Page 29 of Tides of Discovery
But Cooper’s hand had been warm in mine. Real. The nervous energy radiating from him had been genuine.
I had to grip my coffee mug tighter to keep me grounded. Cooper wanted to try. He’d looked me in the eye and suggested we become more than friends. The student I’d fallen for in college, the man who’d become my best friend, my anchor, my everything—he wanted to see if we could be something more.
But what if he changed his mind? What if a month made him realize how wrong we were together? What if I wasn’t enough to make this work? The thought gnawed at me. I had to be the perfect boyfriend—attentive but not clingy, romantic but not overwhelming, supportive but not overbearing. How could I just be myself when being myself had kept me in the friend zone for years? If I wanted these next four weeks to turn into something real, I couldn’t afford to be the awkward, overthinking guy who’d been pining from the sidelines. I had to be someone worthy of Cooper’s love.
Cooper had no idea what he was walking into. He thought this was an agreement, two friends temporarily testing the waters. He didn’t know I was already drowning in feelings I’d carried for years. It felt like cheating, somehow, like I was taking advantage of his trust by not telling him how desperately I loved him.
But how could I?Hey, Cooper, funny thing—I’ve been in love with you since sophomore year and moved to Seacliff Cove specifically to be near you.That would send him running faster than any cyberattack.
What if this destroyed everything? Cooper had been so confident about keeping things from getting awkward if the trial didn’t work out, but he didn’t understand what was at stake for me. If I lost him—not just as a potential boyfriend, but as my best friend—I’d lose the most important person in my life. The person who made Seacliff Cove feel like home. I’d have to leave, pack up everything and go. It would be too painful to stay here and see Cooper every day, knowing what I’d lost.
He laughed at something Jessica said, and his entire face lit up with that bright smile I adored. Intense gratitude rushed through me. Even if this was temporary, even if Valentine’s Day brought heartbreak instead of love, Cooper was offering me a month of something I’d never dared hope for. A month of holding his hand, of being the person he dated, of maybe—if I was incredibly lucky—discovering that the spark I felt between us was real.
One month, I told myself, taking a steadying breath.You have one month to show him how good we could be together without scaring him away.
Cooper glanced over at me then and caught me staring. His cheeks flushed pink, but he smiled—soft and uncertain and beautiful. My heart hammered against my ribs as he mouthed, “Okay?”
I nodded and raised my coffee mug in a small salute.More than okay, I wanted to tell him.This is everything I’ve ever wanted.
Instead, I just smiled back and pretended my hands weren’t shaking as I lifted the cup to my lips. The Boyfriend Bargain had officially begun.
CHAPTER TEN
Cooper
I fussed with my sweater. I’d changed three times before settling on a simple sage V-neck that Jack once said brought out my green eyes. My gut fluttered with nerves. When was the last time I’d actually cared this much about how I looked for someone? The realization that I was genuinely trying to impress Jack sent a fresh wave of anxiety through me.
The pressure to perform felt overwhelming in a way I’d never experienced with him before. With Jack, everything had always been effortless. Conversation flowed naturally, silences were comfortable, and I never had to think twice about what to say or how to act. But now, with this new dynamic between us, I found myself second-guessing everything.
A knock at the door sent my pulse skittering. I took a steadying breath and reminded myself this was Jack. Just Jack. We’d had dinner together hundreds of times over the years.
But never as a couple.
I opened the door to find him standing there in dark jeans and a motorcycle jacket that hugged his shoulders in a way I’d somehow never noticed before. His hair was carefully combed,and I caught of whiff of body wash—something spicy and subtle that made my stomach do an unexpected flip.
“Hey.” His eyes swept over me in a quick appraisal. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.” The word came out slightly choked. “So do you.”
A moment of awkward silence stretched between us. This was ridiculous. It was just dinner with Jack, my best friend. Why did it suddenly feel so different?
Because we’re exploring the possibility of more than friendship.
“Ready?” Jack broke the silence.
I nodded and grabbed my jacket. “Want to go to Dottie’s Diner?”
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “You read my mind. We should stick with familiar territory for our first official date.”
“Good thinking.” Relief washed through me. Dottie’s was relaxing, familiar ground for us. We’d eaten there at least twice a month since Jack moved to Seacliff Cove.
We stepped out into the January evening, the coastal air crisp and damp against my face. Jack hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand toward me, eyebrows raised in question.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry, and took his hand. His fingers interlaced with mine, warm and solid, and that same sense of rightness I’d felt in the coffee shop settled over me again.
We walked the short distance to Main Street and caught up on the last few hours of our days with the kind of easy conversation that came naturally to us. Jack’s thumb absently traced small circles on the back of my hand, a gesture so casually intimate that it sent an unexpected shiver up my arm. I wondered if he was even aware he was doing it.
Dottie’s Diner stood bright against the dark sky, its red-striped awnings and flower boxes giving it a cheerful appearance even in winter. Inside, the trendy retro decor gleamed under vintage drop lighting fixtures—black-and-white checkered floors, turquoise leather booths, and bright yellow stools lined up at the counter. Granite tables reflected the warm lights, and café curtains hung at the windows on sleek black rods.
