The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

“That’s just depressing.” I sighed. “Is it good?”

“Not after the fifty-sixth time, no.”

I threw my head back in laughter. “Clearly Joey thinks it’s good.”

“Yup.” He looked over at his nephew, who was laughing at whatever a surprisingly animated Emery was saying. “She likes kids.”

“I thought she might.” I studied her. “So, she looks like a character from Frozen, huh?”

Cooper smirked. “Actually, yeah. I didn’t see it until now.”

I chuckled and burrowed closer to him. “I like your nephew, Cooper.”

“He’s easy to like.”

After a moment of silence, he said, amused, “What about Cat?”

Hmm.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. “She doesn’t trust me. But it’s only because she loves you.”

“She’ll come around.” He kissed the side of my head. “Just give it time.”

The scary part was that for him . . . I was ready to give it all the time in the world.

NINETEEN

Cooper

Jess laughed at something Dahlia said and Cooper watched the two women together, transfixed. She laughed with her whole body. Pure joy.

It made standing in the middle of Main Street, holding shopping bags, surrounded by a ton of tourists, a lot easier to handle.

Two weeks had passed, and he and Jess had spent every spare moment together. Same as he’d done when he was married to Dana, he’d given Jace and Riley more management responsibilities so he could have time off to spend with Jess. It was music festival day in Hartwell, and Main Street was filled with stalls—people were selling music memorabilia, food, and arts and crafts, while band after band each did a set up on the bandstand.

Cat and Joey were with Jess at Dahlia’s jewelry stall, Joey standing in between his mother and the doc, holding their hands. Cooper couldn’t even put into words how much it meant to him that Joey had taken such a shine to Jess. And it meant a lot to him that Cat was at least trying, despite her reservations over the good doctor.

Not that Jess was a doctor anymore.

And that still didn’t sit right with him.

For the past two weeks she’d been working closely with Bailey at the inn, but Cooper could feel her floundering. Jess loved the inn, but he didn’t believe it was her calling in life. He was just waiting for her to wake up and realize it.

As for her new boss, Bailey loved music festival day, but she’d given Jess the day off so she could enjoy it with him and his family.

And Jess was more than enjoying it.

She was coming alive here. In his town. With him and his people.

A rush of possessiveness moved through him.

Cat broke away from Joey and Jess and sauntered over to him, smiling. “Thought I’d come and relieve you of those.” She took her shopping bags back, leaving him with Jess’s.

They both watched in silence for a moment and he shot his sister a look out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing a soft smile as she watched Jess hug a laughing Joey into her side.

He grinned.

Then she shot him a look out of the corner of her eye when she caught his expression. “What?”

He shrugged.

She turned to him, wearing an exasperated look. “What?”

He gave her a grin that said, You know what.

Cat huffed, rolling her eyes, but he caught the smile quirking the corners of her mouth. “Okay, okay. I like her.”

“I know you like her.”

“I’m still cautious, though,” she warned. “I don’t want you and Joey getting attached to someone who might pick up and leave.”

Feeling affectionate, he hooked an arm around Cat’s neck to draw her close. He kissed the side of her head. “Okay, Mom.”

She pushed him away playfully, huffing the whole time. “Whatever. You know, Aydan’s pretty annoyed at you. Apparently you told her you weren’t interested in dating her because you weren’t interested in dating anyone. She was surprised to hear about Jessica.”

“Jessica was a surprise to me, too.” He searched her eyes. “Aydan’s not really pissed, is she?”

“Nah.” She shrugged. “You know Aydan. And anyway, I told you before that you were the last on her . . .”

But Cooper didn’t hear the rest of what she had to say because he felt an odd sensation on the back of his neck and turned around to look for whoever was staring at him.

Through the crowd of tourists and locals his gaze collided with Dana’s. She was standing with her sister. Watching him.

Fuck.

He whipped back around, his whole body tensed. Since the night he’d thrown her out of his bar, he hadn’t seen or heard from his ex-wife. Cooper thought that meant he’d finally gotten it through to her that they were over.

Now she was watching him with those goddamn puppy dog eyes again.

“Shit.”

“Jesus Christ,” Cat snapped, glowering over his shoulder. “Has she been bugging you again? Because if she’s bothering you again, screw it. I’m throat punching her.”

Cooper grunted, knowing his sister was only half joking. “You cannot afford to get arrested. You have responsibilities.” He pointed to Joey, who was now standing at the next stall from Dahlia’s, laughing hysterically up at Jessica, who was currently sporting a long, curly wig for his amusement and making devil horns with her hands.

“God, she’s a goof.” Cat smirked. o;That’s just depressing.” I sighed. “Is it good?”

“Not after the fifty-sixth time, no.”

I threw my head back in laughter. “Clearly Joey thinks it’s good.”

“Yup.” He looked over at his nephew, who was laughing at whatever a surprisingly animated Emery was saying. “She likes kids.”

“I thought she might.” I studied her. “So, she looks like a character from Frozen, huh?”

Cooper smirked. “Actually, yeah. I didn’t see it until now.”

I chuckled and burrowed closer to him. “I like your nephew, Cooper.”

“He’s easy to like.”

After a moment of silence, he said, amused, “What about Cat?”

Hmm.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. “She doesn’t trust me. But it’s only because she loves you.”

“She’ll come around.” He kissed the side of my head. “Just give it time.”

The scary part was that for him . . . I was ready to give it all the time in the world.

NINETEEN

Cooper

Jess laughed at something Dahlia said and Cooper watched the two women together, transfixed. She laughed with her whole body. Pure joy.

It made standing in the middle of Main Street, holding shopping bags, surrounded by a ton of tourists, a lot easier to handle.

Two weeks had passed, and he and Jess had spent every spare moment together. Same as he’d done when he was married to Dana, he’d given Jace and Riley more management responsibilities so he could have time off to spend with Jess. It was music festival day in Hartwell, and Main Street was filled with stalls—people were selling music memorabilia, food, and arts and crafts, while band after band each did a set up on the bandstand.

Cat and Joey were with Jess at Dahlia’s jewelry stall, Joey standing in between his mother and the doc, holding their hands. Cooper couldn’t even put into words how much it meant to him that Joey had taken such a shine to Jess. And it meant a lot to him that Cat was at least trying, despite her reservations over the good doctor.

Not that Jess was a doctor anymore.

And that still didn’t sit right with him.

For the past two weeks she’d been working closely with Bailey at the inn, but Cooper could feel her floundering. Jess loved the inn, but he didn’t believe it was her calling in life. He was just waiting for her to wake up and realize it.

As for her new boss, Bailey loved music festival day, but she’d given Jess the day off so she could enjoy it with him and his family.

And Jess was more than enjoying it.

She was coming alive here. In his town. With him and his people.

A rush of possessiveness moved through him.

Cat broke away from Joey and Jess and sauntered over to him, smiling. “Thought I’d come and relieve you of those.” She took her shopping bags back, leaving him with Jess’s.

They both watched in silence for a moment and he shot his sister a look out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing a soft smile as she watched Jess hug a laughing Joey into her side.

He grinned.

Then she shot him a look out of the corner of her eye when she caught his expression. “What?”

He shrugged.

She turned to him, wearing an exasperated look. “What?”

He gave her a grin that said, You know what.

Cat huffed, rolling her eyes, but he caught the smile quirking the corners of her mouth. “Okay, okay. I like her.”

“I know you like her.”

“I’m still cautious, though,” she warned. “I don’t want you and Joey getting attached to someone who might pick up and leave.”

Feeling affectionate, he hooked an arm around Cat’s neck to draw her close. He kissed the side of her head. “Okay, Mom.”

She pushed him away playfully, huffing the whole time. “Whatever. You know, Aydan’s pretty annoyed at you. Apparently you told her you weren’t interested in dating her because you weren’t interested in dating anyone. She was surprised to hear about Jessica.”

“Jessica was a surprise to me, too.” He searched her eyes. “Aydan’s not really pissed, is she?”

“Nah.” She shrugged. “You know Aydan. And anyway, I told you before that you were the last on her . . .”

But Cooper didn’t hear the rest of what she had to say because he felt an odd sensation on the back of his neck and turned around to look for whoever was staring at him.

Through the crowd of tourists and locals his gaze collided with Dana’s. She was standing with her sister. Watching him.

Fuck.

He whipped back around, his whole body tensed. Since the night he’d thrown her out of his bar, he hadn’t seen or heard from his ex-wife. Cooper thought that meant he’d finally gotten it through to her that they were over.

Now she was watching him with those goddamn puppy dog eyes again.

“Shit.”

“Jesus Christ,” Cat snapped, glowering over his shoulder. “Has she been bugging you again? Because if she’s bothering you again, screw it. I’m throat punching her.”

Cooper grunted, knowing his sister was only half joking. “You cannot afford to get arrested. You have responsibilities.” He pointed to Joey, who was now standing at the next stall from Dahlia’s, laughing hysterically up at Jessica, who was currently sporting a long, curly wig for his amusement and making devil horns with her hands.

“God, she’s a goof.” Cat smirked.