After a hasty discussion, it was decided that we would move on. My stomach rolled and Yvette decided to take me to the bathroom because I looked a little green to her. As we stood in the washroom, the stall door opened, and Jan came out. She glanced at me and at Yvette before she made her way towards me.
“Bailey, how nice to see you again,” she said sweetly, but I could see the anger in her eyes, “but as you know, Cooper and I are engaged now, so could you stay away from him or things will get ugly between us?”
She washed her hands and strode away leaving me shaking and beyond furious. I splashed some water on my face and marched out of the club, running into Jay outside on the sidewalk.
“Get. Me. Out. Of. Here,” I hissed in his ear and his eyes widened a fraction. He glanced over my shoulder and slipped his hand around my waist as Cooper and Jan walked out, followed by my mom and Shawn.
“Hi, everyone, I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Jay.” His soft voice was sexy with just the right amount of spice in it. My mom’s eyes widened, and I smiled at her before turning my face into Jay’s neck and whispering, “Please, Jay. Just get me out of here now.”
He nodded at me and kissed my head. I glanced up at him and amusement danced over his features. He nodded his head slightly and I followed the movement to see Coop standing stock-still glaring at us. Jan was beside him, curled into his side, looking amused at my mom’s and Shawn’s faces.
My mom stepped forwards, extending her hand as she did.
“Jay, it’s lovely to finally meet you after all these years. I thought you lived in London though, so it really is a surprise to see you with Bailey.”
Shawn nodded politely and then turned to look for their car, as my mom pulled me in for a hug. She squeezed a little too tight and released me a quick second later.
As they moved away, I saw Coop chatting to Colin Donoghue, an old friend of his from school and a member of our group through Alisa, a friend of mine from the art world. I heard Colin invite them to go out with us and my eyes darted over in horror as Coop was saying no, but Jan answered, and my stomach dropped.
“Oh sure, we’d love to come. There’s nothing better than catching up with old friends, is there?”
We moved to Park Lane, which was a marvelous restaurant, serving all kinds of cuisines, but I wasn’t hungry at all. I forced myself to eat some sushi and rice, but I couldn’t manage anything else as I tried to figure out a way to leave without anyone noticing.
My eyes burned, my chest felt as though it was being sat on by a ten-ton weight, and my head throbbed. All I wanted to do was go home, but I couldn’t let her win. Jan wasn’t waltzing into town and worming her way in with my friends.
God, what if they moved here, and I was forced to attend functions with them. My breathing began to accelerate, and I quickly excused myself, almost running towards the bathroom. I hadn’t bothered looking around the table, so I didn’t notice Coop wasn’t at the table, and when I barged by him on my way to the restroom he gasped as my fingers ran across his stomach.
“Sorry, I’m…” My eyes darted upwards as the heat from his touch burned into my brain and I backed away.
“Bailey,” he murmured, but I shook my head at him and turned tail, heading outside onto the sidewalk. As soon as the fresh air hit, my legs began to feel a little shaky and my heart pounded hard against my chest.
I didn’t have my clutch or my cell or anything, but the gallery was close by, so I decided to head in that direction. As I passed the alley a hand shot out and grabbed me, pulling me in. I wanted to scream, but then I thought being unconscious would be better than being here right now.
Coop’s scent filled my nostrils and my panic calmed, but my heart rate sped as I stood there.
“Bailey, please let me explain.” He touched my cheek and my skin burned, but I backed away from him, speaking through the tears that erupted from my eyes.
“No, you don’t get to speak. You don’t get to explain anything to me. There is nothing… nothing you can say that I want to hear.”
I spun around and ran for the end of the alley and I heard Coop exhale, kick the dumpster and shout, “Goddamn it,” but I didn’t care. I had to get out of there, so I headed straight for my gallery, thankful that Martine had convinced us to remain open to the night crowd.
As soon as I reached the familiar building, my heart rate slowed, and I went up to the apartment upstairs. We hadn’t renovated it yet, but we’d planned to turn it into either office space or an apartment for me to use in the city. Martine stood behind the cash desk and I waved at her.
The sofa in the gallery apartment was uncomfortable and lumpy and when Jay came by with my belongings. I let him talk me into spending the night at his apartment, but it didn’t matter where I was. Sleep was beyond me. I spent the night awake, sitting by the window in the dressing room on an old armchair watching the moon move across the sky.
At five a.m. my cell chimed with a text and I opened it. I’d had the same exact number since high school but seeing his name on the message made me want to delete it straight away. All it said was,
We need to talk. Coop
I ignored it and another one came through almost immediately.
Bailey, let me explain to you, please.
I ignored that one too and when my cell began to ring, I put it on silent mode, so I didn’t hear it. I finally drifted off at around six a.m. I slept for three hours and when I was fully awake, after four cups of coffee I dressed in tight jeans, a red tank, and a black wraparound sweater. I took down my hair, leaving it loose and curled around my face.
I had to go to the gallery since I was meeting a client at eleven, so I put my feet into my sneakers, taking my heels in my purse as I left. Once in the street I shot Jay a text and let him know that I’d gone to work, thanking him for the previous night. My eyes narrowed on my phone and I had another six texts and seven calls from Coop, but I ignored them all.
As I walked, I placed my earbuds into my ears and cranked up the volume of my favorite band. It helped drown out the sounds of the city while I was trying to ignore the pain in my chest at seeing Coop with Jan, seeing him with anyone would be hard, but with her was soul-destroying.
My body slowed as I reached the gallery, but before I went in, I stopped into a convenience store to pick up a bottle of water and our newspapers. I made my way across the road and saw Coop sitting outside on the steps of the gallery. He stood up as I approached, his eyes narrowed on me.
“Bailey, we need to talk,” he spoke as soon as I was in earshot. I shook my head at him and moved into the café. I went behind the counter and grabbed my apron, determined to keep busy, but there wasn’t much to do. So, I wandered through to my office, and he followed me.
I ignored him, but as I sat at my desk, palpations started in my chest every time I looked up from my computer or wrote something on the wall behind my desk. By ten forty I’d had enough.
“Say what you need to say, then get out,” I muttered through my teeth as he sat watching me.
“Bails.” I flinched as I heard my nickname and his face fell a little.
“Sorry, Bailey.” He automatically corrected himself and I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose before I leaned back and stared at him. He met my gaze steadily and continued.