AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On the other side of the wall, laid out in a lawn chair in a painfully small bikini, was a woman who made my mouth godry. She had earbuds in and sunglasses on. And as she soaked up some sun, her hands were tapping to the music against the armrest of the lawn chair.
My eyes rolled over her smooth, tight body. She still had those long dancer's legs. She'd been in ballet when she was a little girl and I still remembered her trying to teach Tess when they were young to pirouette. Tess could never quite get it, but she wasn't the most graceful creature.
What the hell was she doing here?
My eyes continued their search, looking over her toned stomach and up to those perky breasts peeking over the cups of her tiny bikini top, and then my eye stared at her hands. There were no rings. No rings.
That's when she screamed.
Haley
"Cooper! What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, sounding more shrill than I intended.
My heart was pounding a thousand miles a minute, but I couldn't take my eyes off his handsome face. There were laugh lines around his eyes as he smiled at me, but he still had that sweet lopsided grin and those hazel eyes that always seemed to see right through me. Although it wasn’t all that difficult at the moment. I felt like one big, walking, open wound—anyone who looked at me could tell I was a hot mess. But the last person I wanted to see that was Cooper.
"I could ask you the same thing," he said jovially enough, although there was a slight edge in his tone. "Last I heard, you were getting hitched?"
I ripped my gaze from his, busying myself with getting up from the lawn chair and putting my cover-up on. "Yeah, uh, change of plans."
I heard him huff out a laugh behind me. "Where have I heard that before? Lord help the poor sucker who tried to tie you down," he bit out, and I stiffened.
I'd been around Cooper for all of sixty seconds and he was already bringing up the break-up—as if I didn't think about that moment every damn day of my life.
As I tightened the sash of my cover-up around my waist, I turned to face him with a determined glare. "I'm going to be staying here for a while. I hope that's not a problem."
He raised a curious eyebrow, but didn't press further. "I'll stay out of your way as long as you stay out of mine."
I nodded and stomped back into the house, shutting the door decisively behind me, then sagging against it and putting my hand over my heart, trying in vain to calm it down.
Ten years. It had been ten years since I had shared physical space with Cooper and I felt like I was a teenager all over again. What the hell was he doing here? What were the odds that he was taking a vacation at the same moment I needed to run away?
I hated the idea that I was running away, but it felt like the only thing I could do.
Once I'd landed on Kauai, I felt relieved to be here, but then I worried about how it would feel to be inside the bungalow again. It had been many years since I'd visited Hanalei, and even though I’d inherited the bungalow from my parents, I hadn't bothered to come to see it since they'd died because I thought it would be too painful. Between the memories of them—and Cooper—I didn’t think I could handle it. They were taken from me so suddenly, and even after two years, it still felt like yesterday.
But when I slipped the key in the lock and took my first steps inside after so long, I felt myself smiling in relief. There were a few bittersweet moments, but mostly it felt like a safe place, especially since I didn't have to worry about bumping into Cooper. Sure, it would be difficult to deal with the memories, but it was better than dealing with the chaos going on back home.
As soon as I landed, I called Tess on the drive to Hanalei. I filled her in, in explicit detail, about what I had walked in on.
"That rat bastard. I never liked him," she had declared.
"I know, I know, but..."
"But nothing. He never realized what he had in you. Listen, I know that was probably the worst way ever to find out your fiancé was cheating, but take it as a blessing that you are free of that man."
I huffed out a sigh. "You’re not wrong, but right now, I'm worried about the fallout."
I could practically feel Tess rolling her eyes over the line. "Well, you know him. He's going to spin this to his benefit somehow. And I know you don't want to get involved, Haley, but don't you dare let him spin some tale about being the jilted groom. He deserves everything that’s coming to him—and worse, if you ask me. Don't be afraid to talk to the reporters and set the record straight."
Reporters. Ick.
That was the last thing I wanted to do. But it sounded like there was quite the feeding frenzy to uncover exactly what happened to the rising star congressman who was left at the altar. If I knew Marcus, by the time he was done, people would be building shrines to him, praising him for his courage in the face of heartbreak.
I rolled my eyes. It didn't really matter—I didn't care what other people thought of me. I just had to get out of there. I would stay here until the next school year started and hopefully by thenthere would be a hotter, more tawdry story to capture people's attention.
Regaining some of my composure, I snatched up my cell phone and dialed Tess. When she answered, I accused her, "You didn't tell me Cooper was at your parents' bungalow."
"Well, good morning to you, too," she laughed.
