Page 55 of Deserving Cora
“I’m sure you can…afterdinner,” Henley said sternly.
“Okay,” Jasna agreed readily, then turned her attention back to her plate.
As Cora ate the most delicious tacos she’d ever had in her life—the others were right; Robert must put some sort of drug in the meat to make them so addictive, just like he did with the cookies—she found herself fully participating in the conversations going on around her. That usually didn’t happen. She either stayed silent, not knowing what to contribute, or she was ignored.
She got to meet Luna, Robert’s daughter, who came out to help him when she could. A student at the college in Los Alamos, Luna was beautiful, with long brown hair and intelligent brown eyes. She was also just as welcoming as everyone else had been.
All too soon, it was time to head back to Pipe’s cabin. Almost reluctantly, Cora said goodbye to everyone. She hated that this might be the last time she saw them. Which was yet another revelation.
“Be careful,” Alaska said as she hugged Cora.
“I will.”
“I hope you find your friend,” sweet Jasna said, before running out the door, presumably to surf the Internet for videos of the changing of the guard.
“Don’t underestimate this guy,” Henley said with a small frown. “I don’t know everything about what’s happening, but if someone kidnapped your friend, he had to have done so for a pretty big reason. And he’s not going to want to admit it…or let her go.”
“I know,” Cora said. And she did. She’d already come to that conclusion, even before she’d heard about him using Lara’s credit cards at a strip club.
“Bring her back here,” Reese said when she hugged Cora. “Before you go back home, I mean.”
Cora wasn’t sure what to say to that. First, she was more pleased than she could put into words that Reese seemed to have no doubts that they’d find Lara and be able to get her away from Ridge. And shewantedto come back here, more than anything. But there was still the issue of the cabins being booked for months, and she didn’t know what Lara would want. “We’ll see,” she ended up saying.
Reese nodded, then stepped back.
Ryan approached her next, giving her a long, tight hug. In the process, she whispered in her ear, “Stay smart. Guys like the one who took your friend aren’t as smart as they think they are. They always screw up. Wait until the moment he does just that and take advantage of it.”
Cora nodded when Ryan pulled back. She stared into her eyes for a few seconds, and in that moment, Cora suspected Ryan hid a lot from the world. She saw the same shields in the other woman that Cora herself employed. But the moment quickly disappeared when Ryan smirked. “And if this rich asshole has a helicopter or something sitting around, Owl and Stone can fly that baby…I think you should steal it, just like he stole your friend.”
Everyone around them laughed, but Cora simply smiled. There had been…something…in Ryan’s expression that made her think she wasn’t exactly kidding. She wondered if she had knowledge the other women didn’t, if she’d overheard something else the guys had discussed. But she didn’t have time to ask any questions because suddenly Robert was there.
He hugged her and told her that he’d have a batch of cookies waiting in the morning for her to take with them. She said her goodbyes to Jess, Carly, and Jason, two of the housekeepers and the maintenance man, respectively. Then she was getting chin lifts from Pipe’s friends, with promises to see them bright and early in the morning, before she was being whisked out the door toward Pipe’s cabin.
They were quiet as they walked, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Pipe unlocked his door and held it open for her. He immediately locked it behind them and said, “I’m thinking we should forgo the roof deck tonight. We have to get up early. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Cora nodded and immediately headed for the guest room, where she’d stayed the night before. She needed some time and space to think. It felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down in the last two days, everything she thought she knew upended. She’d always thought she was weird, too strange for people to feel comfortable around. That she had some sort of neon sign that only others could see, announcing to the world that she wasn’t worthy. That since she’d been rejected by everyone who should’ve loved and cared about her, she shouldn’t even bother letting others get close.
But being at The Refuge for just two days had changed her fundamentally. Most people would roll their eyes and say she was being ridiculous. That there was no way visiting a place could change her feelings about the world so quickly. But they’d be wrong.
Pipe and his friends had proven to her that maybe, just maybe, shewasworthy of having friends. That rejection by those in her past wasn’t about her, but more aboutthem. The epiphany was unsettling. Especially now that Cora realized a lot of her issues with making friends were because of her attitude. Because sheexpectedpeople not to like her.
She used the restroom, brushed her teeth, and changed into an oversized T-shirt before crawling under the covers of the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, Cora wondered for the first time in a few hours what Lara was doing right that moment. Was she hurting? Was she okay? Maybe shehadgone to Arizona with Ridge of her own free will…but did she know about him spending her money? About the strip club?
She had too many questions and no answers, but thanks to Pipe and his friends, hopefully she’d get those answers soon enough.
Closing her eyes, Cora let out a long breath. She needed to get some rest so she’d be able to outsmart Ridge tomorrow. It took a while, but she finally fell into a restless sleep.
* * *
“No!”
Pipe jerked awake and was on his feet before he’d even registered Cora’s panicked exclamation. He’d left his bedroom door open, just in case, and was glad he did. He moved silently down the hall, on alert for any dangers that might be lurking in the dark. He got to the door of the guest room without incident, only to hear Cora cry out once more.
“I’ll be good! Please let me stay!”
His heart broke at her plea. From the outside looking in, she seemed confident and brash. But from what she’d said about wanting a family of her own, and after hearing what she’d been through as a child in the foster care system, it was obvious she was still struggling with her past.
Pipe clicked on the hall light and opened the guest room door. In the light from the hall, he could see Cora tossing and turning on the double bed. He immediately went to her side, his only thought to calm her.
