“That doesn’t mean he’s cheating.” Coop wasn’t about to ruin her surprise but needed a way to calm her down.
“Mario slipped and said that Seth had gone to the coast. He wasn’t supposed to tell me. The only reason he’d go to the coast without me is if he took someone else.”
“That’s not the only reason. Seth loves you, Cara.”
“The other day he got a phone call, and he left the room to talk. He never does that. And when I went by his apartment Saturday morning, he wasn’t there.” She stifled a sob and inhaled. “He said he was at the shop, but he doesn’t work on Saturdays. He lied to me.”
“He wasn’t lying. He came by, and we chatted a bit. He’s not cheating on you, Cara. Believe me.”
“You really think he loves me?”
“Absolutely. I know he does. It’s obvious.” He glanced down at Nellie. Was it obvious? He was far from ready to say that, but on the Richter scale of love, his feelings registered well above an eight. He couldn’t even imagine what nine felt like.
Nellie tapped him.
“Hang on a sec, Cara.” Coop muted the call. “Yeah?”
“If she needs you, we can drive back.” Disappointment hung in Nellie’s offer. “I’d understand.”
“We’ll see. I don’t think it’ll come to that.” He stole a quick kiss. “But thank you.”
“Coop? I need to go. Seth is calling me. Maybe he does love me.”
“Don’t ask him about the coast. Trust him, okay?”
“Why?” Cara had finally stopped crying.
“Trusting him shows that you love him. It’s important to him.” Coop hadn’t intended the comment to apply to his own relationship, but when Nellie pulled away, he knew it had been taken that way. “Bye. Go talk to Seth.”
He rolled onto his side, waiting for her to meet his gaze.
“Nellie, I didn’t mean us. I wasn’t dropping a hint.”
“But what you said is true.”
“We are pretty much in the middle of nowhere. You are curled up next to me in the bed of a pickup at night. I’m getting the distinct feeling you trust me.”
Tears pooled in her eyes.
“I meant what I said yesterday. I’ll wait until you’re ready to tell me, now that I know it isn’t a husband you are trying to hide.”
She poked him in the ribs.
He squirmed and tried to hide a giggle. “Okay. Don’t do that.”
“You’re ticklish.” Her smile was a welcome sight.
“You keep those hands in your own sleeping bag, lady.” He made his best attempt at a stern look.
“Yes, sir.” Mischief twinkled in her eyes. “I’ll be good. We’ll just talk.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Did you always want to be a mechanic?”
“When I was younger—much younger—I wanted to be a race car driver. That didn’t pan out. What about you? What did you want to be when you were little?”
“I don’t remember anymore. There is a family business. As soon as I was old enough to really get what that meant, I never questioned what I’d do.”
Coop lay awake long after Nellie fell asleep, wondering what she didn’t want to tell him. He ran through what he knew about her. She was an executive in the family business. She had money. He just wasn’t sure how much. And she didn’t like her boss. But in a family business, that boss was probably related.
When Nellie shivered in her sleep, Coop dragged out the extra blanket he’d brought and draped it over them.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Mom was a night owl, so she’d still be up. He sent off a text: I met someone.
It’s turning out to be quite the weekend for love. She sent a smiley after her text. Does she hold your hand and laugh at your jokes? If so, she’s a keeper.
Coop grinned, thinking about the keys. Holding my hand—Yes. Laughing at jokes—sometimes.
So she’s smart. That’s even better! I can’t wait to meet her.
I’ll keep you posted. Coop tucked his phone away and whispered into the dark, “Never have I ever . . . been happier than in this moment. Please don’t let this blow up in my face.”
On Monday, when he took a break for lunch, he checked his messages.
She’d messaged only minutes before: Never have I ever . . . been fishing.
We can remedy that. Dinner tonight? Probably not fresh-caught fish. But if that’s what it took to see her, he’d figure out a way.
She responded right away: I can’t. I have a work thing. Tomorrow night?
Can’t. Helping Seth set up his surprise. And I’m busy Wednesday with the surprise. He grabbed his lunch and sat down at his desk. I really want to see you.
I’ll meet you at the shop for lunch on Thursday, that work?
Like a charm. He set the phone down and picked it right back up. Never have I ever . . . been to Europe.
Dots danced on the screen a full minute before her reply appeared.
We can remedy that.
Chapter 11
Nellie stared at his business card on her desk. Logan Cooper. She’d much rather be spending the evening with him than at her grandfather’s birthday bash.
Tanner waved a hand in front of her face. “I thought you had an appointment. Nails or something.”
“You’re right. I need to go. Can I ride to the hotel with you tonight?”
“Sure. Who’s the guy?”
“What? Oh! When I had the trouble with my Jeep, that’s the guy that fixed it.” Nellie ran her finger along the name printed on the card.
“When do we get to meet him?”
“Why would I introduce you to my mechanic?” She wasn’t ready for her worlds to collide—at least not until she’d told Coop everything, which she wanted to do. She just hadn’t been able to get uninterrupted time with him this week.
Tanner dropped into a chair. “Everyone can tell that you’re seeing someone. You walk around with a silly grin, you went camping—but no one here knows that—and you slipped out of a business dinner early last weekend. So, if it isn’t the mechanic, who is it?”
“I really like him, but if he finds out about this”—she spread her arms out—“he might not be interested. It might scare him off.” She’d made progress. Before, she told herself he wouldn’t be interested. Now, it was only the possibility that he might not be interested.
“If he’s as great as you seem to think, he won’t care.” Her brother waved as he walked out of the office. “I’ll be at your house at five. Be ready.”
Nellie shut off the computer and grabbed her bag. Tanner was right. Tomorrow she’d call Coop and invite him over to the house, tell him she was the granddaughter of a billionaire and next in line to inherit the company. If that didn’t scare him off, she’d see if he wanted to meet her parents.
Nellie stepped into the nail salon and smiled when Cara waved.
“Hi! Come on back. You came into Coop’s shop a few weeks ago, right?”
“I did. Silver Jeep with the messed-up engine.”
“I remember. Seth says he’s seen you around the shop.” Cara raised her eyebrows.
Requesting Cara, Nellie had taken a slight risk, but she was prepared to answer questions. “I have been. I’m dating your brother.”
A bottle of nail polish hit the table, but Cara caught it on the bounce. “No way! Really?”
“I guess he hasn’t said anything.” Nellie forced a smile, hoping the lump in her throat wouldn’t prevent her from breathing.
Cara laughed. “Put your nails in here. And, no. He hasn’t. I’m just shocked because . . . never mind. How did you know I was working here? Coop tell you?”
“He mentioned it. You like working here?”
“Love it. Get this. I was at the shop, doing my job, and I get this call. The woman says she heard that I am great with nails and wondered if I wanted to come in for an interview.”
“That’s great.”
“I don’t even know how she foun
d me, but this is way better than the nasty old shop. Don’t tell Coop.”
Nellie couldn’t let the first conversation go. “Why are you shocked?”
Cara shook her head. “The girls Coop went out with in high school were in blue jeans except when they went to prom or the beach. Look at you. Do you even own a pair of blue jeans?”
The divide that Nellie had tried to convince herself didn’t exist grew wider by the second. “I wear blue jeans, just not to work.”
Cara shrugged. “What do I know?”
She worked in silence for the next few minutes, and Nellie was quite happy to leave it that way.
Halfway through the second coat, a blonde walked in.
“Hang on a sec.” Cara ran to the desk. “Hi. Lucille isn’t here today, but if you’d like to wait, I can do your nails in just a few minutes.”
“Lucille will be in tomorrow?”
“Yes, ten to four.”
“What times does she have available? Or is there someone she could bump to get me in?”
“She has a slot open at ten thirty. Will that work?”
“It’ll have to.” Without a goodbye, the woman walked out the door.
Cara shook her head. ‘That woman comes in every week to get her nails touched up. She doesn’t remember me, but I remember her. She used to come into the shop all the time, pretending there was something wrong with her car. She was just trying to get Coop to ask her out.”
“Does that happen often?”
Cara scrunched up her nose. “Not really. He never did ask her out. He didn’t need some rich princess cramping his style or making him look like a gold-digger.” Her eyes widened. “No offense.”
Nellie wanted to disappear, but her nails weren’t dry. “I noticed your ring. Is that new?”
“Seth proposed. I said yes, of course. I’m thinking a Christmas wedding.”
“That’ll be so pretty. Will you get married here in town?”
“At the beach, probably.” Cara turned on the ultraviolet light. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Chapter 12
Coop checked his phone. He hadn’t heard from Nellie since they’d exchanged Nevers that morning. He read her text again: Never have I ever . . . invited a guy to meet my parents.
Was that about to change?
He was just about to send her a text when the newest temp receptionist called him over.
She handed him a slip of paper. “Someone called for you. Asked me to give you a message.” She pointed at the paper. “This hotel. Tonight at six. Dress Casual.”
“Did they give their name?” He figured it must’ve been Nellie, but why wouldn’t she have just called or texted him directly?
“No, but they said something about meeting the family. Does that help?”
He nodded. It didn’t matter what number she’d used. Nellie wanted him to meet her family.
He buttoned up the shop, shutting everything down. At five, he was locking the door. That didn’t leave him much time to change and make it to the hotel. He called Nellie on his way home, but she didn’t answer.
When her voicemail picked up, he left a message. “Can’t wait to see you.”
He cursed under his breath sitting in traffic, frustrated that he’d likely be late. He turned off on the back roads, bypassing highways and making better time. When he got to the apartment, he swung into an empty parking space in front of his door and ran inside. Shedding his clothes as he ran to the shower, he thought about what to wear.
By the time he’d scrubbed off all the grease, it was five-forty. He needed to hurry. He threw on the same thing he’d worn dancing.
In the truck, he raced across town to the hotel, more than a little bit excited.
Chapter 13
While the string quartet played, Nellie sipped her champagne and nibbled on an hors d’oeuvre. Grandfather had spared no expense on this year’s birthday shindig. Every year, he threw himself a big party, and hordes of people attended.
Being invited was an honor. The guest list was very exclusive.
She caught sight of her reflection and admired the blue, off-the-shoulder gown. The idea of showing up at Coop’s all dressed up crossed her mind. Maybe breaking the news dressed like this would make him want to stick around. Or, she’d have him so distracted, he might not even hear the part about her being rich.
Tanner walked up to the table. “Warn me if you see Angela coming this way.”
“Why?” Nellie couldn’t stand the woman but thought that, for whatever reason, Tanner liked her.
He sighed. “I just need a break. I’m thinking maybe I should break off the engagement.”
“You should.” Nellie pinched her lips together. “Sorry. That’s a decision you’ll need to make.”
He popped a bite of food in his mouth and dusted crumbs off the front of his tux. “You look nice, Nellie. Going out afterward?”
“We didn’t make any plans.” She was planning to call Coop after the party but was nervous about saying what needed to be said, especially after listening to Cara.
Grandfather stepped up to the front, and the quartet stopped playing. Nellie pasted on the required smile, ready for the evening to be over.
He started talking, and the droning made it easy to disappear into her own head.
Nellie thought about being nestled in Coop’s arm and looking up at the stars. She’d rather be there or with Coop anywhere.
Grandfather was still lauding his greatness when Tanner kicked her under the table.
“What?” She kicked him back.
“Look at the door, Nellie.”
She glanced up, and her heart sank.
Coop stood in the doorway in jeans and an untucked paisley shirt, his sad blue eyes spearing her with questions.
Whispers rippled through the crowd as Grandfather stared at Coop.
Nellie ran toward the door, ignoring the looks and whispers. Before she even made it halfway across the room, Coop turned and walked out. She had to catch him, which wasn’t easy in a fitted gown and three-inch heels.
The last thing she heard as she pushed open the door of the ballroom was Grandfather.
He hated having someone walk away from him. “Eleanor, get back here!”
She didn’t even turn around. Kicking off her heels, she grabbed them and ran across the lobby, then continued outside and chased Coop across the parking lot. Just as he climbed into his truck, she caught up to him.
Trying to catch her breath, she stood at the window and waited. His head rested on the steering wheel.
When he reached for the keys, she knocked. “Please, Coop.”
He spun the handle, lowering the window. “You didn’t invite me, did you?”
“Can I get in?”
He reached across the cab and opened the passenger door.
Climbing into the truck in an evening gown wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but she made it work, then slid to the center.
Coop stared out the front window. “I had a message that said to show up here. It mentioned meeting the family. It also said to dress casual.”
The only person she knew that would try to humiliate anyone like that was Grandfather. To invite Coop to the party behind her back was one thing. To tell him to dress casually when other men were in tuxedos was cruel and crossed all sorts of boundaries.
“It had to have been my grandfather. Your card has been on my desk for weeks.”
“The man in the tux who—”
“Who likes to hear himself talk? Yeah.” Her purse, phone, and keys were still at the table. Without them she felt stuck. “I’m going to run back in and get my purse and phone. Promise me that you’ll still be here when I come back out.”
He shrugged but didn’t look at her.
“Coop, you can’t leave. Please look at me.”
Stormy blue eyes met her gaze. “I’ll wait.”
“Thank you. I can’t show you my house without my keys.”
“Nellie, you don’t have to—maybe we s
houldn’t—”
“I’ll be right back.” She squeezed his hand. “Please be here. I beg you.” With so much she wanted to say, she hoped he’d understand the depth of her plea.
He nodded.
Nellie counted to twenty before marching back into the party. Without looking at Grandfather, she strolled to the table, picked up her purse and phone, and headed back out the door. Her mom followed.
In the lobby, Nellie stopped.
“You okay?” Mom, of all people, knew how heartless Grandfather could be.
Nellie shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Coop’s waiting for me.”
“We’ll throw steaks on the grill tomorrow. I want to meet him.”
“We’ll see.” Nellie hugged her mom. “I want him to meet y’all, but it depends on how tonight goes.”
“Go. Don’t make him wonder where you are.” Mom shooed Nellie toward the main doors. “Call me later.”
Nellie ran out to the truck, lifting the hem of her gown so that it didn’t drag on the ground. When she climbed in, he backed out as she buckled her seatbelt.
“You don’t have to show me your house. We can go talk at a park or something.”
“Logan Cooper, I’m in an evening gown.”
“I noticed.” A hint of a twinkle appeared in his eyes.
She wondered if dimples hid underneath his beard. “Take the interstate headed west. I’ll tell you where to exit.”
“Will they let me into your neighborhood?”
“Why do you think I kept it a secret? I didn’t want this.”
“This?”
“I like you, Coop, a lot—if you haven’t noticed. When you walked into that room, I was sitting there deciding how to tell you.”
He laid his hand over hers. “Tell me what?”
“That my grandfather is a billionaire.”
“The boss you don’t like.”
“Yes.”
“Is that all? That’s your big secret?”
“I’m being prepped to take over the family business when—if he ever retires, which would make me ....”
Dating the Billionaire's Granddaughter Page 6