down. She’d numbed it all for a while, going out for cocktails with her friends most nights of the week and ordering mimosas at brunch every weekend. It was surprisingly easy to make the excessive drinking socially acceptable. Because she wasn’t keeping a bottle of Johnnie Walker in her purse or necking something covered in a paper bag.
Her drinks were ordered at classy bars. She rotated her friends so nobody knew exactly how often she was out, downing martinis like water. She’d headed home nightly, teetering on her heels with a glassy look in her eyes, and covered it all with concealer the next morning.
Thankfully, that time hadn’t lasted long, and Cora had gotten herself out of that hole before things got too bad. But she remembered the day she’d trekked out to Brooklyn to get her tattoo, palms sweaty while she gnawed on the inside of her lip. Only the scratch of the needle had been a welcome blessing, the pain reminding her that she had the capacity to feel. To take charge of her life.
She traced the design with her fingertip. The image reminded her that she wasn’t done growing yet, that she could always do something to push herself in the right direction. That it wasn’t too late.
And life had gone better after that…until it hadn’t.
A clatter in the kitchen startled Cora out of her reverie. The noise was followed by a muffled curse, and she shifted on the couch to look out across the room. From her vantage point, she could see Trent reaching into the cupboard above the coffee maker, his strong, lean body on full display. A pair of shorts rode low on his hips, and he was topless. The muscles in his back and shoulders worked as he pulled a bag of ground coffee down from the top shelf.
The man was magnificent. Top shelf, A-plus, and gold stars all around. Not to mention that he seemed to spend more time with his top off than on.
No complaints here.
The fact that she was looking at Trent with hunger stoking a small fire in her belly was progress. Not that she was going to do anything about it, mind you. One, she wasn’t taking advantage of her friend’s generosity only to screw her brother. Literally. Two, the whole point of this trip was to find some direction for her novel…and that did not involve getting distracted by feelings of lust.
“Want a coffee?”
Trent’s voice startled Cora so much that she yelped and almost fell off the couch. Snatching the blanket up over her chest—like that would make a difference—she cringed as her cheeks filled with heat. How did he know she was awake? Had he caught her staring at him like he was a hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream?
“There’s a mirror on the wall.” Trent pointed to a circular, decorative mirror that was framed in a gold sun-like design. “I could see that you were awake. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine.” She pushed up into a sitting position and released the blanket. “And I would love a coffee, thanks.”
Oh God, he had been able to see that she was staring. How embarrassing. Cora’s track record with men wasn’t the greatest. In fact, if she were to write an autobiography centered on her love life, it could be called How to End a Date Early for All the Wrong Reasons.
Which was exactly why she’d been thrilled to find a guy who “got” her—being in a relationship meant she no longer had to suffer through awkward first meetings and fumbled kisses and that sinking, disappointed feeling she got when it was clear that a limp cucumber had more chemistry than her date.
“What’s the plan for today?” she asked, folding the blanket and setting it neatly on the couch.
“I’ve got a mate coming around this morning to help me fix the plumbing and check on the water damage. Then I figured we should get to work on trying to put this bloody scrapbook back together.” He shook his head. “I’ll never understand why Liv couldn’t get them a voucher to a nice restaurant. Or buy them a plant or something. She turns everything into a fanfare.”
“I think it’s sweet.” Cora headed into the little open-concept kitchen where Trent was making the coffee. He placed one steaming mug in front of her along with a carton of milk and a bowl of sugar with a small, gold spoon sticking out of it. “She clearly put a