The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

I grinned, feeling a surge of tingles between my legs.

My phone binged again.

Believe me. It’ll be more than worth it.

I felt a little breathless just thinking about it.

I have no doubt. Can’t wait, I texted back.

“Would you stop flirting with Cooper and explain what you said,” Bailey said, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

“How did you know I was flirting with Cooper?”

“The goofy grin on your face.”

Damn. I blushed. “He is making me act like a teenager.”

“Good.” She grinned and flopped down on her bed. “Feeling like a teenager is good.”

I laughed and sat down next to her. “I feel all light-headed around him.”

“I’ll bet you feel more than light-headed around him. You know, in high school his classmates called him the Panty Melter.”

“They did not.” I guffawed.

Bailey chuckled. “Nope. But if I’d been in his class they would have. When he was a junior I was a lowly freshman. I called him the Panty Melter, but it only caught on with me and my friends.”

“Did you have a crush on him?” I could just imagine Bailey crushing on the older, popular Cooper.

“He was the senior high school quarterback, he had those eyes, and on top of that he’s always been a good guy. Jack Devlin was the same. Every girl I knew, and a few guys, too, had a crush on Cooper and Jack.”

“Does Cooper know this?”

She made a face. “What do you think?”

I laughed, knowing how open she was. “He knows.”

“It was probably the love letter I sent him at the beginning of freshman year. And the flowers and invitation to homecoming in sophomore year. Or the time I got shit-faced at the fun park in my senior year and declared my love for him in front of everyone at the Ferris wheel. He was twenty years old and on a date with Brandi Sommers from New York. Her parents owned a house on the south boardwalk and they visited every summer. She was beautiful and classy, and there was no way I stood a chance with her around.”

I frowned. “What happened?”

“He was worried about me because I was so drunk. He and Brandi took me home.”

“God!” I threw my hands up. “Is he perfect?”

Bailey laughed. “No. He’s just a really good guy.”

“Two questions: when did you get over your crush and what happened to Brandi?”

She gave me a knowing look. “No need to worry. Cooper is more like a brother to me now. I just grew up, I started falling in actual love instead of lust, and over time he became a friend. A good friend. As for Brandi . . . she was Cooper’s summer girl for four years. Until Dana came along.”

“He stopped seeing Brandi for Dana?”

Bailey’s mouth twisted. “Hmm.” Her expression suddenly turned careful when she studied me. “Look, back then I could see it. Dana . . . she was a year younger than me so Cooper didn’t take much notice of her. Also she’d been dating this kid from Dover all through high school. She went to college, dropped out, and came back to Hartwell and she caught Cooper’s attention . . . because . . .” She winced. “As much as I hate to admit this . . . Dana Kellerman is outrageously gorgeous.”

Now it was my turn to wince. “Gorgeous?”

She nodded. “Like, could have been a model.”

“Ouch.”

“Hey, but she’s a bitch,” Bailey hurried to assure me. “Cooper knows that now. I’m just saying, when they were young, I get it . . . he probably got caught up in how beautiful she was and that’s how she managed to tie him down.”

None of that made me feel any better.

I had my insecurities about my physical appearance, like most women, but in general I didn’t have any big complaints. I felt confident I was attractive. But I wasn’t “outrageously gorgeous.”

“Huh.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just . . . You’re staying now and I wanted to prepare you for meeting Dana. Because that’s inevitable. And I didn’t want you to see her and feel threatened, because you shouldn’t. All that beauty is hiding something ugly. You . . . you’re beautiful all the way through, Jessica. Cooper sees that.”

I heaved a sigh. “You’re sweet. And thanks for the heads-up.” Now, though, I wished I knew what Dana looked like, because she’d turned into Kate Upton in my mind.

“So back to the matter at hand . . . explain what you meant by ‘Anita might be my last patient for a while. Maybe ever.’”

I told her about my decision to take a break from medicine.

Unlike Cooper, who’d wanted all the details behind my decision, Bailey just accepted it. That surprised me, considering how little she accepted Vaughn Tremaine’s “mysterious” decision to stay in Hartwell.

“Okay, so you can of course say no, but how would you feel about working for me while you try to figure out what it is you want in life?” She grinned and nodded excitedly at the idea.

I was surprised by the offer. “Work for you how?”

“Tom is on me about getting someone to help out—to split my responsibilities with. You’d pretty much be doing most of what I do. The pay won’t be what you’re used to, though.” Then she told me how much I’d be making and it was considerably less than my pay at the prison.

“You do realize that I’ve never worked in hospitality before?” nned, feeling a surge of tingles between my legs.

My phone binged again.

Believe me. It’ll be more than worth it.

I felt a little breathless just thinking about it.

I have no doubt. Can’t wait, I texted back.

“Would you stop flirting with Cooper and explain what you said,” Bailey said, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

“How did you know I was flirting with Cooper?”

“The goofy grin on your face.”

Damn. I blushed. “He is making me act like a teenager.”

“Good.” She grinned and flopped down on her bed. “Feeling like a teenager is good.”

I laughed and sat down next to her. “I feel all light-headed around him.”

“I’ll bet you feel more than light-headed around him. You know, in high school his classmates called him the Panty Melter.”

“They did not.” I guffawed.

Bailey chuckled. “Nope. But if I’d been in his class they would have. When he was a junior I was a lowly freshman. I called him the Panty Melter, but it only caught on with me and my friends.”

“Did you have a crush on him?” I could just imagine Bailey crushing on the older, popular Cooper.

“He was the senior high school quarterback, he had those eyes, and on top of that he’s always been a good guy. Jack Devlin was the same. Every girl I knew, and a few guys, too, had a crush on Cooper and Jack.”

“Does Cooper know this?”

She made a face. “What do you think?”

I laughed, knowing how open she was. “He knows.”

“It was probably the love letter I sent him at the beginning of freshman year. And the flowers and invitation to homecoming in sophomore year. Or the time I got shit-faced at the fun park in my senior year and declared my love for him in front of everyone at the Ferris wheel. He was twenty years old and on a date with Brandi Sommers from New York. Her parents owned a house on the south boardwalk and they visited every summer. She was beautiful and classy, and there was no way I stood a chance with her around.”

I frowned. “What happened?”

“He was worried about me because I was so drunk. He and Brandi took me home.”

“God!” I threw my hands up. “Is he perfect?”

Bailey laughed. “No. He’s just a really good guy.”

“Two questions: when did you get over your crush and what happened to Brandi?”

She gave me a knowing look. “No need to worry. Cooper is more like a brother to me now. I just grew up, I started falling in actual love instead of lust, and over time he became a friend. A good friend. As for Brandi . . . she was Cooper’s summer girl for four years. Until Dana came along.”

“He stopped seeing Brandi for Dana?”

Bailey’s mouth twisted. “Hmm.” Her expression suddenly turned careful when she studied me. “Look, back then I could see it. Dana . . . she was a year younger than me so Cooper didn’t take much notice of her. Also she’d been dating this kid from Dover all through high school. She went to college, dropped out, and came back to Hartwell and she caught Cooper’s attention . . . because . . .” She winced. “As much as I hate to admit this . . . Dana Kellerman is outrageously gorgeous.”

Now it was my turn to wince. “Gorgeous?”

She nodded. “Like, could have been a model.”

“Ouch.”

“Hey, but she’s a bitch,” Bailey hurried to assure me. “Cooper knows that now. I’m just saying, when they were young, I get it . . . he probably got caught up in how beautiful she was and that’s how she managed to tie him down.”

None of that made me feel any better.

I had my insecurities about my physical appearance, like most women, but in general I didn’t have any big complaints. I felt confident I was attractive. But I wasn’t “outrageously gorgeous.”

“Huh.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just . . . You’re staying now and I wanted to prepare you for meeting Dana. Because that’s inevitable. And I didn’t want you to see her and feel threatened, because you shouldn’t. All that beauty is hiding something ugly. You . . . you’re beautiful all the way through, Jessica. Cooper sees that.”

I heaved a sigh. “You’re sweet. And thanks for the heads-up.” Now, though, I wished I knew what Dana looked like, because she’d turned into Kate Upton in my mind.

“So back to the matter at hand . . . explain what you meant by ‘Anita might be my last patient for a while. Maybe ever.’”

I told her about my decision to take a break from medicine.

Unlike Cooper, who’d wanted all the details behind my decision, Bailey just accepted it. That surprised me, considering how little she accepted Vaughn Tremaine’s “mysterious” decision to stay in Hartwell.

“Okay, so you can of course say no, but how would you feel about working for me while you try to figure out what it is you want in life?” She grinned and nodded excitedly at the idea.

I was surprised by the offer. “Work for you how?”

“Tom is on me about getting someone to help out—to split my responsibilities with. You’d pretty much be doing most of what I do. The pay won’t be what you’re used to, though.” Then she told me how much I’d be making and it was considerably less than my pay at the prison.

“You do realize that I’ve never worked in hospitality before?”