Page 30 of Claws and Feathers

Cooper appeared in the doorway, his eyes flashing with surprise when he spotted Abby. “Abby. Hey.”

“Hi,” she squeaked out. Cooper was already dressed in his uniform, his hair still damp from a shower. “Sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”

He glanced at Maya with what looked to be contempt. “She was just leaving.”

“No, I’ll go,” Abby said quickly. “We can talk another time.”

Abby didn’t wait for Cooper to reply. She couldn’t bear to see the woman she’d confided in standing next to the man she had feelings for, wearing nothing but said man’s t-shirt. She couldn’t stand to even look at Maya with her smug eyes and her long, ‘do me now’ legs. It made her want to vomit.

She was hardly halfway down Cooper’s driveway when she felt him right behind her. She turned to face him, trying her damn hardest to hold back tears.

Cooper’s eyes looked almost apologetic as he gazed down at her. “Uh… that’s not what it looked like,” he said, scratching his head, appearing awkward and unsure of what to say. “That’s Maya. She’s –”

“I know who she is,” Abby said flatly. Her eyes shifted to Cooper’s house, where Maya was watching with interest from the front door. “She’s my psychiatrist.”

“What?” Cooper looked physically effected by this. “I didn’t know you were seeing one. And even if I did, I would have assumed you’d be referred to someone in Crow’s Peak.”

Abby ducked her head. “Yeah, well… she never told me she was dating you.”

“We’re not…” Cooper paused, running a hand over his face. He shook his head, seemingly frustrated. “Abby, she’s my ex-wife.”

Now it was Abby’s turn to absorb the physical ramifications of his bombshell. She could almost feel the color drain from her face. Her throat closed up. A flush crept up her chest. “She never told me any of that. I talked about you. I…” Oh,God. Maya Lowry was Cooper’s ex-wife? Abby had implied feelings for him. She’d opened up. She’d allowed herself to be vulnerable. And Maya had used those feelings to feed her own agenda. “I – I have to go.”

“Abby, wait.”

Abby ignored him and continued down the driveway and onto the sidewalk, picking up her pace with each step. She couldn’t let him see her like this.

She couldn’t let him see how much it hurt.

“That trashy bitch.”

Daphne sat on the edge of the guest bed, chewing on one of her manicured fingernails. Abby huffed out a response as she re-packed some of her belongings into a box. A few days had passed since the awkward confrontation with Maya on Cooper’s doorstep, and the sellers had accepted Abby’s offer on the property down the street. It was a much quicker process than she had anticipated. They had settled on a quick closing, so Abby was able to move in fifteen short days. She didn’t have a ton to pack, but it was something to do to keep her mind busy.

Abby blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, she’s a peach,” she muttered miserably.

“I never liked her. I have no idea what Henry sees in her.”

“You don’t like anybody,” Abby reminded her with a hint of teasing in her tone.

Daphne raised one perfect eyebrow. “Rude. I like you.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Sometimes.”

Abby shrugged with a grin. “Anyway, I don’t think she’s seeing Henry anymore from what I gathered.”

“She’s probably banging them both. She’s a giant ho.” Daphne pretended to shove her finger down her throat while making gagging sounds. “Have you talked to Cooper about it?”

“Nope. I’ve been avoiding him like my annual dental exam.” Abby wasn’t angry at Cooper. No, she had no reason to be. He was allowed to sleep with whoever he wanted to, even if it happened to be the traitorous witch she’d apparently been paying to crush her already fragile mindset.

She just wanted to distance herself. Sheneededto distance herself.

“Good. Maybe he’ll take a hint and find a new driveway to stalk.” Daphne twirled her red-orange hair between her finger. “Hey, want to go out tonight? I could use some tequila and bad decision-making.”

Tequila.Abby could almost smell it on The Man’s breath as he snarled in her face. Her own breath caught in her throat and her body momentarily froze up.

Apparently, she still had a few triggers.

Daphne seemed to notice her reaction to the request and sat up straight, her hands rising to her chest in horror. “Oh, shit, Abs. The last time we went out…Shit.I’m sorry. It’s way too soon.”

“No, no. It’s fine, Daphne.” Abby shook the feelings away and tried to center herself. “I’m just not really feeling up for drinking tonight. Rain check?”

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