The knot in her stomach eased. “I guess you don’t hold a grudge?” she asked.
“Takes a lot to royally piss me off,” he said, between mouthfuls. “Your not eating my food might send me over the edge.” He waved his fork, gesturing for her to dig in.
She shrugged and started breakfast, surprised to find the eggs fluffy and delicious. “My God, you’re good.”
“I recall your saying something to that effect last night.” He winked at her, then continued. “Actually, my mom taught me. “She said it wouldn’t kill me to learn to feed myself.”
She caught both the affection and the wistfulness in his tone. “You miss her a lot, don’t you?”
Coop nodded. “My family sort of divided in half in that my father understands my brother’s mind-set a lot better than mine. My mom used to get me.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“She had a brain aneurysm about five years ago. She died in her sleep. No warning, no nothing.”
Lexie shuddered. She might not have a warm, fuzzy relationship with her own mother, but she did with her grandmother and she couldn’t imagine his pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She cleared her throat. “So what’s on your agenda today?”
“I have to get to work, but I thought I’d pick you up from your grandmother’s afterwards and we could go talk to Ricky together.”
Lexie had finished eating and Coop rose to clear the dishes. She stood and waved him away. “Oh, no. I’ve got this. You can go get ready for work. I’ll clean up and head out. I have to stop by the Hot Zone offices for a meeting and it’s easier for me to leave from here than to go home—if that’s okay.”
Coop nodded. “It’s fine.” More than fine, he thought. He hadn’t known what to expect from her this morning.
He’d sensed from her breathing that she’d been awake when he’d gotten up, but she hadn’t wanted him to know, so he’d let her pretend to be asleep, giving her more time and space. Now, though the wariness hadn’t left her gaze, she was speaking to him in civil tones and not rushing out of there.
He helped her bring the plates into the kitchen, but let her rinse and put them in the dishwasher, since she seemed to want to do her share. Either that or cleaning was a way of avoiding him. Whether or not they were discussing it, she was obviously upset with him. Coop didn’t hold on to hope that she understood his driving need to dig into this story or even write about it, but at least it wasn’t an overt source of contention between them.
“Is it okay if I take a copy of your book with me? I want to read it. It will help me design your site,” Lexie said as she dried her hands on a towel.
He nodded. “Take the one on the bookshelf. I have extra copies in storage.”
He tried not to squirm at the thought of her reading his work. After all, publication meant his words were out there for consumption. But Lexie’s opinion of him and his writing mattered, probably more than it should.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “Now that we know the ring really is stolen, there’s a good chance that the necklace is, too. Which means my grandmother’s in possession of stolen property. I need to talk to her and at least prepare her for the possibility that she might have to give the necklace back.” She leaned against the same counter he’d sat her on last night.
He shifted, pushing those memories out of his head before his body reacted more than it already was.
Her grandmother losing her necklace wasn’t something he’d wanted to bring up, and Coop was glad she’d come to the decision on her own.
“Let me come with you when you tell her. Maybe I can help soften the blow.”
Lexie shook her head, her eyes sad. “The necklace’s personal for her. Maybe she’ll want to be alone when I break the news.”
Coop narrowed his gaze. He’d met Charlotte and, despite her age, she wasn’t frail; nor was she irrationally emotional. He had a hunch she wouldn’t mind having Coop there, despite Lexie’s claim. Which meant it was Lexie who didn’t want him there.
Because she was trying to keep an emotional wall between them, something he refused to allow. “Come on, Lex. She likes me. Hell, she already considers me a member of the family,” he said with a grin meant to disarm her. “I’m sure she’d appreciate the moral support.”
Coop’s words were one thing. His goal another. In reality, he wanted to be there more for Lexie than for Charlotte. He’d already hurt her by not giving up the story and as their research and questioning progressed, harmful information might arise. He wanted to be there to help her through.
He could tell from her stiff posture and the uncomfortable silences that she no longer trusted him the way she had before. And she probably hadn’t completely forgiven him, either. But Coop was a journalist used to digging for information and working to get what he wanted. He enjoyed a challenge and he wasn’t giving up on Lexie.
He missed the comfortable woman who’d twirled lo mein in her chopsticks and talked a mile a minute between mouthfuls, laughing and smiling the entire time. He craved the soft, pliant female who’d come apart on his kitchen counter and again in his bed.
Coop never gave up. Eventually, he’d get her to soften toward him again. “What’s it going to be? I’ll meet you at your grandmother’s?”
She opened her mouth, ready to argue, then closed it again. “Fine, if that’s what you want to do. Be there around noon. My meeting should be over by then.”
He nodded, satisfied that she’d agreed. Though he already had an interview scheduled at noon, he’d just push it up or back, making Lexie his priority. “Afterwards we can go back downtown together and stop by the Vintage Jewelers to talk to Ricky. Okay?”
A muscle worked in her jaw. “Sure,” she said at last.
She wasn’t throwing pillows or eggs at him, but she was nowhere near ready to let her guard down. Coop was equally determined to stick by her side during their free time until he’d gotten past her walls.
He glanced at the clock on the microwave and muttered a curse. “I need to get going.” Without hesitating, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him for a goodbye kiss.
And not a quick peck, but a long, drawn-out, lip-locking, tongue-dueling, don’t forget what we shared last night kind of kiss.
LEXIE WAS FEELING CLOSED IN. Stressed by circumstances beyond her control, she needed time and space to think about her incredible night with Coop and the revelations she’d discovered afterwards. She also wanted to figure out a way to break the news to her grandmother about the stolen jewels and her grandfather’s possible role in the theft. Normally, when she felt trapped, she hopped on a plane.
That wasn’t an option this time, though she couldn’t deny the desire to see wide-open spaces somewhere in the world. But not when she was so embroiled in this mystery and…yes, with Coop. She couldn’t concentrate on work, so she canceled her appointment at the Hot Zone. Instead of heading home, she decided to do the next best thing to flying away.
Lexie found herself at the Empire State Building. She passed through security and purchased her ticket. Although early in the morning, the tourist site was already filling up, the lines beginning to form for the high-speed elevators. Lexie didn’t mind. The hum of voices kept her company as she headed to the eighty-sixth floor observatory, a place she’d come many times before. It was always worth the wait and the price of admission.
Lexie used this place as her personal think tank whenever she was home and felt the world crowding her. The view through the windows provided a balm for her sanity. She knew the statistics by heart, but it never ceased to amaze her. On a clear day like today you could see for eighty miles. The sky was blue and seemed to flow endlessly over the rooftops, reaching out toward Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, even Massachusetts.
She remembered her first trip here with her grandmother. As one of her “playing hooky” momen
ts to avoid a skating lesson, they’d taken the fast elevators together. Her grandmother had held her hand and told her to lean her forehead against the cool windows.
Lexie repeated the action now, touching her head to the glass pane and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she felt as though she were suspended in midair over the glorious city below. She inhaled deeply and waited for all her problems to float away. The breathless sensation she’d anticipated filled her for a little while, but soon her mind drifted to Coop and the feel of his lips on hers, the memory of his body deep inside her own and the uninhibited way she’d responded.
She couldn’t allow herself to forget that he had an agenda of his own. The bigger the story about the ring turned out to be, the more invested Coop the reporter would become. Not to mention Coop the fiction writer. His interest was completely at odds with her own.
And that of her grandmother. Which led to the next thing that preoccupied her thoughts. How to tell Charlotte that her beloved husband might have been involved in a house robbery and her precious necklace might have to be returned to its rightful owner. Suddenly, the endless blue sky and expanse of sun no longer held the same appeal.
Reality awaited her and Lexie had no choice but to deal with it the best way she knew how. Head-on confrontation. Which also reminded her that she needed to reprimand her grandmother for spying on her and Coop, snapping pictures like a voyeur and sending them off to the Bachelor Blog for public consumption.
She righted herself and stood for a few minutes, waiting for the light-headed sensation to end. Taking one last look at the incredible skyline, she turned and headed for the elevators.
She wondered what Coop would think of the view and realized she’d like to share her special place with him and watch his reaction to the city they both loved. A chill rushed through her, the idea leaving her shaken and yet giddy at the same time.
LEXIE ARRIVED back at her grandmother’s with plenty of time to spare before Coop would show up for lunch. She needed to shower, change and maybe even sit her grandmother down and start the awkward conversation they needed to have. But Charlotte wasn’t alone. Sylvia had just put hair dye onto her grandmother’s scalp and it looked like Charlotte was about to return the favor.
Lexie glanced at the two women. “Didn’t I call and say Coop and I were coming by for lunch?” She’d suggested that he pick up deli sandwiches from her grandmother’s favorite restaurant on his way and he’d agreed.
Her grandmother nodded. “And we’re getting ready!”
“I can see that.” Lexie glanced at the purple dye in Sylvia’s hair.
“Someone didn’t come home last night!” Charlotte said, a twinkle in her eye.
Though she was an adult, Lexie flushed. Until now, living with her favorite relative had never caused a crimp in Lexie’s social life. She’d always been thoughtful about checking in with her grandmother, just to keep her from worrying. Yet last night she’d been so consumed with Coop that all rational thought had fled from her mind. She’d never been so head over heels in lust before that she’d stayed out all night, forgetting about what her grandmother might think.
That, too, was telling.
“I hope you didn’t worry,” Lexie said, concerned that she’d stressed her grandmother.
Charlotte dismissed the notion with an unlady-like snort. “Of course not. I knew you were in good hands!”
If her grandmother only knew how good. Thoughts of the kitchen counter immediately came to mind and another heated blush crept up her face.
“Grandma, I heard the Bachelor Blogger posted an interesting picture yesterday. Would you happen to know anything about that?” Lexie asked, changing the subject.
Charlotte and Sylvia exchanged fleeting glances.
“Of course not,” her grandmother said.
Lexie raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“Really. Your grandmother would never send a picture of you kissing Coop.” Sylvia slapped her free hand over her mouth.
“Kissing? Was that yesterday’s blog? I hadn’t had a chance to check it out for myself.” Charlotte shot Sylvia a disgusted look before attempting to cover.
“Me, neither, but that’s what Coop told me, too,” Lexie said. “What’s interesting is we’d only kissed twice. Once here and the other time we were completely alone.” She directed her pointed comment at her grandmother. “I don’t appreciate you snooping or making my private life public. And on that note, I’m going to shower.” Lexie stepped backwards out of the room, keeping a watch on the two women the entire time.
To Charlotte’s credit, she didn’t flinch. “Sylvia’s staying for lunch, dear.”
Lexie paused. As much as she adored her grandmother’s friend, some news was better broken in private. “Coop and I have a lot to discuss with you,” Lexie said to her grandmother, trying not to insult the other woman Lexie considered family.
“No worries. Whatever you have to say I’d just tell Sylvia anyway,” Charlotte said.
In this case, Lexie wasn’t so sure, but she forced a smile.
“But if you need a private lunch I understand,” Sylvia said as she walked to the sink and rinsed her hands.
“Nonsense. You’re my person. You know all my secrets, so you’re staying,” Charlotte said, hands perched on her hips.
Which meant there was no arguing, Lexie knew.
“You’re more than welcome any time, Sylvia,” Lexie reassured the other woman. “Coop will be here around noon.” Which gave them a couple of hours to finish their hair and get decent, and Lexie time to put her night with Coop into perspective.
As if such a thing were even possible.
CHAPTER NINE
THOUGH LEXIE HAD AGREED to let Coop come over, it had been grudgingly and he felt pretty sure she wouldn’t welcome him with open arms. He stopped not only for deli but for flowers, too, hoping to smooth things over between them. Coop wasn’t a flowers and chocolates kind of guy. He’d never given much thought to the whole kiss-and-make-up thing, either, but in Lexie’s case he wanted whatever time he had with her too badly to let her stay angry.
He arrived twenty minutes late, thanks to a long line at the deli, and rang the bell.
The large black door swung open and Lexie stood on the other side. She had on white walking shorts and a ruffled tank top. Her hair had been pulled into a short ponytail and cute wisps of hair framed her face. As expected, desire kicked him in the gut.
Also as expected, she didn’t look pleased to see him. “You’re late” were the first words out of her mouth.
The same mouth he wanted to greet with a kiss, but he refrained. “But I come bearing gifts.” He held out the flowers in one hand and the bag of food in the other.
“Thank you.” A flash of appreciation lit up her face, but when loud cackles sounded from inside, the joy faded.
“I hope they’re not too drunk to enjoy the food,” Lexie muttered and stepped aside to let him pass through.
“Did you say drunk?” Coop asked.
Lexie sighed. “See for yourself.” She waved a hand and he headed into the violet-scented apartment. She took the flowers and the food and said, “I’ll put these in water and get lunch on the table. The sooner they eat, the sooner they’ll sober up. You can go deal with them in the meantime.”
Coop found Charlotte and another woman in the den with an odd-shaped bottle set on the table in front of them. “Oh, there he is! Isn’t he even more handsome in person?” Charlotte said, more than asked.
“You flatter me.” He stepped forward and leaned over to kiss Lexie’s grandmother on the cheek. A streak of dark coloring ran from her temple toward her ear. Her hair appeared a darker eggplant color, instead of the bright red he’d seen the other day. “You look lovely. And who is your friend?” Coop asked.
“Sam Cooper, this is my best friend Sylvia Krinsky. Sylvia, this is the Bachelor.”
“So nice to meet you!” Sylvia, whose hair was the same color as Charlotte’s, r
ose to shake his hand.
“Same here.”
“Sit.” Charlotte patted the seat beside her. She hiccupped. “Excuse me,” she said on a giggle.
“I see you started the party without me,” he said, eyeing the bottle of Manischewitz, a brand of traditional Jewish wine.
“Yes, well what’s deli food without a nice glass of vino to go with it?” Sylvia asked. “And Manischewitz is the wine of champions!”
“I don’t think that’s their slogan,” Charlotte said, her words ending on another hiccup. “Excuse me.”
“Well, it should be.”
“Lunch is ready!” Lexie called from the kitchen.
“Did you hear that? Food is served.”
And from the ladies’ giggles between sentences, Lexie was right. It was none to soon.
Coop settled into the seat at the head of the table, as Charlotte insisted. He decided to take his cues from Lexie about how much to reveal to the women and when. Apparently, Lexie wanted to eat first and talk later, hoping to sober them up, no doubt. But Charlotte and Sylvia continued to pass the bottle of wine back and forth between them. Coop figured the wine might loosen their lips about whatever they knew of the jewels.
Lexie didn’t seem as certain. She eyed the women with concern and ate in silence. Not that either he or Lexie could get a word in anyway. Charlotte and Sylvia chattered nonstop.
“So, Grandma, I need to talk to you about your necklace,” Lexie finally said, interrupting them when she saw an opportunity.
Charlotte’s hand went to her empty neck. “Oops, not wearing it today. Today was hair day,” she explained to Coop. “Sylvia and I do each other’s dye jobs in order to save money on those expensive salons.” She patted her hair with one hand.
“I completely understand,” he said to the older woman before turning to Lexie. “Where do you want to start?” he asked.
“At the beginning. Grandma, remember how you were watching on TV when Coop received the ring?” Lexie clenched her hands together, her knuckles turning white under the strain.
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