Every Little Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 2)

“Like you said . . . it’s all about hard work.”

“And you have a wife? Kids?”

Cooper grinned, a full, smug, big grin. “Girlfriend.”

William chuckled at his expression. “She must be something special.”

Dr. Jessica Huntington was definitely something special. Cooper was a lucky man. Unlike Tom Sutton, Cooper knew it.

“She’s the one,” Cooper admitted with ease. Most men he knew back in Manhattan would never dream of sharing those kinds of feelings. His longtime friend Oliver Spence would balk at the entire concept of thinking of a woman as “the one.” Oliver had been engaged more times than Vaughn could count and Vaughn suspected he’d cheated on every single one of those women. No. Oliver and his crowd were unable to say shit like “she’s the one.” And Vaughn had to admit he admired Cooper for his ability to be so honest.

William scrutinized Cooper, and Vaughn could tell his father liked what he saw. “It’s a rare thing to find. ‘The one.’ Hold on tight.”

Cooper shot Vaughn a look, having heard the story of his mother’s death during one of those times he’d trusted the man enough to confide elements of his personal life to him.

“Okay, I’m done listening to you two wax poetic.” Vaughn took a sip of his scotch. “What else is new, Lawson?”

And just like that the grin was wiped off Cooper’s face. “You’ll hear it sooner or later . . . Tom cheated on Bailey. She walked in on them last night. Apparently, she wasn’t quiet about confronting them at his place, so it’ll be all over town by the end of the day.”

Vaughn almost choked on his second sip of scotch. His body locked up on him, and despite the burn of the whiskey in his chest, he felt strangely cold all over.

“Say that again.”

“That asshole cheated on Bailey with some twenty-three-year-old girlfriend of a colleague. She walked in on the two of them fucking on his goddamn couch last night.”

His heart started to pound hard in his chest and he had to fight down the urge to get off his stool and hunt that asinine little prick down.

What kind of moron cheated on Bailey?

Bailey.

Christ.

She and Tom had been together a long time. How the hell would she cope? He didn’t like the thought of Bailey falling apart. As strong and outspoken as she was Vaughn knew she hid her vulnerabilities.

Then a thought occurred to him and his blood turned hot. “She isn’t going to stay with the idiot, is she?”

The idea that she might stick with Tom ignited a need to throw his glass of scotch at something or someone. And yet at the same time he wanted Cooper to say, “Yes. They’re going to work through it.” He hated the thought of Bailey giving the bastard another shot because she had to know she deserved better than that, but at the same time he hated the idea that Tom Sutton no longer existed as a barrier between “Vaughn and Bailey.”

“Vaughn and Bailey” would only lead to a hurt Bailey and a fucking messed-up Vaughn.

“No. This is Bailey we’re talking about. That woman practically invented the concept of loyalty. She’s finished with him. I say good riddance.”

Relief and fear mingled as he looked at the ice melting in his glass. “Is . . . How is Bailey coping?”

He could feel his father’s curious eyes on his face.

“She’ll be fine. The girls will take care of her.”

“And you?”

Cooper frowned at him. “What?”

“You’ll take care of her, too?” It would ease his mind to know Cooper had her back. “In case Tom gives her any problems.”

As always the bar owner saw too much, and he gave Vaughn a knowing smile. “Sure thing, Tremaine.” And then . . . “I guess Jess was right after all. Not that I’ll tell her that. Damn woman thinks she’s right about everything.”

“What are you talking about?”