stock, I can see if I can put an order in. How long are you hanging around?”
“Three more weeks.”
How had a whole week flown past already? How had it been three whole days since she’d kissed Trent like her life depended on it?
Dammit. Why hadn’t she been able to pull the trigger?
She liked Trent—both from a physical perspective and because he was a genuinely great guy with a big personality and even bigger heart. She was super into kissing him. The attraction was mutual, and they were both grown-ass adults in a private place where they weren’t likely to cause a scandal. Well, unless Liv found out. But really, did that matter so much? It wasn’t like they were going to defile her bed.
So what was the problem?
You’re scared.
It was true. Cora had terrible judgment when it came to how others felt about her, which caused her to make bad decisions. Besides, rebounds weren’t healthy, and she was still heartbroken over getting dumped, wasn’t she? That was a tough one to answer. The wound felt fresh, but when she thought about her ex she got…nothing. Numbness.
Maybe the thing that stung most was the humiliation of it all, rather than losing Alex. Did she want Alex back? Nope. Because he’d tried to blame it on her—all the times her mother interfered, every fight they had because of it. All. Her. Fault. But that wasn’t fair. She hadn’t encouraged her mother to interfere with her life. In fact, she’d told her on numerous occasions to stay the hell out of it.
So why couldn’t she let herself have a temporary fling with Trent?
“Okay, Firehouse Hotties…” They ventured over to the romance section, which was littered with a rainbow selection of spines and covers with everything from sweeping historical gowns to sweetly embracing couples to hunky half-naked men. “Ah, we’ve got two more in stock. The book you read is actually book three, and we’ve got one and two here.”
She plucked two books from the shelf and handed them to Cora.
“Thanks.” Cora grinned and hugged the books to her chest. No matter how old she got, she couldn’t stop that funny little habit of welcoming new books into her life.
“I hug my books, too,” Maddy said with a laugh. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts, which were frayed at the edges, revealing miles of shapely leg and warm brown skin. She had silver bracelets that made chiming music when she gesticulated and three carved silver hoops in her right ear, as well as a stud in her nose.
Cora would kill to be the kind of woman who had that effortlessly cool look, like Maddy did. But alas, some people were born with it and some people, like Cora, were not.
“How’re things going at Liv’s place?” she asked. By now, everyone knew Trent was staying there and working on the place, and they were all sworn to secrecy.
“It’s…good.” Oh boy. Could she be any more of an awkward turtle? Cora felt her face grow warm enough to melt an iceberg, and Maddy’s dark brown eyes twinkled.
“God, don’t tell me he’s cast a spell on you, too?” She laughed and shook her head. “I swear that guy has some magical lady voodoo going on. Any female who comes within six feet of him is likely to catch it.”
There was no point denying it. Cora was sure her feelings were written all over her face, as usual. “Guilty. But I just got out of a relationship and it was…messy.”
And humiliating. And heartbreaking. And infuriating.
“What happened?” Maddy asked.
“What didn’t happen?” she muttered. “Our lives were too different. His parents were…serious. His mother is a professor at Cornell and his father’s a judge, and they didn’t really approve of our being together.”
“Why not?”
Cora sighed and leaned against one of the bookshelves, still hugging her romance novels to her chest as though they might infuse her with some of that happily-ever-after goodness that she so desperately wanted. “My parents are high profile, but they’ve got reputations. My mother…well, she’s a fame whore.”
There really was no other way of putting it.
“Over the years, she’s pulled some stunts for media attention that were less than flattering. My father is more well-respected, but anyone in her orbit is thrust into the spotlight whether they like it or not.” Cora bit down on her lip. “My ex came from old money. Like, serious old money. They looked down on us.”
“That’s horrible.” Maddy wrinkled her nose and folded her arms