The Barefoot Groom: Bachelor Billionaire Romance (A Last Play Companion) Read Free Page A

the ‘I complete myself’ mantra. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the bottom two principles cover food, health, safety, and money. That middle rung, though, always hangs me up. With Nadia, I thought I had the upper levels of esteem and self-actualization, but I didn’t.” He sighed. “I guess that’s what keeps me in business.”
    Sterling stood. “You’re making no sense.”
    Cooper tried not to get frustrated. “Come to a class, and maybe you’d find out what I’m talking about.”
    Sterling scoffed. “Right, you mean I could be as happy and content as you are.”
    The dig stung a bit. He flashed a mock smile. “Wow, and you wonder why women don’t open up to you.” Yes, he had just used Sterling’s insecurities against him.
    Sterling let out a long breath. “I told you she said that in confidence .”
    “Sorry.” Cooper rolled his eyes. “Man, we sound like a couple of women.”
    Sterling laughed and stood up. He put a hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “Dude, just find a girl and go for it.” Sterling patted his shoulder and then walked toward the stairs that led to the dance floor. “Get out of your head and live a little.”
    “Have a good night.” Cooper gave him a wave.
    Sterling’s words, even though they were meant to help, brought back all the reluctance Cooper had felt earlier.
    Sterling said, “I’ll be around this week. You coming to the gallery on Wednesday for Summer’s feature?”
    “Yeah.”
    “See you then.”
    As Cooper watched his friend head to the parking lot, all the melancholy rushed back into him.
    Another week. Helping people figure out what they wanted in their own lives.
    And not having any clue about what he wanted in his own.

Chapter 3
    A fter a six-hour plane ride from New York to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, London checked into the massive convention center, went up to her hotel room, and threw herself on the bed. The first meet-and-greet wasn’t for another hour, and she wanted to simply close her eyes for a few seconds and try to forget she was here undercover. Try to forget she was here at all.
    Rolling onto her back, she reached for the book Marcia had shoved into her hands. Tying to catch up on her other work, London hadn’t even opened it on the plane. She stared at the title Trap that Man . Oh brother.
    She thumbed through it.
    One page had a chapter called “No sex before marriage.”
    She was slightly impressed. Was he really teaching that?
    Another section said, “ Hold to your standards. Be who you are, but work on yourself every day to become better. Kinder. More giving. And you’ll attract others like you.”
    Dillon’s biggest flaw was a complete lack in the kindness department, and he had hated the fact that she had wanted to wait until they were married to have sex.
    Obviously, he hadn’t waited. A dull ache filled the center of her chest, but she sucked in a breath and sat up.
    No, she wouldn’t focus on Dillon. He’d taken up way too much of her life.
    Cringing for a second, her mind flashed to an image of Dillon and her ex-roommate. The roommate she had thought was her bosom friend. Her Diana Berry from Anne of Green Gables. She had once thought she’d lucked into sharing an apartment with her.
    Needless to say, the past six months had been rough. Getting the money for a new apartment, no roommate this time, had been tough.
    It had felt like the energy she’d first loved about New York was dulled by the pain of rejection overnight. She’d lost weight. Hadn’t been interested in much except work. She’d thrown herself into trying to raise funds for her nonprofit website, but she had no clue how to do that. So she’d spent hours researching what others were doing and more hours pouring over news coverage of what was happening in the world that no one seemed to be talking about. One topic always stuck out because of the seriousness of the issue and lack of media coverage—women and children being taken and never heard from again.
    There was