Pieces of Me

by Laura Farr

  “Yes!” she cries, bouncing up and down in her car seat. She loves the aquarium. Maddie takes her there a lot, and because of her job, I know she has been able to see and do things that normal members of the public haven’t. “Daddy, can Lexi come? Please, please, please?” she begs. I chuckle and look over my shoulder to see her very well-practiced pleading face. How is it that she’s just turned four but has already perfected the pleading face, along with the it wasn’t me face?

  “Why don’t you ask her when we get home?”

  She nods and claps her hands. “Can we see the turtles and the sharks and the Nemo fishes?”

  “We can see everything, baby girl.”

  She chats excitedly on the way home about which exhibition she likes the most and how much she wants to show Lexi the turtles. The turtles are her favorite. She even asked for one from Santa last year. Thankfully, Maddie came to the rescue and told her that she could adopt one at the aquarium, but that he would have to live there with all his friends.

  Parking up on the driveway, I get her down from her car seat and she races inside, calling Lexi’s name. Closing the door behind her, my senses are invaded by the smell of dinner, and I quickly follow Bella into the kitchen.

  “Lexi, Lexi, will you come to Aunt Maddie’s aquarium with us tomorrow?” Bella asks, throwing her arms around Lexi’s waist. Lexi kneels in front of her and pushes stray strands of hair off her forehead. I did my usual ponytails this morning, but she always looks more than a little bedraggled by the time preschool is over.

  “Aunt Maddie’s aquarium?” she asks, a smile pulling on her lips. “Who’s going? You and Aunt Maddie?”

  “No. Me and Daddy. Will you come, please?”

  Her eyes flick to mine before resting back on Bella. “Sure…if that’s okay with your daddy?”

  Bella jumps up and down, and Bailey, who’s made his way inside, bounds around her, eager to get in on the excitement.

  “Of course. I’d love you to come.” I walk across to the oven and peek inside. “Something smells good, Lex.”

  “Barbecue pulled pork. I hope Bella will eat that.” She gets up and stands next to me, looking into the oven herself.

  I shrug and grin. “If not, there’s more for me.”

  “Cooper!” she exclaims, swatting me with the cloth in her hand.

  “I’m kidding. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

  “Do you want a drink? I was just going to grab one.” She walks across the room and opens the fridge.

  “Daddy doesn’t want a drink. Miss Black just asked him if he wanted one, but he said no. I don’t think he’s thirsty,” Bella says innocently as she walks out of the kitchen and heads upstairs.

  Lexi looks in my direction, her eyes wide. “Miss Black asked you out? In front of Bella?”

  I let out a sigh and dig my keys and phone out of my pocket, tossing them onto the breakfast bar. “Yeah. I don’t know how many times I can say no. I was pretty rude with my response, so hopefully she got the message.”

  She shakes her head in disbelief, before grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. “She’s persistent, that’s for sure.” She holds the bottle out to me and I take it from her.

  “Desperate, more like. Thanks for the beer. Help yourself if you want one.”

  “I might do in a bit. Thanks. If you need to shower or anything, dinner’s not quite ready yet.”

  “You trying to tell me something?” I raise my eyebrows, and she laughs.

  “Yeah, you stink! Go shower.”

  I burst out laughing and shake my head as I jog out of the room and upstairs. I grin as I can hear Lexi still laughing in the kitchen. Stopping at Bella’s room, I find her with her bag of hair ties and her hair brush.

  “What are you doing, Bells?” I ask from the doorway.

  “I want Lexi to braid my hair so it’ll be curly tomorrow.”

  “Baby, she’s cooking dinner. Maybe later, okay?”

  “Okay.” She pouts and puts her hair ties down.

  Leaving her in her room, I quickly shower, then throw on some shorts and a top. When I get downstairs, Bella is sitting at the breakfast bar, Lexi braiding her hair.

  “Bella!” I exclaim. “I told you not to bother Lexi with your hair.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

  “See, Daddy. She doesn’t mind.”

  “You’re a monkey, you know that?” I shake my head and tickle her side. She squirms on the stool and Lexi shoots me a look.

  “Don’t tickle her, Coop!” she chastises. I hold my hands up and back away.

  “I’m going to drink my beer outside. You girls are obviously sticking together.” I wink at Lexi, and she grins.

  Grabbing my beer and phone off the counter, I head outside. It’s still warm and I take a seat on the daybed. A few minutes later, Bella runs out.

  “Look, Daddy! Take a picture.” She spins around and shows me her braid. Reaching for my phone, I take a few pictures, which would be a lot easier if she’d stand still. “Can I see?” I nod and turn the phone around, showing her the pictures I’ve taken.

  “You look beautiful, princess. I hope you said thank you.”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Lexi calls from the doorway. “Do you want to eat out there?” Before I can answer, Bella runs toward her and throws her arms around her legs.

  “Thank you for doing my hair, Lexi.”

  I watch as Lexi bends down and picks her up, pulling her into a hug. It’s hard to believe how close they’ve become in the short time they’ve known each other, but it’s not hard to see why Bella likes her. She’s easy to like. Standing up, I walk toward them.

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart, I hear Lexi whisper into her ear.

  “Come on. Let’s eat out here. I’ll help you bring everything out.”

  She turns around, Bella still in her arms, and I follow her into the kitchen to see that she’s set everything out on the breakfast bar. Passing the placemats to Bella, I ask her to set the table. Lexi kisses her cheek before putting her down, and I watch as Bella skips outside.

  Coming to stand behind Lexi, I lower my head and whisper into her ear. “Thank you.”

  “You haven’t tasted it yet,” she jokes, assuming I’m thanking her for dinner.

  “Not for dinner; but thank you for that, too.” She turns her head and looks at me. “Thank you for braiding Bella’s hair.”

  “Oh, that was nothing. It took me five minutes.” She waves off my thanks and goes to pick up some of the dishes to take outside. I reach for her hand to stop her.

  “No, Lex. It isn’t nothing. Do you know how many times she’s asked me to braid her hair? There is no way I could do that. I can barely manage ponytails.”

  “Well, I’m glad I can do it for her. I’m happy to do her hair anytime, Cooper. I can do it before preschool if you’re struggling.”

  “I might just take you up on that.” She smiles before picking up some dishes and heading outside. Grabbing what’s left, I follow her.

  After dinner, Bella asks to watch Tangled in the den. She’s always tired by the end of the week and likes to watch a movie before bed. I settle her in the den with a drink before heading back to the kitchen to help Lexi clear up. When I get in there, she’s already loaded the dishwasher and is wiping the counters down.

  “Dinner was great, Lex.”

  “Glad you liked it. What time are you heading to the aquarium tomorrow?”

  “Around 10 am?”

  “Okay. I’ll be ready.”

  I nod and nervously run my hand through my hair as I prepare to ask her to stay for a drink. I have no idea why I’m nervous. It’s not like it’s a date or anything.

  “After Bella’s in bed, do you want to grab a drink? Maybe watch a movie in the den?” She stops wiping the counters and looks over at me. “Erm, I would have loved to, but

  I’m going out with Maddie. Can we do it another night?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. Of course.” I groan inwardly as I realize I’m r
ambling. She smiles at me and throws the cloth into the sink.

  “I should go and get ready.”

  I nod. “See you tomorrow then?”

  “I’ll see you in about an hour. Mads is coming here to pick me up. I’m sure she’ll want to pop in and say hi. I’ll just say bye to Bella.”

  I grab another beer from the fridge and follow her to the den. She kisses Bella before giving me a small wave and walking out.

  I sit with Bella and watch Tangled—again. After half an hour or so, she’s fast asleep against me. Carrying her to bed, I somehow manage to get a Pull-Up on her without her waking up. Kissing her on the cheek, I head downstairs. Just as I get to the bottom step, there’s a knock on the door and Maddie walks in. She’s wearing a short, flowery dress and her hair is piled up on top of her head.

  “Hey, Mads. You look nice.”

  “Thank you.” She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek. “Where’s Bells?”

  “You just missed her. she fell asleep watching TV.” She looks disappointed. “If you’re working tomorrow, we’re coming to the aquarium.”

  “I am. I’ll put a free pass behind the cashier’s desk.”

  “I need three.”

  “Three what? Three passes?” She raises her eyebrows in question. I laugh.

  “Yeah. Lexi is coming with us.”

  “Oooh, like a date?” Her face lights up with excitement, and I roll my eyes.

  “No, not like a date. Bella asked her.”

  “But you want her to go, too?” she pushes.

  “Lex is great. Is that what you want to hear?” She grins, and I walk with her into the kitchen.

  “How’s her first week been?”

  “Good, I think. Bella loves having her here.”

  Just then, I hear heels on the tile floor. I turn around to see Lexi standing in the kitchen. My eyes widen as I take her in. She looks sensational. My gaze roams her body and I know I’m staring, but I can’t stop myself. She’s wearing a short, black skirt and a loose-fitting cream cami top. Her blonde hair is curled in waves down her back, part of it pinned up out of her face. My eyes follows the length of her tanned legs, my mouth going dry when I see the black heels she’s wearing. When I finally look at her face, her cheeks flush as she watches me.

  “You look beautiful, Lexi,” I say quietly, then glance across to Maddie to find her grinning.

  “Thank you.” She tugs the skirt down, and I wonder if she feels self-conscious. She shouldn’t. She looks incredible. It suddenly hits me that they’re going on a girls’ night. Looking like that, she certainly won’t be short on male attention. An uneasy feeling forms in the pit of my stomach at the thought of anyone hitting on her.

  “Where are you going?” I ask Maddie, tearing my eyes from Lexi.

  “There’s a new cocktail bar that just opened in town. We’re going to try there.” I nod and look back at Lexi.

  “Be careful. How are you getting home?”

  “I’m driving, Coop! What’s with all the questions?” She walks over to Lexi and takes her arm. “You ready?” She nods and looks at me.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then?” she asks as Maddie pretty much drags her from the kitchen.

  “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun.”

  I follow them into the entryway, looking at her legs again. She turns and smiles over her shoulder at me as Maddie pulls her through the door. I smile back but can’t help wishing she were staying here with me.

  She’s making me want things I never thought I’d want again. After Emerson died, I didn’t think I’d be capable of having feelings for anyone else. I didn’t think my heart had enough pieces left. Emerson and Bella owned them all. I was beginning to think Lexi might be the one to change all of that.

  Lexi

  Opening my eyes, I squint at the sunlight coming in through the drapes. My head is pounding, and I roll my body away from the brightness of the window. I try to swallow, but my mouth feels like I’ve eaten a handful of sand. Slowly sitting up, I run my hand through my tangled hair. The comforter falls away from my body and I realize I’m naked. I have no recollection of coming to bed last night, let alone taking my clothes off. I lie back down and groan as what I do remember of the night comes crashing back to me. Cocktails, a lot of cocktails. I think it is safe to say that cocktails do not agree with me.

  My mouth feels horrible and I push the comforter off me, slowly climbing out of bed. I need water and painkillers. Padding across the room, I grab a glass from the cupboard in the small kitchen and fill it with water. I drink down the whole glass before filling it up again. I’m pretty sure I don’t have any painkillers, but I wonder if Cooper has some. Seeing my phone on my dresser, I reach for it just as a knock sounds on the door.

  “Lexi, it’s Cooper. Are you awake?”

  “Shit, shit, shit,” I mutter, frantically looking around for something to put on.

  “Everything okay?” he asks from the other side of the door. He must have heard me cursing. I hope Bella isn’t with him. Grabbing the sheet off the bed, I wrap it around my body and head for the door. Opening it slightly, I stick my head and part of my body around the door.

  “Hey, Coop.”

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” He looks to the sheet wrapped around me, and I feel my cheeks flush.

  “Is Bella with you?”

  He shakes his head. “She’s brushing her teeth. Why?”

  “In that case, if little ears aren’t listening, I feel like shit. Your sister is a bad influence.” He laughs, and I look over my shoulder back into the apartment. I hope he doesn’t want to come in. The place is a mess, and my bra and panties are lying over the loveseat. When I look back at him, he has a strange expression on his face.

  “Fuck! Lexi, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you have someone in there. I’ll let you, erm, carry on.”

  My eyes go wide, and I shake my head. He starts to head down the stairs, and I fling the door open, rushing outside.

  “Cooper, wait!” He turns, his eyes not meeting mine. “I don’t—”

  “It’s none of my business, Lex,” he says, cutting me off. I swear I hear a hint of sadness in his voice. “I’d better go and find Bella.” He still hasn’t looked at me. Before he can move farther away, I grab his hand, pulling him inside the apartment.

  “There’s no one here, Cooper. Look. I took a while to open the door because…” I trail off and sigh, feeling my cheeks flush, “because I woke up naked. I didn’t want you to come in because my underwear is thrown everywhere.” I’m rambling, desperate for him to know I didn’t bring anyone home with me last night. I’m a little hurt he thinks I would pick up a guy in a bar.

  “God, Lex. I’m sorry. I saw you look back into the apartment and just assumed…” He runs his free hand through his hair and shakes his head. “Like I said, it’s nothing to do with me anyway. I’m just your landlord.”

  Frowning, I drop my hand from his. “I thought you were my friend.” I pull the sheet tighter around me, acutely aware that I’m naked underneath.

  “Shit, Lex. I am. This isn’t how I thought this conversation would go when I knocked on your door. Let me start again.”

  Before I can ask him what he means, he walks back through the open door and closes it behind him. A second later, I hear him knock. Wondering what the hell he’s doing, I swing the door open to see him standing there, a huge grin on his face.

  “Morning, Lexi. How was your night out?” I look at him like he’s mad, and he nods, encouraging me to respond. “Play along, please,” he begs.

  “Okay… Morning, Coop. My night was great, thanks. I feel like crap, though, as your sister made me drink cocktails. My head is pounding, and I have no recollection of actually getting home. Although, obviously, I made it,” I tell him, gesturing around the apartment. His grin gets even wider, if that’s possible, and his bright blue eyes seem to sparkle.

  “Well, I’m glad you did make it.” He winks at me, and I roll my eyes. “And, judging
by your current state, you’re going to be happy about my early morning call.” With a flourish, he pulls a packet of Tylenol from the pocket of his shorts and holds them out to me.

  “How did you know I’d need these?” I ask as I take the packet from his hand.

  He laughs. “Mads messaged me. She said you were drunk last night and would be in need of some Tylenol this morning.”

  “She is a star!” I exclaim, walking across to my dresser and picking up my glass of water. After taking two tablets, I flop down onto the bed, my arm coming up over my eyes.

  “Thanks,” I mumble.

  “You’re welcome. So… Are we good?” I can hear the uncertainty in his voice, and I move my arm from across my face. Rolling onto my side, my hand still clutches the sheet around my chest.

  “Of course. Just a misunderstanding.”

  Relief floods his gorgeous face. He’s so sexy in his jean shorts and vest top. His dark hair is styled to look messy, and I can’t seem to pull my eyes from him. I suddenly realize that if I can’t remember taking my clothes off last night, I doubt I took off my makeup. I haven’t looked in the mirror yet, but I’m guessing I look like shit.

  “I’d better jump into the shower, make myself look human again. How long do I have before we need to leave?”

  He slides his phone out of his pocket and checks the time. “Around an hour. I’ll make breakfast.”

  “I don’t want mac and cheese for breakfast, Coop,” I tease.

  “I think I can manage bacon and eggs.” My stomach chooses that moment to let out a loud rumble, and he laughs. “I’d better get on with breakfast then!”

  “Thank you. That sounds like the perfect hangover cure. I’ll be quick in the shower.”

  His eyes rake up and down my sheet-clad body and I shiver, feeling naked under his perusal. As he turns and heads for the door, I sit up and hug the sheet to my body. He pauses in the doorway, as if he wants to say something, but waves over his shoulder instead before I hear him jog down the metal steps.

  Dropping the sheet, I make for the bathroom, catching my reflection in the mirror. I gasp as I see mascara tracks down my face and lip gloss smeared up my cheek. My hair was curled before I went out last night, but now resembles a bird’s nest. Groaning, I climb into the shower, wondering what the hell Cooper must think seeing me like this.