“I hope he feels better,” Cooper said. “I’ll go grab the food. Meet you at my place in about half an hour?”
“See you then.”
• • •
Never has a half hour flown by so quickly.
I told myself it was because Chinese sounded so good. That I’d had a long work week—the last thing I wanted to do was cook for myself. Not only that, I really needed to hit the grocery store, because there wasn’t much left in the house anyway.
My quivering womb called bullshit on this, emphatically pointing out that I hadn’t gotten laid for way too long and that it wasn’t like he was married.
“Come in!” Cooper called when I knocked at his door. I stepped inside hesitantly, looking around to see what he’d done with the place. There wasn’t much furniture, and what he did have seemed to be mostly of the thrift shop variety. He walked out of the little galley kitchen toward an old Formica table, which I noted had been set with mismatched plates.
“Guess what I didn’t get in the divorce,” he said lightly, offering a quirky smile.
“Furniture.”
“You nailed it,” he said. “But that’s okay—the kids need it more than I do, so I left everything with my ex. Want something to drink?”
“Water’s good.”
I sat down at the table, feeling awkward. My own home was so comfortable, and this just seemed . . . bleak.
“You should get some plants or something.”
He laughed, reaching forward to open a steaming container.
“I’d probably kill them,” he admitted. “Not really a plant kind of guy. This is mostly just a place to sleep and shower while I start over again.”
I frowned, wondering what I’d do when he left. Unrequited lust aside, I had a lot more unfinished projects. “When do you think you’ll hit the road again?”
He shrugged.
“Really just depends. I’m figuring things out on the legal front right now. Taking some time for myself. I’ve done well enough that I’m not too worried about money, at least not for a while, but if I leave the area, my ex might try to pull something, you know?”
“So you’re in limbo,” I said, spooning some broccoli beef out onto my plate.
“Yeah, you could say that. Watching and waiting.”
“I know how that feels, actually. When Mom died last winter, it was sudden. She was always so healthy and strong, and she was only in her sixties. Then I got a phone call that she’d slid off the road one night. It wasn’t even a bad accident, but I guess she hit her head exactly wrong and it was all over.”
Cooper didn’t say anything at first, and I looked up, expecting to see that old familiar look of pity. People never knew what to say, about my mom or the baby. There wasn’t a hint of pity in his face, though. I couldn’t read his expression, but he didn’t feel sorry for me, and that was better than I could’ve hoped for.
“Sorry to hear that,” he said quietly. I shrugged.“It is what it is. I was only planning on staying for a week or two, but then I realized things weren’t right with Dad. I can’t leave him on his own, but I can’t see putting him in a home, either.”
“So you moved back to Hallies Falls to take care of him.”
How to answer that? I wasn’t sure I knew the answer myself.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I admitted. Cooper raised a brow.
“You already relocated your business and took over the apartment building. What’s left to decide?”
He was so matter-of-fact about it that I laughed.
“What?” he asked.
“Everyone dances around, but you just blurt things out, don’t you?”
“Call it like I see it.”
“I never planned to move back home permanently,” I told him. “And the the way I’m doing business right now is completely unsustainable. If I’m going to stay in Hallies Falls, I’ll need to put that commercial kitchen in the house—those aren’t cheap. The little one down at Mom’s store passes Department of Health standards, but it’s no good long term. Among other things, it’s not big enough for all my equipment.”
“That’s a big investment,” Cooper said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yes,” I admitted. “And it means a real commitment to the town, which was never my plan. At the same time, Dad is happy here. He’s not a danger to himself, at least not yet. Just confused. I can’t imagine taking him away from his home unless there’s no other choice—I think he’d be totally lost.”
“Tough situation,” Cooper said. “But it sounds like you’ve already made your decision.”
I cocked my head, startled. “How’s that?”
“You just said you can’t imagine taking him away,” he replied casually. “And I’ve seen the way you watch him. You love him and you want to take care of him more than you want to be in Seattle—otherwise you’d have left by now. Looks like you need to sell your old place and move forward.”
“But then I’ll be trapped here,” I said, my voice low. “It’s not easy being a single woman in this town. You wouldn’t believe how many small-minded assholes live here, and they just love to gossip about me.”
Cooper smirked. “So I’ve heard.”
I groaned, closing my eyes.
“So you know about that?”
“I heard you’re a cougar who likes to seduce college boys on the weekends,” he said, cocking his head at me. “Nobody’s actually come out and said it, but I get the impression you also drink their innocent blood to maintain your youth and beauty?”
I leaned my elbows on the table, rubbing my temples, wondering how my life had ever come to this. “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. It’s not flattering, but believe me, I’m not some cougar on the prowl.”
Cooper started laughing. Frowning, I flipped him off, which made him laugh louder.
“What’s so funny?”
“I know you’re not on the prowl,” he said. “I live next door to you, Tinker. You’re in bed by ten every night and haven’t gone on a single date since I moved in. Either you’re having a hell of a dry spell or you don’t get around nearly as much as they’d like to imagine. So tell me, where does the cougar rep come from?”