Red Hot Valentine: Falling for Cupid (5 page)

He nodded, pulling back as Coop came into
view. “Lay it on us, Valentine.”

Coop’s eyes searched me as he sat down. His
usually clear blue-green eyes were foggy today; he appeared
unsettled, as anxious as I felt. His suit was impeccable, but his
hair was disheveled, as though he’d been raking his hands through
it repeatedly. He scrubbed his day old stubble, looking at me with
unbridled intensity.

A shudder shook me to the core. I wanted to
know. I needed to know. If it was hitting Coop this hard, it
couldn’t be good.

He glanced at Brad. “Judge Benson is an older
gentleman that’s been happily married to his wife and best friend
for over thirty years. I believe that’s why he motioned the way he
did.”

I found myself holding my breath. My heart
raced. I clenched my hands into white knuckled fists in my lap.
“What’d he say?”

Brad’s eyes were focused intently on Coop,
waiting patiently. Anyone who didn’t know him wouldn’t detect his
restlessness, the tiny pucker between his brows, the way his lips
pursed ever so slightly, the way he clamped his teeth together.

“
Judge Benson has issued a
thirty day stay. He wants you to reconsider your decision over the
next thirty days. If at the end you still want a divorce, he’ll
grant it. I tried to explain the situation, but he wasn’t hearing
it. If your minds are set, then February third your divorce should
be finalized.

“
That’s it?” Brad
asked.

Coop’s attention flitted briefly to me. He
nodded his head once. “That’s it.”

“
Is that going to mess up
your proposal, Brad?”

He released a breath, sitting back. “It’s not
ideal, but we can’t change it. Shit happens. I’ll call Lis after
and see how she reacts before I change my plans.”

“
Speaking of rings, are you
ready to take yours back yet?”

He flicked his hand at me. “Wear it till
February third, then keep it, pawn it, do what you want with it,
sweetie.”

I bit my lip around a frown. “You’re so
stubborn sometimes. I hope Lisa knows what she’s signing up
for.”

“
Oh, she knows the full
extent of what she’s getting.” He wagged his brows
suggestively.

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry about him, Coop.
He’s not always PC in public.”

“
Only with you,
Dais.”

“
Am I supposed to feel
special now?”

“
Yup.”

I shook my head, grinning. My muscles
relaxed. Thirty more days as Mrs. Burke wasn’t too bad. Of course
I’d rather spend thirty days testing the waters with Cupid...

My breath hitched as I caught sight of him.
His biceps flexed as he squeezed his laced fingers on the table,
the tips paling. All of his attention was on me.

Brad slapped Coop’s shoulder. “Tell me
something, Valentine, do you find Daisy attractive?”

My eyes shot open. “Brad!” I practically
screamed his name.

“
Better yet, would you ever
date her?” His expression seemed to tease me across the table. He
was so casual and nonchalant about it. Meanwhile I felt like my
world was imploding.

“
I could murder you in cold
blood right now.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring darts at
him.

“
Not the smartest thing to
say in public, Dais.” He resumed his focus on Coop. “What do you
say, man?”

“
I know he’s paying you,
but you don’t have to answer that.” Oh, but I wanted him to. Most
of my indignation was fake, and Brad knew it.

Coop hesitated before stating, “I make it a
point not to date clients, past or present.”

Brad’s lips turned down. His gaze narrowed in
challenge. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“
Because it’d be
unprofessional of me to ponder an answer.” Coop didn’t back
down.

“
I’m giving you
permission,” Brad insisted.

I shrunk back in my seat. I was one big ball
of anxiety. I’d never desired an invisible cloak more than now.
Brad was typically carefree, but he had his prowler moments. I
always felt bad for the person on the receiving end of his
determination.

Coop’s gaze traveled between Brad and me. He
was unreadable. His eyes were clouded, his expression shrouded, if
a bit irritated.

My heart plummeted. My gut tightened
painfully. I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood, my chair scraping
loudly across the floor. “I’m gonna go. I’ll meet you outside,
Brad. Thanks for the update, Coop.” I spoke in a hurry, snatched my
purse off my chair and raced outside.

The cold air slapped my face; my eyes stung
as tears trickled from them. It was one thing to wonder, to dream
and fantasize because hope still existed. Hope was what padded your
courage slowly but surely until you wanted it bad enough to take
the plunge.

But now I knew it was one sided and, for some
reason, that hurt more than letting Brad go. Somewhere between his
formality and the mesmerizing oceanic hue of his eyes, I’d noticed
little things he’d said, he’d done, that had hinged tiny hooks in
my heart, attaching me, luring my thoughts, to him. He’d never
flirted, borderline at most. He never found little ways to brush
against me, even when he sat beside me. He also didn’t look at me
like Brad looked at Lisa.

I jumped as Brad flung a protective arm
around me. “Come on, Dais. I’ll buy you lunch.”

“
I can buy my own lunch,
thanks.”

He spun me towards him as we reached his car.
“I saw the way he looked at you, Dais. He just wouldn’t admit it to
you. I gave him an in.”

I knew he meant well. “You can’t force love,
remember?”

“
You also can’t run from
it. I know the look he had. I had it every day for six weeks before
I caved and approached Lisa. Trust me. He’s got it bad for these
curves.” He grabbed my hips and gave them a hearty
shake.

I cracked, laughing. I smacked his hands
away, but he didn’t move them. “Stop.”

“
Only if you let me buy you
lunch.”

“
So you’re going to stand
here all day like this, hands convulsing on me, if I
refuse?”

“
Yup.”

“
Hold on. Let me run that
by Lisa.” I opened my tote and dug around for my phone.

He shrugged his shoulders, undeterred.
“She’ll laugh her ass off and tell you to hold out.”

My stomach chose that moment to growl.
“Alright. I’m hungry and weak with heartache. You totally doused my
heart in hot sauce.”

He sighed, dropping his arms as he took me
in. “I’m sorry, Dais.”

I turned my nose up, averting my gaze with an
uppity harrumph. “Say it with cheesecake.”

“
I can do that.” He stepped
around me and opened the passenger door. He was always a gentleman
with the doors.

—

Chapter Five

February
3
^rd

Daisy

“
Let’s go, girls,” Brad
called.

“
We have names you know,” I
stated, moving past him. I fished my car keys out of my clutch on
the front porch while he locked up.

“
You don’t need those.”
Brad stole my keys from my grip.

“
Yeah. We’ll take my SUV,”
Lisa said.

I felt my brows dip inwards, confusion
stopping me in my tracks. “Won’t you two want to celebrate
after?”

They exchanged glances. “We can wait.” They
spoke in unison.

I narrowed my gaze on them. “Okay, guys,
what’s going on?” I folded my arms, not moving another step.

Lisa tugged me towards her modest SUV. She
was surprisingly strong for her size. “Brad and I wanted to take
you to a nice restaurant as our way of saying thank you.”

I softened, my arms falling to my sides.
“That’s really not necessary.”

She shrugged. “We want to. Please.” She laced
her fingers, holding her hands in front of her chest. At my
reluctance she continued,” You’re going to help us with all the
wedding shopping and fittings. Think of it as early payment.”

“
No more after today.” I
was firm, ensuring they both heard.

“
Yay!” Lisa squealed,
running around to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Brad opened my door and rushed to catch the
tail end of Lisa’s opening. Soon we were loaded up and heading
towards downtown.

I couldn’t help but notice the way Brad and
Lisa’s hands were entwined atop the console as she drove. He
stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. I don’t think he even
knew he was doing it. They were both relaxed, so in tune with each
other.

A pang of longing stabbed my chest. That’s
what I wanted. Not with Brad, but with some other man.

Cupid immediately came to mind. It didn’t
matter that the truth was out there. It’s like my heart still
believed that he was the one and refused to let him go, which I
knew was ridiculous. We’d barely had two non-business
conversations, certainly not enough to feel the way I did.

And that was what confounded me. For a month,
I’d lived with guilt. I felt bad that Brad had put Coop in the
position he did that day. I should have done more to rescue him,
but curiosity had temporarily stolen my humanity.

Oh well. It was all over as of today. Maybe
my heart would realize that and stop fighting me.

“
I’ll drop you two off and
go find parking,” Lisa said.

I looked up right as she pulled in front of
the restaurant. My eyes widened. “Um, are you sure about this?”

I stared at the famous Italian restaurant.
It’d been featured in nearly every culinary magazine, did several
spots on Food Network and was noted as a must-eat travel
destination on the Travel Channel. The food was amazing from what I
heard, but expensive. While I rubbed elbows with the wealthy, sort
of, I’d never felt totally comfortable around them.

I watched as the doorman, dressed to the nine
in a black and white tuxedo, held the door for a couple.

“
Positive.” Brad jumped out
of the car and opened my door.

I kept my knees glued together as I exited,
not wanting to flash anyone. I’d picked a good day to wear a dress.
The deep plum color added a richness, an elegance to the sexy
dress. It was one of my favorites. It was a rouged, Marilyn style
wrap dress that hugged my curves, hid my imperfections and made me
feel like a goddess. An oversized dark teal clutch complimented the
dress without taking away from it. Matte gold glitter pumps, big
wavy hair that fell over my bare shoulders, ruby red lipstick and a
bold, gold necklace with a hefty jaguar pendant that rested just
above the swell of my breasts screamed that I was a brave,
confident woman. I suppose I wanted to walk away from Brad feeling
strong, sexy and in control of my future. This outfit kindled that
ideal.

He closed the door and drew my hands in his.
“You look beautiful.”

“
You don’t look back
yourself.” I smiled, taking in his tailored grey suit and white
oxford. He was casually formal without a tie, yet it would still
work in Vogue.

My heart came to a stop for a long moment as
he slid first his, then my wedding ring off and placed them in my
palm. “I’ve got no regrets. I want you to be happy. I want you to
find what I have with Lisa, Dais. You deserve fireworks and
champagne. Don’t settle for anything less.”

My chest constricted. For two years Brad had
been my constant. It wasn’t until nine months ago that I moved out
and he pursued Lisa. And, regardless of what felt right, what was
right for both of us, it was still a bittersweet moment.

I was surprised when tears welled, blurring
my vision. I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his
chest.

“
I’m not going anywhere,
Dais.” He held me tight.

“
I know.” This was easier
for him because he wasn’t moving on to lonely nights on the sofa.
He was moving onto true love, to the happily-ever-after we all
wanted. I pulled back, dabbing at my cheeks. I stuffed the rings
into my purse before I dropped them in tizzy. “I know nothing is
changing, but it feels like everything is.”

“
Maybe you need a little
change in your life, Dais. You work hard for very little money.
You’ve done all those amazing clothing sketches yet have done
nothing with them. You have the business brains, the creativity and
the drive to do your own line from the ground up. I’m willing to
invest in you; you should too. We’re not getting any younger. It’s
time to stop putting off your dreams and to finally start chasing
them, starting with Coop.” He’d never called him that…

Brad turned me towards the door. My heart
took off, skipping a few beats.

Coop stood dressed in a sharp black suit with
accents of true blue. His eyes stared straight into me, beyond any
walls I’d erected and into my soul. And somewhere in the middle of
him starting at me and me staring at him, I flashed forward to our
wedding day. I could picture him dressed just like this, standing
beside the altar, waiting for me like he was now.

“
I told you I’m always
right,” Brad teased. “He admitted the truth last month. He wants to
do you up, down and all around-”

I backhanded his stomach, cutting him off,
but never took my eyes off Coop.

“
He wanted everything to be
finalized,” Brad continued.

I looked at Brad, realization dawning on me.
“You set this up back then, didn’t you?”

“
Guilty.” He didn’t act
guilty. “I meant what I said, Dais. It’s time you start chasing
your dreams. You’ll be much happier.” He pressed a hand to the
small of my back and gave me a gentle shove. “Now go, and don’t do
anything I wouldn’t do.”