by Len Webster
She was pretty. Perfectly sculpted eyebrows and her makeup had been done without a hint of imperfection. This woman was plastic pretty. Not a piece of her out of place. And that was a shame. Maybe he liked the imperfections on people. Liked to see the realness of them. There was no denying her attractiveness, but for Cooper, he felt nothing towards her. Not in the way he had when he had met Peyton.
“I’m Cooper Hepburn; I work for Graham.” He put forward his hand, and she glanced down at it.
“Daisy Wilcox. It’s so very nice to meet you, Cooper,” she said in a flirty voice. Then they shook hands.
And nothing.
No surge or want.
Cooper felt nothing towards her.
She was nice.
But that was it.
“Daisy, you mind giving us a second?” Jay asked, slicing through their conversation.
The smile on Daisy’s face vanished. She turned and shot the bartender an icy stare. Then she let out a huff and faced Cooper once more.
“I hope to see you again,” she said to him. Then she hopped off the barstool and headed towards the other side of the pub.
“Cooper,” Jay said, gaining his attention. His voice was controlled, little emotion in it.
Cooper’s eyes met Jay. A flash in them had him tensing, unsure what Jay would do to him.
“It’s a small town. Rumours fly around here. I’ve made mistakes, and I won’t make them again. She doesn’t need my protection. But you do anything to hurt her, I will come after you,” Jay warned.
He flinched. Jay’s warning had Cooper bunching his brows at him. He wasn’t terrified. There was no reason to be. He was not interested in Daisy at all. Not in the way that warranted a threat.
Cooper got off the barstool and held his hands up at Jay. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ll just go. Have a good night, Jay.”
He had taken several steps back, hands still raised, before he spun around and made his way towards the exit.
It hadn’t taken Cooper long to reach the lake. He had walked slowly through town, nodding and smiling at the locals along the way. They had all known his name. It was nice, but at the same time, he wanted to go incognito. He missed that about living in the suburbs. Not everyone knew his name or business. About thirty thousand people lived in Warren Meadows. It wasn’t as hectic as the city, but it was large enough to get lost in if he wanted to. But here, in Daylesford, it was hard.
People like Jay Preston knew his business.
He wasn’t sure why, but he got weird vibes from the pub owner.
He wasn’t someone Cooper would go out of his way to be friends with.
Unless Peyton liked him. Then that would be another story.
Walking down the hill, he noticed the front lights of the hotel on. He wondered if Peyton was still at work. Digging his phone out of his jeans pocket, he found that it was just after ten p.m. It was late if she were. But then again, he hadn’t seen her in two weeks; she might not want to see him at all after the last time he’d really spent time with her. When he had stupidly asked if she’d ever had a heartbreak.
“Oh, what the hell, Cooper. You have nothing left to lose,” he muttered to himself as he turned towards the hotel.
No alcohol had been consumed tonight.
His impending actions could not be blamed on being intoxicated.
Cooper was going exactly where life was taking him.
And that was to Peyton Spencer.
Life was irrational, and he honestly didn’t care.
Not where she was involved.
It took minutes to make it to the hotel’s front doors. A deep breath later and he was inside. The hotel was quiet, but he saw Jenny behind the desk. Her look of surprise had him grinning at her. As if she had underestimated Cooper or something. Stupid thought, he knew, but he just wanted someone to be on his side, to support his stupidity when it came to Peyton.
Jenny pointed to her left, indicating to him that Peyton was in the Polaroid room. Cooper craned his neck to find Peyton sitting on the floor with frames around her. He shot Jenny an appreciative smile and slowly walked towards Peyton. His steps were soft and calculated. When he made it to the part where the carpet and the hardwood floors met, Cooper stood there and watched her.
He watched as Peyton smiled at the frame she held and got up. She was so lost in her own little bubble that she hadn’t noticed him while she approached a vacant spot on the wall and set the frame on the hook. Peyton straightened it, as the smile on her face grew even wider. She became even more beautiful than he had ever thought possible.
Cooper sucked air through his nostrils and decided that he had absolutely nothing to lose. He would go for it.
“It’s late, Pey. You should go home,” he said in a soft voice.
She went rigid, and Cooper could hear her laboured breathing. She took a sharp inhale and then asked, “Did you just call me Pey?”
He clenched his hands into fists, realising that he must have done something wrong. Again. “Yeah,” he replied, slightly annoyed at himself. He wasn’t sure how he could possibly do any more harm than he already had.
Peyton didn’t reply.
It had gone quiet around them as he waited.
Finally, after a few long and torturous minutes, she shifted and faced him. Her eyes were glassy. And that hurt expression on her face had his heart throbbing. It felt as if fire consumed his chest.
“Please don’t,” she begged so quietly that he had almost missed it.
She doesn’t like nicknames …
Okay, I can work with that.
Cooper nodded. “All right. I won’t.”
Her lips curved into a small smile. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Peyton?”
“Yes?”
He took a deep breath, deciding that he was definitely going for it. “Can I walk you home?”
She flinched, appearing to be completely thrown by his question.
Cooper took a step forward. “I’d like to take the long way if that’s okay?”
Silence.
She had blinked several times.
Then she nodded.
“Are you sure? You don’t seem sure …” He took a step back and watched the surprise consume her eyes with a bright flash.
“Cooper,” she whispered. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sure. I promise I’m sure. You do realise that I’m a local, right? The long way home can be a walk around the entire town before we get to my place.”
He grinned at the humour in her voice. “I’d like to take the long way home with you, Peyton.”
“Okay,” she agreed and began to walk out of the room when his hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her.
“Did you want to finish putting up those frames on the wall? I know how important these sometimes moments are for you. I’ll help,” he offered.
Peyton gazed up at him; the gentleness in her eyes had his heart racing. She shook her head. “No. Not tonight. Jenny can put them away for me. I’d rather you walked me home.”
The long way to Peyton’s house took almost an hour. They barely spoke, and he didn’t push her to talk, as she seemed to enjoy the quietness between them. Someday, when she trusted him, he hoped the long way home would be comfortable for her. Comfortable to the point she could talk openly about her fears and her troubles. But right now, he’d settle for her silence. Because in her silence screamed her need to guard herself. And for Cooper, he’d break through her walls.
Maybe not tonight.
Maybe not tomorrow.
Hopefully someday.
When Peyton had stopped her steps, he halted. Then she said, “This is me.”
Though it was dark, he could just see the weatherboard house. From where he stood and in the blackness of the night, he thought it was cute.
“Thank you for the walk,” Cooper said with all the sincerity he could manage in his voice.
“I should be thanking you. So thank you.”
The moon’s light
was just enough to see her blue eyes. To see her cute nose and to see her plump lips. Under the veil of the night, he wanted to kiss her. Where he was sure there were no prying eyes. Kiss her to get her out of his system. Kiss her to confirm his feelings. And to kiss her and hope that he discovered his attraction towards her was conjured by his irrational brain.
“I should go,” Cooper whispered.
“It’s late.”
“I know,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s why I better go.”
“I have a couch you can sleep on,” she offered.
He let out a sigh. “Thank you for offering, but I can’t. Not because I don’t want to, but because you don’t seem very comfortable with me right now. And I’d rather you slept well than have to worry about my intentions or what you believe are my intentions. I don’t ever want my presence in your home to make you feel uncomfortable, Peyton. So if it’s okay with you, I’d like to refuse your couch.”
“Oh,” she breathed.
“I’m gonna take that as a yes. So go inside and I’ll see you tomorrow for a cup of tea … If you’ll join me?”
“Yeah, just find me,” she whispered and then she left him at the bottom of the steps as she climbed them and made her way into her house after she’d unlocked the door.
She had left him alone in the night.
And alone with his thoughts.
Thoughts that wished for her love and trust.
And at that moment, he promised himself that he would try to find a place in Peyton Spencer’s heart.
I want to say that we’ve had the easiest of loves …
That thought of being irrationally in love with Peyton Spencer was now rational. It just took Cooper Hepburn longer than it should have to realise it. He began to fall in love with her from the moment he heard that out-of-the-blue laugh from her. Every day since, he was fighting the inevitable.
He was supposed to be in love with Peyton.
And in the two weeks since he had walked her home, he had spent all his free time with her at the hotel. Always tea and desserts but at various places around her hotel. She had said that this was a slower tour. That there was a lot she wanted to show him, but it was worth the wait. Like all the other days, Cooper sat silently as he watched Peyton pick up the teapot and pour the freshly brewed tea in his cup and then hers. She now spoke freely and comfortably around him. It was slow progress, but he didn’t mind. Each day, she spoke a little more about herself and her family. But not a whole lot. She only gave him the basics. On a raining Tuesday, she had warned him about a black cat, Mr Lucky. If Cooper happened to cross paths, he shouldn’t be afraid. The crazy cat loved the rain, and Mrs West would be looking for him. She had told him which house on her street the crazy one-cat lady lived at.
The beeping from his phone had Cooper glancing down at it. It was his sister, Megan, messaging him. He let out a sigh.
“Sorry, Peyton, it’s my sister. If I don’t message her back, trust me, war will be waged,” he said.
She set down the teapot and gave him a smile. “No, go for it.”
Megan: Will you be coming back to Warren Meadows anytime soon?
Cooper: It’s a three-hour drive. Don’t really want to if I don’t have to.
Megan: We need to talk about your birthday party.
Cooper: My birthday is three months away, Megs. I’m really busy today.
Megan: I need to plan your birthday party so it doesn’t coincide with my wedding.
Cooper: Really, Megs?
Megan: Yes, Cooper.
Cooper: I’m busy at the farm. I don’t think I’m going to be back in time for my birthday. So you get free rein of whatever date you want in October.
Megan: I bet you anything that if Margot asked, you’d come home in an instant.
Cooper: Don’t be like that. I would not.
Megan: You would, too. She’s ALWAYS been your favourite. If I have my wedding on your birthday, will you care? It’s the only date free at the Winter Garden.
Cooper: No. Because it is YOUR wedding. And I love you both. Don’t be like that, okay? I’d drop everything for YOUR wedding. But I don’t care about my birthday.
Megan: You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just going insane. I don’t even want my wedding on that date. It’s your birthday. I’m sorry, Coop.
Cooper: Don’t be. Stressful times, I know. I gotta get back. I’ll call you later.
Once he had locked his phone, Cooper set it next to him and let out a sigh. He glanced up to see Peyton’s raised brow and the half-smile on her face.
“Everything okay?” she asked as she handed him a plate with a blueberry cheesecake on it.
He nodded. “My sister, Megan, is getting married. The only date available at the Winter Garden is on my birthday.”
“Tell her to avoid them.”
“What? Why?”
Peyton sat back into her chair. “I know the wedding industry, Cooper. Trust me, she does not want her wedding at the Winter Garden. Their facilities suck and the food isn’t that great either. I know the owners and they’re good people who try.” She paused and cut into her cheesecake. “But a wedding is supposed to be the greatest day of a couple’s life. She could try the Perry’s or the Coretta. They’re some of the state’s best venues. I can make some calls and get her any date she wants.”
Cooper blinked at her. She would go out of her way to get his sister a wedding venue. She didn’t know Megan. In fact, if she did, she wouldn’t go to such extreme lengths.
“Why didn’t you recommend the Spencer-Reid?” he asked.
Peyton set her forkful of cheesecake down. “What?”
“The Spencer-Reid is one of the state’s most beloved wedding venues. This place was in the top three, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “It’s number two. But I didn’t want you to think I was trying to get business out of you and your sister. The Perry’s is number one for a reason. I can get her a date.”
“You would really do that for my sister?” he asked, surprised.
“Of course, she’s your sister.” She smiled. “Plus, Jane, who is the owner at the Perry’s, owes me a few favours.”
“You’re amazing, Peyton Spencer. You know that, right?”
His compliment brought the return of her pink cheeks. He’d caused her to blush, and his heart swelled at the thought. Peyton didn’t reply as she picked up her cup and stared at the tea inside. That exact moment, the way she got lost in her thoughts, was beautiful. And he wished she could see just how beautiful she really was. Cooper reached into his work bag next to him and retrieved the Polaroid camera. He had to be quick to take proof of this moment. He switched the camera on and held it up. Through the small glass window, he could see Peyton’s lips part as she was about to say something.
And at that moment, he took her picture.
The bright flash causing her to lift her chin and stare at him.
Her wide and very surprised eyes bore into him, and he loved it.
Loved her the moments just before, during, and after the Polaroid had been taken.
She didn’t call him out on his picture taking as she blinked and quickly composed herself. Cooper set the camera on the table and slipped the picture into his bag. He’d show her someday. If there were ever a day she doubted herself, he’d show her.
Peyton smiled at him as she brushed her hair behind her ear. Then she cleared her throat and asked, “Are you coming to the cherry blossom festival tomorrow night?”
Cherry blossom festival?
“This town has cherry blossom trees? I haven’t seen many.”
“Daylesford only has a handful. They’re mostly in people’s backyards. The festival is here at the hotel. We’re welcoming winter. We have fake cherry blossom trees with pink fairy lights wrapped around them. I have Nigel constructing them out back now. June Sinclair will be here.”
Cooper’s mouth gaped. “You know June Sinclair? The singer. That June Sinclair?”
A light laugh passed her lip
s. “We’re actually friends. You should come to the festival tomorrow, and I’ll introduce you to her. Also, during the day, the market is opening as well. Almost everyone from town is coming, so you’ll have people to talk to.”
“Almost everyone?”
“Jay Preston won’t be coming,” she said.
“Why?”
“He refuses to. It’s a long story.”
“One you’ll tell me someday?”
Peyton took a sip of her tea and then nodded. “Someday. So tomorrow? I don’t really want to pressure you to come, but I’d love it if you did. It’s the first festival the hotel’s going to be hosting, so I could really use you here.”
Because sometimes he doesn’t think his actions through, Cooper reached up and took hold of Peyton’s hand in his. The immediate surge from their contact completely consumed him.
Like when he had first met her, his heart and his brain knew.
It is her.
She was the one.
Cooper stared into her beautiful eyes and nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“Wow,” he breathed as he stepped out of the hotel and into its main garden. Trees upon trees wrapped in pink and white fairy lights were scattered throughout the garden. They looked like cherry blossom trees. It was bright and beautiful. Peyton and her hotel had outdone themselves. It was just after five p.m. and the sun was on its way to setting, making the light shimmer across the lake perfectly.
“Well, well, well,” he heard Madilynne Scott say to his right.
He turned to see her with a champagne glass in her hand, her eyes roaming up and down. “Hey, Mads,” he greeted. “Where’s Graham?”
“With my dad. You look quite nice this evening, Coop.” The smirk on her face had him looking down at his dark grey chinos and light green T-shirt. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to dress for a town festival. But he thought with what he had packed, he looked presentable.
