by Sarah Adams
Cooper begins to slow the kiss, his lips softer and more yielding than before, and I refrain from whimpering like a sad puppy. BUT THEN his hands slide from my lower back to drop into the back pockets of my jean shorts, and now I’m the coolest girl in school. My head is spinning because I feel like we just zoomed from zero to one hundred in a blink. Even in all the time I dated Grim Tim, we never kissed like that. My heart never wanted to beat out of my chest like it does right now.
It’s then that a throat clears, and I remember we’re not alone. I think Cooper remembered the whole time, though. I rip my mouth away from him, and he smiles slowly before pulling his hands out of my pockets and turning to Ashley and Brent standing at the door, mouths gaping and eyes blinking. I’m sure I look a lot like them, but Cooper is the hot guy from The Breakfast Club and doesn’t give a crap about things like public indecency.
Ashley finds her voice first. “I’m so sorry, Mr. James. I didn’t realize you two…weren’t finished yet.” She and I both cringe at her unfortunate word choice.
Cooper lightly clears his throat on a chuckle. “No, I apologize. Lucy was just getting ready to leave, and the goodbye kind of got away from us.” He looks over at me and winks. I wish I could focus on this moment to figure out what’s happening, but instead, all I can do is stare at Cooper’s mouth and think That mouth was just on my mouth. How can I make it happen again?
“Lucy?” Brent’s voice has me peeling my eyes from Cooper’s lips. “What—I didn’t realize you…” He can’t find the words to explain what he just saw. You and me both, buddy.
“Hi, Brent.” I raise my hand stiffly then lower it back down in the most awkward wave anyone has ever seen. Looked more like I should have been holding a traffic sign or introducing myself to extraterrestrials.
Cooper steps closer and puts his big, fantastic, possessive hand on my hip, holding me close to his side. It wraps around my entire hip bone as he grips me. “How do you know my girlfriend, Dr. Peterson?”
Hearing the word girlfriend makes me nearly choke on my own tongue. He asked his question so convincingly, like he had no idea in the world that Brent, once upon a time, ripped out my heart and stomped on it. He also added that special inflection men do on girlfriend (we’ll get to freaking out over that word in a minute) that conveys a territorial caveman warning. Next, he’ll get out a giant club and start waving it around.
Brent lets out a small, incredulous laugh. “She’s…well, Lucy is…that is, Levi is my son. I’m assuming you know who Levi is?”
Cooper should be in a movie. The shocked expression on his face is so believable I want to laugh. I love being on this side of the curtain. “No way. You’re that Brent? What are the odds?”
“Slim, I’d say,” Brent says, a hardness to his voice I don’t recognize. Is he…jealous? No. Never. Not Brent. “Lucy, I didn’t realize you were dating anyone.”
I shrug and smile, afraid to say much because my acting skills don’t come anywhere close to Cooper’s, and we all know it. “Just sort of happened. We met through Drew.” It’s best to stick as closely to the facts as possible when lying.
This moment is so thick with awkward tension I’m afraid we’re going to need someone with a rope to pull us out. Poor Ashley; she feels it too and is unsure what to do. I raise my hand and tap a knuckle against Cooper’s chest while hitching my head a little toward the door. Somehow, he speaks my silent language and understands me. “Oh, Ashley, you can go. Thank you.”
She’s relieved to exit this Jerry Springer episode and scurries out the door. Brent does not look happy that Cooper and I do not have to use words to communicate. Would it be too gloaty if I did a little nana-nana-boo-boo dance and stuck my tongue out at him? I’m not even into Brent anymore, wouldn’t date the man if he begged me to. It’s just that it feels good to feel wanted by someone in front of him—the man who found me undesirable except for when he was using me.
“Come in and have a seat,” Cooper says, gesturing toward his office chairs. “I’ll walk Lucy out to her car, and then we can get down to business.” We’re moving toward the door now, and Cooper looks like my bodyguard, escorting me away so the fans don’t get too handsy. I need some sunglasses and a big floppy hat.
Brent steps in our path. “I can walk her out. It’ll give me a chance to get caught up on this relationship between you guys.” Oh no. No, no, no. I’ll spill my guts with the truth that Cooper and I aren’t really a couple yet, and this whole empowering charade will backfire, making me look even more pathetic.
I look up in time to see Cooper’s easy smile. “Maybe she could call you later and get you up to speed? I’d like to walk her out, if you don’t mind.” The strength and finality in his voice tickles my spine.
Brent takes in a breath through his nose and lets it out while nodding slowly, thoughtfully. “Sure. I guess.” He’s not quite ready to let me go yet, though, and turns his attention square on me. “So, where’s Levi if you’re here?”
Okay, hello, I do not care for the accusing tone he’s using. He does realize I’ve spent nearly every single day with our son since I birthed him four years ago, right? That I’ve sacrificed absolutely everything to love my child well? He doesn’t get to talk to me like that.
I speak through lightly clenched teeth. “He’s with my mom, and after this, she and I are taking him to fly a kite at the park. Have you ever flown a kite with him before, Brent?” Yeah, no one was expecting that jab to come out there at the end, least of all me. I’ve never said anything like it to him before, and honestly, it’s not totally warranted. Brent is a good dad when he has Levi. He’s attentive, caring, fun, and never fails to be there if Levi asks him to. It’s strictly me Brent strings along, ignores, uses, leaves, rinse-and-repeats. I’m just taking my years of frustrated rejection out on him in the form of questions about kites.
“Yes,” he says, slowly drawing out the word like he’s both confused and amused by my intended sting. “Several times, actually. Don’t you remember I took him to that kite festival a few months back too?”
“Oh…right.” I’m a popped water balloon, confidence spilling out all over the place. “Good. Yeah, he loved that festival. Okayyyyy, well, I better be going. I’ll call you later, Brent.” I tuck my tail between my legs and speed toward the door so fast I’m sure my feet look like roadrunner-sized dust circles.
“Wait, Lucy, what are you guys doing tomorrow night? Maybe we could all go out to dinner—you two and me and Tanya—so I can get to know Cooper better? Since it seems he’s going to be in your life and Levi’s.” Brent gives me a meaningful look this time, saying You have no choice.
I don’t have a choice, because I have insisted on going out to dinner with him and every single one of his girlfriends before I would allow Levi to stay with him for the weekend. I was never comfortable with the idea of my son spending time with some random woman, so it helped to at least get a sense of them over dinner first. Now he’s throwing my rule back in my face. But…I guess it makes sense. I can’t really fault him for it.
Except for the tiny detail that Cooper and I are not actually together and, just five minutes ago, were making a pact to remain strictly friends until Drew is on board.
“Umm, well, I think Cooper has—”
“I’m free,” Cooper cuts in unhelpfully then turns to look down at me. “Maybe we could ask your mom if she’s free to come over and stay with Levi?”
Careful, Cooper. Your paternal instincts are showing, and it’s super attractive.
“Sure. Okay.” I look to Brent and smile. “I’ll text you with details.”
“Nah, I’ll text you with details,” says Brent, and I want to stomp on his toes because I know he assumes I would make reservations at Chuck E. Cheese.
We finally give awkward goodbyes, and Cooper tells Brent he’ll be right back, his hand landing on the small of my back, guiding me all the way to the elevator. He has to guide me because I’m not conscious anymore. My brain is lost in a fog of what just
happened, everything zooming past me as we walk like we’re moving at warp speed.
We get in the elevator, and the moment the door closes, Cooper lets go of me. That snaps me out of my trance, and I turn my eyes to him. “What in the world was all of that?”
He backs up and leans against the elevator rail. “You said you wanted a confidence boost.”
I feel the feminists of the world whispering in my ear, so I recite their words. “I don’t need a man to give me confidence.”
“Yes, you do.” Cooper grins when my mouth opens in disbelief that he just said that. “You shouldn’t need a man to give you confidence because you are an incredible woman all on your own, but for some reason, you do. We’re working on building your self-esteem back up, but in the meantime, I offered myself up as tribute to help you flaunt a little in front of your ex.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “So selfless of you.”
His mouth hitches up. “I’ve always been a giver.” Suddenly, this elevator is a sauna, and my clothes are going to catch fire.
It feels strange having him all the way over there when we were just pressed together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Cooper reads my thoughts. “I have to stay over here.”
“Why?”
“So I don’t pick up where we left off in my office.”
Every nerve ending in my body tingles. “Right. That would be terrible. Very bad. I hate kissing.”
He smiles as the elevator door opens, but frankly, I’m annoyed at its timing because I was just about to try to work my feminine wiles one last time. He gestures for me to go out ahead of him, and then when I do, he swoops in behind me, leaning down like a spy whispering a top-secret message in my ear as we walk. “It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve done in my life to resist you, but I will, because I want to get this right. When Drew gets home, I want to be able to look him in the eyes.”
I swallow and barely manage to keep moving. “But what about tomorrow night? You agreed to go on a double date as my boyfriend.”
He nods with a slight grimace. “Yeah. Probably shouldn’t have said yes. It was a knee-jerk reaction to the possessive vibes he was giving off.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking out over the street and then back to me. “Okay, tomorrow night, we get a break from our off-limits rule—but only when Brent is present. All other times, no touching. Deal?”
I let my smile curve my lips, feeling more empowered from the leftover heat of our make-out. “Deal. I think we better seal it with a kiss.”
He shakes his head slowly at me. “Trouble.”
He’s right. For the first time in too many years, I finally feel like a little bit of trouble—in the best way possible.
“What underwear do you have on?” Jessie asks as I put the finishing touches on my soft-pink lipstick. Her question makes me jump, smearing it a little in the corner. Great, now I look like a toddler.
I look to where she’s leaning against the bathroom doorframe and huff out an annoyed breath. “Wonderful. Now I have to fix this.” Or maybe I should just take off the lipstick altogether? I’m not really a lipstick girl. I’m more of a swipe-on-some-mint-lip-balm-and-call-it-a-day kind of a person.
“Not my fault you’re jumpy about your undies.”
I rip off a piece of tissue and dab the corner of my mouth. “I’m not jumpy about my undies. I’m just jumpy in general. But to answer your question, don’t worry, I’m wearing something new, cute, and lacy under this dress.”
“Change it,” she barks, making my shoulders jump again.
Jessie is here because she’s quickly become my BFF in the cheesiest Baby-Sitters-Club sense of the word, and also because she’s going to stay here with Levi while I’m gone. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those terrible friends who begs her pregnant, miserable friend to watch their kid while they go have a good time. The dinner reservation is for 7:30, when I knew Levi would already be asleep (which he is currently), and I stocked my pantry with a wide selection of chocolate, candy, and potato chips. I bought a leopard-print Snuggie and tied a bow around it for her to find when she goes to the couch, and I also started a seven-day free trial of HBO so she can watch whatever movie she wants—basically, I’m a saint.
“Huh? Change what?”
“The lace. Get rid of it and replace it with something scratchy and old. Period panties would be preferable if you have any—and I know you do because every woman does. Bonus points if the elastic is worn out.” She turns around and goes to my dresser, rummaging through the top one, which everyone knows is designated for intimates.
I watch, slightly horrified at the intense set of her shoulders as she dives into my underwear like she’s searching for weird buried treasure. “Stop that! Are you seriously searching for gross old underwear?”
“Yes. Why would you think I’m joking?”
I go snatch away the especially unfavorable panties she has found and is brandishing like a victory flag. Her scary eyes tell me she might go plant them in Cooper’s front yard or something. “I can barely tolerate looking at these horrible things as it is. Why in the heck would I want Cooper to see them?! I don’t even think married people who’ve been together for decades let their spouses see them in something like this horror show.”
“Exactly.” Jessie rips the panties back from my hand. This is a strange game of hot potato. “Do you have an old bra to pair with these? Something tan with a wire poking out and a gaping cup, maybe?”
“Ugh, just stop,” I say, closing the drawer and only narrowly pausing for Jessie to extract her fingers. She deserves to have them chopped off for being the worst wingwoman in the history of wingwomen. “I’m not sure where you took your seduction classes, but I think you should get your money back.”
Jessie crosses her arms over her little baby bump and lifts a taunting eyebrow—no smile anywhere to be found. “I’m not your wingwoman tonight. I’m your wingclipper.”
“Oooh, how very Tinker Bell villain of you.”
“Lucy, you need to put your boundaries in place right now. If you’re not intending to sleep with Cooper tonight—and I don’t think you are, because you’re afraid to stand up to your brother—then you need to wear the most unappealing thing you can think of to act as a deterrent.”
My shoulders sink. “First, I’m not afraid to stand up to my brother. Cooper and I both agreed we didn’t want to get off to a rocky start with this relationship, so we’re waiting until the idea grows on Drew.”
Jessie has not been thrilled about our decision ever since I called her squealing and blabbering about it last night. “It shouldn’t have to grow on Drew. It’s none of his business.”
“It is his business. I’m his sister, and Cooper is his best friend. Our choice is going to affect him.” Even as I say the words, though, they don’t feel quite right. It’s bothered me ever since Cooper mentioned that Drew made this choice for me without my knowledge…like I couldn’t be trusted to make my own good decision. It also bothers me that Drew doesn’t see that Cooper is a good decision. I don’t know. I’ve never been upset at Drew on this level before, never questioned his intentions toward me, so part of me wants to take these uncomfortable feelings and bury them somewhere until I know what to do with them.
Another part of me, however—the side that’s learning to come out of hiding and go for the things I want—that part wants to tell my brother to stick his “good intentions” where the sun don’t shine and let me live my life. I think I would if it didn’t seem important to Cooper to gain Drew’s blessing. So, for now, I go along with the off-limits rule.
Jessie presses her lips together and shakes her head. “My pregnancy hormones are raging too much to have a conversation with you where you stick up for your brother’s bad choices.”
“You’re grumpy and need some chocolate.”
She narrows her eyes into slits. “No. I. Don’t. And I’m not grumpy.” She looks to the side, grinding her teeth into dust before she looks back to me. “But if I did h
appen to want chocolate, where would I find it?”
I bite down on my smile because I’m afraid she might punch me if she sees it. Pregnancy hormones should never be underestimated. “Top shelf in the pantry.”
She rolls her eyes because she’s now a teenager who’s committed to being annoyed with her parent even though they are doing something cool. “Okay. I probably won’t even want it, though.”
“Uh huh.” I step forward to yank my period panties out of her hand one final time then pull open the top drawer of my dresser, digging for my saggy, disintegrating, pathetic excuse for a bra. “You go and don’t eat that chocolate while I go change into my chastity belt.”
I’m almost to Lucy’s house when my phone rings. I answer it over my truck’s speaker without bothering to look at the caller ID because I know who’s calling. “Hey, beautiful, I’m almost to your place. Traffic was terrible.” Did I just call her beautiful? Was that weird? I’ve never been the guy to call women by little pet names like that, but it just kind of slipped out. What’s happening to me?
“Awwwww, hello to you too, handsome.”
Annnnnd I should have looked at the caller ID.
“Drew. I thought you were someone else.” Your sister.
He chuckles. “I got that vibe. I mean, we both know I’m good-looking, but out of the two of us, you’re definitely the beautiful one.”
“Well, that’s just not true. Your eyelashes are longer.”
“You have nice cheekbones, though.”
“Eh—they’re okay. Your teeth are straighter. And they’re so pearly white.”
“Thanks for noticing,” he says, sounding genuinely grateful. “Wait…should we just get married?”
“Probably.”
“This conversation has taken a weird turn.”
Speaking of turns, I’m about to pull into Drew’s driveway to secretly pick up his sister and take her on a fake date that will be entirely too real to me and lie to him about the whole thing. I’m a great friend. “What were you calling about? And how are you even calling me right now? Aren’t you in a remote part of Costa Rica?”