by Sarah Adams
At one point, when Levi finally got the kite up in the air by himself after several failed attempts, Cooper cheered like an obnoxious dad in the stands of a soccer game, raced over to me, wrapped his arms around my waist to pick me up, and spun me around while yelling, “YEAHHHHHHH!” My ovaries were so excited at that I think I somehow managed to get pregnant again just from that magic twirl.
After that, Levi invited Cooper back to the house for PB&J sandwiches. I told him Cooper was probably way too busy, giving Cooper more than enough chances to politely excuse himself, but he just gave me a dramatic pshhhh and said he never turns down a good PB&J.
On the way home, Cooper noticed my check oil light was on and asked how long it had been since I changed it. I replied with, “What’s an oil change?” so he stopped in at the auto supply shop and bought me a few bottles of oil.
At home, I made sandwiches while the men got to work on the car, and when I walked outside with a tray of lunch, I nearly passed out. In another life, I dropped the tray, and it clanged dramatically on the ground. Because when Cooper slid out from under my vehicle, his shirt was off, and I couldn’t keep my eyes from sliding down every single one of his tanned, cut muscles. Cooper’s body is all large shoulders and defined pecs, tapering down to a six-pack and rippling obliques, with just the tiniest sprinkle of hair in the center of his chest. Somehow, seeing him standing there in jeans, no shirt, and a backwards baseball cap, it felt downright dirty. I almost suggested he donate his body to science, because when they finally get the cloning thing figured out, he needs to be the one they replicate.
As if that wasn’t enough of a sight to behold, he helped Levi out from under the car, and HE TOO had his shirt off. The two of them stood there, hands on their hips, a lovely example of opposites. One was all hard body and sun-kissed skin, the other the little dough boy with an adorable round stomach pooching out over his Spiderman underwear waistband. It was too much. And honestly, my heart ached at the sight of it. Partly because Levi looked so proud and happy, but also because there’s a very real chance that all of this wonderfulness will go poof and disappear as quickly as it arrived.
Cooper and I are not a couple, and he’s the most desirable, sought-after bachelor in town (I’m assuming, because…look at him). It might be fun for him to play house with me today, but the day in and day out of being a parent is not all kicks and giggles like this. I just can’t picture a man like him, one who has everything to offer, choosing to settle down and jump right into a family man role.
Once again, I aimed too high.
Which is why now, as I’m standing in the kitchen, rinsing the plates, I try to avoid replaying any memories of this day. And I certainly try to ignore Cooper when he walks in (still shirtless) and leans back against the counter directly beside me. I wish I found his confidence repellant. I wish the cocky grin he flashes me because he knows he looks good in this pose, with his arms crossed and biceps bulging, didn’t make my stomach twist into a salty little pretzel.
“You’re busy in here,” he says, and I only allow myself one tiny glance at him before focusing my attention back on the dishes.
“Yep. Busy, busy. Lots of work for us moms.”
He reaches over and cuts the water off, gaze burning into my face. He doesn’t say anything, just stares, waiting for me to make eye contact with him.
I finally do with a dramatic what-do-you-want-now face, and he grins. “You can see your reflection in that plate you’ve been polishing for the last ten minutes. Why don’t you put it down and come build Legos with us?”
Because I don’t want to. I can’t. It’s too domestic, and I’m starting to see that inviting Cooper into our life like this was a VERY bad idea. He fits too well but won’t want to stay, and now I will judge every other man against this perfect specimen, and it’s just not fair.
Thankfully, I don’t have to tell him anything because I’m saved by my phone buzzing on the counter. Cooper looks over his shoulder and picks it up, unashamedly reading the caller ID before handing it to me. “Unknown number. Probably just a telemarketer.”
Probably, but I will buy fifty of whatever they are selling just to be able to avoid this conversation with Cooper, so I answer with an exuberant “Hello!”
“Hey, is this Lucy?” a man asks.
“Yep, it’s me.”
He gives a slightly nervous-sounding chuckle before saying, “Hey. My name is Ethan Townsing, and I’m friends with your brother. I’m a PA, and I work at the same hospital where Drew delivers.”
“Oh. Hi,” I say, slightly at a loss, because this conversation feels odd. Cooper sees my speculative frown, and his brows pinch together as he shrugs his shoulders and mouths, “Who is it?”
I wave him off and keep listening. “I hope this is okay, but he gave me your number and said you might be up for going out sometime. I realize this is super weird because we’ve never met, but I’m hoping you trust your brother to play matchmaker as much as I do…” I’m slightly distracted at this point because Cooper has moved to press himself up beside me and lean his ear in toward the phone. He smells so freaking good. Like his body wash, man musk, and motor oil. FOCUS, LUCY. “…anyway, I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner tonight?”
Cooper pulls a disgusted face mixed with a who-does-this-guy-think-he-is headshake.
“Oh…well…”
“Before you say no, I’m texting you a picture of myself right now so you can see I’m a normal-looking guy and not covered in warts or anything else that would be considered gross. I’m a PA in the pediatrics wing, and I have a seven-year-old daughter.”
My phone pings with a text, and sure enough, he is pretty normal looking. He’s wearing a button-down shirt, mid-thirties maybe, nice brown hair, and glasses.
“Got it, and your word holds up—you’re very normal looking.” Oops. Did that sound rude? Cooper stifles a laugh, so I think it did. “Oh, shoot. What I meant was—”
He laughs. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you meant, and I’m the one who said normal first, so I have no reason to be offended, remember? Also, I realize this is awkward, and you probably feel a little blindsided, so feel free to hang up and think it over before giving me your answer.”
But the whole time he’s talking, I’m staring at Cooper. Perfect, swoony, funny, hot, Cooper. And I realize I have to say yes to this guy. Cooper is out of my league. He knows it. I know it. Levi probably even knows it. And Drew DEFINITELY knows it, otherwise he wouldn’t have warned me to stay away from him. More than that, Ethan is actually asking me out, whereas, so far, Cooper ghosted me until I was the one to start things up.
Ethan is exactly the reality check I need.
Cooper is watching me closely as I respond. “Actually, I don’t need time to think it over. If Drew trusts you, I do too. Let’s go out tonight!”
Cooper’s smile drops into a full grimace that makes my heart tremor with hope. Hope that he’s jealous? Ridiculous, Lucy.
“Great. I’ll see what reservations I can get on such short notice, and then I’ll text you an address and time. Want to meet at the restaurant, or should I pick you up?”
“Let’s meet.”
“Sounds good. Looking forward to it, Lucy.”
“Me too,” I say, trying to force some joy into my tone.
I hang up, and Cooper sinks back against the counter again, looking less confident and more thunderous now as he crosses his arms and studies me. “Tonight, huh? Didn’t want to play it cool and tell him you were busy tonight?”
I mimic his pose, leaning against the adjacent counter. “Nope. I’ve never been cool before—why pretend I am now? Do you have a problem with me going out with him tonight?” Oh, I really wish I’d left off that last part. I might as well have laid my feelings out on a silver platter in front of him and said DIG IN!
His eyes narrow slightly, and because he is shirtless, I can see his big chest fill up with air and hold it for three beats before let
ting it out in a rush. “No. You deserve to go out and have fun.”
I resist the urge to melt into a depressed puddle on the floor.
A second later, my phone pings with a text from Ethan, giving me the name of the restaurant and saying our reservation is for 7:00. My first thought is that, on a normal night, I would have already eaten a full meal plus whatever Levi refused to eat by that time AND snuck Skittles in the pantry when he wasn’t looking. My second thought is… “Oh, shoot. Thistle is a fancy restaurant, isn’t it?” I ask Cooper, looking up with wide, frightened eyes.
He chuckles softly and nods like I’m the cutest thing he’s ever seen—and I don’t mean cute in a sexy way. “Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”
I shake my head, feeling the weight of my stupid, stupid decision settling over me. “I don’t have fancy clothes! I have mom clothes. Appropriate for crouching down on the ground and playing leapfrog with Levi without showing my butt crack kind of clothes.
His grin widens, and honestly, I want to jump him. He holds out his hand for me, and I hesitate a moment before taking it. He starts tugging me out of the kitchen toward my bedroom. “Come on. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I giggle like a silly little schoolgirl who just learned about innuendos and my brain definitely assumed that was one, and also because seeing his fantastic back as he pulls me toward my bedroom has carbonated my nerves, making them foam up through my body. “You’re going to help me pick out my clothes?”
“Yep.”
“Well, that’s nice of you.”
“Mmhmm. I’m a stand-up guy.” Does anyone else think he sounds a little more gruff than normal? It’s probably all in my head. What jealous man would help a woman pick out the perfect outfit for a date?
We step into my explosion of a room, and I pull Cooper to a stop, my face flaming with embarrassment. “Wait! Close your eyes. I need to pick up a few things.”
He doesn’t obey, just smiles. “Too late—already saw the pink underwear on the floor by the dresser. It was literally the first thing my eyes made contact with.” He’s so full of smug delight, and I race across the room, rip it from the ground, and toss it into my hamper.
Cooper sits down on the edge of my bed and bounces a little before turning a daring grin at me. His thoughts are projecting from his eyes as he makes a show of checking how springy my mattress is.
I point a threatening finger at him. “Stop that!”
“Stop what?” he asks, all innocence.
“I know you’re just trying to get a rise out of me by doing suggestive things on my bed. Knock it off.”
He leans back onto his elbows and—WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GET THIS MAN A SHIRT?! “I told you, I like seeing you blush.”
Great, now this is the image of Cooper that’s going to be burned into my mind all night as I have to go stare at a mediocre man and pretend I find him half as attractive as the Calvin Klein model lying across my mattress.
“You need to put on a shirt.”
He grins because he can completely read my thoughts. “Yes, ma’am.”
Levi strolls into the room and sits down beside me on the bed. Together, we stare at the closed bathroom door, waiting for Lucy to come out.
“We’re waiting to see if we like your mom’s outfit,” I tell him, even though he wasn’t asking.
“I like her dinosaur pants. She should wear those,” he says, offering up his suggestion.
I nod, ready to suggest it to Lucy, when the door opens, and she steps out. Her face says she’d rather be serving jury duty than modeling outfits for me. “Okay, first of all, the dinosaur pants he’s talking about are PJs. It’s completely acceptable to wear a T-rex on your clothes when you’re sleeping.”
I grin and hold up my hands. “I wasn’t judging, just wondering where I could find a pair.”
“I have some that match. Wanna see?” Levi is already darting off the bed and racing out of the room. I love this kid’s commitment to everything. I’ve yet to see him walk anywhere.
I turn my eyes back to Lucy and take in her outfit from head to toe. She squirms under my gaze and tucks some hair back behind her ear. “Well? Do you like this outfit?”
I pop my eyes back up to her face. “Oh. Was I supposed to be looking at the clothes?”
Lucy’s cheeks flush, and she tries to hold back a smile as she picks up a house shoe and chucks it at me. It hits my chest and falls pathetically to the ground, wounding me none. “Come on. Be serious.” I was being serious. “Do you like it or not?”
“Okay,” I say, focusing this time and situating myself with better posture—perfect for focusing. I let my eyes scan her body again, but this time only paying attention to the clothes. She’s wearing black dress pants that look as if they’ve seen better days and a fancy blouse that, personally, I’d only consider pulling out if the queen suddenly showed up for tea. “That’s quite a few ruffles on the neckline.” I wiggle my fingers at my own neck, signifying the problem area.
Her shoulders drop in defeat. “UGH. I know. I hate this shirt. I only wear it to funerals.”
“Maybe not the best vibe to bring with you into a date, then.” I think that shirt should have been buried along with the casket at the last funeral she attended.
“You’re right.” She holds up a finger. “I’ve got something else that might work, hang on.” And she disappears into the bathroom again.
I lie back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what it would take to get her to stay here with me tonight where I can keep her all to myself. It’s selfish, I know, because it’s not like I can offer her anything besides friendship—at least not for a while. My hope is that Drew will see me settling down and feel more comfortable about me dating Lucy. Is it too much to ask that she not kiss, date, or flirt with other men until that time?
Yes.
So that’s why I’m helping her get ready for her date. If I can’t be the one to take her out, I want to spend time with her up until the moment she leaves the house. Thing is, I’m more than a little scared that Lucy is going to find someone before I can toss my hat in the ring. What if she goes out tonight with this guy and they hit it off? There’s a very real chance that, by sitting on her bed right now and helping her approve outfits like one of her girlfriends, I’ve inadvertently solidified my friend-zone status, and every man knows that’s a hard hole to climb back out of.
“Okay! It’s a little bold, but what do you think?” Lucy says, opening the door.
I shoot back up to a seated position and immediately grimace. “Ah, no. Take it off; you’re burning my eyes out.” I hold up my arm to shield myself from the light her floor-length dress is emitting.
She laughs, stepping forward to yank my arm down. “Stop it! You’re being dramatic.”
“No…that,” I say, pointing to the bright-yellow dress, “is dramatic. Where did you even find something like this? And why does it go all the way down to the floor?” I reach out and run the scratchy-shiny fabric between my thumb and index finger. In the process, the backs of my knuckles brush against her thigh through the fabric. Heat rushes through me, and I look up to see Lucy staring down at me with her signature wide eyes.
“I—” She shakes her head lightly and steps out of reach. “It’s called a maxi dress, and I got it from one of those Instagram influencer ads. It looked cute on the model…but I’ll admit it’s a little bright on me with my auburn hair.” Her whole demeanor deflates. “You know what? This is stupid. I’m going to call Ethan and cancel. I can’t go to a fancy restaurant looking like the sun ate a carrot and sprouted hair.”
“Yeah, but a pretty sun who ate a carrot. And on the plus side, the restaurant will save money on electricity when you’re able to light it with the power of your dress.”
Lucy gives me a mocking smile then sighs dramatically. She looks so downcast now, and my soppy-lovesick heart aches at the sight. Suddenly, I will do anything for her. Absolutely anything to make her smile. I will re-enact every single romance
and female empowerment movie montage I’ve ever seen where the friend takes the heroine shopping, and we will max out my credit card until we find the perfect dress that makes the special music turn on and warm lighting appear.
Levi runs back in the room with super-speed, looking like that little boy in The Incredibles. He’s clutching the coveted dinosaur pants. “See!” he says, holding them up super close to my face with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.
Lucy sits down beside me, and the mattress sinks with her weight. My arm presses against her, and I feel like a boy again. The smallest touches from Lucy feel monumental, like I’m touching a woman for the first time again.
I take the pants from Levi and hold them up for inspection. “These. Are. The. Coolest.”
Levi beams. “I told you!!” He says it like we just confirmed a great conspiracy. “My mom can order you some, too, if you want. Then we can all match.”
I freeze, dinosaur fabric clutched in my hand, and stare at Levi. Because when looking at his big round blue eyes that perfectly match his mother’s, I turn into ooey-gooey mush. I want this. I want a life like this. No, not a life like it—this one, specifically.
Levi blinks up at me with those hopeful eyes, and my first thought is to say Hell yeah, I’ll match you, buddy. Then, I remember he’s a child, and Lucy probably doesn’t want me cursing around her four-year-old, so I clamp down on that and nod. “I’d definitely be down for matching. Are you too young to watch Jurassic Park?”
He scrunches up his face. “Yeah. It’s for big kids,” he says like a responsible adult, and I can’t help but reach out to ruffle the top of his hair. He’s cute—something I’ve never before in my life thought about a kid. He’s also very busy. Not even one second later, he’s taking his dino pants with him and running out of the room. Do all kids move this much?