by Terri Osburn
“I’m not suggesting you need anyone’s permission, and I do want you to be happy,” he conceded. “I guess I just need to get used to the idea of you, you know, dating.”
His mother’s carefree laughter returned. “You make it sound like I’ve taken up pole dancing. Goodness, Cooper, I’m having a nice time with a man who thinks I’m pretty.”
“You’re beautiful,” Cooper declared. “You don’t need some bookstore owner to tell you that.”
“Actually, I do.” Laying her hand along his stubble-covered jaw, she said, “But it’s nice to hear it from you as well.” After a wistful sigh, she pulled her hand away to prop it beneath her chin. “Enough about me. Tell me what’s going on between you and Haleigh Rae.”
Cooper hadn’t seen that one coming. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said before shoving a forkful of food in his mouth.
“Oh no,” Mama said, wiggling a finger in front of his nose. “If we can talk about my love life, we can talk about yours. Abby said you spent the night at her house last night.”
“On the couch,” he clarified around the steak.
Throwing a folded paper towel his way, she said, “You know better than to talk with your mouth full.”
Chewing the rest of the meat, he swallowed and said, “Haleigh had too much to drink at Brubaker’s, so I left my truck at the bar and drove her home. Then I slept on the couch. End of story.”
If he did make a move in Haleigh’s direction, the odds were still in favor of her telling him to go to hell. For the sake of his pride, he’d prefer as few people as possible know of his potential humiliation. Add in his mother’s unwavering determination to see her son married, mostly for the sake of getting herself some grandkids to spoil, and the slightest whiff of him and Haleigh getting together would have her doing who-knew-what to see them tripping down the aisle as soon as possible.
“You don’t really expect me to believe that. You’ve been in love with the girl since you hit puberty. Maybe before.”
Sweet corn spewed across his desk. “How do you know that?”
She shook her head as she gathered the corn in another paper towel. “I’m your mother, Cooper. I know everything.”
He didn’t like the sound of that.
“Now, what are you going to do about Haleigh Rae?”
“I’m not going to do anything about Haleigh Rae. And you’re not going to do anything, either,” he ordered. “No meddling. Promise me.”
“You aren’t getting any younger, you know.”
They’d been over this more times than he could count. “For the last time, when I marry, I’m only doing it once. That’s it. And that means no wedding until I find a girl that I can’t live without. So far, that hasn’t happened, but you’ll be the first to know if it does.”
Leaning forward as if sharing a great secret, she said, “Cooper, you’ve loved that girl forever. You have to at least give it a try.”
He copied her movements. “Like I said, I’ll let you know if the right girl comes around.”
As the implication sank in, Linda Ridgeway sat back with a wide grin splitting her face. Nodding her approval, she said, “That’s my boy.”
Haleigh’s shift didn’t start until noon, which gave her plenty of time to shower and make a call before arriving at the hospital an hour early to track down Abby. As expected, Raquel had been disappointed but supportive, apologizing for being out of reach while dinging Haleigh for walking into the bar in the first place. An addict knew better than to tempt fate, especially when her defenses were down.
She took the scolding without argument or offense. Every word her sponsor said had been the truth. They’d agreed that avoiding future encounters with her mother would be the best way to go, but since Haleigh wasn’t prepared to cut her mother out of her life, she’d agreed to search for a local counselor to get herself back on track.
Feeling like a failure was nothing new, but stung nonetheless. What mattered now was getting back on the wagon and staying there.
As she made the drive to the hospital, Haleigh contemplated the impending conversation with Abby, which allowed her not to think about Jessi’s lecture. Though she had sunk to the childish level of leaving a sticky note on the fridge informing the little know-it-all that Haleigh was only thirty-one, thank you very much.
What did the girl know anyway? Clearly, her mother had set the bar pretty low when it came to standards for her daughter. With a parent like the one Jessi described, why would any child care about winning her approval? The careless woman didn’t even know where her daughter was right now. The daughter who was supposedly still pregnant.
“I have fifteen minutes,” Abby said, meeting Haleigh near the elevators outside neurology. “We can talk in the lounge up here.”
Her tone was all business. Not a good sign.
“Whatever you want,” Haleigh said, keeping up with her friend’s brisk pace.
Thankfully, the lounge was empty since Abby didn’t pull any punches. The moment they stepped through the door, she said, “I thought you gave up drinking.”
“I did,” Haleigh defended. “It was one slip.”
“If Cooper had to bring you home, it was more than a slip,” Abby said, slamming her hands into the pockets of her scrubs. “What’s going on between the two of you?”
“Hold on a minute.” Haleigh got enough of this crap from her mother. She didn’t need it from her best friend, too. “I had a rough night and threw back a couple drinks. Unfortunately, I did it on an empty stomach and a couple was all it took to go too far. I didn’t ask Cooper to bring me home. In fact, I didn’t have a choice in the matter since he threatened to throw me over his shoulder and carry me out of the bar.”
Tapping her foot, Abby said, “I heard you in the kitchen last night. You were flirting.”
“I was drunk.” This was ridiculous. Haleigh had screwed up. There was no denying that. But she hadn’t committed any sins with Cooper. “I’m going to ignore this interrogation because I know you’re still not in a good place. And having Emma around isn’t helping. To sum up, I fell off the wagon. I’m seeking counseling to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And I’m not flirting with your brother. End of discussion.”
Before Haleigh reached the door, Abby said, “I don’t want to see him hurt.” When her friend turned around, she added, “I don’t want to see either of you hurt, but Cooper isn’t like you. He wears his heart on his sleeve. Easier for someone to break.”
Fighting to hide her feelings, Haleigh shook her head. “I don’t plan on hurting him, Abby.”
“I know,” her oldest friend said. “But that doesn’t mean that you won’t.”
Which was the exact reason why Haleigh wouldn’t cross that line.
“No one knows my ability to leave chaos in my wake better than I do,” Haleigh said. “You have my word, Abby. I won’t hurt him.”
Again she turned to leave, but Abby stopped her. “Are you okay? What happened last night to set you off?”
Crossing her arms, Haleigh said, “My mother suggested that for once in my life I should put her first.”
Abby’s shoulders fell. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Wow.”
Abby Ridgeway had been Haleigh’s confidante since they were nine years old. She knew every ugly and twisted part of her past. Without her friend as witness, Haleigh might wonder if her childhood had really been so bad, or if the painful memories were more nightmare than reality.
That wow confirmed the truth.
With a philosophic smile, Haleigh said, “Nothing I shouldn’t be used to, right? I’m sorry I upset you. It won’t happen again.”
“I love your guts, Haleigh Rae,” Abby said with an apologetic tone.
When the girls were eleven, Haleigh had come to a life-changing conclusion that she had to share with her best friend immediately. My mother hates my guts, Haleigh had declared, to which Abby had responded, I love your guts. They’d been using the phrase ever since.
<
br /> The words made Haleigh smile despite the ache in her chest. “I love your guts, too, Abby Lou.”
And maybe someday she’d love her own as well.
Chapter 13
Cooper was getting a complex about females puking in his presence. No sooner had he arrived at Abby’s house Monday morning to drive Jessi and the munchkin to the pediatrician’s office, than Emma upchucked down the front of her little pink outfit.
“Come on, Emma,” Jessi pleaded. “We’re already late as it is.”
“I’ll get you there on time,” Cooper said. “Get her changed and meet me at the car.”
Due to Cooper’s truck being circa 1975, strapping a baby into the middle of his bench seat wasn’t an option. Fortunately for Jessi, Abby had the day off and had offered up her Camry.
As Jessi rushed off, Cooper headed for the door and ran into Abby exiting the laundry room with a basket full of clothes.
“If those are yours, I think they shrunk,” he said, knowing full well that the tiny items belonged to Emma.
Abby wasn’t amused. “Forgive me if I’m not in the mood for laundry humor.”
“You haven’t been in the mood for any kind of humor lately,” he observed. He understood that she was grieving, but that didn’t stop Cooper from missing the twin he’d known his whole life. “Why don’t you come with us? I’ll buy lunch for everyone.”
She led him to the living room, where she dropped onto the couch and settled the basket between her feet. “Don’t you have a business to run?”
“Frankie and Ian are working the garage, and Kelly can handle the counter without me for a few hours.” Abby knew that Cooper had enough employees to keep the garage running without his constant supervision. Which meant she was being a snot for no reason. “When was the last time you did something other than work or volunteer at one of those veterans’ charities?”
Snapping a baby blanket in the air, she said, “Those charities are important. Those men and women sacrificed everything for the rest of us, and they deserve our help. Forgive me for wanting to give back.”
“Abby,” he said, and waited for her to meet his eye. “No matter how much money you raise, you can’t bring Kyle back. And you know he’d hate to see you cut yourself off like this.”
“What do you know about it, Cooper? You’ve never committed to anything other than a metal box on four wheels.” Green eyes that matched his own snapped fire. “How about, when you lose the love of your life, then you can tell me how to live mine.”
Shortly after Kyle had died, while Abby had been walking around in a daze acting as if her husband might stroll through the door at any minute, their mother had made Cooper read about the five stages of grief. Those early months had been a textbook case of denial, but Abby had clearly drifted into the next stage—anger.
His sister had no more control over her emotions right now than she did the weather, but knowing the source of the storm didn’t make it any easier to bear.
“You’re right,” he said, backing away. “What do I know?”
When he reached the front hall, Abby called after him. “Cooper, come back here.”
Reluctant to take more abuse, he ignored the plea and kept walking.
“Please,” she said as she caught up to him. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
Cooper shook his head as he turned. “No, you shouldn’t have. But you’re right, I don’t know a damn thing about what you’re going through.”
“Maybe not,” she agreed, “but you’re right about Kyle. He’d hate to see me hiding away like this. I just need more time, okay?”
“Okay.” Cooper hugged his sister tight before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m here for you, sis. Whether you want to talk or yell or punch something, I’m here.”
She sniffed as she pulled away. “I appreciate that.”
As he tugged on his sister’s ponytail, Jessi stepped into the foyer and hesitated. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting a family moment?”
Abby laughed. “We were just getting something straight,” she said. “You guys better go or you’re going to be late.”
“I changed her as fast as I could.” Jessi handed the baby-filled car seat over to Cooper. “She wouldn’t stop squirming long enough to get her legs in the holes.”
“Like I said, I’ll get you there on time.”
Cooper and Jessi rushed out the door as Abby yelled, “No speeding, little brother.”
Jessi snorted. “Did she just call you little brother?”
“She beat me by a minute,” he explained while locking Emma into the backseat. “And she’s never let me forget it.”
“It must be cool to have a twin,” she said wistfully as she buckled herself in.
“It has its moments,” he answered. “Don’t you have any siblings?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Nah. Mama got herself fixed when I was a kid. Said I crimped her style enough.”
Just when Cooper thought he knew how having a crappy parent felt, Jessi went and proved him wrong. Aware that the kid would rather stick another hole in her face than accept his sympathy, he said, “If that’s the example you had to follow, I’d say you turned out pretty good, short stuff.”
Looking both embarrassed and pleased, Jessi said, “Thanks, dude. Do you think my dad will feel the same way?”
Cooper hadn’t seen that question coming. One week into their search and they’d yet to catch a lead. Caleb had asked Hattie Silvester, who owned the newspaper and had grown up in Ardent Springs, but the initials hadn’t rung a bell with her. Spencer had consulted Lorelei’s grandmother as well as Buford Stallings and Lorelei’s father, Mike Lowry, both of whom could be around the age Jessi’s father might be today.
But again, no one remembered anyone going by J.T. It was looking more and more like Jessi’s mom had sent her on a wild-goose chase for a man who didn’t exist.
“Are you sure you want to keep looking?” Cooper asked. “The guy bailed on you and your mom. That doesn’t sound like a good guy to me.”
Keeping her head up, Jessi stared out the windshield as she said, “I need to do this, Cooper. I really appreciate y’all taking me in, but I’ve gotta see this through. This might be my only shot to have a real family.”
Feeling like a protective big brother, he said, “I know we called this stay at Abby’s temporary, but you know nobody is kicking you out, right?”
“I still feel bad for crashing like this. I tried to get Abby to leave that laundry alone. She shouldn’t have to fold Emma’s clothes on her day off.” Leaning an elbow on the door ledge, she added, “And my funds are running out. I need to get a job somewhere.”
Jessi had been carrying more money than any of them had expected when she’d come to town. It turned out she’d been saving through her entire pregnancy. His mother had organized a diaper collection among her friends, which left Jessi’s funds to cover all of Emma’s formula so far. With the clothing and blanket donations from Carrie, plus the car seat Cooper bought, the baby was well taken care of.
For now.
“Aren’t new moms supposed to wait like six weeks before doing anything?”
“Broke new moms don’t have that luxury,” she said. “And maybe if I get a job I’ll come across someone who knows this J.T. person.”
He had to admire her staunch determination. “I’m asking everyone I can think of,” he said, assuring her that they were taking the search seriously. “If he’s around, we’ll find him.”
She nodded. “He’s here. I can feel it.”
Growing certain that the opposite was true, Cooper held his tongue. If they didn’t get lucky in the next week, their only alternative would be to go public with the search. Something he was reluctant to do. Regardless of how things had gone down, learning a man had a long-lost daughter could have a less than positive effect on a family.
That meant they needed to exhaust all other avenues before outing the guy publicly. For all their sakes, Cooper hope
d something would turn up soon.
Between late Saturday afternoon and lunchtime on Monday, Haleigh had delivered seventeen babies. A record for her career, and a feat she never wanted to achieve again. Whatever had leaked into the Ardent Springs water supply nine months before, Haleigh was just glad that she hadn’t been around to drink it.
The weekend baby boom had kept her so busy, she hadn’t seen Abby since their eye-opening chat two days before. Losing Kyle had changed her friend. Though less outgoing than her twin, Abby had been just as sweet and generous as her brother. Always ready with a positive word and a ready smile. Abigail Ridgeway had been the saving grace that kept Haleigh from succumbing to the permeating darkness at home. A source of acceptance without limit or condition.
For Abby to imply that Haleigh was little more than a wrecking ball destined to destroy anyone who stepped too close hit like a left hook. If the only person who had ever believed in her saw nothing left to redeem, who was Haleigh to argue?
The only person who had anything nice to say about Haleigh as a person was Cooper. Poor, blind Cooper. Even if Abby hadn’t warned her off, she’d have kept a distance between them. If they got too close, he’d see what Haleigh really was. Delusion or not, Cooper’s misplaced faith might be the only weapon to keep her demons at bay. If just one person believed she was worth saving, then maybe she was.
“That’s four twenty-five,” said the young man behind the register.
Haleigh had taken advantage of the respite to grab a coffee and a muffin from the cafeteria. She handed over a five, and then pocketed the change.
“I was hoping I’d find you here,” said a gentle voice from her right.
The heat of humiliation danced up Haleigh’s neck. She’d hoped to avoid the number one witness to her Brubaker’s performance.
“Hey, Carrie. How are you?” To the drooling baby on the woman’s hip, Haleigh said, “You’re getting cuter every day, little one.”