Unbreakable (City Lights, #2)(67)

“Holy shit!” Claire exclaimed. “I love this kind of vision, right? The ultimate DIY renovation. Come here, I think we’ve got some stuff that’ll work for you.” She beamed at us. “You’ll make a gorgeous room for your daughter.”

“Oh, she’s not our daughter…” I shouldered my purse. “I mean, she’s his…I’m not…we’re not…together.”

Claire’s smile didn’t waver. “Right on.” She took the sketch from Cory. “I think we have a bedframe back here if you want to check it out.”

We perused the furniture and once, amidst the haggling and inspecting and deal-making, Cory stepped aside to answer a call on his cell.

Claire sidled up to me. “This is all for his daughter? That’s so sweet.” I started to reply, but then the younger woman added, “And if you don’t mind my saying…He’s hot. I mean…scorching.”

Not for the first time that day—or since Cory had come into my life for that matter—I wondered where all of my courtroom poise had gone. Vanished. I felt an uncommon blush color my neck, and was torn between giggling like a teenager and telling Claire to back the hell off. Oh my god, I laughed at myself. Grow up already.

Claire’s father joined us to do the final haggling, but when it was all over, Cory walked away with everything he needed for under $500. Claire wrote it all up with a smile for Cory that was one shade warmer than strictly professional. “Our guys will meet you at the loading. You have a great day now.”

“I still can’t believe you’re going to turn all that stuff into anything that remotely resembles your sketch,” I said as we walked back through the swap meet.

Cory shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

“Callie’s going to love it.” I looked up at him. “Do you really only see her every other weekend?”

“That’s the deal. Though Georgia and I split holidays and such. But these last few months, she’s been calling on me to pick Callie up from school more, to keep her overnight when it’s not my night, and drive her to school in the morning. Now that it’s summer, it’s happening even more. I don’t mind. Just the opposite. I get to see Callie, but it’s sometimes hard to juggle with work.”

“Why isn’t Georgia sticking to the schedule?”

“Beats me. Seems it’s been happening more and more lately.” Cory shrugged. “Anyway, paint. We need some, I suppose. Though it seems like overkill.”

“No such thing,” I said. “And while I’m sure I’m wasting my breath, I’m going to put in a futile request anyway that you let me buy it—”

“No.”

“You do realize you’re thwarting my God-given right to shop?” We’d arrived at his truck and I reached to open the door, but Cory was faster. I gave him an arch look. “Now you’re just being obnoxious.”

He crooked his smile at me. “You’re buying lunch. And that’s it.”

I rolled my eyes and climbed in.

Cory got behind the wheel and sat silently for a moment. Without looking at me he said, “Was it you?”

“Was it me…what?”

“Who leaked to the press? Who got the donations coming in?”

“I didn’t speak to the press,” I said. I had Carol and Gil and Tanya and the entire nursing staff on your floor do that.

“But you had something to do with it? You told Vic…?”

“Hey.” I turned in my seat to face him. “Does it matter? I know you have this…issue about letting people help you, but you need to let it go. You did a heroic thing. You ended the standoff and you saved my life. You saved lots of lives. No hostage was killed. Not one. Because of you. In fact, you were the only one who came close to death, so you can either own that or not, but it’s rude to keep throwing it back in our faces. Or just mine, since I’m the one sitting here. Okay?” I softened my tone. “You got shot saving us, Cory. You almost died. Let people…let us thank you for that.”

Cory seemed to be biting back a smile. “Well, I was going to say that if it was you, thank you, but then you interrupted me with another courtroom monologue.” He started the engine. “Very impressive but sort of ruined the moment.”

“Liar,” I said with a short, incredulous burst of laughter. “You were not going to say thanks, you were going to ask me how to give the money back—”

“Hey, I’m proud but I’m not a moron. But I kind of like listening to your speeches, so if being the ungrateful lout is the only way to hear them…”

I socked his arm. “Just drive.”

The engine roared to life and Cory turned the wheel, a small smile playing over his lips as we drove to the loading area to get the furniture.

I smiled and sat back in my seat. That was flirting. That was definitely flirting.





Chapter Twenty-Four


Alex



After the paint was purchased and stowed in the back of Cory’s truck with the furniture that looked like kindling to me, he drove us to Kings Row Gastropub on Colorado Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena. We sat in the brick-and-wood dimness, which was pleasant after an afternoon in the sun, and sipped microbrews.