The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

Not sure I liked the sound of that, I made a face.

“You just have to be firm from the get-go,” she said. “You tell them, ‘Come see me in my office; I’m not working right now.’”

“Okay.” That still didn’t make me feel any less worried about it.

“And of course if I’m with you, you won’t have to say a thing because I’ll tell the idiots to fuck off.”

I snorted because I knew she meant it and that she would.

“So,” she said, letting out a sigh, “you and Coop are going to be okay?”

The truth was, I would never forget the way he’d looked at me or the beautiful words he’d said to me the night before.

It hurts like hell knowing you’ve seen what you have, done what you have, but it came from a place of survival, strength, bravery, and loyalty. I don’t see anything but beauty in that.

I didn’t think it was possible to love him any more than I already did.

“We’re going to be great . . . but Cooper has a problem.” This was the second reason I’d come to Bailey. Cooper had said he would talk to Vaughn, but I was thinking I might already have an idea how to stop Devlin from going after Cooper’s liquor license. The only way his liquor license wouldn’t be renewed was if Devlin had bribed someone on the city board of licenses. I had an idea how to change the mind of the person who had been bribed. I laid out what was happening to Bailey and what my idea was. “Can you get everyone to meet at Cooper’s place tomorrow morning before it opens?”

Bailey nodded her head, looking fierce and determined. “You bet your ass I can. There is no damn way Ian Devlin is getting away with this shit.”

I nodded back, feeling just as fierce. Cooper loved his bar and I loved Cooper.

There was a snowball’s chance in hell of me letting anyone take what he loved away from him.

Loading the last of my stuff into my car, I turned in surprise at the sound of gravel crunching under wheels.

Vaughn’s beautiful but conspicuous dark blue Aston Martin Vanquish was heading up his driveway toward me. I leaned against my car and waited for him.

He got out, dressed as always in a tailored three-piece suit. He slipped off his sunglasses as he walked toward me and I wondered at how much in love with Cooper I had to be for Vaughn Tremaine not to affect me.

I smiled at him, perfectly at ease around him now that I knew he wasn’t the cold, hard businessman he seemed to want everyone to believe he was.

“You’re leaving,” he said, gesturing to the suitcase that was now in my trunk.

“Yeah. I was going to swing by the hotel to say thank you again. I really appreciated you letting me stay.”

He waved me off. “Cooper told me you two have reconciled. He also told me about the little problem with Devlin.”

“About that—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Actually, I’d really rather you didn’t until we try out my plan first.”

Vaughn frowned. “Cooper didn’t say you had a plan.”

“Because Cooper doesn’t know about my plan.”

“And why is that?”

“Because Cooper won’t want to bother anyone else about ‘his’ problem. But Devlin is a problem for everyone on that boardwalk. So . . . tomorrow . . . be at Cooper’s at ten a.m.”

“What are you up to, Dr. Huntington?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling quite pleased with myself. “A little something called community backbone.”

Cooper had made space in his closet, and in his bureau, for me.

God, I loved that man.

But it wasn’t enough space for all my stuff, I mused. He was still holding all my furniture and clothes in the garage he owned on the outskirts of town. I’d like my clothes, but that meant possibly converting his second bedroom into a dressing room.

Hmm. I wondered how he’d feel about that.

As for the rest of my stuff . . . well, I liked Cooper’s place as it was, but maybe we could take a look at my stuff and see if anything would fit.

The rest we could sell.

“You’re moving in with him?” Matthew had said, sounding a little shocked, after I’d called to give him a rundown on what was going on in my life. He sounded relieved when I told him that I’d confessed my past to Cooper.

“He asked me to move in. I know it sounds fast, maybe even crazy, but for us . . . it’s not, Matthew. It feels right. I don’t want to waste any more time. I just want to be with him and by some miracle he wants to be with me.”

“Of course he does. He’s a lucky bastard to have you.”

“And he believes that.”

“Good.” Matthew sighed. “Well, now I really need to come out there and meet this guy.”

“You do. And you are welcome anytime. I’d love to see Perry and introduce her to Coop’s nephew, Joey.”

“Definitely. I’m happy for you, Jess. You have no idea.”

That got me all teary eyed because no matter how happy or sad I was, this guy was always there for me. “Yeah, I do. Come see me soon, Matt.”

“I will, sweetheart. I promise.”

“I’m going to try to find my aunt Theresa,” I told him. “Cooper thinks I should give her a chance.”

Matt was silent on the other end of the line.

“Matt?”

“You don’t have to look very far,” he finally said. “I have her number.” ure I liked the sound of that, I made a face.

“You just have to be firm from the get-go,” she said. “You tell them, ‘Come see me in my office; I’m not working right now.’”

“Okay.” That still didn’t make me feel any less worried about it.

“And of course if I’m with you, you won’t have to say a thing because I’ll tell the idiots to fuck off.”

I snorted because I knew she meant it and that she would.

“So,” she said, letting out a sigh, “you and Coop are going to be okay?”

The truth was, I would never forget the way he’d looked at me or the beautiful words he’d said to me the night before.

It hurts like hell knowing you’ve seen what you have, done what you have, but it came from a place of survival, strength, bravery, and loyalty. I don’t see anything but beauty in that.

I didn’t think it was possible to love him any more than I already did.

“We’re going to be great . . . but Cooper has a problem.” This was the second reason I’d come to Bailey. Cooper had said he would talk to Vaughn, but I was thinking I might already have an idea how to stop Devlin from going after Cooper’s liquor license. The only way his liquor license wouldn’t be renewed was if Devlin had bribed someone on the city board of licenses. I had an idea how to change the mind of the person who had been bribed. I laid out what was happening to Bailey and what my idea was. “Can you get everyone to meet at Cooper’s place tomorrow morning before it opens?”

Bailey nodded her head, looking fierce and determined. “You bet your ass I can. There is no damn way Ian Devlin is getting away with this shit.”

I nodded back, feeling just as fierce. Cooper loved his bar and I loved Cooper.

There was a snowball’s chance in hell of me letting anyone take what he loved away from him.

Loading the last of my stuff into my car, I turned in surprise at the sound of gravel crunching under wheels.

Vaughn’s beautiful but conspicuous dark blue Aston Martin Vanquish was heading up his driveway toward me. I leaned against my car and waited for him.

He got out, dressed as always in a tailored three-piece suit. He slipped off his sunglasses as he walked toward me and I wondered at how much in love with Cooper I had to be for Vaughn Tremaine not to affect me.

I smiled at him, perfectly at ease around him now that I knew he wasn’t the cold, hard businessman he seemed to want everyone to believe he was.

“You’re leaving,” he said, gesturing to the suitcase that was now in my trunk.

“Yeah. I was going to swing by the hotel to say thank you again. I really appreciated you letting me stay.”

He waved me off. “Cooper told me you two have reconciled. He also told me about the little problem with Devlin.”

“About that—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Actually, I’d really rather you didn’t until we try out my plan first.”

Vaughn frowned. “Cooper didn’t say you had a plan.”

“Because Cooper doesn’t know about my plan.”

“And why is that?”

“Because Cooper won’t want to bother anyone else about ‘his’ problem. But Devlin is a problem for everyone on that boardwalk. So . . . tomorrow . . . be at Cooper’s at ten a.m.”

“What are you up to, Dr. Huntington?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling quite pleased with myself. “A little something called community backbone.”

Cooper had made space in his closet, and in his bureau, for me.

God, I loved that man.

But it wasn’t enough space for all my stuff, I mused. He was still holding all my furniture and clothes in the garage he owned on the outskirts of town. I’d like my clothes, but that meant possibly converting his second bedroom into a dressing room.

Hmm. I wondered how he’d feel about that.

As for the rest of my stuff . . . well, I liked Cooper’s place as it was, but maybe we could take a look at my stuff and see if anything would fit.

The rest we could sell.

“You’re moving in with him?” Matthew had said, sounding a little shocked, after I’d called to give him a rundown on what was going on in my life. He sounded relieved when I told him that I’d confessed my past to Cooper.

“He asked me to move in. I know it sounds fast, maybe even crazy, but for us . . . it’s not, Matthew. It feels right. I don’t want to waste any more time. I just want to be with him and by some miracle he wants to be with me.”

“Of course he does. He’s a lucky bastard to have you.”

“And he believes that.”

“Good.” Matthew sighed. “Well, now I really need to come out there and meet this guy.”

“You do. And you are welcome anytime. I’d love to see Perry and introduce her to Coop’s nephew, Joey.”

“Definitely. I’m happy for you, Jess. You have no idea.”

That got me all teary eyed because no matter how happy or sad I was, this guy was always there for me. “Yeah, I do. Come see me soon, Matt.”

“I will, sweetheart. I promise.”

“I’m going to try to find my aunt Theresa,” I told him. “Cooper thinks I should give her a chance.”

Matt was silent on the other end of the line.

“Matt?”

“You don’t have to look very far,” he finally said. “I have her number.”