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Cole frowned. “I would have never known. Marty acts as if he’s a heavyweight fighter just waiting for his next takedown.”
“I thought so, too, until I went to the kitchen and saw how much pain he’s in. I haven’t been able to get him to see a doctor, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”
Cole’s frown disappeared. “I know his secret weakness.”
“What’s that?”
“Ginny. She’s Matthew and Issac’s little sister.”
Megan nodded. “I know her. How is she Marty’s weakness?”
“They are close, but he would deny it to hell and back.”
“Then how do you—”
“Ginny toured with Mouth2Mouth.”
She knew that, also. Everyone in Treepoint was aware of how famous Ginny had become before getting married and returning to Treepoint, leaving her singing career behind.
“That’s how she met Marty. When a tornado hit the restaurant Marty owned in Tennessee, he didn’t rebuild there; he bought the diner in Treepoint instead.”
“You think she’d talk to him?”
“For sure. I’ll call her in the morning.”
“Thank you. That’ll be a big burden off my mind.”
“Glad to help.” Straightening off the sink, he went to the table and turned the candles off.
Despondently, she felt as if the joy had been sucked out of the room.
“Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
She trailed after Cole as they went through a narrow hallway to the end, coming to a halt next to three doors. His shoulder brushed against hers as he opened the door behind her.
“This is your room.” Raising his hand, he tapped on the door next to hers with his knuckles. “This is the bathroom. I keep extra robes and pajamas there. Help yourself to anything you need.”
“You bring a lot of guests?”
Did you really think you were the only woman Cole has treated to a date on his boat? You’re such a nitwit. There’s nothing special about you.
“I loan the boat to several people.” Cole shrugged. “Sometimes, they plan ahead. Others, they do it spur of the moment.”
“Ah … that makes sense.”
Cole didn’t directly say he hadn’t had a date aboard before, but neither did he say he had. She was good with that. She’d rather not know.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No.” Megan cleared her throat nervously. “Where will you be sleeping?”
Cole nodded his head back. “This is my room. Just knock or text me.”
“All right … good night.”
“Night.”
Inside, Megan closed the door. The light was already on, and the bed turned down. She walked toward the bed and ran her hand over the silky-soft sheets. Sitting down on the side, she looked at the closed door instead of throwing herself down on the luxurious bed, as her younger self would have done. She didn’t care about the monetary things Cole possessed, nor the promises she had made herself not to become involved with him or any man until she was surer of her mental health. What did bother her was that she was alone.
She was so tired of being alone. Of being scared to the root of her being she would die that way. No one to mourn her loss, no one to cry over her grave, no one who would even bother to put a headstone up. No one to remember that she had ever existed.
Cole made her feel as if she actually did exist. Her greatest fear was that she would die in her sleep, and her body wouldn’t be discovered until the housecleaner came to clean her room at the motel.
Not wanting to sleep anymore, Megan decided to take a shower.
She went to the bathroom, showered, and washed her hair. Searching the drawers, she found a hair dryer and an unopened hairbrush.
She stared at herself in the mirror as she blew her hair out and came to a conclusion. There was a way she could keep her promise to herself and not have to be alone tonight. There was only one hiccup in her plan.
Cole.
Seventeen
Megan bit her bottom lip as she raised her hand to knock on Cole’s door.
You’re going to make a fool of yourself.
It won’t be the first time, she argued back to herself.
I’m just going to ask him to let me sleep with him, she lied to herself.
Pfft. You want to jump his bones.
Caught in the lie, Megan used the other excuse she had on standby.
It will be only for one night, and it’ll be just for sex. I won’t get emotionally involved.
Her conscience stayed eerily silent.
You’ll see, I won’t fall in love with him, she assured her conscience, knocking on the door before she could change her mind.
You already are.
You would have been more helpful if you had said that before I freaking knocked.
Lord, have mercy. Her tongue went to the roof of her mouth when Cole answered the door only wearing pajama bottoms.
He looked at her in concern. “Is something wrong?”
Her mind went completely blank staring at him.
“Uh … I …”
