"You guys were idiots when you were having girl trouble. You were stuck in the friend zone with Reina when you insisted she move in with you after the fire."
He chuckled. "You might be right about that. But I have more experience now. I might be able to offer some advice."
"And you're saying if I want to be with a woman, I should talk about my emotions."
He nodded. "Probably, yeah."
But Aspen wasn't the girl for me. She deserved someone who got all her quirks. Who saw how amazing she was.
When the voice inside my head told me that person was me, I dismissed it. I wasn't the right guy for anyone. The example I had growing up was a gross misrepresentation of a healthy relationship. I didn't want to be like my dad, but how could I not be? I was emotionally stunted, and there was no fixing that.
Even if I was open to changing, I couldn't be with Aspen. Reason number one was standing in front of me, acting like he cared about my mental health. And I'd betrayed his trust.
I had to avoid Aspen. Now that we'd agreed on the work to be done, there was no reason for us to talk. I'd get it done and stay away from her.
She was busy with the holiday events in town anyway. Our paths wouldn't cross. Not if I could help it.
Chapter 11
Aspen
Cooper didn't stalk into my office all growly and demanding and have his way with me. That didn't happen, right?
I couldn't have been that impulsive that I slept with the man who was responsible for renovating the bathrooms. And my brothers' best friend.
Unfortunately, I couldn't scrub the memory from my brain because I had to work in this office and at the desk where he'd pressed me over the surface and had sex with me.
The same room where he was able to pull on his clothes so quickly and disappear within minutes of orgasming.
His words—That shouldn't have happened—were playing on repeat in my head, along with his quick exit. I didn't think I'd ever been so humiliated in my life.
He hadn't reached out since, and I was avoiding the dance hall where I'd heard renovations had begun. I didn't need to hear him tell me that it was a mistake again, and it shouldn't have happened.
Repeating the words he'd already thrown around so callously would only make everything worse.
Instead, I waited until Friday, well after I knew the crew would be gone. There weren't any Sterling trucks on the curb in front of the inn, so I slipped inside to check on the progress because I promised Eve I would.
I hoped to snap a few pictures and report to Eve that everything was on schedule. It would be better to hear that from the supervising contractor himself, but that wasn't going to happen. Not while I had a shred of self-esteem left in my body.
Eventually, I'd have to talk to Cooper and pretend nothing had happened. But I wasn't ready to do that today.
I passed the front counter, which was empty for the night, pushed open the doors, and headed toward the bathrooms at the back of the space.
"What are you doing here?" The rough voice startled me.
I spun to find Cooper leaning against the wall a few feet away.
"The lights were off. I didn't think anyone was here."
"I was just finishing up." His eyes were dark and unreadable.
I lifted my phone. "Eve wanted an update on your progress. I thought I could get a few pictures to satisfy her curiosity.
He stepped forward. "So you'd stop by after the crew was gone for the day?”
Relieved he understood, I nodded. "I can come back later if you're still working."
"Oh, I'm done,” he said as he continued moving purposefully toward me.