TROUVAILLE | BROOKE DAVIS

thirty-nine

"Your apartment is a mess," Parker said as she held up an empty box of Chinese takeout. Nathan rolls his eyes at her and takes a seat at the kitchen counter. Instead of throwing the empty box away, Parker throws it on the ground and sat across from Nathan.

"So you and Haley? Is that over?" Parker asks, noting that Nathan was no longer wearing his wedding ring.

He scoffs, "She said that we rushed into things, that she wasn't sure she could be what I needed."

Parker sighs, "I'm sorry Nate, I guess Haley's changed."

"Guess we all have," Nathan tells her, "Look can we not talk about Haley? How are things with you and Brooke?"

Parker shrugs, "She's been spending more time with Lucas, so I guess she's really testing the waters about her feelings."

Nathan smiles sympathetically at her, "I'm sorry Parker. Look on the bright side, we can wallow together."

"Yeah we can sit in your apartment and watch chick flicks," Parker teases and Nathan lets out a laugh, smiling at Parker.

"In order to do that you're gonna have to find the couch," Nathan jokes back.

The door to Nathan's apartment opens and Parker and Nathan both glance at it alarmed. A tall man with dark hair and a leather jacket walks in and closes the door, a smug smile on his face. Parker glances back at Nathan to see if he recognizes the man and the smile on Nathan's face says that he does.

"Whoa Nate did you get the wife back?" the man asks as he looks at Parker, "Cause she certainly looks like a keeper."

Nathan laughs, "No Coop, this is my friend Parker."

"Yeah definitely not the wife," Parker clarifies.

"Oh," the man, Coop, says, "Well then allow me to introduce myself, I'm Nathan's uncle, Cooper Lee."

"Parker Taylor," she says, standing from her seat, "Suddenly I have elsewhere to be today."

"Actually, I was gonna take my nephew down to the race track. Would you want to come?" Cooper asked her with a smile.

Parker looked at him curiously, "Racetrack? What do you drive cars for a living?"

"Well the way you phrased that makes me want to say no," Cooper says with a laugh, "You know most girls are impressed when I tell them I race."

"I mean it is impressive," Parker replies, "Just surprising."

"Careful what you say, Parker, you might blow up his ego a little more," Nathan teases. Cooper hits him on the shoulder and Parker can't help but smile at the sight. Being around his uncle seemed good for Nathan and she was kind of curious to see everything that went into racing.

"So?" Cooper asks grinning, "Wanna come?"

Parker grins, "I'm in!"

"Great," Nathan replies, "Cause I don't know if I can handle him on my own."

Cooper scoffs, "Please, you're the one that's sucking the life out of the room right now."

Parker laughed as Cooper and Nathan continued to go back and forth. Eventually, Nathan headed off to his room to change, leaving Cooper and Parker alone. His teasing demeanor changed into something more serious as he looked at Parker.

"I rarely get calls from my older sister, so I know this situation with Nathan is a lot more serious than he lets on. How is he really?" Cooper asks.

"Not great. He went and saw Haley and she all but ended things," Parker shares. In a way, she felt like she was betraying Haley, but what she did to Nathan was wrong and even Parker knew that.