Cooper and Tiffany stood in tense silence for a while. Then, she opened her bag and produced a small, dark blue box, which she handed to him.
“I didn't get to thank you properly for giving me a lift to the wine-tasting event the other day. I saw this necktie when I was shopping just now and thought it suited you, so I got it,” she explained.
She had been hoping that the necktie would be an opening gambit for conversation for her and Cooper when she called him earlier that night, but she was caught off guard when someone else, namely Jerry, picked up her call instead.
When she learned of Cooper's hand injury, she immediately hailed a taxi and hurried to the bar.
Presently, Cooper gave the box a cursory glance and said, “I didn't go out of my way to give you a lift; I was invited to the event, too.”
Tiffany pursed her lips. “If you hadn't gone, then I would have given the event a miss, too. Besides, I never did get to thank you for all the times you bought me presents and treated me to meals.” She paused before suggesting, “If the necktie isn't to your liking, then how about I treat you to dinner tomorrow evening instead?”
Cooper took the box from her when he heard this. “Thank you,” he said briskly.
Tiffany had honestly been hoping that he would turn the necktie down so that they could grab dinner together. She was admittedly disappointed by his choice, but she quickly recovered and flashed him a smile.
“I'm glad you like it,” she managed.
Steven pulled up in the car soon after that, and Cooper instructed him to drop Tiffany home first.
Tiffany settled into the backseat next to Cooper, and while she appeared to be staring out the window at the night view, she was actually looking at Cooper's reflection in the glass.
A moment later, she turned and faced him. “Mr. Sutton, I still like you a lot.”
She had been drawn to his intellectual air and elegant mannerisms since they first spoke to each other. As far as she was concerned, no other man she'd met could hold a light to him.
In all fairness, anyone would fall for a wealthy and successful man like Cooper.
Without waiting for his response, Tiffany added, “And for what it's worth, I absolutely adore Mandy and Lucian. As their teacher, I am perfectly capable of taking care of them, whether in school or at home.”
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