Page 13 of Liberty

“I could’ve paid for it!” She huffed. “Don’t be so dramatic, Libby. And don’t forget to thank me later.”

“Why am I going to thank you?”

“Because I’m gonna help you get with him.”

I groaned. “Kylee, please, don’t do this to me.”

Kylee rolled her eyes. “Libby. Please. You’re never going to get over Ryan if you don’t do something wild.”

But I wasn’t wild.

That’s the part she seemed to be missing.

I didn’t do stuff like this. I was the quiet, bookish one. I read a lot and I watched movies on Netflix. I thought the library was a great place for a date.

I didn’t hook up with hot surfer guys at beach resorts.

But a part of me was definitely attracted to him.

He was handsome, and charming, and smart.

And I’d liked dancing with him.

Ryan, I reminded myself, had never danced with me. Not once, in the whole three years we’d been together.

There was a knock at the door. Probably Cooper. I looked at Kylee and shook my head, going to open it.

He stood there with a luggage cart. “All packed up?”

“Yeah. We’ll bring our stuff to you.” I went back to grab my suitcase, shooting Kylee another warning look as I passed her.

She sighed.

And then she started talking.

“Hey, thanks for all the help, Cooper. Libby was just talking about how much fun she had at the party, you know? Dancing and stuff. We’re really happy you came to the rescue.”

He smiled proudly. “Of course. No worries. It’s kinda what I do around here.”

“You’re the regular repairman?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I am. I do some traveling during the off-season, but this is home.”

Kylee looked at me. “That’s really cool, huh?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It sounds nice. Better than job hunting.”

His attention immediately shifted to me.

Dammit.

“You need a job?” he asked.

I hesitated, nodding. “Yeah, I really want to teach. So I’m trying to find something.”

He nodded and, thankfully, let the subject drop.

We loaded up the luggage cart and took an elevator to the top floor. Kylee and I followed Cooper as he walked down the hall.

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