She couldn’t fight back a laugh. Wasn’t a bad deal, though, she realized when she thought about it. She’d always enjoyed working with her hands. Speaking of hands, she stuck one out in Cooper’s direction. “Fine, I’ll help. Shake on it?”
After a moment of reluctance, he broke out in a grin and shook her hand. “Let’s go,” he said, rolling his eyes. “If we’re going to show you how to step up your game from nice to un-fucking-believable, we have a long night ahead of us.”
Lexie knew something was wrong when she got off the stage and noticed Maddie at the table, bending down to pick up her purse from the chair. It hadn’t taken a rocket scientist to figure out that the younger woman was upset over Owen Bishop, and though Lexie had tried making Maddie feel better about it, she didn’t think she’d succeeded.
Charlotte must have noticed Maddie getting her purse too, because she hurried over to the table at the same time Lexie reached it. Brushing a strand of red hair from her forehead, Charlotte fixed a concerned look on her bridesmaid. “Are you leaving already?”
Maddie nodded in apology. “Yeah, I am. I think I drank too many martinis and I have a bit of a headache now.”
Lexie didn’t buy the excuse. There was an odd flush to Maddie’s cheeks, a strange look in her brown eyes. She suddenly realized that Maddie didn’t look at all upset anymore. If anything, she seemed…satisfied?
“Oh, that sucks,” Charlotte said, sounding genuinely regretful. “Go home then, drink some water and take an Aspirin.”
Relief crossed Maddie’s face. “You’re not angry that I’m leaving?”
“Not at all,” Charlotte replied. She waved a hand to the stage, where Laura Easton was singing a duet with the reluctant bartender she’d dragged up there. “We’ll manage without you.” Charlotte leaned forward to squeeze Maddie’s arm. “I hope your head feels better.”
As the singer wandered off, Lexie took a step forward and said, “I’ll walk you out.”
“No, that’s okay,” Maddie said quickly. “I called a cab when I went outside for air, and it should be here already. Enjoy the rest of the night, Lex.”
Without waiting for a reply, Maddie hurried off. Narrowing her eyes, Lexie watched her go, wondering what the girl was up to.
Then an idea dawned on her.
Had Owen finally come around? Maybe with three martinis in her system, Maddie had found the nerve to call him, and he was coming here to pick her up and whisk her away for a night of long-deserved passion.
As the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile, Lexie headed for the door, needing to see for herself if her suspicions were correct. She really hoped so, for Maddie’s sake. The woman had undergone a drastic makeover to catch that jerk’s eye—it was about time he noticed her.
In case Maddie was standing out there indeed waiting for a cab, Lexie opened one of the double doors an inch, not wanting to look like a nosy Nancy or anything. She peered out into the dark night. And gasped.
Was that… Was Maddie getting into Cooper Grady’s pickup?
Lexie squinted. No, that could be anyone’s truck, nearly every man in Paradise owned a black Dodge. She poked her head out for a better look and caught sight of the man leaning into the passenger seat to greet Maddie. Black hair, a flash of straight white teeth.
Cooper.
Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. A rush of disbelief and anger filled her body, the taste of bitter betrayal burning her throat. Why was Maddie going off with Cooper? Lexie knew they worked together, but she hadn’t realized they were more than professional acquaintances.
The taillights blinked red as the truck drove out of the parking lot. Lexie swallowed down the lump in the back of her throat, knowing she had no reason to feel this upset. She’d ended it with Cooper, and as for her new friend, hadn’t she just been urging her to forget about Owen Bishop and find someone else? Well, Maddie had taken the advice to heart, apparently.
Letting the door swing closed, Lexie sagged against the heavy wood and tried to snuff out the irritating sparks of anger in her gut. Cooper was a grown man. He could spend time with whomever he pleased. And he had no reason to be faithful to her, not since she’d banished him from her life.
So why did the sight of him with another woman hurt so much?
Cooper had been right about his place needing renovations. The first thing she noticed when they stepped into his modestly sized living room was the scuffed-up hardwood floor, planks splintered and sagging in certain areas. The walls were wood paneled and could have used a coat of varnish, and the large windowpane needed to be replaced, thanks to a crack that was beginning to form a spider-web pattern in the glass.
“A baseball did that,” Cooper spoke up, following her gaze. “Wyatt and I were playing catch in the yard and one of my fastballs had a mind of its own.”