by Len Webster
Friends with Peyton would be torture on his attached heart, but that was what they would be.
Friends.
Friends who have tea.
Cooper pursed his lips and nodded to himself. Then he entered the hotel to find guests in the sitting room. It had been quiet yesterday. But today, he saw just how popular the hotel by the lake was. When he approached the desk, he found Jenny behind it with a sad smile on her face.
“Hey, Cooper.”
“Hey, Jenny. Peyton around?” he asked, staring at the way she pushed her auburn hair over her shoulders. Those sad eyes didn’t go away, and a sympathetic smile now sprawled her face.
Did she pity him?
It sure felt as if she did.
“She’s not in right now. She went out to do some produce scouting for the hotel with one of the chefs. I’m not sure how long she’ll be. I’m sorry.” Jenny sounded genuine. At least, that gave him reassurance that she wasn’t blowing him off.
“You don’t mind if I wait for her, do you? I don’t have her number or anything, and I don’t want her to think I don’t keep my word,” Cooper said.
The flash in her light blue eyes had him curious. She appeared moved by what he had said. The gentle smile she made also indicated so. He smiled back, hoping she believed the honesty in what he had said.
“Sure. Go take a seat. I’ll bring out some tea and something for you to eat,” she said.
“No, Jenny, you don’t—”
She shook her head at him. “I’m not taking a no from you. Peyton wouldn’t either. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Cooper had decided to wait in the room that had the wall of Polaroids. It took him several steps to enter the area. When he did, he faced the large wall and took in the wall of people’s moments. It was stunning to see different people. Different moments. Different times and different places.
Weddings.
Birthdays.
People in boats on the lake.
Pictures of the lake.
Polaroids of the town.
Guests.
Staff.
So many different moments of people’s lives. The moments they wanted to share with others. Cooper took a step closer when he discovered a Polaroid in the middle of the wall, a lot older looking than the others were. It was of a teenage boy with a smile on his face. He had a dimple, too. He leant forward, staring at the happiness in the teenager’s eyes.
“Cooper?” Peyton’s voice had him straightening and taking a step away from the wall to create distance. “What are you doing here?”
He turned his head to find her with a box of vegetables in her hands and her brows knitted.
“Peyton, I’ll take these into the kitchen,” a man in his late fifties said as he took the box from her.
“Thanks, Henry,” she said and smiled at the chef. Then her smile faded when she focused back on Cooper.
“Said I’d see you tomorrow. And well, tomorrow is today,” he said with a shrug.
“You were serious about seeing me today?” she asked, almost surprised with what he had said.
Cooper took a step closer and grinned at her. “Plus, I had to try the tea and see if you really overhyped it as the town’s best.”
Peyton laughed. “Of course. The tea.”
“Which is ready,” Jenny interrupted as she entered the Polaroid room, which is what he now called it. “Henry had prepared the rhubarb and cream cake early this morning, Cooper. You are going to love it.”
Jenny set the silver tray on the table to his left. Peyton had walked over to her and thanked her manager before she took a seat. Cooper watched as she reached for a teacup and set it in front of her. Then she set another one down across from her.
As she held the teapot and poured the hot beverage into her cup, she asked, “Do you always do that?”
His brows furrowed. “Do what?”
She had poured tea in the cup he presumed was his and then set the pot down. Peyton’s gaze met his. “Wait for me to sit down first before you take a seat.”
He let out a nervous laugh. “No. Sorry.” Cooper wiped his trembling hands against his shirt, afraid he had sweaty palms. He wasted no time and sat in front of Peyton as she handed him a plate with a slice of cake on it.
“Do you like Daylesford?” she asked in a soft and cautious voice.
Cooper set the plate down and stared at her. It didn’t sound like a typical ‘do you like my small town?’ question. It was how she said it. It was not how he had expected.
“It’s growing on me. The townsfolk are nice,” he admitted and took the spoon Peyton offered. “Thanks.”
A sigh left her lips. “I’m glad that they have been.”
“Why did you sound relieved for me?”
Peyton swallowed hard and picked up her cup of tea. She peeked up at him through her lashes and gave him a small smile. “For a little while, I hated a lot of people in this town,” she revealed.
He flinched in surprise. “What?”
“It’s complicated.” She took a sip and then set the cup down. “But I had to learn to forgive them.”
“Why did you hate them?”
She kept her eyes on her spoon and cake. He wished she’d look at him so he could read the emotions she couldn’t hide on her face and in her telling blue eyes. “It’s a small town. People do things out of spite. Anyways, story for another time. So how did you wind up in Daylesford? Where are you from?”
Cooper cut off a piece of cake and ate it. It was like an explosion of rhubarb, a spice he didn’t know, and then cream. It was amazing. He never understood the use of rhubarb in dessert. Turns out, he had been missing out his entire life.
“Good, right? Henry’s amazing,” Peyton said as she began to eat bit by bit of her dessert.
After another few bites, Cooper picked up his cup and sipped the hot tea. It was not the usual English breakfast tea he was used to. It was sweeter. It wasn’t spicy. It was different. “This tea … What is it?”
“It’s an antioxidant tea. It’s blueberry and lavender. With a hint of vanilla bean in there,” she said.
“It’s amazing.”
The smirk on her face had him laughing. “I told you, we won awards. But come on, where are you from?”
“Warren Meadows,” he said.
“You’re far from home. What’s that? Three hours away?”
He nodded. “Yeah, about three.”
“You just left. Just like that for Daylesford?” He found the disbelief that consumed her eyes fascinating.
“I wanted a change.”
“You left behind your loved ones to work on a lavender farm,” she pointed out.
He nodded once more. “Just my folks and my sisters. All my friends are married and have kids. I needed a change in environment.”
“So a small town in country Victoria with one of everything is what you needed?”
“It’s tough to explain, but it felt right to take this job. Right timing and everything.” He took another sip. “So, Peyton Spencer, how does someone as young as you own a hotel?”
She took a deep breath, set her spoon down, and released the air she had inhaled. “I inherited it. It used to be called the Spencer-Dayle before I took over.”
“You inherited it? From who?”
Something inside him, like a warning bell, sounded. He was getting into dangerous and personal territory. Cooper looked down and noticed something on her wrist. It was a black curve.
A tattoo.
A turn of her wrist and he wasn’t able to see it.
His eyes returned to Peyton. He could see it on her face that she knew he had noticed it. But she said nothing and didn’t show it to him.
She swallowed hard. “It was my parents’ hotel. They died when I was seventeen. I didn’t inherit it until I was twenty-one.”
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Peyton,” he said. “I feel like a complete asshole. I’ll shut up now.”
Peyton shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s been al
most six years. I’m fine to talk about it.”
He breathed out in relief. She wasn’t uncomfortable with him. And for that, he sighed. “So family? Siblings?” he asked.
“I’m an only child,” she answered. “And my family is my Aunty Brenda and Uncle John, as well as Mads and Graham. There’s also Jenny and her husband. And my staff. My family is everyone connected to my hotel.”
He heard the love in her voice. She loved the family she had made for herself. It was as beautiful as it was inspiring. “What are your sisters’ names?”
“Megan and Margot. Though Margot hates that our mother didn’t name her Audrey.”
Peyton let out a laugh. “As in Audrey Hepburn?”
He nodded. “The very one. Margot is a teacher. And Megan, who just got engaged, works in advertising.”
“That’s great,” Peyton said.
The sadness in her eyes returned. Why was she sad? Was it because he mentioned family? To play it safe, he decided to tease her. Go into topics they could laugh about and not about their families, especially hers.
“So,” he said.
“Yes?”
“Ever had your heart broken, Peyton Spencer?”
At the time, you had my wife’s heart. And that would have killed me. You still have a place in her heart, and that’s something I would never want to have.
The horror in Peyton’s eyes was unmistakeable.
He wished he hadn’t asked.
It appeared as if she were about to cry.
Cooper’s heart twisted, creating heat and spreading it through every inch of his chest. Heartbreak, safe territory? He was an absolute asshole and idiot. He was stupid for thinking anyone would be okay or comfortable to talk about their heartbreak to a complete stranger.
If he thought he ever had a chance with Peyton Spencer, he had completely blown it.
“I have,” she finally whispered.
He heard the pain in her voice, and it caused him to wince. Her sadness weighed heavily on his chest. He’d hurt her with a question.
“I’m-I’m sorry … Christ, I’m so sorry, Peyton,” he blurted out and stood up. He was a mess. He had no idea how to fix something like this. In fact, he’d never had an issue with women until her. He had no idea how to approach someone like her. “I’ll just … I’ll go. I’m sorry, Peyton. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.”
Then he stepped away from the table sideways. Peyton’s focus fell on the teacup, and all Cooper could do was stare at the way her hands formed fists.
Just as he was about to leave, Peyton asked, “Have you ever had your heart broken, Cooper Hepburn?” She raised her chin and her pain-filled blue eyes collided with his.
“No,” he honestly admitted.
Her lips had pressed together before they formed a small smile. “I envy you.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said.
Peyton took a deep breath and got out of her chair. Then she stood next to him. “I envy you,” she repeated. “You don’t know what it’s like. And honestly, I wouldn’t wish it on you. My heartbreak is a lot more complicated than a boy breaking it. Someday, I might tell you. Bit by bit, if that’s okay?”
“Really?” It confused him that she would want anything to do with him.
She said nothing as she stared at him as if she were searching for something in his eyes. Her silence terrified him.
Please don’t be done with me, Peyton.
Finally, Peyton nodded. “Really. Could you stay right there for two seconds?”
His heart burst with joy. He hoped someday she’d love him. The concept of friends was bullshit from the very start, and he knew that. He was going to fall in love with her. He was sure of it.
“Okay.”
She spun around and left him alone in the Polaroid room. He tried to listen to her footsteps. She had gone down the hall, and he heard a door open and shut. Minutes had ticked by before he heard the same door opening and shutting. Then Peyton walked towards him with a Polaroid camera in her hand. She took a deep breath, and once she reached him, she handed him the small camera.
“What’s the camera for?” he asked as he glanced down at it in his hand.
“To take Polaroids of your life’s sometimes moments,” she said.
Cooper quickly swung his gaze back to her. “What’s a sometimes moment?”
Peyton had smiled before she took hold of his left hand. Cooper flinched because the sensation of her touch drove his heart wild. His eyes met Peyton’s, and he swore, at that moment, he only wanted her love. All the irrational thoughts he had, he wanted. Peyton then spun them around and faced the wall. After a few steps forward, she let go of his hand.
Cooper hated that she did.
Hated that he wanted to feel her fingers thread through his.
She let out a heavy exhale. “These,” she said, pointing at the wall. “These are sometimes moments. They are moments in your life that you’ll look back on and smile.”
But Cooper hadn’t looked at the wall. He had already done so earlier. He had kept his eyes on Peyton as she explained what sometimes moments were. Watched as she was unaware of how beautiful she was when she got lost in the concept. And watched as she stared at the wall of photographs; Cooper knowing full well that she was staring at the one in the middle. The one of the teenage boy. But at that moment, he didn’t care.
Instead, he powered on the camera and then held it up to look through the small glass window. With a small breath, he pressed the button with his index finger and took a Polaroid of her. The flash had surprised her, and Peyton had flinched.
Cooper lowered the camera and removed the picture from it. Then he waited for the photo to develop. When it had, he smiled at the sight.
Peyton lost in her thoughts was truly beautiful.
“You’re a lot more than a sometimes moment, Peyton.” He slipped the photo into the front pocket of his blue work shirt. “You’re someone’s forever,” he said.
She made a small gasp.
He hadn’t missed it.
He actually loved it as much as her laugh.
“I’m sorry about before. It got way too personal. If I talk about things that make you feel uncomfortable, just tell me. I had better get back to the farm. I’ll see you later.” Cooper hadn’t given her time to reply. He had walked past her and exited the hotel, determined to become Peyton’s forever.
If she’d let him.
Her love for you will be something I can never try to claim.
It had been two weeks since Cooper was last at the Spencer-Reid. With his boss, Graham, back from his honeymoon, he was continuously working. New orders, new clients, and a lot more deliveries in town and the surrounding communities, but he didn’t mind the work. Cooper enjoyed it. What he hadn’t liked was being away from Peyton. He was determined to get to know her, but work had gotten in the way.
Then again, space was what he needed. There was a lot about Peyton Spencer that he didn’t know. She had said that her heartbreak had been complicated. He wasn’t sure how she defined ‘complicated,’ but it had been all he thought of. He was sure he’d see it through. Cooper wanted to come out of it worthy of her trust. Worthy enough to be her forever. He didn’t want to be sometimes. A sometimes moment, that was what she had said. He was sure that term meant more than just the moments he’d look back on later in life. Someday, she’d tell him the true meaning.
Cooper had bumped into Peyton two Fridays ago. It was at the local bakery after he had just dropped off a last-minute delivery. When he had asked how she was, she had smiled and let out a sigh. She appeared tired, but she still had that flawless smile. She had said that a wedding that weekend was keeping her busy. As much as she would enjoy the actual event, she had hated the lead-up. Then he had to leave and that was the last time he had seen her.
The fact he couldn’t stop thinking about her led him to the Daylesford pub. In his almost two months in the small town, he had wondered about the pub. Madilynne and Graham never spoke about
the local drinking tavern. They spoke about all the other businesses but not the pub. His curiosity and the need to drink Peyton away, even for a second, had him entering.
Cooper stood at the door, surprised that it was exactly what he thought a small country pub would be like. Dark oak everywhere, dim lights, pool tables, and classic Australian hits playing. He also recognised people from town drinking and chatting. He understood why Madilynne wouldn’t be seen here. Though she was a small town girl at heart—even though she hated to admit it—she was a lot classier than the Daylesford pub.
“Cooper!” several men shouted.
He nodded their way, appreciating their drunk smiles as he headed towards the counter. It wasn’t like back home, it felt more ominous, and the kind of pub one goes to bury their sorrows. As Cooper sat on a barstool, he scanned the room to find that not many visited the local pub.
“Evenin’,” a man said, pressing his palm against the counter as he looked Cooper up and down.
From what he could tell, the man serving him was definitely a few years younger than he was. He had brown hair tussled as if he hadn’t made an effort and brown eyes. His nose was slightly crooked appearing as if it had been broken before.
The man squinted. “Never seen you before.”
“I’m Cooper. I work for Graham Scott at the farm,” he explained and introduced.
“You’re the new guy in town?”
He nodded. “I guess that’s me.”
The man pushed off the bar and glanced around the pub. He appeared nervous, but only for a second. Then he swallowed hard and breathed in, composing himself. “I’m Jay Preston; I run this place.”
“Nice to meet you,” Cooper said, resting his arms on the counter.
“Not when they tell you,” Jay muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Can I get you some—”
A woman clumsily sat on the barstool next to Cooper’s, interrupting Jay. She had brunette hair that faded to blonde at the ends. “Jay, can I please get—” The woman paused, as if she felt Cooper staring at her, and then she turned her attention to him. The moment she did, a smile spread across her bright pink lacquered lips. “Hi, I’ve never seen you in here before.”
