A little extra business tossed his way wouldn’t be a bad thing.
She wandered into her office an hour before she usually left, thinking she might as well get the lecture over with. Grandfather granted her wish and beckoned her into his office as soon as she turned on her computer.
He kept the lecture short and sweet. Nellie nodded but didn’t bother promising that it would never happen again because given the same circumstance, she’d make the same decision, any day of the week. Once he finished, she went back to her office.
She spent a few minutes ticking items off her to-do list before heading home.
On the way, she stopped to pick up food. She really needed to find a healthier option than take-out and frozen dinners.
After changing into comfy clothes, eating alone at her table, Nellie smiled when a text from Coop popped up on her screen: Next time you swoop in to save the day, please don’t leave without saying goodbye.
I promise not to do that again. She stared at the screen, grinning stupidly. What was wrong with her?
She made it a full week before she drove back to the garage.
Chapter 6
It was a rare day that Coop closed the bay doors at five, but he welcomed the break after the string of busy days he’d had. The last door had barely slid halfway down when the silver Jeep pulled into the lot.
He ducked out under the door. “Hi.” Excitement at seeing her dwindled as he thought about why. “The Jeep giving you trouble?”
He’d wanted to call her so many times, but he hadn’t. Every single time, he’d talked himself out of it, telling himself she wasn’t really interested. Women like her didn’t date their mechanic.
She climbed down and tugged at the hem of her fitted skirt. “Not really.”
When she’d shown up the first time, Coop thought maybe there was a problem. When she’d come by and stayed to help him, she left without even talking about her Jeep. Seeing her at the garage again gave him a sliver of hope that maybe—just maybe—the Jeep had nothing to do with why she kept showing up.
He shut out the voice whispering that she wasn’t interested. “Nellie, I’d feel horrible if I didn’t follow up and something did happen, so what if I drove your Jeep for a bit?”
“That’s a great idea. I mean, if you’re free.” The afternoon light glistened in her eyes.
“Oh, I’m free.” He held out his hand, and she slipped her fingers between his.
A half second later, her cheeks flushed. “You wanted my keys.”
Coop squeezed her hand. “I didn’t know this was an option.”
“My Jeep isn’t making any noises.”
He helped her into the passenger seat. “You don’t say.”
She traced the name embroidered to the front of his shirt. “I just wanted to see you again.” Her words were music to his ears.
“So, listen. I’d like to take you to dinner, but before I go anywhere, I need a shower.” He held up his hands as evidence. “Mind if we make a short stop by my place? Hearing it out loud makes it sound really creepy.”
“I don’t mind, but honestly Coop, I’m surprised that you’d let a stranger wander in your apartment unattended.” She buckled her seatbelt.
“A stranger? You just called me Coop. Only my friends call me that.” He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
When they got to his apartment, she grabbed his hand as they walked toward the door almost as if she didn’t care that his hands were permanently coated in grease. He unlocked the door and let it swing open.
She stepped in, glancing around. “This is nice.”
He cringed at the dirty dishes in the sink and mail strewn on the table. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be quick.”
She dropped onto the couch as he left the room.
Coop turned on the water, letting it get hot while he found a clean pair of jeans and a shirt with a collar. In the shower, he scrubbed every spot of grease he could find with pumice soap, making himself smell like an orange popsicle.
What was she doing? Would he find her sitting on the couch or was she poking through his things? He didn’t know anything about her—not true, but he knew very little about her. Yet, she was wandering his apartment while he showered. Was that brave of him or stupid?
He yanked on his jeans, combed his hair, and walked out to the living room buttoning his shirt. “Find anything interesting?”
“Maybe.” She walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, water spots on the front of her skirt and blouse.
He peeked around the corner. “You did my dishes?”
“That’s weird, isn’t it?” She laid the towel on the counter. “Doing nothing makes me antsy.”
Coop leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. “I’d love to take you someplace fancy, someplace suited to a high-power executive, but that ain’t happening tonight. I don’t even know if my suit still fits.”
“I don’t need fancy, and I never said I was an executive.” She stood in front of him, hands on her hips, poised for battle.
“Everything about you did.” He glanced down and realized he’d messed up the buttons. Fiddling with his shirt, he tried not to act as nervous as he felt. “I have an idea for dinner. Like barbecue?”
“Do birds fly?” She stepped closer, eyeing him as he undid the buttons.
“Not all birds.”
She swatted his arm. “Yes, Coop, I like barbecue.” Moving his hands out of the way, she slowly fastened the buttons, glancing up occasionally, giving him peeks at those dark, beautiful eyes.
He’d never been happier that he opted to wear an undershirt. When Coop remembered to breathe, he finished his thought. “Then I know just the place.”
She ran a finger down the front of his shirt. “All fixed.”
“You ready?” He pointed toward the door.
As much as he looked forward to taking her to dinner, it was tempting to tug her to the sofa and fast forward straight to the goodnight kiss, especially after the whole button thing.
She slipped her hand in his as they strolled back out to the Jeep. “Is that orange oil I smell?”
“Sorry. That’s the only soap with a prayer of getting rid of the grease.”
“The citrus scent is fine with me. I like it, actually.”
He stuck to back roads, bypassing crowded highways as he made his way out of town. “One of my favorite barbecue places is in Old Town Helotes, so that’s where we’re headed.”
“If I can get brisket and Big Red, I’ll be a happy girl.”
“I’m pretty certain I can make that happen.”
Her grin was so bright, it nearly distracted him from the red light.
After getting food, they filled their drinks and found a table. He sat next to her and watched her reaction as she took her first bite.
“Wow. This is good.”
“Maybe next time, I’ll take you to one of my other favorite barbecue places. There’s a really good place in Sisterdale.”
That wide, beautiful smile told him he had a good chance of a second date.
“Did you ever let the other place know what happened with the Jeep?” He hadn’t brought it up since he first let her know what happened.
“I told them.” The curl of her lips and spark in her eyes dangled the rest of the story.
“And?”
“I barely got out the words ‘You’ll be hearing from my attorney.’ before they refunded me the oil change, covered the cost of repairs, and gave me coupons for free oil changes.”
“Would you take it back to that place?”
“No! Is that something you can do?”
“Changing oil? Yep. I can manage that.”
“I might have to send them a thank-you note, though.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “So, what do you do for fun?
“Besides taking beautiful women to dinner?”
“Plural? I should be careful.”
“Do you two-step?”
“Not
in years.”
“We might have to change that.”
Coop helped her out of the passenger seat. “You busy Friday?”
“I think I am. There’s this guy who’s taking me dancing.” She leaned back against the Jeep and trailed her finger down the buttons on his shirt.
He wouldn’t be able to button a shirt without thinking of her.
Hands resting on the Jeep on each side of her, he got close enough to feel her breath on his face. “Lucky guy.”
Her lips parted, and her eyes closed.
His heart pounded. Coop wanted to kiss her but decided to hang on to that anticipation a bit longer. He brushed a knuckle along her cheek. “Really lucky.”
Her lids peeked open, and dark eyes sparkled. “I should probably go.”
“If you’ll send me your address, I’ll pick you up about eight.”
She tensed, and the rigid, forced smile returned. “I’ll just meet you. Here? Or at your apartment?”
He searched her face for clues to whatever secrets she was keeping. “Here works.” Stepping away, he decided not kissing her was probably wise.
“I had fun tonight.”
“Yep.” He could only think of one reason she’d be so averse to having him show up at her house and desperately hoped that wasn’t the reason.
She startled him by planting a quick kiss on his cheek then ran around and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Goodnight.” He followed her around and leaned in the window when she rolled it down. “One question? No—two.”
She nodded.
“Are you married?”
Her disdain for his question flashed in those lose-himself-forever eyes. “You really think . . .” She shook her head and shifted into reverse. “You can just forget—”
He didn’t move away. “Wait. Hear me out. Clearly you don’t want me at your house. Clearly. So, if it isn’t because you’re married, is it because you don’t trust me? When I offered to bring you the jacket that night, I wasn’t—”
She threw the Jeep back into park and pressed a manicured finger to his lips. “That’s not the reason. If I didn’t trust you, I never would’ve gone to your apartment.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you here at eight on Friday.” Choosing not to trust her meant walking away, and he wasn’t willing to do that.
“I can’t wait.” She’d taken the words right out of his mouth.
Chapter 7
Nellie drove home, oscillating between glee and despair. It had been a long time since she’d dated someone who wasn’t aware of her family connections or her money. And when it came to relationships, she distrusted anyone who knew about those things. Anyone on Grandfather’s short list of eligible bachelors got an automatic rejection.
The look on Coop’s face when he asked her the questions—especially the first one—made her secret harder to keep, but in the past, when guys found out she was loaded, if they weren’t after the money, they ran for the hills. She didn’t want Coop running away.
When she got home, she turned on her phone. Leaving it off for hours wasn’t typical, but it was the only way to have an uninterrupted evening. Listening to her messages, she changed into a tank top and sweats.
“Eleanor, I’m not sure what’s going on, but getting your voicemail is unacceptable. I’ve passed the Lawson deal over to Tanner.” Grandfather acted as if that was a bad thing.
She clicked delete and listened to the next message.
“Rupert and his son will be in town to discuss the new shopping center. I’ve scheduled dinner on Friday. Make plans to be there.” Grandfather had nothing better to do than fill her calendar.
She had a decision to make. Canceling on Coop ranked at the bottom of the list of things Nellie wanted to do, but she did have a job to do. Clicking through to the next message, she braced for more bad news.
“I really thought you wanted to run this company one day, Eleanor. I’m very disappointed. Don’t bother calling back tonight.” The old man cared about one thing only—money.
Maybe she’d see the world differently if she hadn’t grown up with money, but she had. And to her it was both a luxury and a nuisance. To Grandfather, it was everything.
She tossed her phone on the bed and hopped on the treadmill. Excitement had been shifted to frustration, and walking it off was the only hope of getting any sleep.
Nellie closed a file folder and stared at her phone. The way last night ended still bothered her. She wanted to get to know Coop better, but asking questions while keeping secrets seemed selfish.
She shot off a quick text: To kill time until we see each other again, maybe we could play a game. Never have I ever?
Even though she figured it would be hours before he responded, she cradled her phone, willing it to beep.
Never have I ever been kicked while working on a car—oh, wait. He followed that with a winking emoji.
She shot off an embarrassed emoji and then took her turn: Never have I ever slept outside, like in a tent or anything.
Can’t wait to see what I learn tomorrow.
The next day, Nellie started first. Never have I ever kissed a man with a beard.
She glanced at her phone every five minutes, but no reply came. Two hours later, her assistant knocked at the door.
“Come in.” Nellie tried to clear away thoughts of Coop and focus on work.
A bouquet of flowers in hand, Lindsey grinned. “These came for you.”
Nellie nearly fell in her rush to get around the desk. “Is there a card?”
Lindsey pointed at the small envelope tucked into the arrangement. “Sending you flowers at work—he must be a keeper.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Nellie had no interest in discussing her personal life with anyone at the office. “Thanks.”
As soon as she was alone, she slipped the card out of the envelope.
The note made her giggle.
Never have I ever kissed a woman with a beard.
I would’ve said never have I ever sent a woman flowers, but that’s no longer true.
Nellie buried her nose in the blooms, her eyes closed and heart racing. What was she going to do about Friday? Canceling was not an option.
She tapped out a text to Coop: I love them. They’re beautiful.
This time his answer came right away. Then you match. See you Friday.
The rest of the week in brief text exchanges, they learned a little more about each other.
On Friday morning, Nellie sent Coop a text: Never have I ever been so happy for Friday.
He answered right away. Never have I ever been so excited about going dancing.
Nellie imagine herself in his arms, and it made the next text harder to send. I hate to do this, but . . . She waited a second before sending the second part of the message. Could we meet at 9?
I thought you were going to cancel on me. 9 sounds perfect. Band doesn’t start till 10 anyway.
She wanted to tell him that he’d been on her mind almost constantly since she’d said goodbye to him and that delaying seeing him again made her ache, but that would be rushing things.
I have no intention of canceling. She hoped he’d read between the lines.
After hours of schmoozing, Nellie was ready to leave the restaurant. She waved off Rupert, Jr. when he tried for the fifth time to serve her wine. “No, thanks.”
“I’m happy to drive you home after.” He leaned closer and tipped the bottle.
“Kind of you, but I have other plans this evening.” Glancing at the time, she stood, worried she might be late as it was. “Nice to see you again. Goodnight” She avoided her grandfather’s gaze as she picked up her purse and hurried out.
When she pulled up to the shop, the lights were on inside. Carrying a change of clothes, she pushed open the door, conscious of how overdressed she was for a night of dancing.
Coop’s lips twitched into a grin. “Wow. If I’d known, I’d have dressed up some.”
“Mind if I change?”
> “Maybe. I mean, you could wear that.”
Nellie shook her head, amused and flattered by his reaction. “No, I can’t.”
“You can use my office.” Coop stepped aside, but his gaze stayed riveted to her.
She stopped in front of him, entrapped by his musky cologne. She’d liked the orange oil, but this was even better. Pressing a hand to his chest, she met his gaze. “You smell amazing. What is that you’re wearing?”
“Something that promised it would make me irresistible. Is it working?”
She stretched up on her tiptoes, wanting to start the night by scratching something off her never-have-I-ever list. Trailing her fingers through his beard, she whispered, “Yeah.”
Coop brushed his lips on hers, his whiskers almost tickling.
The clothes in her hand hit the floor, and she pressed closer.
Arms wrapped around her, and he lifted her off the ground. Seconds evaporated.
After a minute, she tilted her head back. “You kissed the shoes right off me.”
“I might have to be careful with that.” He glanced down at her heels before setting her down.
She picked up her clothes. “I’ll be ready to go in a couple minutes. Oh! My boots.”
“Those would be harder to kiss off of you, but I’m willing to give it a go.” He arched an eyebrow and grinned.
The heat rushing up her skin drew a chuckle from Coop.
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Did you leave your boots at the house you don’t want me to see?”
“No. I left them in the Jeep.” She tossed her keys at him.
He caught them and bowed. “At your service.”
In the office, she slipped out of her cocktail dress and hung it on the back of his door. She’d have to remember to get it when they got back from dancing. Lingering a few minutes after she was dressed, she glanced at the photos on his desk.
By the looks of it, Cara was much younger.
Before Nellie had time to even open a drawer—not that she would have—a soft rap at the door made her jump.
Dating the Billionaire's Granddaughter Page 4
