10. SKYE

10

SKYE

When I heard the doorbell ring, I gave myself one last look in the mirror and let out a deep sigh in a vain attempt to settle my nerves.

I had always been the kind of girl who worried more than was probably necessary in most situations. For the most part, I'd learned to live with it, often being able to recognize when it made sense and was justified and when I was merely overthinking things and needed to take a step back to look at the situation again from a different angle.

Usually, I found if I did that in an instance where nerves were mostly unwarranted, I could gain some perspective and calm my mind.

Sadly, that had been virtually impossible to accomplish today, no matter how hard I'd tried. Because even though I'd gone to work in the morning and had some distraction there, it wasn't nearly enough to make me forget or even allow me to pretend that what I was facing tonight wasn't fast approaching.

No matter how much I tried to ignore it or wish it wouldn't be the case, I was going to be seeing Maria for the first time since she'd shown up at The Next Chapter two weeks ago. It would be the first time since before I learned the truth about his infidelity that I'd be seeing Simon.

That was months ago.

Months.

The logical part of my brain recognized I wasn't the one who needed to be nervous about tonight. If anything, Simon was the one who should have been concerned. He had been the coward. He couldn't face me months ago to tell me the truth; I didn't understand how he would manage seeing me tonight.

Maybe I'd get lucky.

It was likely that after Maria left my bookstore that day, she went back and told Simon that not only had I moved on, but that I'd be at the charity event. Wasn't it possible he thought he knew me well enough to assume I wouldn't have moved on or even considered attending?

Sure, Maria had suggested they both wanted to keep me in their lives, but there was something about that which felt a bit unbelievable. Or, well, it felt that way when it came to what I thought I knew about Simon and what he'd proven to me.

Regardless of what they wound up doing tonight—I was still hoping they'd not show up at all—there was one small part of me that believed there was something I could latch on to that calmed my nerves just a touch.

Cooper.

The mere thought of knowing he was going to be there with me made that possible. I couldn't explain it, but I believed he would do everything possible to help me through whatever came my way tonight.

In the end, I was going to owe him a debt of gratitude, and I wasn't sure I would ever be able to properly thank him for it.

Satisfied with how I looked, I exited my bedroom, descended the stairs, and opened my front door.

I had been aware of the dress code for the evening, but for some reason, I hadn't done anything to prepare myself for what stood before me.

Cooper was unbelievably handsome. That much had been evident from the first day I met him. The more I got to know him, the more attractive he became.

But from a physical looks' standpoint, particularly his attire, Cooper was relaxed. His job called for casual—jeans and T-shirts. If I had to guess, he probably threw on a sweatshirt in the winter. And Cooper's attitude said as much. He didn't seem like he was the kind of guy who cared much about what people thought about how he dressed.

If I was honest, his usual attire was kind of sexy, especially given the way his clothes fit him. I'd considered how he'd look with a shirt off on two or three occasions.

But none of that even came close to preparing me for this. This was… I didn't even know if I could put into words what I was feeling at the sight of him dressed in a suit. God, it was devastating how handsome he was.

That dark hair and the way his navy suit only enhanced the striking quality of his blue eyes. I didn't know how it was possible for me to not start drooling right there in front of him.

"Jesus," he said, his voice hushed.

My body tensed. "What's wrong?"

Cooper's eyes roamed over my body from top to toe and back again before he settled them on my face and asked, "Do you have any idea just how beautiful you are?"

I felt heat hit my cheeks. I hadn't thought I was unattractive by any means, but Simon hadn't ever been particularly forthcoming with the compliments in the time we'd been together, either. As much as I loved how nice it was to hear Cooper openly share those sentiments with me, I wasn't used to it.

"That's really sweet of you," I said softly. "I was just thinking about how I hadn't prepared myself to see you in a suit. This is certainly a different look for you, too."

Cooper glanced down at his body briefly before he asked, "Is it a bad look?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. In fact, it's really nice."

He smiled at me, the brightness shining in his eyes, matching the warmth I felt in my heart. "Thanks. Are you all set to go?"

Nodding, I said, "I just need to grab my clutch."

A moment later, with my clutch firmly in one hand, I had locked my door and was being escorted to Cooper's truck with his palm resting lightly on the small of my back. That simple touch sent shivers up my spine, adding to the trembling nerves I'd already felt in my belly.

The next thing I knew, Cooper had opened my door and helped me into his truck, and we were on our way to Westwood's with the crisp, clean, and masculine scent of him filling the air around me.

"Did you find my place okay?" I asked, wanting to distract myself from all the feelings of attraction.

"Yep."

"That's good. Thank you, again, for doing this for me. I don't know if you realize just how important this function is to me. I'd been devastated when I had to make the decision earlier in the year not to attend," I shared.

"You've already thanked me, sweetheart. And I plan to have a great time tonight, so this really isn't this burden I think you believe it's going to be for me," he returned.

There was that word again.

Sweetheart.

Every time he said it with that seductive voice, I felt myself melt just a little bit.

I was lost in the way that word made me feel and struggling to pull myself together when Cooper asked, "How are you feeling about tonight?"

Problem solved.

No longer thinking about Cooper's voice, his sweet words, or the way he looked and smelled, my mind was entirely focused on my nerves again. "I'm nervous."

In an instant, Cooper reached his hand across the center console and covered my hand with his. He offered a reassuring squeeze, which had me trembling for a whole different reason.

"What are you worried about?"

I didn't think I could ever tell him about how the simplest touch from him left me struggling to remain upright, so I gave him the other truth that was easier to share. "I haven't seen Simon since before he told me about his infidelity in February. I guess I'm worried about how it's going to go this evening."

Cooper's thumb stroked gently across my knuckles. "You don't have anything to worry about, Skye. Not only is he the one who should be embarrassed by what he did, but I won't allow him to do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable tonight. I hope you can trust me enough to believe that."

I swallowed hard. It was one thing to admit to myself that Cooper being by my side tonight was the only reason it was going to be bearable, but it was another thing for him to come right out with a promise to protect me. "You know, in the two years that I dated Simon, I don't think he ever made me feel reassured about his ability and willingness to keep me safe. I'm not suggesting it was always bad, but I realize things now that I overlooked then. And I guess I should have expected his betrayal, because he obviously didn't feel it was his responsibility to guard my heart."

I paused a moment to gather some courage and to make sure that what I said next came out precisely the way I wanted Cooper to hear it. Somehow, he seemed to know I wasn't finished speaking, and he waited patiently for me to prepare myself.

Eventually, I said, "I don't know if it was fate or luck or something else that put you in my life, but I'm grateful for it all the same. You didn't even know me, and you stepped up for me. You didn't hesitate to stand up and protect me, even when you didn't know what you were protecting me from. And you deserve to know that the only reason I feel like I can be here, knowing I'll come face-to-face with Simon and Maria, is because you are by my side. I couldn't do this without you, Cooper. And I trust that I'll be safe with you tonight."

Silence filled the cabin. Cooper had been such a confident and outspoken guy, so I had assumed he would have had something to say in response. We'd just come to a stoplight, so I glanced over and saw that he was staring at me with something that looked a lot like admiration and appreciation in his expression. His thumb was still stroking my knuckles, and since he finally had my attention, he said, "I mean no disrespect to you when I say this, but your ex-boyfriend was nothing but a fool to let you get away."

"Well, I wasn't exactly the one who walked away," I reminded him.

He offered a slight shake of his head. "Maybe not at first. But he made it possible for you to do it. That, in my opinion, makes him a fool."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly.

When the light changed, Cooper started driving again. For the remainder of our drive to Westwood's, it was mostly silent, but comforting. The nerves I'd been feeling all day had dissipated after my conversation with Cooper. Knowing he understood what I was struggling with and hearing him promise to make sure things didn't go awry for me gave me a sense of peace I wouldn't have been able to achieve on my own.

Cooper was, slowly but surely, providing me with the opportunity to put my faith in someone again, to trust someone, and there was something about him that made me believe he wouldn't do anything to screw it up.

We eventually arrived at Westwood's. After he parked the truck, Cooper got out and rounded the hood to meet me on my side. And as we walked toward the entrance to the hotel, something washed over me. It felt different being here with him than it had ever felt with anyone else. Though I always loved coming to this event with my grandmother, it never felt like this, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Cooper had taken me by the hand, his fingers linking with mine. And although there was a part of me that believed this was only going to complicate things for me on a personal level, there was the other part of me, the part that Cooper revived which longed for something more, that relished the feel of such an intimate gesture and having my hand firmly held within his.

As he led me toward the ballroom, I had at least a dozen thoughts about him, tonight, and where things would go after his birthday celebration tomorrow all running through my mind. That's why I was caught off guard completely when he brought us to a halt and said, "Oh, this is perfect. I was hoping we'd catch you early."

I hadn't realized the fog I'd been in thinking about wonderful things related to Cooper until I heard him speak. I shook my head to remove those thoughts and focused my attention on where Cooper's was—on a gorgeous woman.

"Ivy, this is the woman I was telling you about, Skye. Skye, this is my sister, Ivy," Cooper said.

Shock washed over me, and I blinked my eyes in surprise. Why didn't I know that he'd spoken to his sister about me? Had he told anyone else about me? What did he say?

Ivy extended a hand to me. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Skye."

Finally. How long had he been talking about me?

Using my free hand, I reached for Ivy's and shook it. "It's lovely to meet you, too. Are you the one responsible for setting everything up here tonight?"

With a smile on her face, she tipped her head from one side to the other. "Well, I didn't do all the work myself. I have an incredible staff here, but I am the one responsible for making sure everyone does what they need to do."

I shook my head slowly. "We just got here, so I haven't seen inside yet, but every year I've come to this event, it's always been beautifully decorated and tastefully done."

Ivy's smile grew. "Thanks. I've only recently taken over being the one solely responsible for things like this, since I just graduated from college, but I've been working here in this hotel for years and have participated in preparing for these types of events for as long as I can remember."

"Ivy's always been great in a role like this," Cooper interjected. "She's capable of juggling multiple things at once, and she seems to have no trouble doing it well and with ease."

Ivy laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not some freak of nature, Cooper. I'm a woman, and we just excel at multi-tasking." She turned her attention to me, smiled, and said, "I'm sure you know exactly what I mean, if what my brother told me is true, and you're the owner of The Next Chapter."

I returned the smile. Then, I didn't know if it was the comfort I'd been feeling since I opened my door to Cooper or something else entirely, but I didn't hesitate to share more than I thought I would in any other situation. "Yeah, I've had to handle more than one thing at a time there, especially now having a new hire. Lately, I've been pouring every ounce of my free time into work. "

"That's great. At least you were able to clear the time to make the event tonight. Cooper mentioned that this event is one that holds some significance in your life, so it's wonderful you were able to make it this evening," she returned.

I glanced up at Cooper, who took that opportunity to smile and wink at me. My knees got weak at the wink. "Yeah," I murmured, my eyes still gazing into Cooper's. "I'm very happy to be here with him."

"Well, I've got to get back up front to take care of a few things, but I'll come and say goodbye before I leave," Ivy began. "And Cooper told me you'll be joining all of us tomorrow, so we can catch up more then."

I nodded at her. "That sounds wonderful."

Ivy gave me one last look before turning her attention to Cooper. Then, with a look of approval on her face, she said, "Have a great time tonight."

"We will. Thanks, Ivy."

"Later," she called out as she walked off and waved back at us.

Cooper tugged gently on my hand and urged me forward. And after we got inside the ballroom, which looked exceptional, Cooper led us toward the bar to grab some drinks.

And that's when it happened. No sooner had Cooper given our drink order to the bartender, a voice I'd been dreading hearing called out my name.