Charlotte lived life her way, no matter what anyone else thought. And that’s what Lexie had admired so much. What she’d idealized. Or, to quote Coop, what she’d used to justify her life choices. But with Charlotte’s revelations and her motives, at least for the last heist, being so self-serving, Lexie could no longer look at her own choices the same way. Again, it wasn’t so much the similarities in how they lived their lives—there weren’t many. It was the reasons behind them. Her grandmother’s recent truths caused Lexie to look deeper inside herself.
Of course, it wasn’t just her grandmother’s past that was causing this self-reflection. It was Coop.
I more than like you, Lexie.
She still couldn’t get those heartfelt words out of her mind. Or, to be even more honest, out of her heart.
While it wasn’t a declaration of love—she knew she’d been keeping him from going that far—it meant more. Because unlike anyone who came before, Lexie had really let Coop in. He knew her better than she knew herself. Understood her family dynamic.
Wasn’t he the one who’d pointed out that she and her father had common ground when for years she’d believed there was none? So here she was, willing for the first time to reach out to her parent. To admit she’d been too stubborn for them to have had a relationship before—and to ask him to admit that maybe he’d been the same way. To see where they could go from here.
Lexie smoothed her white slacks and adjusted her silk short-sleeved shirt, both items a conciliatory nod to her father, showing respect for him and his place of business. As she drew a deep breath, ready to walk inside, she hoped he’d appreciate that she’d left her peasant skirts and multiple bangle bracelets at her grandmother’s.
A few minutes later, cool air-conditioning making the hair on her arms stand on end, Lexie knocked once on the wooden office door.
“Surprise!” she said, and let herself into her father’s office. She would have called ahead for an appointment, but she wanted to give herself an out in case she changed her mind.
“Alexis, this is a surprise!” He rose from behind the desk she’d always found big and imposing as a child. “What’s wrong?” he immediately asked.
She didn’t take the question personally. She’d never come here just because and, given the choice, she never came here at all.
“Is my mother okay?” he asked when she didn’t immediately answer.
“She’s fine,” Lexie rushed to assure him. “I’m fine.”
Confusion furrowed his eyebrows, and she understood. He had no idea why she was here.
“I was hoping we could…talk.”
“Of course.” He extended his hand, gesturing for her to take a seat.
Lexie lowered herself into one of the big chairs, recalling how as a child, she liked to swing her feet back and forth until Margaret would remind her that ladies crossed their legs at the ankles and didn’t fidget like boys. But the important thing now was that Lexie remembered enjoying something about being here—and wasn’t that a shock, she thought wryly.
She drew a deep breath for courage before blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “I know I’m a disappointment to you,” she said in a rush before she could chicken out.
Her father jerked back, stunned at her comment. “That’s a little harsh,” he said.
Lexie shook her head hard. “Not really. It’s the truth. I’m not like you, Mother or Margaret. I’m not focused or dedicated—at least not to your way of thinking. But I’m successful if you define successful as self-supporting. I’m able to save for the future and to take trips abroad and see the world. And I love what I do,” she said, gaining steam and momentum. “I mean I really love Web design and the different clients I meet as a result of my job.” A rush of adrenaline took hold as she described her life from her perspective.
“Alexis,” her father said, his expression one of utter confusion.
“Wait, please. Just let me finish, okay?”
He nodded patiently. That, at least, was one of his virtues.
“I’m also honest to a fault. That’s something you and Mom taught me, and I’m proud of that. I don’t overbill my clients, although of course, I could. They have no idea how much time it takes me to design or update a site. But if someone hires me, they pay a fair price for my services. My assistant loves working for me because I pay her well and treat her fairly. And I expect the best, and as a result, she’s learning and growing as a designer. Again, I can thank you and Mom for instilling those qualities in me.”
She glanced at her father, who ran a hand over his head.
“I’m…at a loss,” he said.
“I know.” She swallowed hard, searching for words that would explain. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I might not have gone into your choice of professions or done things your way, but I’m a success just the same.” She gripped the chair arms more tightly. “I’m well-rounded—more than you if you don’t mind my making that observation—I’ve seen more of the world. And I’m equally successful in my own right. Doing my own thing.” Lexie drew a deep breath. “Can we agree on that?”
He paused and after what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds, he nodded slowly. “Yes, we can. I never thought of you or your life quite that way.”
Lexie smiled. “I know. I’d like to say that I’ve also come to understand you.”
He leaned forward. “How so?”
“Well, I think we have more in common than you ever realized.”
“I didn’t think we had anything in common, to be honest. So, please enlighten me.” Though his hands were folded on top of his desk, his posture stiff, his eyes and his expression were open. Curious. Inviting, even.
Lexie took great hope in those signs. “We both know what it’s like to grow up in a home where it’s impossible to meet the expectations of your parent and disappointment permeates everything you say or do,” she said, her heart pounding hard in her chest.
“I suppose we do,” he said at last. “I never looked at it that way.” He looked as stunned as he sounded.
Neither had she until a wise man pointed it out to her. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy growing up with Charlotte as your mother,” Lexie said, then bit the inside of her cheek, nervous about how he’d respond.
But he nodded in agreement. “Though she married my father and settled down, she never quite did things the same way as the other mothers. From the way she dressed to how she acted, it always made me uncomfortable. I felt different from her and different from the other kids. So I never wanted to bring anyone home. And the more outrageous she acted, the more uptight I became.”
Lexie stared wide-eyed. She’d hoped for understanding. She’d never expected him to open up to her in any way. To let down those walls she’d never been able to breach as a child and allow her a glimpse of himself.
“It was the same for me,” she said softly. “Except in my case, the more rigid the rules and expectations, the harder I rebelled. The more I wanted the freedom to be me. The more I needed to be accepted for who I was and what I wanted.” She forced the painful words from deep inside her.
“Something I never gave you,” her father finally acknowledged. “Because I saw too much of my mother in you and I’d told myself I was finished living with flighty ways and unexpected behavior.” He cleared his throat. “But you…you reveled in your similarities to your grandmother. In fact, sometimes it felt like you were rubbing my face in being just like her.”
“I was,” she admitted. “I loved being like Grandma because it meant I wasn’t alone. That I wasn’t a bad person because I was different from you, Mom and Margaret.” She swallowed over the lump in her throat, unsure if it was caused by the pain from the past or the possibilities now offered in the future.
“I remember how hard it was for me, growing up and being so distinctly different from my mother. I can’t believe I didn’t see I was doing the same thing to you.”
In his voice, Lexie heard how difficult the a
dmission was for him to make. But in doing so, they’d crossed a divide Lexie never believed was possible.
“I think I could have made your life a little easier, too,” she said, laughing.
He smiled but quickly sobered. “The question is: Where do we go from here?” he asked awkwardly.
Lexie drew a deep breath, the answer obvious at least to her. “How about we go forward?” she suggested.
Her father stood and rounded the desk.
Lexie rose from her seat and met him halfway, giving her father the first heartfelt hug she could remember.
And she knew she had Coop to thank. Not that he knew it. Telling him would come later.
Assuming he still wanted to hear it.
Lexie arrived back at her grandmother’s to find Charlotte trying on clothes, parading through the apartment. Sylvia sat in the living room, offering her opinion on a ruffled, magenta-colored dress that clashed with her hair.
“This is my favorite!” Charlotte exclaimed. “What do you think?”
Sylvia narrowed her gaze. “The ivory one suits your skin tone better,” she said, glancing at Lexie with a quick wink.
“What’s the occasion?” Lexie asked, settling into a chair.
Charlotte twirled in her dress—as well as she could twirl at her age. “We’re all going to a gala for the Lancaster Foundation.”
“Excuse me?”
Sylvia reached for a glass of water, taking a sip before explaining. “It seems they’re auctioning off the jewels to raise money and they’re throwing a big shindig.”
Lexie narrowed her gaze, focusing in on the two ex-thieves who’d just happened to once own said jewels, preparing for the occasion. “How did you two wangle an invitation?”
Charlotte smiled, beaming from ear to ear. “From the master of ceremonies, of course! Your favorite Bachelor and mine, Sam Cooper.” She imitated a drumroll for emphasis.
Lexie’s stomach curled at the sound of his name. “Coop invited you?”
Charlotte bent down, leaning closer to Sylvia. “I think she’s jealous,” she said in a stage whisper.
Despite the idiocy of it all, Lexie flushed. “I am not.”
“Well you shouldn’t be, because you’re invited, too!” her grandmother said.
Once again, Lexie’s stomach flipped. “Did Coop come by?” she asked, pathetically hopeful.
Sylvia shook her head.
“But this lovely invitation came in the mail with a handwritten note.” Charlotte pointed to a large invitation on the coffee table.
Lexie lifted up the envelope and scanned the preprinted address. “Hey, it’s addressed to me!” She shook her head at her grandmother.
“Yes, but the note inside says there are enough tickets for all three of us—by name!”
“Something you wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t opened my mail,” Lexie chided.
“Minor details. Do you like this dress?” her grandmother asked.
The two women had certainly bounced back from the revelation of their caper and losing the jewelry.
“Honestly? I prefer ivory on you as well,” Lexie said diplomatically.
“Okay, ivory it is. Would you like to borrow this one?” her grandmother offered.
Lexie nearly choked. “No, thank you.”
“Don’t tell me you aren’t going! I know you, Lexie Davis. You’ve been avoiding Coop ever since you captured the three of us.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “What is it with people and that word avoiding?”
“If the shoe fits, dear,” Sylvia said.
“It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” Lexie muttered. “I’m going to my room.” She rose and turned toward the hall.
“Are you saying you aren’t avoiding Coop?” Her grandmother planted her petite body directly in Lexie’s path.
Experience told her if she didn’t deal with the question directly, she wasn’t getting past. “I was, and now I’m not. Satisfied?”
“Not yet. What are you going to wear to the party?” Charlotte pulled a tissue out of her cleavage and blew her nose. “Buy yourself something new. Something eye-catching. Expose your boobies,” she said when she’d finished.
“Oh, brother. You two stay out of trouble.” Lexie darted around her grandmother and headed for the safety of her room.
She lay down on her bed, hands beneath her head and stared at the ceiling. She needed more than a new dress, though she’d definitely go through the pain of shopping to look good for the event.
She needed to talk to Coop before the gala. She couldn’t say what she wanted to in a public place. And she couldn’t handle seeing him with everything still unsettled between them.
But she’d tried to reach him after leaving her father’s only to get his answering machine at home, the recording on his cell and his voice mail at work. Even if he didn’t want to speak to her, he wouldn’t avoid her. Which meant he was busy on a story.
She didn’t leave a message because she wanted to hear his voice and gauge his reaction when she called. She didn’t want him to have time to think or cover his feelings.
So she’d just have to keep trying.
A teenager turned up missing, consuming the cops and the press for the better part of a week. By the time Coop found himself with downtime, he was dressing for the auction, and he’d barely slept in days. He thought he’d been eating, but he couldn’t remember. Though the child had been found alive, he didn’t want to think about the psychological damage that had been done to her in the interim. He’d been living, breathing and eating that news for too long as it was.
At least the auction, as much as he was dreading it, would take him away from the horrific story he’d been covering. It helped that he wouldn’t be alone there. He’d invited his family to the event. Matt and his wife were busy, but his father had surprised him by agreeing. Not only had he gotten someone to cover the bar, but he’d also invited a date. A widow he’d been seeing on the side.
Coop was happy for the old man. At least one of them had a love life that seemed to be on the upswing.
Coop also had a date. On speaking to the foundation people, they’d told him they were hiring guards to keep an eye on the items being sold. Charlotte’s pieces were only a part of what was on the block, and they needed at least two security guards. Knowing that Sara liked to take outside work, he’d tipped her off, and she’d applied for the job. She’d extended the information to Rafe Mancuso, her ex-partner, and with Coop’s recommendation and their references, they’d both been hired. Coop and Sara were going to the event together.
Coop showered and changed into a rented tuxedo, realizing only when he glanced in the mirror to do his tie that he’d forgotten to shave. He had a few days growth of beard covering his face, but a glance at his watch told him he had no time to worry about it now. The show couldn’t start without him.
Lexie and company arrived half an hour early at the Upper East Side town house where the Lancaster Foundation was hosting the auction. It wasn’t that she wanted her grandmother and Sylvia to have extra time to drink, but she did want the opportunity to get Coop alone if she could.
The town house décor took her breath away, from the beautiful marble floors to the intricate pillars and mirrors around her. There was a large room for the showing of the auction items; that was where cocktails would be served. During the early hours, people could view the jewels and their tag number for identification during the auction. Invitations had gone out to the elite of Manhattan and Lexie recognized some impressive society people trickling in. Her grandmother and Sylvia were in the cocktail room, presumably on their best behavior.
Lexie waited in the main hall. For at least the third time in as many minutes, she smoothed the sparkly silver dress over her hips. She wasn’t a woman comfortable in glitzy outfits and between the fitted dress that ended at the knee and the high heels the salesgirl had talked her into, Lexie was way out of her comfort zone. Especially since the lady who’d helped her at the
makeup counter at Bloomingdale’s suggested she wear contacts to better show off her eyes.
Because the woman had been complimentary and not critical, and since she’d made so many other big steps this week, Lexie had taken the address of a store around the corner that specialized in contact lenses. She still wasn’t used to not having her eyeglass frames to fiddle with from time to time.
All in all, she didn’t feel like herself tonight, but at least she looked as if she belonged. That in itself was an accomplishment, Lexie thought.
She leaned against a large, marble pillar and sipped from a champagne glass, the bubbly liquid bypassing her empty stomach and going directly to her head. Minutes ticked by. If she stood here nursing this drink much longer, she’d be punch drunk before Coop even arrived.
Finally, just when she was about to give up and go looking for her grandmother, she caught sight of him. She’d never seen him in formal attire and the man in a well-fitting, elegantly cut black tuxedo, took her breath away. The exhaustion etching his features did nothing to detract from his sexy appearance and the razor stubble darkening his face merely enhanced it.
Then she realized he wasn’t alone. A beautiful blonde wearing a loose yet extremely sexy three-quarter-length gown stood by his side.
Nausea washed over Lexie.
She wanted to turn and run, but the blonde noticed her first and treated Lexie to a brief wave, and recognition finally took hold.
Sara, Lexie realized, nearly weak with relief.
The other woman tugged on Coop’s arm. She whispered something in his ear, then pointed Lexie’s way.
He glanced over and met her gaze, his eyes widening as awareness dawned.
She was still shaken, and the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach didn’t disappear as the couple strode closer.
“Lexie,” he said, his voice gruff, devouring her with his darkened gaze.
“Coop.” She barely recognized her own voice.
Kiss Me if You Can (Most Eligible Bachelor Series Book 1) Page 22