Page 38 of Cocky Choices: Zoe Cocker

“Nope.” He glances to me, then away, shrugging his right shoulder. “Well, yeah, I guess that’s part of it, but only because you always see the good in everything. Your filter is light, light and more light.”

“What’s wrong with that?” I ask.

With a somber tone, Nicholas informs me, “I hate to tell you, Zoe, but some people are dark.”

SEVENTEEN

Zoe

"So that's everything that happened, Nicholas."

We're sitting in a busy coffee shop that I didn't even catch the name of, I was so nervous when we parked and walked in. The place is packed. As a business owner myself I’ve noted they were smart in taking advantage of being one of the few coffee shops open in this area at night, if not the only one. There's obviously a need for it, with so many customers working on their computers or chatting with friends. Family. I think I even heard a business meeting taking place at a table we passed, maybe an interview? They sounded stiff, like it wasn't going well, but I just caught glimpses of it with my ADHD brain. Maybe they were just getting started and needed to warm up!

Now my brother is staring at me like he can't believe my story. I laid the details out exactly as they happened. I'm waiting for him to say something. Anything. "Nicholas? Um…did I shock you too much?"

He clears his throat. “Shocked is an understatement. When were you going to tell us?"

Taking down my messy bun, I finger-comb my hair, gaze sliding around the room for a distraction. "I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

Nicholas begins laughing, and laughs for a while before rubbing his face and shaking his head like a dog after a bath. "I'm going to assume you were going to tell us at some point. That it would've occurred to you and you would actually have called your family and said hey, I'm engaged. And I might be moving to New York."

To hear him saying that out loud, the New York part, makes my heart hurt. "I might not need to move! He might stay here."

“Yeah right.”

“He said he’d think about it!”

"He works for his Dad's company and it's how he makes his money right? Except for this trust fund that's coming.” Nicolas picks up the cookie that came with his cappuccino and shoves the whole thing in his mouth like it's a Vallium. "If his dad's company isinNew York then your betrothed has to live there?—”

Throwing up my arms I interrupt, “There might be offices here! Why else would be they be throwing his ginormous retirement dinner here?"

"Oh right, the retirement dinner. That brings a whole lot of other questions to the table. Is this Caleb going to be taking his father's place in the company?" Nicholas waits for my answer.

After an awkward silence I mutter, “I don’t know.”

“Zoe, you have to tell Mom and Dad now,” Nicholas insists, leaning forward with a serious expression I rarely see on him. “Procrastination is over.”

“But I wanted to tell you the story!”

“And I’m glad you did. Now call them.”

“I know, but it just feels so hard!” I sigh, biting my lip.

“Hard or not, it’s important,” he insists. “They need to know what’s going on.”

I take a deep breath, staring down at my coffee cup. The warm ceramic feels comforting against my palms. “Okay, okay. I’ll call them.”

Nicholas gives me a hurry-up nod, and I pull up our parents’ number from my favorites list. My heart thumps loudly as I hit the call button. The phone rings, and I almost hang up, but Nicholas shakes his head likedon’t you dare!

“Zoe! Sweetheart!” Mom’s cheerful voice bursts through, and I can picture her bright smile. The one she’s about to lose.

Forcing my voice to sound normal and failing, I choke, “Hi, Mom!”

Her tone shifts from cheerful to concerned in an instant. “What’s going on? You sound… off.”

I motion to my brother that I want to hang up and he waves at the phone, forcing me to finally mutter, “I have something important to tell you,” nerves doing the jig in my stomach.

I hear Dad’s voice in the background as Mom says, “Okay. Hang on,” and so she pauses to talk to him, “Jeremy, I’m not sure. Something’s wrong with Zoe.” Her voice gets louder. “I’m back, honey, and I put the phone on speaker so your father can listen in. What is it?”

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