Jake stood. “Look. I appreciate you being my friend, and I appreciate the drinks last night, too. But I don’t need you in here asking me—”
“You weren’t around when I met Kayla…and almost lost her. You didn’t see how much of a fucking mess I was when I realized I’d ruined my chances at being happy. I couldn’t concentrate. Couldn’t stop thinking about her and how I had to find a way to get her back.”
“Is there a point to this?” Jake asked drily. “I mean, I like you and all, but I don’t really do the whole love-story crap. Not without a bottle of tequila in me, anyway.”
“You might not do it, but you’re in it right now.” Cooper grinned. “You’re me, a few short months ago. Go get her. Show her how miserable you are, make a grand gesture of some sort, and win her back. I have it on great authority that grand gestures always work.”
Jake frowned at the envelope, his cheeks heating up. Was he so fucking obvious about his feelings that even his boss noticed? Son of a bitch. His fingers twitched in his lap. He wanted to go. Wanted to chase after her. But what would he say? Sorry for fucking you over, but can you maybe forget about that and love me instead of hate me?
He cleared his throat and pushed the tickets away. “I’m sorry if my work ethics have been lacking lately, but I can improve on those. I don’t need to fly to Florida to do that.”
“Yeah, you do.” Cooper crossed the room and slid the envelope back at him with two fingers. “When you find someone who makes you feel like Tara does, you don’t let her go without fighting for her. Know what my biggest fear, besides losing Kayla, is?”
“No, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”
“I’m scared of public speaking. Like, the freezing and pissing my pants while simultaneously vomiting, type of scared. I kid you not,” Cooper said, sitting in the chair in front of Jake’s desk. Despite himself, Jake leaned in. “Know what I did when I thought I couldn’t get Kayla back? I hopped on a stage, grabbed a mic, and spit my heart out in front of her whole family.”
Jake’s lips twitched. “It worked, I take it?”
“It did. Grand fucking gesture, baby.” Cooper grinned. “You need to do that.”
“Get on a microphone and make an ass out of myself?”
Cooper waved dismissively. “Not necessarily. Do something to show her you want her back. Show her you’re serious. Show her how much she means to you. Chicks dig that shit.”
He picked up the airline tickets. He hated flying. It was too high up in the sky for his comfort. If men were supposed to fly, they would have been born with wings, not feet. “Like flying to Florida?”
“Exactly,” Cooper said, standing. “I won’t expect you back until the return flight next week, and it better be with her. There’s a ticket for her, too.”
“I’ll try my best.” When a thought occurred to him, he stood abruptly. “Wait.”
Cooper turned at the door. “Yeah?”
“If I can pull off a miracle and get her to agree, would you hire her as a background technician? Or a recovery specialist?”
Cooper laughed. “Sure. But good luck with that one. She probably hates me more than she hates you.”
The door closed behind him, and Jake took a deep breath. This wouldn’t be easy, but Cooper was right. He was miserable without Tara, and there was only one way to fix that.
He had to find a way to get her back.
…
A few measly hours later, Jake pulled his baseball hat over his head and slid his shades higher on his nose. Clouds were rolling in, and so was a storm. He could smell it in the air. Sense it in the wind. Hell, he could feel it in his fucking bones.
He stood there, on her walkway, trying to think of the best thing to say to her. At first, she would be surprised to see him. She’d probably thought she’d never have to see him again. But she hadn’t counted on him falling for her, and neither had he.
The whole flight down to Florida, he’d tried to come up with some big gesture to show her he wanted her back. To show her he cared about her. That she’d shown him that he wanted more out of life than loner-ville.
He hadn’t come up with a damn thing.
The big house she’d holed up in rose three stories, and it was a modern cookie-cutter mansion with white shutters and big windows. The structure was easily five times the size of his home, but it still managed to look inviting with pretty flowers all lined up the stone pathway. The red door was shut, as were all the windows. Locked up tight.
Just like she’d be to him once she knew he was back.