"I do." Not that I'd ever use it.
He raised a brow at my curt tone. "You know where I live?"
"No but my brothers do." I tried not to listen to details when he was talking to my mom. The less I knew about him, the better.
"I'll text you the address. We probably shouldn't tell your brothers about this."
My nose scrunched. "They're going to know that we're working together."
He shook his head. "If they hear that I'm making you dinner, they won't understand."
I chuckled. "Probably not."
"I don't need that kind of stress in my life. Your brothers can be intense."
I laughed. "There's no way my brothers would believe that you were interested in me."
"I don't want to take a chance," he said tightly.
"Morgan's dating his best friend's sister. Not that what we're doing is dating." I couldn't believe I'd even mentioned dating.
"It's a trial to see if we can survive working together."
I gestured between us. "I don't have high hopes for this working between us."
"Your brothers gave me a chance by naming me the supervisor of the business, and the town is our biggest contract. I don't want to screw it up because I can't get along with you." There was something in his tone that got under my skin.
"I'll see you tonight." I spun on my heel and headed up the stairs.
When I looked down, he was still standing there, watching me. I gave him a little wave, then put my key in the lock and pushed the door open. I didn't let out the breath I'd been holding until the door was shut behind me.
I'd never seen Cooper as anything other than an irritation, another brother I didn't want or need. But there was something about being close to him that had my nerves going haywire. What did it mean?
Was I attracted to him?
I couldn't like my brothers' best friend. It was so cliché, and I found him so annoying.
It was just a shock, one I'd get over. It would be apparent at dinner that we couldn't work together. Somehow, we'd figure out how to make this work by staying far away from each other.
Chapter 2
Cooper
Why had I invited her over for dinner? She was like a sister to me. An annoying little sister that I avoided at all costs.
I needed to work closely with her, and I needed it to go well because my job depended on it. The Sterlings had entrusted me to run their new business when the only experience I'd had was working construction for other companies. I'd never been in a leadership role. Why did I think I could be the man for the position?
Aspen was the one woman who had the power to blow up my plans. I couldn't understand her. She worked multiple part-time jobs and never seemed to settle on any one thing, whether that was a job or a boyfriend. Instead, she flitted from one thing to another without a care in the world.
She could afford to be carefree. She had a family that loved and cared about her. Who'd offer her a place to live if she needed it. She hadn't grown up in a volatile situation where money and food were sometimes scarce and emotional support nonexistent.
I craved stability and financial security, and this job represented everything I'd ever wanted. If I could make this contracting company a success, then I'd have both. But Aspen's involvement could wreck everything. How did I know that she wouldn't walk away and screw me in the process?
The only way I could control the outcome was to be involved in every aspect, and that included working closely with Aspen. I needed to ensure that everything was handled, that nothing was overlooked.
I'd told her it was to prove that we could get along and work together. But I was fairly sure that wasn't going to happen.
She was reckless and impulsive. Everything I couldn't afford to be. We had nothing in common. This dinner was a means to an end. I wanted to know everything she was doing so that I could head off any problems.