The Off Limits Rule (It Happened in Nashville, #1)

by Sarah Adams

“Hmm…Cooper Pooper.” “Don’t do that.” “I have to. How will I remember his name otherwise?” Drew doesn’t look at me as he secures the boat canopy. “Repeat it to yourself five times.” “Cooper Pooper. Cooper Pooper. Cooper Poo—” “Not what I meant, and you know it,”

Drew forced me out here, but he can’t force me to smile or pretend I’m enjoying life with Pooper Scooper Cooper. See? I’ll never forget his name now. My method works.

Just the feel of the warm matte cover between my fingers helps me relax. Yes, this is good. I can bury my nose in the pages like I normally do and let the story carry me to a different place.

“Sorry. This is why I don’t have caffeine after 3:00.” Shut up, shut up, shut up! Women are not supposed to know you can’t have caffeine after 3:00 like you’re a million years old.

I don’t think everyone is meant to have careers that change the world. Sometimes you’ve just gotta pay the bills and then clock out so you can get to the life you love the most, which, for me, is being with Levi.

It’s like Cooper’s touch in the hallway flipped a new switch in my mind, and suddenly, I can hear colors. I’m a genius now. Someone could ask me what the square root of pi is, and…nah, I still wouldn’t know it.

Even so, I do think all those years of pining after a man who didn’t want me back scarred me in a deeper way than I realized at the time. Because now, no matter how hard I try to believe in myself, there’s still a voice that whispers, You don’t have anything to offer.

“Oh, Cooper. You don’t look good.” He gives me the most pitiful smile I’ve ever seen. “That’s cause I’m dying, remember?” Apparently, it’s true what they say, and men are big babies when they’re sick.

Gosh, he has really fantastic hair. Such a shame to have natural highlights like this wasted on a man.