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When we return to Connor’s room, he narrows his eyes at us. I have a feeling he’s about to call out what we just did when a doctor walks in, shooing all the visitors from the room for a bit.

Saved by the doctor, I guess.

A text from Kaylee comes in as we’re hanging out in the waiting room, and that’s when I realize I never told her I was leaving town.

Kaylee: Tell me the twins didn’t scare you off from being my friend.

I laugh as I show the screen to Cooper, and he chuckles as he turns his phone toward me to show me the text Kaylee just sent him.

Kaylee: I think I scared Gabby off. I haven’t heard from her since she made a run for it the other night.

“Let’s call her together,” Cooper suggests, and I nod. We head out of the waiting room to respect others who are sitting in there, down the elevator, and out toward the parking garage, where he dials her number and puts the phone on speaker so I can hear, too.

“What’s up Coopey-Coo?” she answers.

“That’s not a thing,” he says. “And Gabby-Gab is here with me, too.”

She laughs. “Hi Gabby-Gab.”

“I promise you didn’t scare me off. I’m in Chicago with Cooper,” I explain.

“What are you two doing in Chicago? Spending lots of time at the Bean?” she asks, referring to a mirror sculpture that resembles its nickname—though her suggestive tone makes me think she’s referring to something else entirely.

“You let me worry about the bean,” Cooper says, wiggling his eyebrows at me, and I laugh. “My brother had a heart attack while I was in Boston, so I flew here.”

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry. Is he okay?” she asks.

“He’s fine. Probably getting out of the hospital today or tomorrow,” Cooper says. “Troy couldn’t come with me so he asked his lovely daughter to be a good friend and make sure I was doing okay.”

Kaylee lets out a low whistle. “Damn, that man has no idea, does he?”

“Nope,” we say at the same time.

“Wow. Well, I won’t bug you with SFK stuff now then,” she says.

“Please, bug away. We’re just sitting up in a hospital waiting room, well…waiting,” Cooper says.

She launches into some details about how she feels like they’ve stalled on new memberships, which is affecting the way SFK runs in the fitness clubs. I listen intently as I pull on my marketing hat.

“I have a few ideas,” I say once she finishes. There’s a pause, so I jump in with more. “From what it sounds like, you’ve relied solely on Ben’s popularity to grow the clubs, and that’s great. It obviously worked well, and his fans are members. But now you need to attract a different sort of clientele. Have you run any ad campaigns that don’t star Ben?”

“No,” she admits. “Everything we’ve done has his face plastered all over it. Or his abs. Mm, those abs.” She takes a moment of peace for her husband’s abs, and then she says, “Do you know anybody who could pitch some ideas?”

“Uh, hi. I’m a marketing major and your new best friend, remember?” I tease.

She laughs. “I fucking love you, Gabby. Send me some ideas when you get a chance and we’ll go from there. And honestly, if you’re too busy, we can look into hiring out.”

“Look no further,” I say. “I’ll sketch out some ideas to see what you think, but last I heard I was all set up to work for you anyway, so let’s get the ball rolling there. I can totally handle maybe ten to fifteen hours a week between the internship and my classes.”

“That’ll be a huge help,” she says, and Cooper just stands by listening as we hash out the details. “I’ll get a contract to your inbox in a bit, and you can just fill it out when you get a sec and shoot it back over to me. I’m going to hire you on as my assistant for now, but we can change the verbiage as needed.”

“Deal.” I nod even though she can’t see me, and Cooper grins.

“And I can share some ideas for ad campaigns, too,” he offers.

Kaylee laughs. “I think we’re good. We don’t need ads with beef sticks and baseballs in them.”

I picture her rolling her eyes at Cooper as she giggles, but I already know I’ll be running everything by him before I send it over to Kaylee. SFK is, after all, important to him, too.

We hang up with her, and when I pull out my phone, I spot a text from my dad.

Dad: Everything okay in Chicago?

Cooper peers over at my phone. “He texted me, too,” he says, and he flashes me his screen.

Troy: You taking care of my girl in the windy city?

“Oh, I’m taking care of her, all right,” Cooper says suggestively.

I laugh as I text my dad back.

Me: Everything is going well. Looks like Cooper’s brother will be released soon, and you were right. He needed a friend. [smile emoji]

I watch as Cooper types out a text, too.

“What does yours say?” I ask once he hits the send button.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s why I asked.” I say it like the answer is obvious, and he chuckles.

“I told him I took care of you in my mom’s backseat. Should I not have said that?”

I smack him in the shoulder.

He grins at me. “I told him you’re fine and it was nice of him to send moral support from the Heat.”

I narrow my eyes into a glare. “Is that all I am to you? Moral support from the Heat?”

He plants his hands on my hips and pulls me into him, and then he backs me into the brick wall beside us and lowers his mouth until it’s centimeters from mine. “I think you know you’re more than that to me.”

His mouth doesn’t touch mine, and the fact that he’s so close yet so far grates on me as butterflies coast through me. I tip my chin to try to catch his lips, and he backs his mouth away. When his eyes fall to mine, they’re heated and genuine. “You’re everything to me, Gabriella Grant. Everything .” His voice is rich and raspy, and I melt into a puddle of lust as he presses a soft kiss to my lips.

“Right back at you, Captain,” I say when he lets go of me, and he winks before we head back inside.

Once we’re back up in the waiting room, a text from Justin comes through.

Justin: You’re in freaking CHICAGO with CN? What’s that like after all the D-R-A-M-A? I need all the details stat.

As I’m reading the one from Justin, one from Chloe comes through, too.

Chloe: Joanie just told us your dad sent you to Chicago and that’s why you haven’t been in. Is everything okay?

I write back Justin first, but I’m vague just in case he’s with the other interns.

Me: Drama averted, back together. [wink emoji]

I write back Chloe next.

Me: Cooper Noah’s brother had a heart attack and my dad asked if I could be moral support from the Heat since he couldn’t be there. Everything is okay. His brother should be released in the next day or two and I’m guessing I’ll be back by Monday. How’s everything there?

Justin’s reply comes first.

Justin: OMG WHAT? WHEN? You didn’t think to call your best friend to tell him?

I giggle.

Me: I’m so sorry. It’s been a whirlwind. I’ll call you later tonight, k?

Chloe’s next text comes in, and I flip to her message.

Chloe: Oh man, glad he’s okay. M is being a total bitch and I can’t stand it here without you. Hurry back!

I take M to mean Mackenzie, and I thought she was just a bitch to me. I guess I was wrong.

Me: I always thought she hated me because I’m Troy’s daughter. Guess she’s like that with everyone?

Chloe: Girrrrl, you have no idea. Call me later, I’ll fill you in.

As much as I’m enjoying this retreat with Cooper and his family, I’m also finding myself excited to get back home to my internship. What if all three of us are hired on in the social media department? I realize it’s unlikely given the fact that Justin doesn’t want to work in baseball, but maybe I can convince him to change his mind. It would certainly be a fun work environment—especially if we delete Mackenzie from the equation.

Which reminds me—I text Justin again.

Me: What’s the latest with B?

His response comes quick, and it’s simply a fire emoji.

I laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Cooper asks, leaning over to get a peek at my phone.

I hold it a little closer. “Noneya.”

His brows dip. “Noneya?”

“None-ya business.”

He barks out a laugh, and it’s the hearty, deep laugh that I fell in love with in the matter of one weekend.

I giggle at the laugh. “It’s Justin. He’s been hooking up with someone and he sent me the latest.” I flash him our text chain and he spies the fire emoji.

“Good for him. I always liked that kid.”

I think back over the short time Justin has been a part of my life, and it’s definitely my turn to bark out a laugh at that statement.