Cooper (The Family Simon 6)

Other than the guys at the counter, a young mother and her twins were holed up in a corner booth, an elderly couple held hands near the window as they waited for their food, and a group of teenaged girls near the door kept glancing his way and whispering among themselves. He shot them a smile—just because—and grinned to himself when they erupted in a tizzy of giggles and squeals.

“You girls are going to be late for your last class,” Jessie admonished as she set a piping-hot bowl of chowder in front of Cooper. She shook her head and planted her hands on her hips as the girls left, their laughter and loud voices following them out. “I swear the power you have over the female race is something to behold.”

“It’s a curse,” he said with a grin before digging in.

“I bet,” she replied dryly. “I read about you and that model.” She tapped her fingers along the countertop, and he paused, spoon halfway to his mouth.

Shit. Here we go.

“What was her name? Mrs. Something-or-other, I believe.” Jessie topped up his coffee. “Mrs. being the most important part of that name, if you ask me.”

Cooper swallowed the delicious chowder and glanced up at Jessie, but he had nothing to say. It was a well-known fact he had a habit of hooking up with women who were attached but looking for a little excitement. He scratched an itch and, in return, didn’t have to worry about a messy, complicated breakup. Of course it wasn’t always so cut-and-dried, but in this instance, the model, Cameron, and her husband, a finance giant, had an open marriage.

For Cooper, it was a win. He’d spent a few weeks with a beautiful, albeit somewhat vain and self-centered, woman, and there’d been no fear of attachment.

Jessie topped up his coffee. “Does it ever get old?”

“Sex?” he quipped, trying for a bit of lightness. But Jessie wasn’t biting. Her blue eyes darkened, and she looked at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. There weren’t many people he’d let get away with being so damn personal, but this was Jessie, and over the years, she’d earned a bit of leeway.

“Being alone. You must get lonely.”

Cooper considered a fluff answer, but in the end, he surprised himself by being brutally honest. “Being alone isn’t the thing that makes you lonely. Wanting someone you can’t have, that’s the culprit.”

“And you’ve never wanted anyone?”

His gut tightened, and he dropped his gaze to the bowl of chowder in front of him. He’d wanted someone once. Wanted her with a need that had left him raw and exposed and vulnerable. He closed his eyes and her face swam before him. He hadn’t thought of her in a very long time.

And damn, but the pain was just as sharp.

“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” Jessie grabbed two hot plates and headed over to the elderly couple at the window.

Cooper ate his meal in silence. He checked his phone once more and then sent a quick text to his brother, asking Maverick to let him know when he got home.

“You want anything else?”

He glanced up and shook his head. “Nah, the bill is good.” He paused for a moment, watching the older woman. “Hey, what can you tell me about Morgan Campbell?”

Jessie finished totaling his bill and dropped it on the counter in front of him.

“Why you asking?” Her tone was light, but her mouth tightened a bit. Interesting.

“Charlie hired her to start a project for me that I wasn’t sure I needed done.”

Jessie rested her palms on the counter. “And you’ve changed your mind?”

He nodded and waited a beat, thinking about those unusual eyes, about how they’d shut down on him. “So what’s her story?”

Jessie’s mouth pursed, and she glanced over to the older gentlemen who were just getting to their feet. They’d both gone silent, and Cooper had the notion they were hanging on every word. But after a few seconds of silence, they nodded at Jessie and Cooper and left the diner.

Jessie picked at the edge of the napkin he’d discarded and then tossed it into the garbage under the counter. She cleared her throat, and Cooper’s interest grew. Everyone had a story—he knew that. It was just some stories were larger than others. He saw it in his own family. And his gut told him that Morgan’s story was not a run-of-the-mill kind of thing.

“I don’t make a habit of gossiping about those who live in this town, Cooper.” Jessie’s cheeks flushed, and the protective tone in her voice couldn’t be missed.

Cooper got to his feet, knowing he’d clearly touched a nerve. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by asking. I was just curious.”

“Why?”

He shrugged and then pulled on his hat. “Well, first off, she didn’t seem to like me all that much.”