“What?”
My patience was thinning. I wasn't sure what was going on. He'd been the one to suggest dinner. I'd attached no strings to our encounter the night before. If he'd wanted it to end right then, he'd had the perfect opportunity to do so. Now, he was sitting at the table the way I imagined a prisoner on death row might take his last meal. I was pretty sure he would have rather been anywhere than at dinner with me.
“I said, what is it like then?” I repeated.
He rubbed at his chin for a moment, staring into his glass, squinting, like he was searching for something in it. His hand moved from his chin to his hair and he exhaled. He rapped his fingers on the table again, opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then froze with his eyes toward the hostess stand.
“Oh, shit,” he whispered. “I knew it.”
I followed his gaze toward the door. A woman in black running shorts and a white tank top was talking to the hostess. Her dark hair was pulled into a pony tail through her white visor, the tail of it resting on her left shoulder. The hostess turned toward us and so do the woman. The woman's eyes narrowed and she headed in our direction.
“Oh, shit,” Cooper repeated.
“What?” My voice was sharp.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. I didn't know if it was because he had nothing to say or because the furious look on the woman's face had silenced him.
“What a surprise,” the woman said as she approached the table. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
“What the hell are you doing, Gina?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said. She turned to me and looked me up and down, a disdainful expression on her face. She was probably a few years older than me, with dark eyes that matched the color of her hair. Her sculpted eyebrows arched in disbelief. “Seriously?” she asked, turning back to him.
“Are you fucking following me?” he asked.
“Not like it's the most difficult thing in the world,” she said. She turned her attention back to me and her lips curled into a snarl. “You're pathetic.”
“And you're insane,” Cooper growled, pushing his chair back.
I wasn't sure what was going on, but I could make a couple of guesses. I didn't need to do it there, though. I had zero tolerance for drama and even less for anything that I could be dragged into.
I grabbed my purse. “I'm gonna go.”
Gina stepped over so she was standing in front of me. “Why are you in such a hurry now, sweetheart?”
“Get the hell out of her way,” Cooper said.
“She can get around me,” Gina said, looking down at me. She smirked. “Let's see her try.”
I sat there for a moment, wondering if I was seriously going to have to push her out of my way in order to leave. Cooper leaped out of his chair and took the woman by the arm, pulling her away from me.
“I'm so sorry, Jess.” He shook his head, unable to find any other words. “I'm sorry.”
Gina yanked her arm from his hand. “You're damn right you're sorry, Cooper,” she seethed. “You're pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I am so sick of this. I am...”
“Shut up, Gina,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. The stitches strained against his taut skin and I wondered if they would pop. “Just shut up. Just give it up.”
I stood and looped my purse over my arm. My stomach was one massive knot. I didn't know who Gina was but I had a pretty good idea and I was pissed at Cooper. Not just because I'd slept with him when he was obviously involved with someone else, but because he'd dragged me into the middle of it by agreeing to dinner. I'd never been “the other woman.” I didn't know their circumstances and I didn't particularly like Gina but I felt like the biggest piece of shit on the planet.
“Yeah, take a walk, bitch,” Gina snarled at me.
“Happily,” I told her. I shot Cooper a deathly stare. “He's all yours.”
He winced at my words.
“Goddamn right he is,” she snarled again.
I looked at Cooper. “You're an asshole.”
Gina laughed, nodding her head. “Goddamn right he is.”
TWELVE
By the time I got back to the resort, the adrenaline spike from the confrontation was wearing off. My hands were shaking, my throat was dry and my legs were weak. My fingers hurt from clutching the steering wheel so tightly.
I pulled the car to the curb just outside of the lobby area, not yet ready to get out and hand the keys to the valet. I leaned my head on the steering wheel for a moment to try and get my bearings.
I had no idea what I'd just been a part of. I had no context for who Gina was or, for that matter, who Cooper was. I knew nothing about their relationship or why she was so angry or who she thought I really was. And it scared the crap out of me. Because I was essentially doing the same thing every week. Showing up in a new place, allowing myself to establish new relationships with new people and hoping that everything would go just swell.
I'd just had my first experience with it all going to hell in a hurry.
I took a deep breath and turned down the air conditioning, figuring it wasn't helping my shaking hands. I pulled away from the curb, drove through the main entrance and into the valet area. A guy about my age opened my door with a smile and welcomed me back. I got out, made sure my wobbly legs were steady enough to walk, and headed inside.
Eric was behind the desk and I purposely avoided making eye contact with him, as he was busy with another guest and I didn't feel like talking. I walked through the sliding glass doors that led to a terra cotta patio and a small outdoor bar. The concrete fountain gurgled as I made my way toward an empty stool.
The bartender was washing glasses in the sink and nodded his head in greeting.
“Rum and Coke, please,” I said, setting my purse on the bar.
He nodded again and finished his glasses in the sink. He reached for a bottle of rum, filled it a fourth of the way, then poured soda to the rim. He set it on the bar in front of me.
“Tab to my room?” I asked, grabbing the glass.
“Sure,” he said.
I gave him the number and he punched it into the computer.
“Anything else I can get you?” he asked.
I shook my head and he smiled and turned back to a couple of guys who'd just walked up.
I knocked back half the glass, the rum warming my throat and steadying my nerves. The spray from the misters positioned around the bar cooled the back of my neck and the light chatter of conversation drifting around me was more comforting than sitting in an empty hotel room by myself. I rotated the drink in a slow circle in the bar, watching the condensation drip down the sides of the glass.
I was staring into the glass when I felt someone slide onto the stool next to me.
“Hey,” Eric said.
When I turned to him, he immediately held his hands up.
“Not here to play the game,” he said quietly.
I narrowed my eyes and said nothing.
“Seriously. I'm legit asking if you're okay.”
I took a long swallow from the glass. “Why wouldn't I be okay?”
“Honestly? Because I thought you were sick when you walked through the lobby,” he said, lowering his hands. “You were pale and looked like you were about to pass out. I called your room and didn't get an answer. I was headed up there when I saw you sitting here.” He paused. “So I'm not hitting on you. I'm...I'm just asking if you're alright.”
My finger played with the corner of the napkin beneath the glass. I took a deep, steadying breath. “I'm fine.”
“I don't believe you.” He offered me a small smile. “You say I'm persistent but I'm also intuitive. And I can tell something's up.”
I looked away from him. “I...I don't want to talk about it.”
“Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Did something happen to you?” he asked, leaning his head down, trying to meet my gaze. “Like, we should call t
he police or something?”
I shook my head. “Nothing like that.”
The bartender wandered back our way.
“Mark, can I grab a Diet Coke from you?” Eric asked.
The bartender nodded and had the soda in front of Eric in thirty seconds. He glanced at my glass, then headed back to tend to the crowd at the other end of the bar.
Eric stirred the straw in the drink. “I know you think I'm a pretty smooth talker, but I can be a good listener, too. If you need someone.”
I started to say no. I didn't want to share my problems or dump everything in the lap of a guy who'd been hounding me since I'd showed up. But he looked sincere, he wasn't hitting on me and my stupid hands were still shaking and I knew he saw it.
I sighed. “This woman just called me a bitch.”
I waited for him to make some smart ass remark or smirk. But he pressed his lips together and kept his mouth shut.
So I unloaded on him. Told him I'd met Cooper but skipped the part about sleeping with him. I told him about going to meet Cooper for dinner and how Gina had rolled in and let me have it. It was like I vomited a bunch of words on him, but it felt good to get it out.
“Wow,” he said, raising his eyebrows again in surprise. “That sucks. I'm really sorry.”
“I mean, I had no clue what was going on,” I said. “It was like getting caught in the middle of a hurricane.”
“I'll bet,” he said, nodding sympathetically. “But I'm guessing you weren't the sole cause of the hurricane, you know?”
“I know. I just happened to be in the eye of the storm.”
“Most likely.”
I finished my drink and set it on the bar. “So that's why I look a little out of sorts.”
“Totally understandable,” he said, leaning an elbow on the bar and shifting on the stool. “Would rattle anyone.”
“I guess,” I said. “I've just never been in that position before.”
“You did the right thing,” he said. “You got out of there and didn't stick around for the drama. Sounds like you weren't gonna get any answers from Coop and you sure as hell didn't need to stick around and let that woman abuse you.”
I nodded. “Right.”
Mark returned to our side of the bar and motioned toward my empty glass. I nodded and, a minute later, he slid a fresh rum and Coke in front of me.
“So now what?” Eric asked. “Drown your sorrows?”
I smiled. “More like steady my nerves.”
“Gotcha.”
“Do you know him?” I asked. “Cooper?”
“I know of him,” he said, swirling the soda in his glass. “Talked to him a couple times, called over to the pro shop to set up tee times, that kind of thing. But that's about it. Can't say I really know the guy. He's always been friendly enough, though.”
It was interesting to me that he wasn't taking the opportunity to dress him down. It seemed like the perfect situation for Eric to try to insert himself into. He could tell me that Cooper was a total jerk, always had been, and that I needed to stay away from him. I would've bet every penny I had that Eric would've made that play.
But he didn't. Instead, he listened to me, seemed sympathetic and didn't try to use the situation for his own gain. And I started to wonder if maybe I'd pegged him wrong from the get go.
“Well, he fooled me,” I said, stirring my drink with the straw. “And I feel incredibly dumb. Dumber than dumb.”
“I wouldn't be so hard on yourself,” Eric said. “Happens to all of us.”
“It's happened to you? No way.”
He laughed and nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
I leaned toward him. “Tell me,” I said, sipping my drink.
He sighed and set his glass on the bar. “Okay. About a year and a half ago, I'm working the desk. This woman checks in. Early thirties, super attractive. We kind of flirted at check-in or whatever.”
“You, flirt?”
He grinned. “Hard to believe, right? Anyway, we do the flirting thing, I invite her for a drink that night when I get off my shift, she says yeah. We meet up, things are fine, we go back to her casita.” He shrugged. “And, you know.”
I laughed. “You don't want to give me the details?”
His cheeks flushed and he shook his head. “Let's leave it to your imagination. Anyway, that happens. We meet up each of the next two nights and we're having a good time. Nothing serious, just having fun.” He rubbed at his chin. “So I didn't see her the next day. No big deal. Figured she was out shopping or something. I get off my shift, put on my swim trunks, grab a bottle of wine from this very bar and head to her casita.” He gestured out beyond me. “She was out there, in one of the high-end casitas. She had a hot tub on her patio.” He smiled. “So I thought I'd show up...prepared.”
“Always thinking ahead.”
He nodded, laughing at himself. “Yeah, for sure. So I get to the casita and knock on the door.” His smile faded. “And this massive Italian dude answers.”
“Oh, shit,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said, his smile fading. “Oh, shit. And this guy was huge. Full on, roided out guido, okay? He could've pinched me between his thumb and finger and killed me.”
“What did you do?”
“I may be dumb, but I can be quick on my feet,” he said, his smile returning. “I asked if this was Ms. DiGianni's room? Guy says, yeah, that's my wife. I said oh okay well I'm in the casita over that way and this bottle of wine got dropped at our room by mistake and I just thought I'd bring it over.”
“Clever,” I said, smiling.
He shrugged. “I guess. Guy said guess my wife jumped the gun and ordered this before I could. Thanked me a bunch. As he went to close the door, I saw her behind him, in her own swimsuit, looking about nine times worse than how you looked when you walked back in here tonight.” He laughed again and shook his head. “Was terrible. And I felt so utterly stupid.”
“Did she ever apologize?”
“Nope,” he said. “Never saw her again. They checked out a couple days later, but I was off. So I never got an explanation or anything. Not that she owed me one. Like I said, we were just having fun. But I've always wondered if he showed up as a surprise or did she know he was coming or what the deal was.” He smiled. “So I try to be a little more careful now so as not to get my head stomped by a jealous husband or boyfriend.”
Hearing that I wasn't the only one who could get fooled was oddly comforting. Sitting in that restaurant with Gina yelling at me, I'd felt like the dumbest, shittiest person walking the planet. Knowing that I wasn't the only person in the world who'd gotten played made me feel a little better.
And I really appreciated Eric sharing that with me.
“I'm glad you didn't get your head stomped,” I said, holding my glass up.
He held his up and clinked it with mine. “Makes two of us.”
We both drank.
He set his glass down and checked his watch. “I need to get back to the desk.”
I nodded. “I figured.”
“I'd offer to meet you later, but I'm guessing maybe you've had enough for the night,” he said.
For a moment, I hesitated. I contemplated saying yes, letting him come to my room and hooking up with him for the night. My perception of him had totally changed after our brief conversation. But I knew I was emotional spaghetti right then and I didn't want to lay that on him or muddle the picture any further. Eric was going to have to remain one of the what-ifs.
“I have had enough for the night,” I said finally, a note of apology in my voice.
He stood from the stool. “No worries. I get it.”
“Thanks for understanding. And thanks for the talk.”
“Any time.” He flashed me his killer smile again, “Just don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Not worth it. You didn't do anything wrong.”
“Thanks,” I said. “It's nice to hear that.” I paused. “And Eric?”
“Yeah?”
I stood from th
e stool, raised up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. I teetered just a little and his arm wrapped around my waist to steady me. I leaned into him, breathing in the scent of his cologne.
“I'm sorry I chose Cooper,” I whispered, my breath hot against his neck. “Instead of you.”
I disentangled myself from his arms and headed to my room before I had to explain any further.
And before I changed my mind.
THIRTEEN
I didn't see Eric or Cooper the next day.
I'd slept decently, courtesy of the two rum drinks at the bar and the half of a margarita I'd downed at the restaurant. When I woke up, the last thing I wanted was a reminder of what had happened the day before. I decided to get out of the resort for the day, not just so I wouldn't see Cooper but because I was itching to do something besides bake by a pool. So I checked out the shops near the resort, then headed into the area everyone called “Old Scottsdale” and spent the day wandering through the boutiques and art galleries. It felt like I was taking a breath from the mess the Arizona trip had become and when I collapsed into bed that night, surrounded by bags of gifts I'd bought for Mimi and Paige and my parents, I was pretty sure I was smiling when I fell asleep.
The next morning, I put on my swimsuit and took my ipad down to the pool with me, needing to book a place to stay for when I got to Arkansas. I had breakfast under an umbrella, a cinnamon scone and a strawberry smoothie, and was perusing cities and hotels in Arkansas when Cooper walked up to my table.
“Morning,” he said. Sunglasses covering his eyes and his hair still damp.
I looked up at him, then moved my eyes back to the screen.
“Fair enough,” he said quietly. “You mind if I have a seat so I can explain?”
“I'm not really interested,” I said, glancing up. “So, yes. I mind.”
He set his hands on his hips and his mouth twisted in a tight frown. He looked across the pool, then looked back to me. “I'd really like to explain. And apologize.”
I flipped the ipad case shut, the anger welling up in me. “What makes you think I'd believe anything you'd have to say, anyway? And to be honest, I don't need any shit in case your wife or girlfriend or whoever the hell she is shows up and chews me out again.”
Love In Arizona (The Love In 50 States Series Book 3) Page 6
