Only One Regret (Only One 5)

"You are too kind." She smiles at me, and I walk into the office and stop when I see the flowers in the middle of my desk. "They just arrived."

I put my coffee down on my desk and set my keys and purse on the corner. The huge bouquet of pink and white tulips sits in a glass vase with a card sticking out. Grabbing the white card, I sit down and slide the card out with my finger.

Erika,

If I forget to tell you. Thank you for being by my side.

Kid

I throw my head back and laugh, shaking my head. "Those from who I think they’re from?" Shauna asks, leaning against the doorframe.

"An inside joke," I say, slipping the card back inside and tucking it in my desk drawer. "Anything going on I should know about?"

Getting up, I carry the flowers over to the round table that I have to the side of my office. I look up and see the picture I took of Cooper the day he got drafted. When Becca handed me her clients, they were all established except for Cooper. He was my first buildup. He got drafted first, so there was nothing I could do about his salary, but the rest was all the two of us. He was ready to do whatever I recommended, and trust me, I suggested everything, including him being on The Bachelor in his spare time. None of my other clients holds a special place like Cooper does.

When I was in my last semester of college, I was recruited to do an internship here, and it was the best decision I ever made. I was at the top of my class to graduate with honors with a master's degree in marketing.

I knew I wanted to work in a fast-paced environment. On my first day here, I knew this was where I wanted to be. I fell in love with the hustle and bustle. Becca was the one who trained me. Being taken under her wing was everything. She was who I wanted to be, cutthroat and zero fucks given if you did anything to her clients. Her stepping down was a surprise to everyone. I thought I would have to fight more to keep her clients.

I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously. Hell, I had just turned twenty-three. I’d been here for a year, and even though they met with me and communicated through me, I still had the big dog behind me. But Becca had trust in me, which made them have trust in me.

That is not to say I didn’t stress for the first six months of my job and worry I would fuck up. I kept a calm façade, but inside I waited for the other shoe to fall. I’m happy to say it never did. There were certainly fuckups over the years, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

Moving back to my desk, I grab my phone and send Cooper another text.

Me: Are you divorced yet?

Cooper was my first client, and we were friends, but when he called me devastated that he had to leave New York and got traded to Dallas, we really became close. I was his only friend here, and I knew that coming here and leaving his family was killing him. I was his confidant, and he knew that anything he told me wouldn’t go anywhere. I sat with him at least twice a week while he told me how much he struggled. I didn’t understand why he wasn’t sharing it with Julianne, but when I finally spent time with her, I got it.

She was only worried about one person—herself. She didn’t give a shit that he was miserable. He lost weight, and his game suffered. To her, as long as she was happy, that was the key. I tried to be her friend, but she made it clear I wasn’t of her kind. Whatever the fuck that meant. So I faked that I was happy to see her when I did. I did it for Cooper and the girls, but the minute she blindsided him with divorce papers, I was ready for fucking war. She did him dirty, and for that, I hated her even more.

My phone rings, and I jump at it, thinking it’s Cooper but see a 631 area code.

"Erika Robinson," I say, looking out the window, the sunlight coming in.

"Erika Robinson," the male voice says. "Max Horton."

I lean back in my chair. "Mr. Horton," I respond, chuckling. Usually, it’s Max, but that is when I’ve seen him and I’ve been with Cooper. He’s switched hats, and so have I. "Good to hear from you."

He laughs. Max was one of the best to ever get on the ice. He had this long history with Matthew, Cooper’s father. The history got more complicated when Max married Cooper’s aunt, Allison. "Cut the shit with the mister."