by S. A. Wolfe
“Why haven’t I seen you at any yoga classes in the last month?” Lois scolds.
“You kicked me out of the class,” I say incredulously. “Remember? You said I talk too much.”
“You do, but I didn’t expect you to never come back. You can come, too, Cooper.”
“Pass.” Cooper shakes his head. “No way.”
“I got Dylan to take the beginner yoga and meditation class. Men do attend.”
“I heard Dylan meditated himself right to sleep in that class,” Cooper adds.
“He did, but that’s not the point,” Lois continues. “The point is I got Dylan to sit on the floor and calm down. He was so calm he dozed off. When have you ever seen him like that?”
“Never,” Cooper and I both respond.
“Oh, I know you’re a very calm young man. You’re not like the others,” Lois says to Cooper. “But Imogene carries around a lot of stubborn, crabby mojo. Maybe you can work some of your magic on her.” Lois may look like a ballerina, but she sounds like pure hillbilly.
“I’m doing my best.” He pulls me in and plants a big kiss on my mouth, just the kind of display Lois loves.
“Very good.” Lois nods approvingly. “You’ll both have to come over to my house for a poker game soon.”
Cooper is enjoying the attention we’re receiving because it forces me to acknowledge our relationship. I’ll agree to anything so we can leave, even poker with Lois, who is hardcore about cleaning out other people’s wallets.
On our way back to Lauren’s car, he finds a spot alone off the main street and pulls me aside in the alley that leads to my new office. He holds my waist firmly so I face him.
“I want you to go home and pack a bag. Leo is going to drop me at my place so I can get my bike. I’ll come pick you up.”
“No. I’ll drive to your house in my own car. I don’t want us to be seen on your bike with my overnight bag, parading through town, feeding the rumor mill.”
“It’s not a rumor if you’re actually spending the night at my house, and since when do you care what people think or say about you?”
“True. Still, I’ll take my own car so I can drive to work in the morning.”
“Sure. Whatever makes you happy, my little control freak.” He smirks.
Guilt is a powerful thing, like an unstoppable freight train or an incurable illness. Any wave of happiness I thought I was riding is immediately squashed by the big G. I have been so careful in how I handle Cooper and how I talk about him with my friends, using my sarcastic remarks to brush off questions about him or the relationship developing between us. However, my caustic words are damaging and devalue what we are and what we have, and the thought of my glib comments to downplay my feelings towards Cooper leave a pool of bitterness in my gut. For once, I truly believe my big, fat, lying mouth could erode my heart and soul forever.
“I’m not really heartless,” I blurt out in a shaky voice.
Cooper studies me with a frown.
“I don’t want you to really think I’m a cold, heartless bitch and hope that maybe I’ll come around eventually. You don’t have to hope … I’m not really that person.”
“I never thought you were.” He tilts his head to the side, wondering where I’m going with this.
“It’s easier to be sarcastic and sometimes a little cruel, and I may have taken it too far with you. No, I did take it too far.”
“Imogene,”—Cooper shakes his head—“it’s me. I’m not an idiot. I told you I know that’s part of your game face. I never once thought that’s who you really are inside. Besides, I think you’re hilarious … and sexy.”
“My friends think my behavior has been unseemly—more than usual, that is. It has, and it’s because I do like you more than I’ve let on.”
“You’re not telling me anything I haven’t already figured out.”
“Good,” I say, nodding and looking down, feeling brave that I’m being forthright for once while simultaneously feeling the shame that comes with ugly admissions.
“Hey.” He lifts my chin so I look at him. “I’m not asking you to bring stuff over to my house so we can have undisturbed rolls in the hay whenever we want. It’s so we can spend more time alone together without having to be at your place where everyone likes to drop in unannounced.”
“Have you ever actually rolled in the hay?”
“No, I don’t think I’ve ever stepped foot in a barn, but since I’m living in the country now, I thought I could say that.”
“Uh-huh.” I lean away to get a view of our pretty, new building, looking for Lauren’s car.
“Ah, damn,” Cooper mutters. “You’ve rolled in the hay, haven’t you?”
I sigh, exasperated with my consistently bad timing. One minute, I’m telling him how much I like him, and the next, I’m confessing to yet another disappointing sexual encounter as a teenager.
“It was prickly and smelled like horse dung. I discovered I’m allergic to hay, and my skin itched like hell. And the sex was terrible. Really awful experience. Really, really ...”
Cooper growls some indecipherable expletive under his breath. “Stop talking. No more barns for you,” he orders. “I have to be in the city tomorrow to help Dylan set up some new showroom display. I’ll be gone for two days, and when I get back, we have to go to another damn dance class after work. So today is our day. Throw your stuff in a bag and get a move on. I expect you at my house in less than half an hour.”
“Yes, sir.” I decide not to salute him since he’s losing patience with this whole day.
When Lauren’s car rolls down the short alley and she honks the horn, I give Cooper a quick peck goodbye then jump into her car to show him that I am serious about getting a move on.
I watch him in the side view mirror as we drive away. He’s making some gesture with his arms and shouting something. I smile and wave, and he puts a hand to his forehead and shakes his head. I can’t believe he’s still upset about my barn story.
When we arrive home, I open my car door to find that the strap on my favorite bag is torn to bits.
“Oh,” Lauren remarks as I inspect the shredded strap. “I guess you shouldn’t have put your bag on the floor. You didn’t even notice that you closed the door on it.”
“Thank you, Miss Obvious.” My tone is snippy again.
“Then again, maybe this is God’s way of sending you a sign that you were really rude at lunch.” Lauren raises her chin, gets out the car, and slams her door.
“Right. God is always on the lookout for discounted designer handbags that he can destroy because they send meaningful messages to the dregs of humanity!”
Nineteen
It takes me five minutes to pack and another ten to apologize to Lauren. Ultimately, she’s too tired to argue with me and heads off to bed for a nap. I throw my overnight bag in the car and drive off to Cooper’s home, looking forward to having some alone time with him.
When I arrive at Chez MacKenzie, Cooper’s bike is keeping company with several cars and trucks. Music is blasting from somewhere outside, and my heart deflates a little at the thought of him having a house party and the guests who are intruding on my time.
I’m feeling a little selfish at the moment. I already had to endure an inquisition at lunch, and I was planning on maybe cooking him dinner and moving his living room chairs to the back porch so we can listen to the crickets and the babbling brook while we eat. I make it sound like one of those commercials for erectile dysfunction with the happy couple enjoying being homebodies, laughing over coffee and sharing a bubble bath. The sad truth is I would gladly take what the erectile dysfunction couple has over my sorry social life.
Until I gave in to Cooper’s persistence, I was pretty miserable and couldn’t imagine any man asking me out, not even the few uneventful dates I did have.
As I park the car, a handsome young man comes striding around the side of the house. He gives me a familiar smile as he approaches, but it�
��s his tall, lean, muscular body that stands out. The guy isn’t wearing a shirt, so I’m staring at him when I realize he’s got Cooper’s swagger and facial expression, but instead of blond hair, he has black hair that almost reaches his shoulders.
I get out of the car with my duffle bag.
“You must be Imogene,” he says, grinning. “I’m Cooper’s brother Peyton. I’ve heard about you. And I think we’ve ruined your day. At least, my brother was ready to kill me and the others when he found us here.” He shakes my hand and takes my bag.
“Others?”
“Yeah, my brothers and our uncle decided to drive in this morning to help finish Cooper’s extension. The porch. When we got here, he was gone, so we let ourselves in and went to work. He got home a while ago and looked a little disappointed that we chose today to surprise him. I can see why.”
I can tell Cooper’s brother is a ladies’ man, and I don’t mind the flattery at all.
“Peyton! Leave her alone and get back and finish the job!” Cooper yells as he comes out of the house. He storms towards his brother and grabs my bag from him.
“I was merely introducing myself to your lovely lass.” Peyton has a sly grin. I suspect he’s the real troublemaker in the family.
“Lass?” I repeat, almost laughing.
“He gets that from my dad,” Cooper says, glaring at his brother.
“Is he here, too? I’d love to meet him.”
“No,” Cooper says quickly. “Just my brothers and my Uncle Fraser showed up. That’s plenty.”
I’ll hand it to Peyton, he’s very cute, and I’ll bet everything he says works on women. He’s got the same high cheekbones and beautiful gray eyes as Cooper, except he has dark beard stubble. His muscular body is either the result of a lot of physical work, or he spends a hell of a lot of time in the gym. He’s handsome, but he’s not Cooper, I think as I study his face that’s lacking that special Cooper element.
Peyton chuckles as he checks me out until Cooper clamps his hand on his brother’s shoulder and turns him back towards the house. “Go.”
“Okay,” Peyton laughs. He looks back at me and winks. “Catch you inside, Imogene. We’re going to throw some brats on the grill.”
“Sorry they all showed up. The house is a zoo with them in there. They’ve kind of screwed up our plans.”
“It’s okay with me. I want to meet them. I don’t know any of your family, and you know mine.” I am genuinely interested in meeting his brothers. I expect it will give me more insights into Cooper since he hasn’t told me much about his family.
“You sure you don’t mind? I understand if you want to leave, my brothers can be overbearing. My uncle is a good guy, though.”
“Well, you tell me, Cooper. They’re helping you finish the porch, so would you rather do that and have me out of the way? I can go back home—”
“No, I’d rather have you here. I have to work with them, but we’ll get the job done by tonight, and then they’re leaving.”
“You’re not letting them crash here?”
“Hell, no. You’re staying here. They can drive back to the city. I already told them I need them out of here by nine. Besides, they’ll be done before that. They got here while you and I were setting up your building, so they’ve made a lot of progress.”
“Great. I can’t wait to meet the rest of them.” I don’t move towards the house because, truthfully, I am nervous about meeting his family. This is fairly new for me, meeting a guy’s family, and Cooper doesn’t look especially thrilled.
Cooper turns towards the house and then notices my hesitation. “Are you going to come in?”
“Darn tootin’. I have to give the MacKenzie clan a Hera welcome wagon howdy.” I smile while Cooper looks perplexed.
“I thought you said that wasn’t your thing.” He cocks his head to the side and narrows his eyes.
“It’s my new thing. It’s the new Imogene, can’t you tell?”
“Again?” he asks softly.
“What?”
“You’re nervous around me, or maybe it’s my family.” He steps towards me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me in for a long, powerful kiss. It knocks all those hillbilly words and any preposterous notions I had about winning Hera’s nonexistent Miss Congeniality award.
Then Cooper takes my hand and leads me through the house and out to the porch extension where Peyton along with the other men are staining the wood. The screens are in place and the project looks almost completed.
Cooper and I stand at the entrance to the kitchen as he introduces me to his uncle, Fraser, and his two older brothers, Neil and Evan, who are twins. They all look like the youngest brother Peyton, tall and strong with their trademark black hair, but the others wear it cropped short.
Cooper helps them finish staining the porch floor, and I rummage through the groceries they brought and offer to grill the brats and throw together some salads.
Cooper wasn’t kidding when he said his family is loud. Their talking is escalated to shouting and laughing so loudly I feel like I’m in a room full of uncensored Dylan Blackards. They are energetic and good-natured, though. Even Uncle Fraser can hold his own among his nephews. He’s beefy and wide with a little extra weight, yet he has the strength of an ox as he carries an extra long ladder on his sturdy shoulder out to his truck.
While we crowd around the kitchen table that really only has enough comfortable room for four, I watch them work through several helpings of grilled brats and the broccoli salad and potato salad I whipped up.
I learn that Fraser, Evan, and Neil are all Brooklyn police officers and full of NYPD stories. Peyton has part ownership in the Brooklyn bar with their dad, Stuart. They talk over each other through the dinner, boisterous and unforgiving with their tall tales meant to embarrass one another. Cooper smiles along with their jokes and comments, often directed at him.
Although they truly are hilarious guys, I can see how Cooper is the odd man out. Not only does he stand apart with his blond mane, he also doesn’t belong in their exclusive Brooklyn club. He’s the one that chose to join the FBI and live apart from his large, close-knit family. All those years of being separated from them is obvious; however, I cannot decide if it’s guilt he feels about missing out on family times or if he’s always been the black sheep in his family.
Cooper returns their ribbing with a few scathing jabs of his own towards Neil, whom I’m told has a young son, and Evan who has twins of his own. Peyton is twenty-six, older than me, but has the makings of an immature playboy. Cooper takes the opportunity to thump Peyton’s head or cover his mouth entirely when he’s about to say something crude. Throughout it all, it’s clear Fraser holds a special place in Cooper’s heart. I watch him observe his uncle with love and respect.
There are moments where Cooper is unusually quiet, lost in a thought or something else that triggers his reflective expression. My heart softens for him when I see him in this vulnerable state as I consider how little I know about his family and childhood.
Having eaten lunch in our family’s diner just about every day over the last year, I’m accustomed to Cooper being around my parents and grandmother. He also works with most of my childhood friends; however, this is the first time I’m the new person and getting to know those closest to him.
“Why haven’t we met you sooner?” Peyton asks me. “We’ve been to Cooper’s place a few times.”
“I never saw you in the diner,” I reply. “That’s where I was working, for the most part. And I suppose you could say Cooper and I were not the best of friends until recently.”
“Really?” Peyton asks, intrigued, exchanging a few raised eyebrows with Neil and Evan.
“We were under the impression that you two have been together a while.” Neil looks questioningly at Cooper.
“Cooper mentioned you a bit, lass,” Uncle Fraser adds in a deep, soft voice that reminds me of Cooper.
“I mentioned that you
were the one woman who wouldn’t give me the time of day.” Cooper puts his arm protectively around the back of my chair. “Otherwise, I said everyone else in town was extremely nice. You were the one hold out.”
“That sounds like me. The mean one.”
They laugh and Uncle Fraser gives me a conspiratorial wink, causing me to wish I knew what it was for. I imagine it’s along the lines of how Cooper has spoken about me, and I came across as the crazed post-Jeremy woman.
“Not true.” Uncle Fraser points a beefy finger at me. “He said very good things about you. Greer really wanted to be here to meet you, but she’s at Stu’s house—that’s Cooper’s father—babysitting a house full of kids.”
“A house full of kids?” I look at Cooper.
He nods. “The MacKenzies are overpopulating the world.”
“Speaking of which, we have to hit the road soon.” Evan looks at his watch as Neil agrees that they need to pick up their kids.
After dinner, Cooper helps them load their tools and equipment into their vehicles. They each give me a big hug goodbye, Uncle Fraser’s a little too strong and Peyton’s a little too amorous. Cooper pulls his brother away by his hair, sending them all off with some private words huddled in the dark while I wait at the front door. I decide to leave them alone and retreat to the kitchen to clean up the gigantic mess made by five hungry men.
Cooper returns and hugs me from behind, kissing my neck as I fill the kitchen sink with hot, soapy water.
“That was nice. I would like to meet the rest of your family and all these little kids they talked about.”
Cooper rests his lips against my neck. “They can be exhausting when they are all in the same house. It’s really nice when they leave. Forget the dishes; let’s go to bed.”
“We have to clean up now. You’re leaving tomorrow for the showroom with Dylan in the morning, and you’ll be gone for two days. The dishes can’t sit here that long. Or I could come back and do them tomorrow night.”
“I don’t want you doing my dishes. But I definitely wouldn’t mind if you stayed here while I was gone. I’d like that, calling you here.”