by Gina LaManna
“You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I let this whole thing go to my head. I do owe you an apology.” Matt extended a hand for a shake. “We can go on a double date if you’d like. The ladies get to choose the date.”
I bypassed Matt’s hand and went straight for a hug. “Come here,” I demanded. “Don’t be silly. I’d love to have dinner with you. My choice is to be surprised. Give me a date and time, and I’ll show up.”
“I can manage that.” Matt stepped back, his gaze flicking back over my shoulder again. “I must not be the only one who wants a word with you.”
I backed away from our embrace and found Cooper at the door to the theater. He’d stepped outside, then frozen at the sight before him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said dryly. “I was just poking my head out to see if you wanted a ride home, Jenna. I’m going to be taking off.”
“Oh, um,” I said. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”
Matt cleared his throat, following me as I made my way back to the theater.
I turned at the door, gave Matt a wave. “Thanks again for everything tonight.”
He just nodded. Cooper had already taken off down the hall.
I hurried to catch up with him. “Jeesh, you don’t have to sprint.”
“Just didn’t want to make things awkward,” Cooper said. “It looked like the two of you were having a moment.”
“Don’t get all petty on me.”
“Petty?” Cooper raised an eyebrow, held the door open to the main theater. “You rode with me here, and I just wanted to make sure you got back. Allie got a lift home from her mother, and I didn’t want you to be stranded. I considered that thoughtful, not petty.”
I mumbled something in response and made my way to my seat where I collected the rest of my things. I waved goodbye to May and Joe, then to my mother and Sid. My mother looked more than a little confused at my close proximity to Cooper. She gave the tiniest of frowns, probably wondering why I’d won a date with one man and was going home with another.
Good question, mother, I thought. It’s all thanks to you.
The car ride was silent for most of the way home. Eventually, I leaned forward and flicked on the radio. Cooper leaned forward and turned it off.
“This is fun,” I said. “I feel like I’m being arrested.”
Cooper raised an eyebrow. “I was going to make a crack about you impersonating a lawyer, but I promised myself I’d leave business out of it tonight.”
“Is that why you’re all sulky?”
“I’m not sulking.”
“We’re driving in silence because you won’t let me listen to some tunes.”
“There’s nothing good on at this hour.”
“We won’t know until we try.”
“Guess not,” Cooper said, and he looked over at me as if there was more truth to my statement than I knew. “Congratulations, by the way.”
“Is this about Matt’s winning bid?” I extended a finger toward his chest and gave him a solid poke. “I knew you were upset about it.”
“I’m not upset. I’m congratulating you. That was a big win.”
“It’s for the children.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Look, Cooper. I didn’t plan this. I wasn’t counting on being the surprise guest. I didn’t know I was going to be called up there until I was called up there. None of this is my fault. I didn’t ask Matt to bid on me.”
“He somehow knew to wait,” Cooper said. “Any idea how he knew that?”
“If you’re asking me if I sneakily told him the plan, the answer is no. Because I didn’t know!”
“I would have waited, Jenna. I would have outbid him, but I didn’t get the chance.”
“Do you want me to say I’m sorry?”
Cooper just shook his head.
“I really appreciate what you did for Allie.” I reached over, rested my hand on his wrist. “I mean it. That, to me, means more than any amount of money you could have bid on me.”
The chief gave a short smile. “It doesn’t win me a date with the elusive Jenna McGovern, though.”
“Would it make you feel better if I said I’d have dinner with you sometime?”
“It just might.”
“Well, I don’t know. It feels weird. I promised to have dinner with Matt. I can’t go on two dates with two men.”
“Go on your date with Matt,” Cooper said. “Contrary to what you might think, this isn’t about Matt. It’s not about the Bachelorette Ball. It’s about me getting a fair shake once you’re ready to come out of your shell. If, of course, you’re interested in any such thing.”
I kept my lips shut tight.
“You spend a lot of time with Matt.”
“We’re neighbors.”
“I live next door to Norma Armondy, and you don’t see me in her kitchen every morning.”
“Do you have a functional coffee maker?” I asked. “Does Norma? Maybe that will answer your question.”
“This is about coffee.”
“I really love coffee.”
Cooper gave a snort of laughter. “I see. Well, Jenna McGovern, I’ll buy you a coffee when we go out to dinner.”
“I told you—”
“I’m not interested in a competition,” Cooper said, pulling into my driveway and coming to a complete stop. His eyes shone at me like two mancala marbles, bright under the moonlight. “I’m not afraid of anything or anyone; I’m just not interested in competing for your affections.”
“But I thought you just said—”
“Go on your date with Matt. He earned it.” Cooper looked down to where my hand was still on his wrist. “If, after you go out with Matt, you decide not to pursue things with him, then I’ll ask you out again. You can decide then.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not a sport,” Cooper said when I remained speechless. “I can’t—won’t—duke it out with Matt for your attention. If you can’t stop thinking about me, even after you exhaust your options with Matt, then maybe you’ll be willing to give us a shot.”
“That’s a bit cocky, don’t you think?” I said, pulling my hand back and tucking it into my lap. “The whole bit about me not being able to stop thinking about you?”
Cooper gave an unshakably confident grin. “Isn’t it true?”
I looked over my shoulder, out the window, because I didn’t care for him to see my expression. Knowing how bad of a liar I was, my feelings would be written across my face. And I wasn’t sure I wanted Cooper to know the truth.
“Good night,” I said carefully, letting myself out of the car. “Thank you for the rescue. And the ride home.”
“Prince Charming, what can I say?”
“Prince Cocky,” I said.
Cooper just winked, which made me blush even brighter. I hurried toward the front door and unlocked it. Once I was about to step inside, I remembered our plans for the following day and jogged back to the car.
“Still thinking of me?” Cooper asked, rolling down his window.
“I’m thinking of murder,” I said. “So, yes.”
“Perfect.”
“Are we on for tomorrow?” I asked. “I’d really like to get a car.”
“Ten a.m.,” Cooper said. “Bring cash. And Allie’s right—a low cut top will do a lot for your luck with Eddie.”
“Is the low-cut top for Eddie or for you?”
Cooper just shrugged. “I’m not the one with three hundred bucks in my pocket looking for a car. I’ll let you decide.”
I stepped away from him and let myself back inside. I locked up and flicked the lights on, but I didn’t immediately head upstairs. I waited for a long minute, peeping through the curtains until I was sure Cooper had pulled out of the driveway.
Then I began drawing the blinds. I stopped before the window that faced Matt’s house and stared at the blackness there. What a complicated night.
Between my surprise trip on stage,
a winning bid from Matt, and the loaded ride home from Cooper, I’d about had enough to process for a month. I headed to my kitchen, then realized I’d forgotten to make a trip to the market for coffee beans.
“Crap,” I muttered to no one, shooting a longing gaze over at Matt’s.
I’d have to beg Cooper to stop at a coffee shop on the way out of town tomorrow. Tidying up the house, I burned off some of my nervous energy, then climbed the stairs and showered, taking care not to get my hair wet. I could get two days out of this blowout with the help of some trusty dry shampoo.
By the time I climbed in bed, it was after midnight. I picked up my phone to set an alarm and was surprised to find the text notification at the top of my screen. I swiped it open, further surprised to find Cooper’s name on it.
I touched the message, smiling as it popped up on my screen.
Cooper Dear: Thinking of me?
Jenna McGovern: In your dreams.
Cooper Dear: Goodnight, Jenna.
I clicked my phone off and plugged it in. Then, I curled up under the thick blankets and fluffed up the pillows around my body. Once in a cocoon, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to come, but it was elusive.
For some reason, my mind kept straying to the aggravating cop that seemed to know just the right buttons to press to get under my skin. Whatever he’d done to get my blood boiling, it had worked. My last thought as sleep claimed me was something along the lines of: Well played, Cooper Dear.
Chapter 13
I slept right through my first alarm the next morning. And the second, and the third, for that matter. I woke to the sound of knocking on the door.
Flying out of bed, panic rose in my chest at the sight of sunlight streaming through the windows. I was late, late, late! Unacceptable, considering Cooper was doing me a favor by driving me down to Sugarland Shores, and I couldn’t even find the discipline to be ready on time.
Except, I wasn’t late. One look at my phone told me I had half an hour to spare. That was great news seeing as it only took me seven minutes and twenty-one seconds to get ready. But that didn’t help with the more urgent problem of the knock on my door. Slipping into my fluffy purple robe, I made my way downstairs. I tied the rope around my waist as I peeped out and found a surprise for me in the driveway. There were not one but two cars there.
Cooper Dear’s truck—his off-duty daily driver—and Matt Bridge’s familiar vehicle. I frowned. Then I tried to peek through the window to see who was at the door, but I couldn’t tell.
Pulling the door open, I was further surprised to find both Matt and Cooper standing on my stoop. Both of them held identical beverage carrier trays with the stamp from Blueberry Cafe on the side. Both had two large coffees stacked in them. Both men held them out, proffered, without speaking.
“Well, this isn’t awkward or anything,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I—uh. Cooper, you’re early. And Matt—what are you doing here?”
“I figured you ran out of time to pick up coffee beans yesterday,” Matt admitted. “I was helping out at June’s this morning, and I thought you could use some caffeine.”
“Well, that’s true,” I admitted. “I didn’t have time to get any beans.”
Cooper didn’t seem convinced. “I came by a little early, thinking you might want a cup of coffee because last night you told me you really loved coffee. And if I remember correctly, when you tried to make it yesterday, you nearly gave yourself a concussion.”
It was Matt’s turn to look annoyed at Cooper’s reference to ‘last night’. I decided to take my own turn with annoyance, but then I gave it up quickly. They’d both brought me coffee. There were a lot less pleasant things I could’ve found outside my door on a Sunday morning. Like a dead body.
I pushed thoughts of the murder away and focused on the situation at hand. “Well, gentlemen. Thank you very much.”
“I brought a scone,” Matt said, raising a hand to offer a bag in my direction.
“I grabbed warm cookies.” Cooper raised his hand offering an identical bag.
“Great,” I said, a solution popping into my head. I retrieved both bags, tucked them under my arm, and then reached for one coffee from each tray. “I really appreciate this, guys. You’re both the best.”
Now, both men looked annoyed.
“But—” Matt started.
“Would you like me to—” Cooper began.
I hopped backward, then raised one leg and began to close the door on them both. “As you can see, I’ve just woken up. I’m not dressed, and I’m a little preoccupied with the whole getting ready process. I’ll be back down in ten minutes.”
“I, uh—” Matt said. “I’ll be taking off. Have a nice day, Jenna.”
“I’ll be waiting for you in my car, then,” Cooper said. “See you when you’re dressed.”
I kicked the door shut and brought my goody bags inside. Dropping them on the kitchen counter, I pulled up a stool and settled myself before the food. I popped out the warm cookies and the scone and wondered just how long it would be possible to not-date two men at the same time. While it was inherently stressful dealing with the competition and the emotions and the double layers of testosterone, there were some definite perks.
I used my first seven minutes and twenty-one seconds to dunk my cookies in the coffee. I broke off half the scone, closing my eyes as I inhaled the fresh pastry along with the second cup of coffee.
Finally, I decided it was time to stop torturing Cooper. I headed upstairs, got myself ready in record time. Because the day had dawned bright and sunny and filled with spring, I opted for a yellow dress.
I told myself I’d chosen it because it was cheery and made me feel like spring. Not because it had these cute little bows on the sides that were slimming to my waist, or because the neck dropped quite low in the front. Definitely not because it came up to mid-thigh, and I was thinking about spending the day with Cooper Dear, and I wanted to look a little extra nice for him. Absolutely, positively, not.
Jogging back downstairs, I found the remnants of my solo breakfast. I put the leftover food into a container to save for later. Then I poured the remnants of both cups of coffee into a travel mug. I nuked it, slapped on the lid, and grabbed Louie—my most favorite purse.
I found Cooper reading the paper behind the wheel of his truck. It stopped me cold for a moment to see him doing something so natural, so casual. Gone was the uptight cop side of him, along with the mysterious, alluring side of the man I’d seen last night. In his place was a completely regular guy, reading the morning paper and sipping a coffee. It struck me as odd, picturing a normal life with Cooper.
A life like that was something I could easily see with Matt. Sipping coffee, reading the paper—me trying to bake, Matt saving the day. With Cooper, I’d never pictured what life might be like should we actually consider trying on a relationship for size. It seemed my brain didn’t get much further than pesky thoughts like, “Kiss him!”
“Ah, sleeping beauty is ready?” Cooper hopped out of his truck. He nodded at the travel mug. “Whose coffee is in there?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned. “You can’t possibly be making this a competition.”
“It’s just a question.”
“I mixed them together,” I said with an exaggerated gasp. I leaned forward and offered a malicious wink. “I combined them both into one huge cup of caffeine.”
Cooper wrinkled his nose, an expression that looked quite cute on him, before he came around and opened the door for me. “I see you packed an overnight bag.”
“Ha-ha,” I said. “This is Louie, my purse. He’s holding all my cash.”
“All three hundred dollars of it?”
“Two hundred ninety-seven,” I said. “I bought a pair of earrings yesterday.”
Cooper laughed, shook his head. He started the car up. “Then it’s a very good thing you wore that little dress.”
“It’s spring-ish!”
“Sure,�
� Cooper said, then echoed quietly, almost to himself. “Sure is.”
His eyes flicked to the top of my bare knees. I tried to tug my dress down to cover my legs but was unsuccessful.
“Right,” Cooper said. “I think that dress will work just fine.”
WE ARRIVED IN SUGARLAND Shores after a half hour drive. It was a quaint little waterfront development on one of the larger lakes in the area. As we cruised into town, I let my head swivel back and forth as I watched Sunday morning activity bursting to life.
The first boats were setting sail in the harbor. The people on the boats were brave souls—it was spring, but it wasn’t that warm. The ice had gone out just weeks before. Still, that wouldn’t stop the hardcore types from jumping on their toys and taking advantage of the guaranteed short summer the second it came available.
The town itself looked almost coastal in nature with bright blue and pink and yellow shops lining a wide waterfront path. Signs of spring were popping up everywhere, from floral patterns in the windows to blooming bulb plants in window boxes.
“My dress fits in here,” I said, as Cooper turned away from the happy hustle and bustle of the small town. “It’s spring-ish.”
“Too bad we’re not going there,” Cooper said. “We’re going to Eddie’s. His address isn’t technically in Sugarland Shores.”
“Of course it isn’t,” I grumbled.
“But we can always stop there for lunch afterward,” Cooper said. “I’d be happy to buy you lunch in a preempt.”
“A preempt against what? Matt?”
Cooper’s smirk gave me all the answer I needed.
“So mature,” I said, then focused on the road ahead.
Cooper steered us away from the beautiful walking paths and over to the edge of town and beyond. We passed a line of factory type buildings, and then some rundown housing developments that had long ago seen their prime.
Eddie’s garage wasn’t located there either. Eddie’s garage sat at the end of a winding driveway made from dust and gravel. We turned down the abandoned drive and continued for at least a half mile.
On either side of the road sat automotive graveyards. Rusted car parts rose out of the dirt like headstones. A fender here, a car corpse there. Random pipes and tools were scattered willy nilly across the road as we neared a huge pole barn.
