by Terri Osburn
“That’s because none of it was your business.”
“I know. Look, if anyone knows what it’s like to get dumped on from every direction, it’s me. I really am sorry.”
The words sounded sincere. “It’s fine. I guess it’s good to know that I’m not fooling anyone.”
“That’s a heavy load you’re carrying.”
Haleigh snorted. “You don’t know the half of it.” As the weight of Abby’s disapproval settled around her, the urge for a drink hit so hard she could feel the burn in her lungs. “I’m getting some coffee,” she said, heading for the kitchen.
“Let me put Emma down and I’ll sit with you.”
“I appreciate that, but you don’t have to stay up on my account.”
“I want to,” Jessi said, and with a half shrug, added, “I’ve never had a lot of female friends. Do you mind if I stay up for a while?”
“No,” Haleigh said, wishing more than ever that she possessed the magic wand that would change this girl’s life. “I don’t mind at all. If you promise not to tell, I’ll show you where to find the secret cookie stash.”
“There’s a secret cookie stash?” Jessi asked in awe, looking more like a little girl than a new mother.
“Put the baby to bed,” Haleigh said. “I’ll have the milk poured before you get back.”
The too-cool teen reared her pop-punk head. “Milk and cookies are for kids,” she said, as if saving her street cred required pointing this out. When Haleigh simply stared with a raised brow, Jessi caved. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“We need to talk,” Abby said, as she stormed into his office without knocking.
Cooper was in the middle of a tire order, and, so as not to lose his place, he pressed a finger over the current line before looking up. “Sure, Abbs. No need to knock. Come on in.”
“Was Saturday night the first time that happened?” she asked, ignoring his sarcasm.
Annoyed by her tone, he said, “Nope. I have cookouts all the time.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“Do you see me laughing?”
Slamming her hands on the edge of his desk, his sister said, “You need to stay away from Haleigh Rae.”
“Why is that?” Cooper asked. Having no intention of following his twin’s dictates didn’t mean he wasn’t curious enough to hear her reasons.
Abby dropped into the metal chair behind her. “Just trust me on this.”
“Try again,” he said, underlining his spot on the order list before dropping the pencil and leaning back. “You don’t get to make a demand like that and not back it up.”
Tapping her purse strap on the arm of the chair, Abby fidgeted. “You don’t know her.”
Pointing out the obvious, Cooper said, “I’ve known Haleigh Rae as long as you have, remember? It’s not as if we’re strangers.”
“I mean,” she gritted through a clenched jaw, “you don’t know her like I know her. She’s made some serious mistakes.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“Big mistakes,” Abby announced. “She isn’t the kind of person you should be with.”
Since Cooper was fairly certain that Haleigh never told Abby what happened the summer after graduation, he couldn’t help but wonder what other mistakes his sister was talking about. And why she’d betray Haleigh’s confidence to keep him away from her.
Crossing his arms, Cooper stared his sister down, waiting for her to elaborate. When she held silent, he said, “Haleigh Rae has repeatedly told me that she isn’t a good person. That she’s a mess and that I should steer clear.”
Green eyes like his own went wide before Abby covered her surprise. “Good. I’m glad. But if that’s true, why did I catch the two of you ripping each other’s clothes off the other night?”
“Because I don’t care what she says.” Cooper leaned forward. “Regardless of what Haleigh’s mother thinks, or what you seem to think, Haleigh is not a bad person. And nothing you say will change that. If she’s made mistakes and she wants me to know about them, then she’ll tell me. Whatever they are, I’m not going to condemn her for them.”
Abby’s jaw ticked. “She’s been engaged.”
Returning attention to the documents on his desk, he said, “So long as she isn’t engaged right now, I don’t see how that’s a problem.”
“Three times,” Abby said, emphasizing each word. When Cooper met her eye, one dark brow rose. “She goes through men like most women go through shoes.”
Curious, but still in Haleigh’s corner, he said, “I’m pretty sure women go through more than three pairs of shoes in a week let alone in a decade. Now, like I said, so long as she isn’t engaged or married to anyone right now, we don’t have a problem.” Assuming this statement would end the argument, he retrieved his pencil. “If there’s nothing else . . .”
Abby ignored his dismissal, but didn’t speak again for nearly a minute. Determined to wait her out, Cooper went on compiling the order, unaware how much he’d underestimated his sister’s willingness to betray her best friend’s secrets.
“There’s one more thing,” she said, her voice flat. “Haleigh Rae is an alcoholic.” When Cooper’s head shot up, she added, “Just like Daddy.”
Setting the pencil down slowly, Cooper let the words sink in. Though the first part may have been a fact, the second was an outright lie.
“Unless Haleigh Rae is a mean drunk with a solid left hook, she isn’t anything like Daddy. Why would you say something like that?”
“Is that what you want?” Abby asked, jolting out of the chair. “You want to be with someone who puts alcohol over the people they love?”
“I’ll say it again. Haleigh isn’t Daddy.” Cooper charged around the desk. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Abby. In fact, I’m not even sure who you are right now. Haleigh Rae has been your best friend for more than twenty years, and she deserves a hell of a lot better than for you to come barging in here trying to make her sound like a plague on humanity.” She opened her mouth, but Cooper had heard enough. “You’ve said what you came to say, and now you can leave,” he spat, pointing to the exit.
Eyes glaring, Abby followed the order, but Cooper stopped her at the door with a warning.
“If I hear one peep that you’ve repeated this crap to anyone else, you and I are done.”
Abby reeled. “That’s a horrible thing to say. I would never tell anyone else. I’m only telling you to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” he asked. “She’s your oldest friend, Abby. She grew up in our house because she was treated like crap at her own.” Ripping off his hat, he shoved a hand through his hair. “Look,” he said, reining in his temper. “So she isn’t perfect. So what? Nobody is.”
“This is different, Cooper. You remember what it was like. She called that night at Brubaker’s a slip. How many slips did Daddy have?”
Crossing to his sister, Cooper tried to make her see reality. “Abby girl, it isn’t the same. You know better than anyone that Haleigh Rae is nothing like him. Daddy was a failure who couldn’t live with his own shortcomings. The bitterness made him mean, and the liquor made him meaner. Don’t let what he was ruin things between you and Haleigh. Not after all these years.”
Staring at the pocket of his T-shirt, she mumbled, “Do what you want, but when you get hurt, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Without another word, his sister walked away, leaving a confused and disappointed Cooper behind her. Being angry with the world was one thing. Attempting to destroy her best friend’s reputation, even if only to her brother, was another. Something else was going on.
Haleigh hadn’t been drunk enough the night after Brubaker’s to conjure flashbacks of their father’s whiskey-fueled tirades. Unless she was drinking in her room every night, which Cooper doubted based solely on the number of hours she worked, Abby’s attitude made no sense. If anything, she should have been even more on Haleigh’s side.
Not long ago, their mother had sugge
sted that Abby get some counseling, but she’d claimed to be fine. Based on what had just happened, Cooper intended to make the suggestion himself.
Chapter 18
So this was Cooper’s garage.
For some odd reason, Haleigh hadn’t expected it to be so . . . nice. The sign over the door read COOPER’S TOTAL AUTO CARE in big, bold letters, while a red neon sign in the window flashed the word OPEN. There were four gas pumps in front of the building, with the typical large canopy. Cars of varying shapes, sizes, and conditions filled nearly all open spaces down each side of the property, presumably waiting for attention. By the looks of things, Cooper would not run out of work anytime soon.
Though they’d exchanged a few flirtatious texts, she hadn’t seen him since the cookout, and took the opportunity of a morning off to pay a surprise visit. In truth, the visit was as much a surprise to Haleigh as it would be to Cooper, and her purpose for coming was twofold.
After spending every free minute of the last few days reviewing Carrie’s research, Haleigh really wanted to take on the shelter project. It wouldn’t be easy, and finding a suitable facility would be the first hurdle. Or rather, the second after procuring the funding. She’d already put in a call to a friend back in Memphis who knew everything about writing grant proposals and would hopefully be willing to offer advice, if not direct assistance.
But Carrie had been right that the old band camp property offered the best option in the area short of building from scratch. There was no way they could construct an entirely new facility that would provide even half of the housing space available at the camp. Not without a major benefactor. With so much of the town focused on raising money for the theater, their best route was to apply for as many grants as possible and use the funds awarded to buy the existing property.
Of course, the grant applications would require a full proposal, including the property they intended to use and the cost involved in obtaining it. According to Carrie, the asking price on the camp was significantly higher than the value, considering the distance from town and the condition of the place. No one had used it in at least five years. Nothing could sit empty for five years and be move-in ready.
Therefore, they needed a personal connection. An in with the owners. That’s where Cooper came into the picture. He knew everyone, so surely he’d know the proprietor of JW Property Management.
The second reason was, well, she just wanted to see him. Abby hadn’t spoken to her since Saturday night, and as stupid as it sounded, Haleigh needed a friend. Not that Jessi hadn’t been a cheerleader during this intense period of awkward silence, but she wasn’t Cooper.
With sweaty palms, Haleigh climbed from her car and forced her feet to move. Propelled by sheer will and a hefty dollop of lust, she reached the entrance to the garage, which was two bays wide with both doors completely open, and realized she had no idea where to go. Wasn’t there a rule about civilians walking into garages? As in, they shouldn’t?
“Can I help you?” a voice behind her said.
Haleigh nearly jumped out of her knickers as she spun on her toes to face a bearded giant wearing glasses with the thickest lenses she’d ever seen. They made his blue eyes look like dinner plates and must have weighed a solid pound each.
“Um . . . I’m looking for Cooper. The guy in charge?”
Well of course the blind lumberjack would know that Cooper was the guy in charge. What a stupid thing to say.
Looking her up and down, the man in filthy overalls leaned slightly right and bellowed his boss’s name. Haleigh resisted the urge to cover her ears. What he lacked in eyesight the man more than made up for in volume.
“What?” Cooper yelled from the bowels of the garage. She tried to locate the sound, but Haleigh couldn’t see anything other than a Buick with a raised hood.
“There’s someone here to see you!” yelled the least helpful man ever.
“Ask ’em what they want,” echoed back.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Haleigh marched into the garage, ignoring the protests behind her, and found whom she believed to be Cooper tucked into the guts of the Buick from the waist up. “Is this how you greet all your customers?”
Cooper jerked, smacked his head on some big block-looking thing, and spewed an impressive stream of profanity before rising out of the machine. Rubbing his head, he looked as angry as Mabel the Charging Chicken until he realized who she was. Almost instantly, a goofy grin crossed his face. “Hey there, Hal.” He stepped around the front of the car, looking intent on giving her a potentially greasy greeting.
“Whoa there, big boy,” Haleigh said, holding up both hands to stop him. “Keep your nasty fluids to yourself.”
Glancing down at his overalls, he said, “You deal with nastier fluids than this, remember?”
“We are not going to compare our dirty work. Maybe I should have called first.”
“No,” he assured her. “This is fine. Let me get out of these overalls and we can talk.” Haleigh resisted the urge to help him undress. The smells of gasoline and exhaust fumes were great libido suppressants. “Come on into the office and I’ll slip these off.”
She followed him to a glass door at the end of the garage, but as they approached the exit, the burly greeter called to Cooper. “The sheriff’s office is expecting that car fixed and ready by five today.”
Grabbing a bottle of motor oil off the counter beside them, Cooper hurled it through the air. “Then you should stop standing around and get to work.”
Haleigh couldn’t decipher the mumbled response, but had no doubt it wasn’t pleasant.
“Do all of your employees question you like that?” she asked.
“Don’t mind Frankie. He’s been here since Tanner owned the place. Cranky as a badger in a box, but he can fix a transmission with his eyes closed.” Cooper nodded to the girl behind the tiny checkout counter before pointing Haleigh toward a back room that turned out to be a slightly cluttered but very professional-looking office. “Have we gotten a confirmation on that tire order?” he asked from the doorway.
“Ten minutes ago,” the girl answered. “I put it on your desk.”
“Thanks, Kelly.”
Closing the door behind him, he unsnapped the grease-covered outfit and dragged it down his arms. The T-shirt he wore underneath clung to his abs like a second skin. Haleigh nearly swallowed her tongue. When he’d tugged the coveralls over both boots, he hung them on a hook on the back of the door without looking and walked her way.
“Now, let’s try that hello again.” In less than a second, Haleigh found herself pulled tight against Cooper’s chest, staring up into eyes darkening to the shade of emeralds. “Hey, doc,” he said. “I missed you.”
And there was the kind word she needed. Feeling like a schoolgirl with her first crush, she gave her best smile in return. “How much did you miss me?” she flirted, unable to help herself.
“Telling you wouldn’t really explain it,” he quipped. “I’d better show you.”
Cooper had turned kissing into an art form. He started slow and sweet, but didn’t stay that way for long. Between his hands and his tongue and his powerful body, Haleigh couldn’t decide which part of him she liked best. And then she remembered that there were parts she hadn’t even explored yet. That thought turned her brain to mush.
When the backs of her thighs connected with something hard and unmoving, common sense kicked back in. She had a reason to be here that didn’t involve getting naked on Cooper’s desk, and though she wasn’t eliminating that from the to-do list, they needed to conduct business first.
Breaking the kiss, she said, “We need to slow down here. I don’t think we’re at the sex-on-the-desktop phase yet.”
“You’re right,” Cooper agreed, more readily than she liked. He could have protested at least a little. “When we do make love, it isn’t going to be in this ratty old office.”
The word when created a shiver of anticipation. Man, was she a goner.
“I really a
m happy to see you,” he said.
“I noticed,” she laughed. “I was afraid you’d be upset that I didn’t call first.”
Dropping a kiss on her nose, he said, “You never have to call first.”
The gesture was beyond sappy, but Haleigh ate it up like a kitten with a bowl of warm milk. “That’s nice to know.” Not wanting to start out with Hey, can I use your connections, she said, “How has your day been?”
Cooper lost the playful expression. “I had another surprise visitor this morning.”
“I hope you didn’t give them the same greeting that I got,” she said, unnerved by his sudden change in mood. “An unhappy customer?”
“An unhappy sister,” he replied.
“Oh.” Haleigh would have liked to come up with a better response, but she was too busy worrying about what might come next.
“Actually,” he said, “it’s good that you’re here. This way we can clear the air right now.”
“Clear the air?” Haleigh asked. “I didn’t realize the air had gotten foggy.” She should have known this was too good to be true.
Turning them around, Cooper propped on the edge of the desk and pulled her in between his legs. “Abby decided I should know certain things about you, about your history, before I got myself in too deep.”
Pulling her hands from his, she said, “Did she, now?”
“I don’t like the way she did it, but here’s a chance to tell your side.”
“So now I’m on trial?” This was not going to happen. Cooper was the one person who didn’t treat her like a criminal, and now he wanted to play judge and jury while she pleaded her case? No thank you. “Let’s just forget it.”
“Hal, wait.” Cooper caught her hand and refused to let go. “Why are you so mad?”
“You lied, Cooper. You said good or bad, and the minute you got the ugly truth, you spooked. Which is exactly what you said wouldn’t happen.”
“But I didn’t—”
Too pissed to listen to anything he had to stay, Haleigh ripped her hand away and charged for the door.