by Terri Osburn
They stepped onto the porch side by side. “I’ll come out and hose it away.”
Pushing through the front door, Haleigh sighed. “Of course you will.”
Toothpaste was Haleigh’s first priority. Cooper stayed silent behind her as they made their way into the house. The TV was on in the living room, but the sound had been muted. In the glow of a pretty young woman twirling in a wedding dress she was probably about to say yes to, Haleigh located Abby passed out in the recliner with a sleeping Emma on her chest.
“Where’s Jessi?” Cooper asked, obviously not spotting the sleeping child.
Haleigh held one finger over her lips. “Probably in bed,” she whispered back as she pointed toward the infant. “Emma gives new meaning to the phrase up all night. If you wake her, we’ll all kill you. Slowly. And with malice.”
Cooper held his hands up in surrender and kept his piehole shut. This had been the crappiest night she’d had in a while, and having Mr. Perfect witness most of it put a nice coating of humiliation on top of an already thick helping of personal disgust.
Why did she let her mother get to her? Better yet, why did she cling to the hope that anything would ever change in their relationship? That a miracle would happen and the angels would sing and her mother would actually like her?
And maybe the drunk fairy would fly through her window tonight and leave Haleigh’s dignity beneath her pillow.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, about to release Cooper from his babysitting duties and send him on his way. Until she realized he’d driven her car. Which meant he had no way to get back to his own. Dragging him quietly into the kitchen, she kept her voice low. “How are you getting home?”
He ran a hand through his thick hair, leaving curls standing on end. “I’d planned to have Abby drive me back to the bar, but I guess that’s not an option.”
“Why didn’t you just bring me home in your truck?”
“Because I assumed you have to be at the hospital tomorrow and would need your car.”
Hot he may be, but this selfless streak was getting old. Did the man ever put himself first? Ever?
“Nice,” she said, slapping him on the chest. “Now what? You can’t stay here all night.” There was no way she could sleep knowing he was right there, under the same roof, available to make all of her lewd dreams come true. “You need to call a cab.”
Cooper snorted. “We aren’t in Memphis, Hal. There are no cabs in Ardent Springs.” He crossed the room to drag a glass out of the cupboard. “You need water.”
As he bent to retrieve a bottle from the bottom of the fridge, Haleigh couldn’t decide which was more frustrating—his unflinching gallantry or that perfect ass.
“You should call Spencer to come and get you.”
“Relax, Hal,” he said, filling the glass as if Haleigh was too special to drink from a plastic bottle. “It’s not like we’ve never slept in the same house before. I can behave if you can.”
Wearing the sexiest grin she’d ever seen, Cooper slid the glass across the island, and all Haleigh could think about was all the things she’d like to do to him right there in the kitchen.
Instead of rum and Coke, she’d gotten rum and horny.
“I’m not the least bit worried about either of us behaving.” Lies. All lies. “But people will talk.”
“Uh-huh. Because me sleeping at my sister’s house while two other females and a newborn are here would be extremely scandalous.” Snagging his own bottle from the fridge, he added, “Besides. My truck isn’t even outside, so no one would know I was here anyway.”
I know! Haleigh’s brain screamed. Closing her eyes, mostly to avoid watching Cooper wrap his lips around the mouth of the bottle, she berated herself to get a grip. The alcohol was wearing off, thank cheezits, and that meant sanity should return any second. Until it did, she’d have to rely on her shoddy self-control to get them through this.
Opening one eye, she found Cooper watching her. “Still here,” he said with a wave.
“Still hot,” she muttered. At his raised brow, she corrected, “High! Or drunk really. That’s what I meant. I’m still drunk. That’s why I’m acting like an idiot right now. And why I need to go to bed before I embarrass myself further. Not that much could top the puking incident. Did I thank you for holding my hair back?”
Blessed be, the babbling phase had begun. Haleigh had been sober for so long, she’d forgotten about this part.
“You didn’t, but you’re welcome,” he said. “And there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody needs to let off steam now and then. It’s good to let your hair down.” He leaned farther across the island until his dimple was close enough to lick. “To do something you wouldn’t normally do.”
“I can’t argue with that,” she said, lost in the spell of his voice and his lips and if she leaned just a little closer . . .
“But you don’t want to get too crazy,” Cooper said, backing away and leaving Haleigh in a blinking fog of lust. “Nobody wants to do something they’ll regret the next day.”
Haleigh had been wrong. Cooper was not a good guy. He was evil. Pure evil. And if she didn’t know better, she’d swear that he knew exactly what he was doing to her. A highly sobering thought.
“You’re right.” Raising her glass in his direction, Haleigh put on her most innocent smile and headed for the hallway. “Thanks for looking out for me, Cooper. Without you around, there’s no telling what I might have done tonight.”
Fighting the urge to see his response to that loaded statement, Haleigh kept her eyes forward and her feet moving. The buzz had dropped to little more than a hum in her ears, but the rest of her body was still vibrating with the need to hold Cooper to his earlier promise of letting her see him in his underwear.
This was a sleepover, after all. And getting him naked would be a lot easier if he was already in his unmentionables.
Haleigh slammed the door on that thought. Literally. And then paid the ultimate price as Emma’s wail echoed through the house.
How did anyone sleep with a baby in the house? No wonder new parents were freaking zombies. And this definitely explained Carrie’s recent mood swings. At least they’d been able to tag out and hand the pissed off little thing to the next person. Well, everyone but Haleigh, who never bothered to come back out of her room.
Cooper had been tempted more than once to carry Emma in there and leave her on the bed next to Haleigh’s ear. Would have served her right. And not just for waking up the baby.
Newborn or no, he likely wouldn’t have gotten much sleep anyway. Who knew what she might have done. If he’d played his cards right, she might have done him.
Being a good guy sucked.
When he and Haleigh finally did have sex—and they would be having sex—neither of them would be drunk. Or have recently hurled into a bed of pansies. Speaking of, he still needed to get the hose for that.
Last time he’d seen the clock, it had read three forty-five when Cooper had passed an exhausted Emma off to an even more exhausted Jessi, who carried with her a bottle and a dream. That her baby would pass out and stay out for at least five hours. Heck, four would have been an improvement.
At the same moment the scent of fresh coffee hit his nose, Cooper heard a door open down the hall. Jessi was in the kitchen, and Abby in the shower, so that left only one person. How nice of Haleigh to join them.
She breezed by the couch without so much as a glance in his direction. As she rounded the corner, he heard her say, “Coffee. Now.”
Cooper could have told her that one bottle of water was not going to be enough.
Several obvious sounds followed. A cupboard opened and closed. A mug hit the counter. Coffee filled the mug. All followed by a woman’s low moan.
And now all of Cooper was up and ready for the day. He made a quick trip to the facilities, brushed his teeth with his finger, and smoothed his hair as best he could. He’d been meaning to get a haircut for a couple weeks but hadn’t gotten
around to it. That had to change today.
Ready as he’d ever be, Cooper strolled toward the kitchen, but stopped short when Jessi’s voice caught his ear.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “Why are you and Cooper not a thing?”
Something he’d like to know as well.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a nosy kid?” Haleigh replied.
Just answer the kid’s question already.
“Just answer the question,” Jessi echoed. “He’s hot. He clearly has the hots for you.” Even the teenager figured that out? “I’ve seen you checking out his ass more than once.”
“I’m not going to argue that Cooper isn’t hot,” Haleigh said. “I’d have to be dead not to notice that. And he’s sweet and funny and probably the best guy I’ve ever met.”
Jessi’s tone turned sarcastic. “Right. Who would want a guy like that?”
“I didn’t say I don’t want him—”
“Good, you’re ready,” Abby said from behind him, startling Cooper.
“Were you a ninja in a former life?” he asked. “Warn a guy, would ya?”
Abby propped her hands on her hips. “Maybe if you weren’t eavesdropping, you’d have heard me.”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he defended. “I was trying not to interrupt their conversation.”
“Then you should have tried not interrupting from the couch.” Stepping around him, she said, “All right, girls. We’re heading out.”
Haleigh lifted a mug that read Death Before Decaf in silent salute while Jessi said, “Take me with you. I can have Emma ready in five minutes.”
“We’ve been over this, Jessi. I can’t take you and the baby to work.”
“But I’m going crazy. I’ve forgotten what the sky looks like.”
Abby filled her travel mug with coffee as she said, “Step outside and look up. It’s in the same place it’s always been.”
Even Cooper thought that was a bit harsh. “See if our mom will sit with Emma this evening, and I’ll come take you for a ride.”
“Mama has a date,” Abby said, then stared at the silent faces gaping back at her. “What?”
“Since when does our mother date?” Cooper asked. “And why haven’t I heard about this before now? Who is he? Have you met him?”
Grabbing a breakfast bar from the pantry, Abby said, “Gee, I wonder why she hasn’t told you? Could it be that reaction right there?” She grabbed her keys off the hook by the light switch. “See you ladies tonight. Haleigh Rae, find me at work. I’d like to hear the story of why I’m taking my brother home at seven in the morning.”
When had his cheerful sister gotten so stern?
“Hey,” he said, tracking her into the foyer. “I want to know who Mama’s dating.”
“Just move it,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
Chapter 12
Jessi stared at Haleigh with wide eyes. “Do you think he heard us?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, distracted by Abby’s parting comment. Haleigh knew that tone. Abby wasn’t happy with her. But then Haleigh wasn’t all that happy with herself, either. Last night had been bad. Very bad. She’d be lucky if Raquel didn’t drive over from Memphis just to smack her upside the head. A beating she well deserved. “He’s too upstanding to eavesdrop, so I doubt it.”
“Things could get interesting if he heard you say you want him.”
Haleigh nearly spilled her coffee. “I never said I wanted Cooper.”
“Yes, you did,” Jessi corrected. “You said it’s not that you don’t want him, which means you want him.”
“That is not the same thing.” Her throbbing temples were hindering her ability to think. Had she said she wanted Cooper?
“It most definitely is, though your version was about to come with a but until Cooper screamed like a girl and you shut up.” Sliding off her stool, Jessi filled a mug with hot water and popped it into the microwave. “I was starting to think y’all were the most boring people ever. Now I see the drama is just in the early stages.”
Drama? Her life may have its moments, but she did not live in some cheesy soap opera.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no drama. Just because I’m attracted to Cooper doesn’t mean anything is going to happen. For one, I’d drive him crazy. He’s like sunshine and rainbows, and I’m thunderclouds and mud puddles. He’s the boy next door, and I’m the emotional train wreck who should have a ring of those orange construction cones set up all around me.”
Jessi held silent for several seconds while staring at Haleigh as if she could see through her skull.
“Nope,” she said. “I’m not buying it.”
Haleigh struggled not to grind her teeth. “Not buying what?”
“You’re no train wreck, doc. I was raised by a train wreck, and you don’t even qualify as a mild fender bender.”
“You’ve known me for less than a week.”
“Did you miss the raised by part?” Jessi asked. The microwave dinged and the girl continued her diatribe as she made her tea. “Let’s start with the obvious—you’re a doctor. Employed, smart, and dedicated, because you have to have dedication to endure, like, eighteen years of college to be a doctor.”
“Eight,” Haleigh corrected.
“Same thing. Next, you don’t dress like a train wreck.”
“There’s a train wreck dress code?” Haleigh drawled. “Enlighten me.”
With a shake of her head, Jessi said, “Sarcasm doesn’t bother me. Now we move on to your lack of a social life. Train wrecks are notorious for their need for attention. After Calvin, Mama never went forty-eight hours without bringing a man home. Male attention is like oxygen in her world.” Jessi set the tea bag in the sink and proceeded to grab the milk from the fridge. “You, on the other hand, don’t seem interested in men at all.” With a pointed look, she added, “Except for Cooper.”
“I’ve known him my whole life.”
“Then you know his history. You know, that’s the trouble with dating a guy you just met. He’s cute, he says the right things, and the next thing you know you’re searching for your panties in the backseat of his Mustang.” More to herself than to Haleigh, Jessi mumbled, “Damn, that was a nice car. Anyway, that’s when you find some other girl’s panties under the passenger seat and realize that new guy is a two-timing jerk who didn’t deserve you, but by then the damage is done.”
Sidetracked from the subject, Haleigh said, “You got pregnant in the backseat of a Mustang?”
“Hey,” Jessi barked. “Don’t judge. Train wreck mother. Not a great role model, okay?”
“Right. Sorry. I just . . .” Haleigh tapped the side of her coffee cup. “Is the backseat of a Mustang really big enough for that?”
It was Jessi’s turn to look surprised. “Are you saying you’ve never done it in a car?”
Haleigh resisted the urge to defend herself by sharing a few of the less conventional places she’d had sex during college.
“As revelatory as this conversation has been, the point is that Cooper and I are a no-go. Period. Besides the fact that he deserves a woman the complete opposite of me, there’s also the issue of bringing him home to my mother. She’s still mourning my broken engagement to a plastic surgeon. I can only imagine her reaction upon hearing I’m going to spend my future with a mechanic.”
“Wow,” Jessi said. “I did not see that coming.”
“What?” Haleigh asked.
“I just didn’t figure you for one of those bitchy snobs.”
“What did you call me?”
“Don’t get snippy with me, doc. You just said a mechanic isn’t good enough for you. That’s seriously crappy. Cooper didn’t have to take me to the hospital that night he found me. But he did. And he stayed. Then he made sure I had someplace to go. If that isn’t good enough for you, then I’m sorry, but that makes you a bitch.” Tea in hand, Jessi headed out of the kitchen. “I need a shower.”
“Wait.”
Haleigh chased her into the living room. “I never said he isn’t good enough for me. I said my mother wouldn’t approve.”
Jessi spun, her eyes flashing. “Who cares? Aren’t you like forty? I mean, you’re a freaking adult. You don’t need your mommy’s approval if he’s the right guy.” Painting Haleigh with a look of disgust, she said, “Grow up, for cripes’ sake. And if you don’t have the guts to go after Cooper, don’t use your mother as an excuse.”
“I—” Haleigh started, but Jessi stormed off.
The question echoed in Haleigh’s brain. Who cares? Haleigh cared. She wanted her mother’s approval. Jessi didn’t understand the dynamic Haleigh grew up with, or the guilt she carried for being the thorn in her mother’s side. The one that her father had twisted and buried deeper all those years.
“I don’t have to explain my life to anyone,” she said, charging down the hall to her own room. At least this time she remembered not to slam the door.
“I don’t understand why you kept me in the dark about this,” Cooper said.
“I didn’t keep you in the dark,” his mother hedged. “I just didn’t tell you yet.”
“That’s the same thing.” He cut into the chicken-fried steak she’d brought him for lunch. “How can I make sure you’re okay if I don’t know that you’re hopping all over town with some guy I don’t even know?”
Linda Ridgeway rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Bruce is on the Ruby committee with you, and I know for a fact that he’s volunteered to help with your car show fundraiser thing, so it isn’t as if he’s a total stranger to you.”
Bruce Clemens owned the local bookstore, called Bound to Please, and was a nice enough guy. But that didn’t mean Cooper wanted his mother dating him. Or anyone else for that matter.
“So he’s been looking me in the eye and conveniently not saying a word about having the hots for my mother.”
“Cooper Daniel, I will not have you implying that Bruce has done anything wrong. We are single, consenting adults, and do not need your permission to spend a little time together.”
Properly chastised, Cooper tried to see the situation from his mother’s point of view. She was only fifty-three years old, and in great health, thank goodness. And he had to admit that there was no reason for her to spend her remaining years living like a nun.
