Intercepting Love

by L. P. Dover

  Putting the car in gear, I backed out of her driveway. “I’m pretty sure I know where to find you to collect for damages. Besides, this thing is a lot safer than your Jeep.”

  “That might be true, but my Jeep has been through a lot with me over the past few years.”

  We both chuckled, but then the car went silent. “So,” I began, “if you’re not married, are you dating anyone?”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she narrowed her gaze and studied me. “Why do you want to know?”

  “No reason really,” I said nonchalantly. “Just asking since it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

  “Well, as of right now, I’m not officially dating anyone.”

  “Is that because you don’t want to be, or because you haven’t found someone you want?” I inquired curiously.

  She laughed nervously. “My God, you ask a lot of questions. Maybe a little bit of both, I guess. I got hurt a couple of years ago and it kind of stuck with me.” Pressing her lips together, she looked down at her clasped hands, her eyes sad and distant. She wasn’t the only one in the car who had been hurt.

  “You’re not asking me out on a date are you?” she blurted out, lifting her head to face me.

  “Would you say yes if I did?”

  Sighing, she rested her head against the seat and smiled halfheartedly. “Oh, Cooper, I’m the last person you’d want to get involved with. I don’t think I’m your type anyway. Besides, we work together, so if anything were to happen it would be very awkward.”

  It was all excuses, but if I was anything, it was persistent.

  “We’re adults aren’t we, Kate?”

  “Yeah, the last time I checked.”

  “Well, then I’m sure there’s a way we can mix business with pleasure without causing problems. We don’t even have to tell anyone on the team if that helps. However, the real question here is why do you say you’re not my type?”

  She scoffed. “I’ve seen pictures of the girls you date, Cooper. I’m not a fashion model or some glamorous movie star. I’m just a normal girl that lives in a small town in North Carolina, earning probably a quarter of what you’re used to. We’re from two different worlds.”

  “Do you honestly think that?” I asked, clenching the steering wheel tight. “You have no idea where I’m from or what I want. Why do you think I picked a house in your neighborhood, Kate?”

  She paused, eyes wide, and shrugged her shoulder in reply.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you. When I lived out in California, I didn’t have the opulent mansion like my friends. Yeah, my parents are all about the money, but I chose to live in a smaller place out in the middle of nowhere because that’s what I liked. I didn’t want to show off what I had. Forget what you’ve seen in the tabloids and newspapers, and find out who I am on your own. I’m so goddamned sick of everyone judging me when they have no fucking clue.”

  “Hey,” she said softly, placing her hand gently on mine. “Look, I’m sorry for being presumptuous, but with your record how could I not be? People change, I get that, and I can tell you’re a great guy, but you also have to see where I’m coming from. I have to be careful what I do, because if I let something happen between us it could not only cause a hardship between me and you, but also with the team. I don’t date the players, Cooper.”

  “Things change, Kate,” I told her. “When you want something bad enough, it’s hard to just let it walk away. Over the past year, I gave up because I was too fucked up to even try. Not anymore, though. When I want something I’m going to go for it, and when I see it I’m going to take it.”

  We pulled into the parking lot of the practice field and I shut off my car, the tension in the air crackling like fire. When I turned to look at her, it was like her stormy gray gaze could see right through me. There were a shit ton of things I wanted, but nothing as much as leaning forward to kiss those lips of hers.

  With her breaths coming fast and low, she licked her dry lips and shook her head. “Cooper, we can’t.”

  Bending over the center console, I glanced down at her lips and murmured low, “Yes we can, Kate, and I’m going to make sure we do.”

  She didn’t move, only stared wide-eyed at me as I came closer. Something over my shoulder caught her attention and she abruptly backed away, fidgeting in her seat. “Okay, now’s definitely not a good time to discuss this. The others just showed up, and the last thing I need is to explain what I was doing in your car, about to kiss you.”

  So she was going to let me kiss her.

  Almost immediately, she opened her door and slid out, racing over to the others who all smiled and surrounded her. I wonder how many of them tried to get with her, too. Grabbing my bag out of the back seat, I took a deep breath and opened my door.

  Kate waved me over, and I assumed the guy standing beside of her was her brother; he had the same blond hair and gray eyes as her. Kate nervously glanced back and forth between us. “Evan, this is Cooper. Cooper, this is my brother, Evan. I trust that you all will play nice.”

  I held out my hand and Evan firmly gripped it with a sly smile on his face. “Of course, you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure me and the guys will make him feel … at home.”

  I bet, I thought to myself.

  Shaking her head, Kate lifted her brows and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you will,” she mumbled sarcastically before walking away. “Okay, well I hope you all have fun, but I have some things to do. Try not to get hurt today.”

  Glancing at me quickly, she strolled off across the field toward my uncle. “Kate,” I called, catching up to her.

  Nervously, she turned around. “Yes?”

  Taking her hand, I opened her fingers and placed my keys on her palm, closing her hand around them. “We can finish up our conversation later.”

  “Cooper, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she whispered. “The guys are already watching you like a hawk. It wouldn’t end well for you.”

  “I think I’ll take my chances.”

  Putting my keys in her purse, she held up her hands in defeat. “I can see it now … you’re going to be a bad influence on me, aren’t you?”

  When all I did was wink, she turned on her heel and groaned before marching off toward Joel. “You know you’re wasting your time, right?” Evan remarked, coming up beside me. His arms were crossed at the chest as he glared protectively at his sister. “She has strict rules about dating the guys on the team; she doesn’t do it. She’s broken many hearts by turning them down, and I know she’s not changing her ways for you. Sorry, dude, but you might want to consider another female if all you want is to score a touchdown under the sheets.”

  “That’s not what this is about.”

  Clapping me on the shoulder, he scoffed, “I don’t believe that for a second. Now come on and show us what you got. We have a lot of work to do.”

  Yes, I do, and it doesn’t involve playing on the field.

  Driving Cooper’s car was almost like driving my Jeep, except his was a lot nicer. I felt strange leaving in his car, but he smiled at me when I left while my brother looked on in confusion. I was going to have a lot of questions to answer when I got back.

  Today happened to be the anniversary of Scott’s death; it was exactly two years ago. Trying to keep it together in front of everyone wasn’t easy, but I was trying. I prayed that things would be different this year, and so far I was in the clear. You see, Scott wasn’t the only one who haunted my dreams … his family did as well. They liked to give me reminders that it was my fault Scott was gone.

  Last year, the anniversary landed on a Sunday, so I was able to stay at home and drown my sorrows with a bottle of vodka. At least that way, when I got the threatening phone calls I was too oblivious to even care. I wonder what they’ll say to me this year.

  My friend, Lara, was a good distraction, which was why I wanted to meet her. She accepted my invitation for lunch at this quaint little tea room that I loved going to with my mothe
r when I was a child. They had the best poppy seed muffins and strawberry butter, along with the best chicken salad I’d ever tasted. All in all, it was a ploy to get my mind off of everything.

  When I walked into the restaurant she was already seated and looking through the menu. “Hey, girl,” I said, bending down to give her a hug. I took the seat across from her and smiled. “Thank you for meeting me for lunch.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Besides, I know what today is and I figured you could use all of the happiness you can get.”

  “You got that right.”

  Lara was my age, and also my neighbor; I had no idea she lived alone until we ran into each other on the street one day. She had long, golden blonde hair with dark hazelnut streaks so that people could differentiate between her and her twin sister, Summer. I didn’t talk to her sister much, but they both moved from Atlanta, Georgia and started up a restaurant, The Carolina Tavern. It was my absolute favorite place to eat.

  “So is there anything you want to talk about? I know you don’t discuss much about Scott, but I know today the emotions are running high.”

  I took a sip of water and cleared my throat. “Yeah, they are, and you know I’m bound to get some kind of crazy phone call from his family saying how if it wasn’t for me their son would still be alive. Every time my phone rings I cringe, Lara. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to handle it.”

  “Have they called you today?” she asked.

  “Not yet, but it’s only lunch time.”

  Reaching for my hand, she squeezed it tight and huffed. “Kate, listen to me, the next time they threaten you like that you need to call the police. It’s been two years. It wasn’t your fault, and with them contacting you like that it’s considered harassment. You don’t deserve to have to listen to it.”

  Taking a deep breath, I clenched my teeth together to keep my chin from trembling. If I could erase everything in my mind I would. I didn’t like seeing images of Scott on the day I found him. To this day, I still kept the letter he wrote to me; it’d been a year since I read it.

  “What if I do deserve it?” I whispered. “If I’d been there for him, I could have picked up on the signs. I could’ve stopped what happened.”

  Lara’s melancholy gaze glistened with unshed tears. She knew how hard it was for me, and how hard I tried to keep my emotions to myself. “There’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent it,” she murmured. “He had his mind set and he did what he wanted to do. He made his choice in life, not you. You can’t keep blaming yourself.”

  We both sat in silence while the waitress came by and placed a plate of poppy seed muffins and strawberry butter in front of us. After we ordered our food and started eating, Lara gazed up at me with a sly expression on her face, staring at me in amusement.

  “You know, I saw you through the window last night with our new neighbor. Care to tell me what’s going on? Did you make him brownies as a homecoming gift?”

  I rolled my eyes; I knew eventually she’d make me smile. “Do people actually do that?” I asked curiously, taking a bite of my chicken salad.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, why? Do you want to try it or something? From the way he looked at you when you drove off, I’d say he would be happy to have some hot, delicious chocolate to eat off your body.”

  “Not going to happen,” I gasped.

  “Why not? Talk about a yummy distraction if I might say so. You need to get out there and have some fun! But, hey, if you don’t want to make him brownies I sure as hell will. He can eat them off of me anytime.”

  She batted her eyelashes, trying to get a rise out of me, but it wasn’t going to work. All I knew was that she better not make him brownies.

  “I really hope you’re kidding, Lara,” I said. “Anyway, changing the subject, he’s our new quarterback. The last thing I need to do is get involved with him. I have a date with Luke this Saturday, and being with two men isn’t smart. Someone will end up getting hurt.”

  “Someone always gets hurt,” Lara countered. “It’s just the way of life. If you have chemistry with the football player then go for it. You can’t deny your heart what it wants.”

  “What about you? Do you think you’ll ever find the time to date? I’m starting to think you live at that restaurant.”

  Lowering her crystal blue gaze, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sure one day I will when I meet someone that blows me away. Right now I’m just focused on helping my sister get her restaurant off the ground. Now that business is booming, she’s a lot happier. It’s hard to think about myself when all I want is to see her happy.”

  Lara worked hard every day at the restaurant, and I could tell she was lonely sometimes. Her twin sister had lost her husband last year and that was the reason why she moved to North Carolina. It shocked me that they didn’t live together, but Lara said she wanted to give her sister space. I could understand that. After Scott died, my family constantly badgered me and wouldn’t leave me alone. I couldn’t breathe with them around constantly.

  After we ate lunch and were about to get into our cars, Lara smiled wide when she noticed the Mercedes I approached. “New car?” she asked.

  Sheepishly, I smiled and opened the door. “It’s Cooper’s. We rode together this morning and he let me drive it.”

  Lara gasped and spoke hurriedly, “Cooper? Oh my God, is it Cooper Davis that’s playing for our team?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  She grinned mischievously and bit her lip. “You know, I thought he looked familiar, but I don’t usually keep up with football. Summer is the one who’s told me a lot about him. When I saw you with him, I didn’t even think that it could be the same guy. I had no clue he was coming to play for our team.”

  “Oh wow, I didn’t know your sister was a football fan,” I said.

  “She’s not, but she’s really good friends with Cooper’s ex-girlfriend. They talk about every week. You should know who she is, Kate. You met her … her name is Claire. Her husband, Mason, is the detective from Charlotte who solved that huge MMA case out in Las Vegas last year. You know, the one where Summer’s husband was murdered.”

  Holy hell, how could this be possible? I thought, wide-eyed.

  “Oh my God, this is a small world,” I marveled. “The connection is uncanny.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. So needless to say, Claire broke Cooper’s heart when she left him for Mason. After that he got hurt and started getting into trouble.”

  “So that’s why he didn’t want to tell me,” I mumbled to myself. The love of his life left him for another man, and it just so happened that I’d met them. It’s so strange how paths cross like that.

  When Cooper mentioned Claire’s name, I had no idea that it could even remotely be the same Claire I met a few months ago. She was amazing and we had such a good time together talking about her vineyards and about wine.

  “I tell you what, Kate. Since you don’t need to be alone tonight why don’t you bring Cooper to the restaurant? I’d like to meet him and it’ll also get your mind off of everything,” Lara suggested slyly. “I’m pretty sure he’d be more than willing to accept.”

  Getting in her car, Lara winked and waved at me as she pulled out of the parking lot. By the look in her eyes she knew she had sparked an interest in me. Okay, so maybe Cooper could be serious about women. Claire was a successful woman, beautiful, and down to earth; not like the other types of women I’d seen him in the papers with. It didn’t matter, though … I was only going to ask him out for a one night distraction and that was it.

  Hopefully, I could hold up that end of the bargain.

  By the time I got back to the field, the guys were taking a break and sitting on the side lines. I watched as Cooper bantered back and forth with the other players and how he seemed at home with them. At first, I thought he’d keep his distance and be an ass, but every time I turned around he surprised me. I guess it showed me how little I actually knew him.

  When he saw me w
atching him, he came over to his car and I rolled down the window. He was dirty and drenched in sweat, but it didn’t make his smile any less sexy. The heat outside was probably in the mid-nineties, and with the sun blaring overhead I knew it had to be miserable for the guys in their pads.

  “Did you have fun at your meeting?” he asked, leaning his arms in through the window.

  “It was nice. I ate lunch with a friend.”

  Cooper lifted a brow. “Was it a girl friend or a guy? Please tell me I didn’t let you borrow my car to meet up with another man.”

  “No,” I laughed, “it was with our neighbor, Lara.” I didn’t know if I should tell him that I knew who his ex was. However, I figured if I mentioned it, it’d be best if I waited until he was done with practice.

  “Ah, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her. I’ll have to stop by and visit.”

  Visions of her making him brownies and him eating them off of her went through my mind at that exact moment. Damn you, Lara, for putting those thoughts in my head.

  “No you don’t,” I blurted out. “She actually asked if I would bring you to her restaurant tonight after practice. You can meet her then.”

  Cooper’s lips pulled up into a sly smirk. “Why, Kate Townsend, is this your way of asking me out on a date? I didn’t think I’d break you down so easily.”

  “You didn’t,” I scoffed halfheartedly. “This isn’t a date, and I’m only doing this because Lara asked me to bring you. Now do you want to go or not?”

  “Fine, I’ll go. Even if it’s not a date, I’d be more than happy to go with you. I’ll just have to take a shower first, but you’re more than welcome to join me. My shoulder’s been giving me some trouble, and I heard that those exercises you showed me work better in water. You up for that?”

  “They work better in a pool, Cooper, not a shower. You might want to consider a cold one while you’re at it.”

  Shaking my head, I rolled up the car window to cut him off. He thought it was funny and laughed the whole way back to the team. My body didn’t think it was funny; instead, I had forbidden thoughts of touching his bare body in the shower running through my mind. I felt wet all over with sweat already pouring down the back of my neck, moistening my skin. Even the spot between my legs tingled with the thoughts of a rendezvous under the heated spray of the dual headed showers.