He stepped farther inside, a smile fading off his face. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Startle her? Her reaction was so much worse than that. She swallowed heavily, forming the words carefully. “What are you doing here?”
Appearing wounded, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and exhaled a slow breath. “I wanted to see you, to see how you’re doing.”
He looked the same, his brown hair neatly trimmed, his face freshly shaved. She thought she even detected his cologne...or maybe that was just a memory powering through her surprise.
“But...how?” She hadn’t told him where she was.
Some odd emotion had him lowering his eyelids. He turned his head a little, giving her a sideways glance. “You’re not happy to see me.”
She didn’t know how she felt. “It’s a...surprise.” It was cowardly, but if given a choice, she’d have never seen him again. She didn’t want to face all the things stolen from her, the things she’d given up—and what she’d forced away.
The pole at her back became a welcome support as she slowly straightened, trying to hide her turmoil.
He spared a fleeting smile. “I still follow you on Facebook. You’ve posted enough photos of the place, finding it was easy.” He came forward a single step. “You seemed happy in your posts.”
Though he said it as a statement, she saw the question in his searching gray eyes. “I am.” Why was he here?
“Still jumpy, though?” He nodded, drawing his own conclusions. “I really am sorry for showing up unannounced. I just thought...”
Her heart hammered wildly. Did he think she was ready to get back together? That they could now move on as a couple? She waited, not sure what to say, not sure what to do.
Cautiously, he approached, his eyes now watchful, until he stood right in front of her.
“Phoenix.” When he reached for her hand, she resisted the urge to step away. She wasn’t afraid of David. Not ever that.
But she dreaded what he might say, what he might want.
She feared the reason for his visit, and the fresh hurt she might cause.
He wore his serious face, the one he usually saved for talks about their future. The one he’d worn while they’d chosen their house and made wedding plans.
David was a good man, and she’d hurt him so badly. The least she could do now was to greet him properly.
Something icy inside her seemed to crack. “David,” she whispered, reaching for him, drawing him into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Relief visibly rushed through him, and he crushed her close, his face in her neck, the cool brush of his hair against her cheek.
He was solid and familiar, and affection tugged at her heart. She squeezed tighter, saying, “I am so, so sorry for everything.”
His arms loosened and, putting his hands on her shoulders, he pressed her back. “You don’t need to apologize, Phoenix. Not to me. I’m just glad to see you looking more like yourself.”
She smiled now, genuinely happy to see him—but still guarded. “How have you been?”
“Fine.” A smile cracked, this one more authentic, somehow more real. “Actually, I’m better than fine.” He took her hand. “Come here. I want to talk to you.”
“O-kay,” she said, putting wariness in the word.
“Relax, honey.” He led her to the riding mower and indicated she should sit. “I’m not here to pressure you.”
Unsure what he considered pressure, she didn’t yet relax.
“You’re happy?” he asked. “Because you really do seem happy in your posts.”
Knowing she couldn’t lie to him, Phoenix nodded. “I’m very happy.”
He released a breath, followed by a wide grin. “See, I can still read you—even in a Facebook post.”
“David—”
“I’ve moved on, too,” he said quickly.
Hope bloomed. “Really?” And because she could still read him as well, she suddenly knew. Her voice took on a teasing note when she asked, “Who is she?”
“I hope you don’t mind, but your friend, Angie...”
Her jaw loosened. “Angie Perkins?”
“I know she was a friend of yours, but you were gone and she said she hadn’t heard from you in forever. We were talking, and one thing led to another—”
Laughing, Phoenix launched against him. “I think that’s wonderful!” She and Angie had been casual friends, but Phoenix hadn’t spoken with her since the attack.
“So you don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” It amused her because Angie’s opinion of David had been lackluster at best—unless... Phoenix grinned, wondering if Angie had pretended to be less than impressed to cover up her attraction. Interesting. She pressed him back. “You two are serious?”
“It’s still new, but yeah, we’re getting there. I just felt like I should check up on you before taking things any further.”
“David, that is so sweet—but totally unnecessary.”
He nodded. “Angie said if you were still interested, you would have been in touch. She’s the one who pushed me to...” His voice faded into nothingness.
“To forget about me?” Phoenix asked gently. “She’s right, and I’m so glad you have.”
“No, I haven’t. I never could.” He held both her hands. “I’ll always love you, Phoenix. We had a long history together and, at least on my part, a special closeness.”
Such a good, good man. No, she’d never deserved him, but she was happy to count him as a friend, as only a friend, so she lied. “Yes, it was very special.”
He lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Now that I’m happy, I wanted you to be happy, too.”
She was about to answer, to assure him that she was, but she didn’t get the chance.
“Am I interrupting?”
She glanced over David’s shoulder and met Cooper’s gaze. Oh, his eyes weren’t mellow now. Far from it. Despite his calm facade and the gentle way he held Sugar, she could read all the ways he’d misconstrued the situation.
“Cooper.” She disengaged from David and went to him, taking his arm.
Realization dawned on David’s face.
Doing the introductions, she said, “David, this is Cooper Cochran. He owns the resort. Cooper, this is my friend, David.” She hadn’t accurately introduced either man but she saw no point in clarifying that Cooper was more to her than just a boss, and David had been closer than any friend. Enough tension already choked the air.
Cooper shifted Sugar into one arm and stepped forward, eyes narrowed, hand extended. “David.”
“Nice to meet you,” David said, drumming up his usual congenial smile. “Beautiful place you have.”
“Thank you.” He reached back, looping his arm around her shoulders and bringing her alongside him. “Phoenix keeps it looking that way.”
“She was always talented with anything that grew.” David shifted his gaze from her to Cooper and back again. “I had hoped to visit for a bit, but I see that you’re working.”
“Cooper won’t mind if I take off for an hour.”
After a heavy stillness, Cooper looked down at her, his amber eyes direct, holding hers. “Of course not.” He shared a strained smile. “Take off the entire afternoon if you’d like.”
“I can’t,” she countered quickly. She didn’t want to rudely send David packing, but neither did she want to take hours to reminisce. “Too much to get done today, but I would like to show David around.”
Cooper nodded. “All right.”
It seemed prudent, at least to Phoenix’s mind, to make a few things clear to both men, so she put a hand to the side of Cooper’s face, went on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. “Thank you.”
*
Cooper damn well didn’t want to leave them alone, but he wasn’t the jealous type—not usually, anyway—and he wanted Phoenix to know that he trusted her.
The ex wasn’t what he’d expected. He looked like a nice enough guy, clean-cut, athletic. It might be ridiculous, but he’d sort of imagined him as a creep, maybe a dude with a big head or a beer gut. He’d expected something about him to be offensive—which was stupid, because Phoenix wouldn’t have been engaged to him if he wasn’t a nice, responsible, handsome man.