But I couldn't avoid him any longer.
If I planned to live here in Stuart—and I did—I would bump into Cooper and Jodi from time to time. This was a small town. Better to speak to him on my terms than to be caught off guard.
Argh.
I comforted myself with the reminder that he had made the first move toward reconciliation by sending his fiancée to me with an invitation to their wedding. It was my turn to reciprocate. I could act like an adult, too, by telling him what Poppy had said about retiring. I would offer to let Cooper buy the old location.
If Cooper objected to a swap, I could phone MJ from his office and have her divert Jimmy.
Celine Dion would get her tile back. She would owe me a favor.
Not likely.
Driving slower than everyone around me, I made my way to a building off of Ocean Boulevard. Cooper's business shared a bank's excess office space with a handful of other firms. The only parking spot I could find was at the back of their lot. I pulled in, turned off the engine, and mustered up my courage.
Indecision wouldn't fix my problems. It could only make matters worse.
I climbed out of Black Beauty and started toward the building, wishing I'd had the chance to clean up a little. As I walked, I stretched and felt the pleasant soreness that comes with physical exertion. The slightly fecund scent of ocean air swept away the cobwebs. Oh, for a day on the beach!
That would have to wait.
With every step I took, I revisited that summer I'd had with Cooper, so long ago. We had met at a dance held on the beach, on a night so clear that the stars seemed too close to be real. I had noticed Cooper about the same time he noticed me. Our eyes were drawn to each other, although we both kept looking away only to sneak more glances.
The other girls wore adorable sundresses, but my mother had fought my every effort to show a lot of skin, so I had on a pair of modest shorts and a gauzy peasant blouse. I was far too shy to walk over to Cooper and speak first. In fact, I forced myself to quit looking his way, so when he popped up at my elbow, his presence surprised me.
I can't remember what he said, but eventually he and I went off on our own. We walked down the beach. The moon reminded me of a white dinner plate on a velvety black tablecloth. When we approached a spit of land, he took off his shirt and laid it at the edge of the dunes so we could sit on the beach. It was as if we'd been waiting our whole young lives to meet each other. Once we started, we couldn't stop talking.
I lost all track of time. As I crept up the stairs to the little apartment in Essie's building, the sun chased away the night sky. I vividly recall the marmalade shades of orange and lemony streaks.
Today, I realize how dangerous it might have been for me to wander away from the crowd. At the time, it didn't feel dangerous. It felt right. Cooper and I clicked in true “love at first sight” fashion. Except for the hours when he worked at the pier, cleaning boats and running errands, we spent all our time together. We never fought. Never disagreed. We took it for granted that we'd be together the rest of our lives, even talking about what we'd name our children.
It was all so simple until my mother interfered.
That memory forced me to quicken my steps until I arrived at a glass door painted with the name: Cooper Rivers Design. Through the pane I could see people answering phones, running a copier, and generally being busy. He'd told me that first night on the beach that he wanted to be an architect. Clearly, he'd succeeded.
I hesitated, one hand on the push bar and the other jammed in my pocket, acutely embarrassed by how underdressed I was for this meeting. What if Jodi was there, too? Did she still work as his secretary? My face grew hot thinking of the poor first impression I'd already made. Maybe I should run back to the apartment and clean up first. Get my hair cut. My nails done. Lose ten pounds or twenty.
Stop it!
There was no turning back and I couldn't stall any longer. Each second of delay might cost me dearly.
I gave myself a little pep talk: The meeting wouldn't take long. I would speak to Cooper in a measured businesslike way devoid of emotion. I'd explain what Poppy had told me, and ask if I could swap the Gas E Bait for The Treasure Chest. Of course, any difference in value would have to be worked out. I'd apologize for the hassle I'd caused—and I'd thank him for offering Poppy a job and for taking it upon himself to do something about Poppy's leaking gas tanks.
Yes, I had big plans.
But first I needed to step inside.
CHAPTER 54
Just inside the front door was an empty cubicle with Jodi’s name on a metal tag. I stuck my head around the corner of it and peeped in. The office chair was empty. I scanned the space for a purse or other signs of an occupant. It looked like no one was home. Immediately, I felt more optimistic about the visit. In my mind's eye, I'd pictured Jodi in all her perfection, greeting me, escorting me into Cooper's office, and holding his hand while I struggled through an apology.
“May I help you?” A woman walked up behind me.
“Is Jodi Wireka here?” I said as I turned to face my questioner.
“Oh!” The woman's mouth fell open when she saw me. A hand flew up to adjust the cheater-readers that were perched low on her nose. She peered at me, her curiosity apparent.
“Oh, my,” she said, as she blinked in confusion.
“May I see Cooper, please?”
“Did you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“May I tell him your name?”
“Cara Mia Delgatto.”
“Oh!” She scurried off down the hallway. Of course, her urgency wasn't too surprising. Everyone in this office had probably heard how I'd swindled Cooper out of Essie's building. Well, crud, being notorious wasn't exactly how I planned to start my new life.
There was an empty molded plastic chair in a tiny seating area just beyond the front door. I sat down and discovered a small piece of masking tape stuck to the bottom of my shoe. It took some work to dislodge it from the tread. It helped to have something to fiddle with. As I dug at the tape, I realized how ragged my nails were. I could do nothing about how I looked. Nevertheless, I told myself that I would be calm and professional when Cooper and I talked.
I smelled him before I saw him. The familiar scent of pine trees and suntan lotion with a hint of patchouli brought back happy memories.
“Cara Mia,” he said, in a husky voice. When he opened his arms, I couldn’t help myself. I flew into his embrace. Ms. Cheater-Reader stood a respectful distance behind him.
“I'm sorry,” I said, as I burrowed my face into his knit shirt.
“It's okay,” he murmured, hugging me tightly. “I acted like a jerk.”
“I didn't know you had offered Poppy a job.” I tried to step away so I could look up at him, but he didn't turn loose of me.
“Let's go to my office.” He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I could almost hear Ms. Cheater-Reader's jaw hit the floor.
“Come here, you.” Cooper led me to a leather sofa, where we could sit side-by-side, holding hands.
“I didn't know about the gas tanks,” I blurted. “I never meant to trick you. I only wanted to take care of Poppy. I didn’t know you were the intended buyer until after I signed the paperwork. You know I didn’t come down here to ruin your life, don't you? I was worried about my grandfather. That’s all. Now that Mom and Dad are dead, I can't lose Poppy, too!”
So much for a careful, unemotional explanation.
“Shhh,” he said, pulling me into his arms. His lips touched the top of my head. It wasn't a sexy kiss, so much as a comforting one. A part of me wanted to resist, to create space between us, but suddenly I was tired of fighting the world all by myself. There with Cooper, I'd found that haven I'd always wanted, and I never wanted to leave.
I sighed and rested my head against his chest. “Coop, I'm so sorry I messed up your plans.”
“I should have realized that Dick hadn't told you,” he said. “That grandfathe
r of yours is one stubborn dude. No one on the city council wanted this to get out of hand. After he threw one of the EPA inspectors off the property, I volunteered to go over and reason with him. One thing led to another, and the best solution seemed to close down the old gas station. We’d been needing a bigger, more modern gas station for years.”
“It was so kind of you to offer him a job at the new place.”
I stared up into Cooper's eyes. I loved the new crinkles at the corners.
“Of course I want him to stay employed! We can't have an old coot like Poppy running all over town causing trouble. Besides, who knows cars like he does?”
We both laughed.
“Did my dad know there was a problem with the gas tanks leaking? He never mentioned it to me. But then, maybe he pushed it aside. He was awfully busy with my mother. He went so suddenly after she did.”
“My turn to apologize. I should have told you how sorry I was about your loss the minute I saw you. I feel like a creep because I didn't send flowers. But I didn't know about either of the funerals until after the fact. Your mother wasn't my favorite person, but she did love you. I know she was trying to do her best. Did she suffer much?” Cooper stroked my hair as he talked.
“Yes. It was awful. Just awful.” My voice cracked. “Her death broke Dad's heart.”
“I can imagine. They were a couple of lovebirds.”
“Lovebirds.” I sighed. I hated to change the subject, but it was the only polite thing to do. So I added, “That reminds me, thank you for the invitation.”
“What invitation?”
“To your wedding.”
“The invitation?” He sounded confused.
I stayed tucked under his arm. I didn't want him to know how sad I felt about losing him again. Not that I had a right to feel that way. Cooper did, after all, have a right to his own happiness.
To distract myself from the torrent of emotions, I let my gaze wander around his office. Taking up most of the space was a large walnut desk. Behind it was a wall of shelves with books of all sizes, bindings, and colors. At the far right, I spotted a faded photo in a simple frame. I knew that picture! It was of Cooper and me together, standing on the lawn of Jupiter Lighthouse.
“You didn't throw all the photos of me away!” I said.
“Huh?” He held me at arm's length so we could stare at each other. “Of course I didn't.”
My lower lip trembled and my heart hurt. All these years had gone by, but he hadn't forgotten me.
“How did you get an invitation to, uh, the wedding?” he asked.
“Jodi was kind enough to drop it off. She seems very nice.”
“She is.” But his endorsement sounded half-hearted, and inside I did a little happy dance.
I sat up a little so I could look around. Were there more photos of the two of us? More relics from our past? Immediately behind his desk was a fantastic landscape painting of a sunset reflected on a river.
“That is beautiful. It's absolutely breathtaking!”
“It's a Highwayman painting.”
“Wow. Now I know what all the fuss is about,” and I sat forward a bit so I could see it better. “It's just fabulous.”
“Some consider Al Hair the most talented of the bunch. That's one of his.”
“I heard about the missing paintings. Did Essie ever talk to you about them?”
“On and on,” he said. “That's how I became interested. Losing them devastated her. Not because of the monetary value. That didn't come until later. Much later. The paintings were like children to her. It was sad, really, but she seemed to care more about her collection than she did about Irving. She could talk your ear off about the original twenty-six Highwaymen, their techniques and their palettes. Toward the end of her life, she spent most of her time hunting down new paintings. That's one reason her business started doing so poorly.”
I had to change the conversation before my courage left. I turned to face him. “That reminds me of the reason I came. I have a business proposition for you.”
“Really?” His eyes twinkled. “Do tell.”
I explained about the trade. “I realize that it might not work because the franchise might not approve my grandfather's location, and there could be problems with the gas tanks, but would you be willing to consider it? You see, I'm having flooring laid at The Treasure Chest first thing tomorrow. If this swap isn't even an option, I better make a phone call pretty quick and stop the guy.”
“You're having the floor replaced? How come?”
“I'm planning on re-opening The Treasure Chest.”
“Oh,” he said softly. “Selling antiques?”
“Not exactly,” and I told him about my concept.
“You always were a smart girl. I think you can make a go of it. People going in and out of Pumpernickel's will want to window shop. You'll get good foot traffic from snowbirds, wandering the downtown area.”
“What about your franchise? I don't want you to lose out on the opportunity.”
“You're in luck,” he said with a grin. “They approved entire zones of consideration. Dick's shop would definitely be among their preferred locations. As for the leaking gas tanks, those need to be taken care of one way or another. But there'd definitely be less disruption to dig up the streets once instead of twice.”
“I realize there might be a cost involved,” I said. “To get those old tanks up and clean up the mess.”
“We can find out what it is and go from there.”
“That is such a relief. Okay. Here's what I was thinking: I'll work with Philomena Humberger to sell you Poppy's place. That should be some money in her pocket immediately.”
“Why are you so concerned about Philomena?”
I traced a finger along the seam of my jeans. “Jodi explained that Philomena is your business partner. How she'd get the short end of the stick because of what I'd done.”
“Oh, she did, did she?” asked Cooper. “I think it's prudent to give Philomena the listing because someone will need to work with the people at Fill Up and Go. Philomena can take care of the details, get the necessary inspections, and permits. She's already familiar with what they need.”
He took my hands in his and squeezed them gently. “I heard Dick is in the hospital. I also heard that they think they can get his diabetes under control. That's good news. He can fix just about anything with a motor. Our construction equipment is always breaking down.”
“Ah,” I said, “but don't keep him too busy. I might need his help, too. I have big plans for The Treasure Chest.”
“When you talk about your new store your eyes light up. Did you know that? Yes, they do! I can tell you're excited about this. What's the plan, to get it up and running and then leave town?”
That hurt. It was a fair question, but it stung. My face must have betrayed my feelings, because he quickly added, “I don't want you to go. Honest. I'm trying to manage my expectations.”
“You…don't want me to go?” I choked out the words.
His fingers toyed with a stray curl, moving it off my face, tucking it behind my ear. His touch ignited me, sent shivers through my body, although I tried very hard to resist the warmth that was whirling inside me.
“No.” We moved closer to each other, as though we were two magnets being pulled together by an irresistible force. I stared into his eyes and he stared into mine, igniting a firestorm of emotions. Shifting his weight, his arm tightened behind me, drawing me closer still.
“Cara Mia,” he said in a rough voice, “my beloved.” With one fingertip, he traced my lips and I closed my eyes. This had to be a dream! The warmth of his breath tickled my face. His mouth touched mine. A bolt of electricity coursed through me, and I grabbed his upper arms, sinking deeper and deeper into his kiss. My mouth opened to his, and I felt myself drowning, drowning, drowning in the depths of emotions I'd forgotten I could feel.
The office door swung open.
“Cooper! What are you doing?” screamed Jodi.
CHAPTER 55
Jodi continued to shriek as I flew out of Cooper's arms like a shot. Without a backward glance, I pushed past her and ran down the hall. I could feel Ms. Cheater-Reader’s eyes on me as I raced out of the building.
In the parking lot, my hand shook so violently that I could barely open my car door. Eventually I did, throwing myself inside. I let my forehead rest on the hot steering wheel. Gulping air, I tried to calm myself down. What on earth had happened back there? I’d have done anything that Cooper had asked of me. Anything! And that was after just one kiss.
I needed to get my wits about me. Down the street was a Wendy's, so I drove there, parked, and bought something I almost never eat, a Frosty. The cold chocolate confection helped me get control of myself. After I finished, I felt better.
As much as I wanted to talk about this with Kiki, I couldn't take the time. I had one more errand to run, and then I could put this whole fiasco behind me. I tapped “Humberger Real Estate” into my cell phone. Their office was six blocks away. After tossing the Frosty cup into a trash bin, I headed that direction.
Humberger's shared its space with three other businesses in a stucco fronted building that I suspected was CBC, concrete block construction. As I walked in, a receptionist looked up from her desk. I explained that I wanted to speak to Mrs. Humberger. Before the gatekeeper could demur, I added, “I'm Cara Mia Delgatto. It's urgent.”
The receptionist looked at me with undisguised curiosity, called her boss, and said, “Go on back.”
I followed a hallway to a glass cubicle with its blinds closed. Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I rapped lightly on the glass and opened the door.
With her bulldog features and loose jowls, Philomena Humberger was not an attractive woman. Given her recent loss, she probably looked worse than usual.
“Mrs. Humberger? I'm Cara Mia Delgatto. Please accept my deepest sympathy.”
Second Chance at Love Page 19
