The Truest Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 4)

His gut told him that.

But Jessica needed to trust Cooper. There was no way in hell Cooper would turn his back on her if he knew the truth.

Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone here, Jack realized.

Waiting impatiently, Jack found his opportunity when Beckwith left Jessica alone. He moved through the bar and slid onto George’s vacant stool.

The doc blinked in surprise at his appearance.

Jack studied her face, stared into her eyes, and tried to get another feel for her. There was intelligence there, but she was closed off. In fact, she was giving him massive fuck-off vibes that pleased him. Definitely still loyal to Cooper.

“What do you want?” Her tone was cold.

Jack was used to that from anyone who cared about Coop.

“Just saying hello.”

“Hello. Now you can leave.”

Jack almost smiled. “Last I heard, you and Cooper were broken up.”

“So?”

“So that means we can talk.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“You’re still loyal to him?”

“So loyal that if you don’t get your ass off that stool I’m going to make you.”

Jack would like to see that. Laughing inwardly and feeling fucking pleased for his friend, he glanced around the bar as he tried to work out how to warn Jessica about his father. And then a woman with Dana’s coloring threw him a smile across the bar, reminding him of something else Cooper and Jessica needed warned about.

Dana Kellerman.

That selfish cow was also working behind the scenes to fuck things up for Cooper.

That was, if Cooper and his woman hadn’t already fucked things up for themselves.

Maybe giving Jessica a reason to see Cooper would help things along in that department.

He looked back at the doc and found her glowering fiercely as ever. It was hot. He absolutely understood what Cooper saw in her. “You know, Dana came to me awhile ago. Just after the music festival actually.”

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. It was cute. “I don’t care what you and Dana get up to.”

“Just thought you might find it interesting that the reason she came to me was you.”

“Oh?”

“She wanted me to seduce you.” Jack wasn’t even lying. The bitch had come to him at the festival and proposed he break up Jess and Cooper. She really was dumb as a post. “Seduce you. Those were the exact words she used.”

He knew by the furious flash in her eyes that Jessica understood what he was trying to tell her.

Watch out for Dana Kellerman.

Seeing she got him, he moved on. Beckwith would be back any second, and he didn’t need anyone witnessing this conversation with Jessica in case it got back to Ian. “My father isn’t going to use what he knows about you.”

The color leached out of Jessica’s face, and Jack instantly felt like a prick. When he saw her fingers tremble around her glass, it took a lot not to place a comforting hand over hers. He wanted to tell her she had nothing to be ashamed of, not like Ian was making out.