“That’s because you’re usually barking orders. I wouldn’t listen to you either.”
“When have you ever listened to me?”
Cooper spent much of his childhood defying his older brother and refusing to follow his example, preferring to do things his own way, but there were plenty of times when Matt’s past advice came in handy. Cooper might not have listened in the moments they were meant for, but the words had stuck with him and became beneficial at other times.
“A lot actually,” Cooper admitted.
The tension that Matt had been consumed with began to ease, his shoulders relaxing in the midday sun. His lip tilted in a half-smile. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
Cooper patted Matt on the shoulder. “When you stop barking at people, you actually have some pretty decent advice. So, like you told me when my wallet and phone were stolen in Barcelona and I didn’t have access to my bank account for days, don’t let one bump ruin the whole journey. All this is”—Cooper motioned to Matt—“is a bump. Probably one of many, but once you get to the top, it’s smooth sailing on the way down. Give her space. Let her just be pregnant. She doesn’t need you telling her what to do. I’m sure she knows her body better than you anyway.”
Matt cocked an insinuating eyebrow.
“Bad choice of words,” Cooper said. “This whole advice thing isn’t really my forte. That’s Mason’s department. Just go with it.”
“Funny because I was just wondering when the hell you got so smart.”
“I think somewhere between Barcelona and Istanbul.”
Matt shook his head, but he couldn’t cover up the smile tugging generously at the edges of his mouth. “Still a smartass.”
“In this family, it’s my only defense.” He held up the box of pastries. “I better get these to her. You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Will you be here for a while?”
“If you need me to be.”
“I just want to go out on the lake for a little. Clear my head.”
“Go.”
“I’m not going far. If anything happens just yell for me.”
“There you go… being crazy again.”
“One day,” Matt said, his green eyes pinning Cooper in place, “you’re going to be in my shoes, and we’ll see who’s crazy.”
“Nice thought, but we both know that’s never going to happen. Wife and kids are not my thing.”
“We’ll see,” Matt said with a cocky smile before walking toward the edge of the lake where his canoe lay.
Cooper didn’t even bother yelling after him that he was delusional. There was no point. Matt had already had ideas of Cooper’s future in his mind. Too bad his vision couldn’t be further from the truth.
Cooper had no desire to get married, and the thought of kids made his lip curl in disgust. Not that he didn’t like kids, they were cool, but that was only because they weren’t his. If they cried, he could hand them right back to their parents and be done with them. If they got to be too much to handle he could leave and go home. He wasn’t tied to them in anyway, and that’s the life he preferred. Being free of responsibility and having the freedom to come and go as he pleased.
He watched as Matt rowed out across the lake before going into the house to find Shay. She was in the bedroom, propped up on pillows, a stack of books on her nightstand, a tray of food to her left, and a floor fan pointed directly at her.
Cooper knocked lightly on the door. “Special delivery,” he said, holding the box in the doorway before stepping into the room.
“Oh, you’re here!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Come in, come in.” She motioned her hands toward the box then waved them toward her. “Give me.”
“You’re not going to bite my head off, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Cooper had been scared to come up here after talking to Matt, but now his suspicions were confirmed. Shay’s foul mood had nothing to do with hormones and everything to do with Matt being overbearing.
“You kicked my brother out.”
“Don’t even get me started.” The happy expression on her face dissolved into pure evil.
Cooper gave her the box to try and snuff out the fuse he just lit. Her smile returned as she flipped the lid open and examined the pastries inside. “Not bad,” she said with a nod. “Now for the true test.” She picked up the key lime pie cupcake and took a bite.
Cooper stood back and waited for a response, deciding it was best to keep the fact that he had already tried one today and it was delicious.
“A little too sweet. Could use a little more lime juice, but not bad,” she said as she moved onto the chocolate stout cupcake that she created using a batch of Mason’s beer. “Not sweet enough, but it’ll do.”
Cooper held back a laugh as she took a bite of every single item in the box and had a minor complaint about each one of them. Shay taught Louise everything she knew and all the recipes Louise was following were created by Shay. But Shay was just like Matt in that nobody could do something better than her. Two micro-managers who hated to ask for help and refused to let go of the reins, it was no wonder they were currently bumping heads.
“Do they pass the test?” Cooper finally asked when Shay closed the lid. “Or do I have to fire Louise?”
“What? Of course not. Louise is the only thing keeping me in business right now.”
“Then why are you having me sneak pastries out of the bakery for you to taste test? And why are you critiquing them like you’re a judge on some baking reality show.”
“I just…”
Cooper crossed his arms over his chest and glanced down at Shay.
“I mean…I…Fine. I’m afraid she’s going to get better at baking than me, and when I go back people will be disappointed.”
“That’s impossible. You know that, right?”
She shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Sweet Dreams Bakery is what it is because of you. Nobody can replace you. It’s your bakery and your recipes. Stop obsessing over the things you can’t control and start focusing on this.” He motioned to her ever-growing stomach.
“You sound like your brother.”
“Not my fault we come from the same DNA.”
“So help me,” she said, resting her hands on her belly, but despite the disdain in her tone, a smile spread across her face. “If this little man is anything like his daddy I’m in for some trouble.”
While she seemed to be in a good mood, Cooper decided to ask her a question that had been on his mind all day.
“You had a customer today. Sarah Kramer.”
Shay’s gaze turned on him with purpose. “Stay away from her.”
“What? Why?”
“She’s not your type.”
“How do you know?”
“Just trust me on this one.”
“Kind of hard to trust you when you won’t give me any information. She seems like a nice girl once you chip away at her hard exterior.”
“She is.”
“Then what is it? Do you not think I’m good enough for her? Because I’d have you know I’m a pretty decent guy.”
“I know that. But you also don’t stay in one place for too long, and you’ve already been home for a lot longer than you planned. Don’t start something with her if you don’t plan on sticking around.”
“I just wanted dinner and a chance to show her a good time. I didn’t say anything about some long-term commitment.”
“Which is exactly why you need to drop it.”
“Do people not go on dates anymore? I know I’ve been out of the country more than I’ve been in it, but I didn’t think that was an outdated concept—”
“Cooper!” Shay’s outburst cut him off, and he looked at her with curiosity. She let out a deep breath then met his eyes. “She has a kid.”
Shay might as well have sucker-punched him in the gut. “A kid?”
“Tommy, he just turned seven.”
“S
even?”
“Told you she wasn’t your type,” Shay said and though he agreed with her, he couldn’t help but be disappointed.
~End of Excerpt~
Grab your copy of Catching Cooper today!
Other Books by Theresa
Mad About Matt
Crushing on Kate
Moments with Mason
Catching Cooper
Hung Up on Hadley
A Bride for Sam
Dreaming of Daisy
Charmed by Chase (Book 1 of the Marshall Family)
Blindsided by Brooke (Coming November 2018)
Willow Cove Series:
Her Forbidden Love Match
His Not-So Small Town Girl (Coming September 2018)
The Again Series
(Never) Again
(Once) Again
Written with Cassie Mae under the pen name Tessa Marie
Broken Records
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to Cassie, the inspiration behind all of my amazing characters. Mason is yours and no one else can claim him. ;) (Written by Cassie, but as always too perfect to change. I also want to add that this book would not be the book it is without you. Thank you for the countless phone calls, the million messages and for being not only an amazing friend but the best editor a girl could ask for.)
Mom, thank you for helping me through this one. Some books come easily and others are like pulling teeth. This one was the latter but you stuck with me every step of the way, encouraging me, helping me and never letting me give up. I couldn’t do this without you.
Dad, I can’t mention Mom without mentioning you. You might not read countless drafts and spend hours on the phone with me as I work through plots, but that doesn’t mean I appreciate you any less. I write strong female characters because that’s the girl you raised me to be. Thank you for that.
Amanda Walker, cover designer extraordinaire, thank you for another beautiful cover.
Eric, thank you for your support and for letting me use an entire day of our vacation to finish this book. Your understanding and love keep me going.
My Beta girls, thank you for keeping me sane.
My readers, thank you for taking a chance on Red Maple Falls. The idea to create this small town has been sitting in my mind for a very long time and I’m just so grateful to finally be able to bring it to you. There is so much more to come and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Stay tuned the best is yet to come!
About the Author
Theresa Paolo lives on Long Island, NY with her fiancé and their fish. She is the author of NA and Adult contemporary romances. Her debut novel (NEVER) AGAIN, released in Fall 2013 with Berkley (Penguin) and the companion novel (ONCE) AGAIN released Summer 2014. Mad About Matt, the first book in her new Red Maple Falls series, released March 2017.
She put her love of writing on hold while she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, brewery hopping, daydreaming, wasting time on Pinterest, or can be found chatting away on Twitter and Facebook. She also writes YA romance under Tessa Marie.
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Moments with Mason (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #3) Page 19