Chapter Nineteen
Emma
I marched out of the store angrily, clutching the medications I had been so excited about earlier to my chest. Tim showing up had ruined every good vibe and every feeling of lightness I’d had only minutes earlier about the money I had just come into. The lies he was feeding me about Cooper were only making me even more upset. Cooper was kind, considerate, and nothing like the man who was following me out the pharmacy door. I couldn’t imagine that he would have left out that kind of information about himself.
“Leave me alone, Tim,” I growled as I stalked to my car, intent on getting as far away from my ex as I could. If he jumped in front of my moving car, I wasn’t so sure I would be able to stop at the moment. I was that mad.
“Emma, wait, you need to know this,” he was saying, moving quickly in between me and my car, holding his hands up. I stopped just because I didn’t want to touch him, crossing my arms over my chest furiously. “Get out of my way, Tim.”
“This jerk lied to you,” he started as I tried to go around him. “He’s loaded, ridiculous amounts of money, I tell you.”
“Oh, like you lied to me?” I challenged, knowing what he was trying to do. “Even if it were true, it’s not like what you did. Omission isn’t a flat out lie. Nice try, but I’m not coming back to you, Tim. There is no part of me that wants to be involved with a liar.”
“Oh, well, then you need to read this,” Tim replied, reaching into his car for something, only to emerge with a piece of paper he then shoved in my face. I snatched it from his outstretched hand and scanned its contents, a ball of dread forming in my stomach.
Local man hits Sizzler Jackpot, it started out. Lotto officials confirm that twenty-six-year-old Cooper Randall is the sole winner of the Sizzler Jackpot, a three-billion-dollar plus jackpot that has gone a record number of months without a winner. Mr. Randall turned in the winning ticket to officials yesterday with his mother at his side. Mr. Randall declined to comment on what he was going to do with the money. The jackpot winnings were the highest ever and the lump sum payout, if Mr. Randall decides to take it, would be over two billion dollars.
“This can’t be true,” I muttered to myself, thinking that there had to be a dozen Cooper Randalls out there. It wasn’t my Cooper. Sure, he was visiting from that side of the country and his mom had also come with him, but if he was a billionaire, why would he be working in some crummy bar and grille?
“Oh, babe, it is true,” Tim said smugly as I shoved the paper back at him. “So, I guess this means you didn’t know your new boyfriend is loaded.”
I walked around Tim, my head spinning as I fumbled with my keys. No. That was not the same Cooper Randall. Tim was just trying to get under my skin; he had to be grasping at straws.
“I followed him a few times, you know,” he continued as I stuck the key in the lock and opened car door, tossing the medication over onto the passenger seat. “To see what he was up to and who I was up against. Did you know he purchased a Corvette the other day with cash money? The former owner said he hadn’t seen someone use so much cash in a long time.”
I thought about the Corvette that had been in the parking lot briefly. That couldn’t have been Cooper’s. He was nowhere around. But if Tim was right and it was, why was it in the parking lot and why did he not tell me about this? It wouldn’t have made me like him any less. I was more than capable of handling something of that nature. But Cooper hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me his secret. That was what hurt most of all. I had practically told him my entire life story, laid it all on the table and asked if I could trust him!
“You’re lying,” I finally said, pushing at his chest to get him to step back. “Get out of my sight, Tim. We are over. Through. How hard is that for you to understand?”
Tim started to step forward just as the door to the pharmacy opened and Jimmy stepped out, a small can in his hand. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave the lady alone, sir. I’ve got mace and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Tim’s jaw flexed indignantly as he looked down at me. “And you thought I lied to you. You’ll come to your senses, Emma, and when you finally do, I will be waiting.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I muttered. “No, wait. On second thought, feel free to hold your breath, Tim.”
Tim smirked as if he were amused by my attitude, holding his hands up as he backed away. “Have it your way. You’ll find out soon enough from lover boy that he has been playing you all along.”
“Go on, get out of here!” Jimmy shouted, pointing the can in Tim’s direction and shooing at him like he was a stray dog. He gave Jimmy the middle finger but, to my relief, he climbed into his car and peeled out of the parking lot.
“Are you okay, Emma?” Jimmy asked, lowering his weapon.
“I think I am,” I replied, my hands shaking from rage. I couldn’t believe Tim had approached me once again. Then there was the article that I couldn’t readily ignore, at least not just yet. It made sense, which was what bothered me the most. I didn’t want to believe it, but in my gut, I knew I was going to have to face the reality of it eventually. I stared at the can in Jimmy’s hand. “Were you really going to spray him?”
Jimmy grinned sheepishly and held up the can, allowing me to read the contents.
“Bug spray?” I asked with a smile.
“Hey, it was the first thing I saw,” Jimmy replied with a shrug. “You don’t look so good, Emma. Do you need to sit down inside?”
“No, no, I’m fine,” I replied, Tim’s words still echoing in my head. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Jimmy.”
“Who was that guy?” Jimmy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Has he been stalking you?”
“Probably. He’s an ex,” I said with a nervous laugh, thinking of how Tim’s timing had been more than just perfect. And he had just admitted to stalking Cooper. If I so inclined, I could file a police report on him. But it wouldn’t help. Tim’s family was so deep in the pockets of the city that they would no doubt lose the paperwork as soon as I could file it.
“Should I call the police?” Jimmy asked hesitantly, glancing around as to see if Tim was going to make a return trip. I knew he wouldn’t. He had seen Cooper as a threat and his goal had been to tear away the carefully constructed shield that Cooper had been hiding behind. He had accomplished what he had set out to do.
“It wouldn’t do any good if you did.”