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“So, you don’t work here?”
“No, but my brother does. He’s not here right now.”
“Red,” I interjected. “He’s married to Zoe. You’ll meet her later. How’s she doing?” I asked Cotton, expecting the usual silent treatment.
To my surprise, he turned to me with a smile. “She’s doing great. Lucas is starting to push up already.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was really speaking to me. That never happened. Did this mean things were finally cool between us? I mean, I did as he asked and stepped aside during Zoe’s movie. Maybe that meant we were finally making progress.
“That’s great!” I said after a moment of silence. “And I’m sure you’re always there to help out.”
“Yeah, he’s a cute kid. But Olive will always be my little girl.”
I was so shocked that I forgot to talk. Laura stepped in and picked up the conversation, chatting with Cotton as if everything was completely normal. There was no tension between us, and everything finally felt like it was falling into place. I had my girl and wasn’t fighting with Cotton anymore. Not that we were ever fighting. It was more like he was ignoring me at every turn, all because I was having a bad day the first time we met.
“Laura,” Rae called out, motioning for her to come over.
She excused herself, leaving me alone with Cotton. I cleared my throat, turning back to the man himself.
“So, I have to say, I’m really happy we could patch things up. It makes me really happy.”
Cotton crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. “Things aren’t patched up.”
“But—”
“EvenIknow not to be rude to someone’s girlfriend. Maybe you should think about what you learned today.”
My jaw dropped, but then sanity kicked in. “Of course! I’ll think long and hard about this. It was a good lesson.”
“She’s nice. I don’t know what she sees in you, but if you treat her right, maybe you can be worthy of her. And you will treat her right,” he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Yes, absolutely. She’s the most important person in my life.”
“Good, then we won’t have to have this talk every time I see you.”
“No, sir,” I said like I was talking to my former CO. “I mean, Cotton.”
“Sir is fine,” he said, continuing to stare me down.
“Sir,” I corrected, clearing my throat. I’d never sweat this much when talking to someone before. “I just want to say I’m very glad you’re giving me the opportunity to fix what happened the first time we met.”
“You’re not even close to fixing it. I have conditions.”
“Conditions?” I swallowed hard.
“Yes, I’ve made a list,” he said, pulling out a small notepad. I watched in horror as he flipped through pages, counting to himself. “There are seventeen steps, to be exact.”
I nodded, feeling a little faint. “Seventeen?”
“Precisely.”
“And…what is the first step?”
He took a menacing step closer. “Step one…I want a Vespa. Red and Zoe aren’t exactly on board with me getting one. You’re going to make it happen.”
I huffed out a laugh, certain he was joking. “But?—”
“There are no buts,” he snapped. “If you want to repair the damage you did, you’ll make this happen. I want a Vespa in metallic mint green with a black helmet. Glossy. If you come to me with a matte finish, this little experiment is over.”