about any of that. I just told her my dad had told me I needed to get married or lose the CEO position.” I explain the rest of the deal I’d offered Hazel, and that she’d taken it. I leave out all the ways our relationship had changed since the wedding night.
Cooper runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”
I look down. “I wanted her to feel like she had a choice,” I say, my voice low.
“Even if she didn’t?” Cooper points out.
Thinking about how close my dad came to ruining Hazel’s career turns my stomach. “I would have figured something else out. I wouldn’t have let him hurt her. I swear.”
Cooper scrubs a hand over his face. “I leave you alone forone month,Luke. Why are endangered ecosystems so much easier to manage than you?” He strides into the living room and flops on the couch.
I sit down on a nearby chair.
“How are the two of you even living together?” Cooper asks. “You two hated each other.”
“We’ve gotten...closer since the wedding,” I say. “We understand each other now.”
It wasn’t technically a lie.
Cooper still looks suspicious. “Really.”
“Really,” I say. “She’s got this amazing ambition, but she was so stressed about money before...You should have seen where she was living, Cooper. Ofcourseshe couldn’t write her next book there.” I gesture to the spacious, beautiful rooms around us. “My place is better for her. She doesn’t need to worry about rent, or groceries, or chores. I can take care of her, so she can go after what she wants.”
Cooper’s expression shifts to something more guarded. “You like having her here. You like taking care of her.”
I consider denying it, but what’s the point?
“I do.”
Cooper drops his head into his hands. “Luke, this is such a mess.”
“I know,” I say. But the truth is, it doesn’t feel like a mess. Not anymore.
Having Hazel in my home feels like the best decision I ever made.
“How long are you staying in New York?” I ask, hoping we’re done with this conversation.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t gotten farther than rescuing my little sister from my asshole best friend,” Cooper mumbles into his hands.
“A day or two?” I suggest. “You should stay for dinner. Hazel will want to see you.”
I don’t invite him to stay at my place, like I normally would.
If he stays here, Hazel and I will have to go back to pretending we’re friendly strangers. And that idea terrifies me in a way I’m not willing to examine.
I used to be worried that Hazel would ruin my relationship with Cooper. I’m not sure when it became the reverse.
Cooper looks up from his hands, his eyes piercing. “I know that in your own messed up way, you’re trying to do right by Hazel. I appreciate that. But don’t get too comfortable.”
