Cocky Choices: Zoe Cocker (Cocker Brothers #30)

16. Zoe

SIXTEEN

Zoe

A s the last rays of sunlight slip through the windows of Florist Shop, I take a deep breath, welcoming the sweet scents of blooms to wash over me one last time before heading home. After Tom left with the deliveries, it got very busy in here, loads of pedestrians ambling in and buying up many of my plants, making the shelves feel emptier to me now. I’ll tend to them tomorrow.

The shop is quiet, a peaceful oasis after a long day filled with tension, confrontations, and some very sweet moments.

“Well, life certainly isn’t boring,” I mutter as I gently set Ralphie’s carrier down on the marble counter, giving him a reassuring scratch behind his soft ears. Zipping the top I ask, “Ready to go home, my mischievous friend?” and peek through the mesh. Those sharp, green eyes blink back at me, and I can’t help but smile. He seems to understand that it’s time to leave the world of flowers and plants behind, just for tonight. “Tomorrow we’ll be back and start all over again,” I tell him, sliding his carrier strap over my shoulder and turning off the lights.

With my eyes down I wrangle the correct key on my key chain, and step with him out into the crisp evening air. Locking up I hear the familiar sound of countless passerby’s conversations and footsteps, Little Five Points is always busy this time of night. There’s a lot of sidewalk traffic here the majority of the time, actually. Except when it gets late. We tend to close pretty early in Atlanta, I’ve heard people complain. What must it be like to live in New York, the city that never sleeps? Do all the stores stay open until way after midnight? Hmmm.

I turn to head towards my car, and my heart stops. Leaning against his sleek new Audi, arms crossed over his broad chest, is my older brother Nicholas.

“Zoe,” he calls out, his voice low, impending storm brewing in his tone.

Great.

Just what I need after a long day.

“Nicholas,” I reply, trying to keep my voice casual as I approach, Ralphie’s carrier swinging slightly at my hip. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.” He pushes off the car, expression concern laced with irritation.

I know exactly what this is about. The marriage of convenience I just agreed to with a guy I barely know. I wince at the thought of my brothers Wyatt and Nate. Did they give away my secret? I feign innocence, “About what?” but inside, my stomach twists.

“About this ridiculous arrangement you’ve made.”

“They told you?!” I whisper, stunned. “I said I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

Nicholas’ voice rises just a notch, “You’re marrying a stranger, Zoe! A guy you don’t even know!” aware we’re in public, not that he’s ever yelled at me before. “Mom and Dad are going to freak out when they hear about this.”

“Can’t we just?—”

“—No, we can’t just brush it off like it’s nothing! You need to call them right now.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

I glance around, half-hoping for a distraction. “I don’t want to call them. They’ll just freak out more than you are.”

“Exactly, Zoe! Why did you do something you knew would freak them out?” He runs a hand through his thick dark-brown hair, the hair he inherited from Dad, and then shoves his hands into his pockets. A telltale sign that he’s really stressed and doesn’t know what to do. All the Cocker males do this.

Ralphie lets out a soft meow from his carrier, as if sensing the tension. I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “Look, Nicholas, I…I will call them when I want to call them.”

Nicholas snorts and glares at me. “You agreed to marry some rich guy? Do you need money? You know the stocks have been treating me right lately. I could help you out. Are you having trouble covering your lease here?”

“No,” I sigh. “It’s not that. I’m not marrying him for the money.”

“I heard this guy is a billionaire. Is that right?”

“I really don’t know how much money he has, but he is wealthy. And while that’s all good and fine, it’s not why I’m doing this.”

“Why are you doing it?”

“Because he asked me.”

Nicholas bursts out laughing, the kind of laughter that takes over when you’re incredibly shocked and can’t believe your ears. “What’s happening to you? You’re not the impulsive one in our family. That’s Nate! Or…me!”

I shrug, “Maybe I’m just trying to shake things up a bit,” trying to keep the mood light, but it falls flat.

Nicholas narrows his eyes, wheels turning in his head. “This isn’t a joke, Zoe.”

“I know it’s not. You don’t understand. I’ve thought this through. It’s a solution to some… problems I’ve been having.”

“Problems? If this isn’t about money… wait a second!” His volume lowers. “Are you pregnant?”

I cry out, laughing, “No. Definitely not!” and glance toward Ralphie, who’s now meowing louder from the carrier, as if trying to gauge the situation. “Can we just maybe sit down somewhere? I’ll explain everything.”

Nicholas studies me, tension crackling between us. Finally, he sighs and nods, shoulders relaxing a fraction. “Fine. But you’re calling Mom and Dad first.”

“First?”

“First!”

My brother is digging his feet in, but I think I can distract him, tell all the details first and get his support before calling them, so I suggest, “Okay, okay. But can we get coffee first? Decaf? I need a second to prepare for that conversation.”

A small smile breaks through his frustration. “Alright, decaf coffee it is. This isn’t going to be an easy call.”

“There’s a shop two doors down,” I point and discover in so doing that its dark, closed for the night. “Oh, see, this is why I never paid much attention to it. They close before I do.”

“I’ll drive us up Ponce,” Nicholas announces, lifting Ralphie’s carrier from my arm. “Hey buddy, can you believe the insanity of what your momma did?”

As I mutter, “Mom’s gonna kill me,” Nicholas opens his car’s passenger door for me.

“Dad, too.”

I cry out, “Oh no, you think so?” and slide into the seat.

Nicholas lays Ralphie’s carrier on my lap and bends to look into my eyes. “I know so.”

“You’re not helping!”

He smirks, “You got yourself into this, little sister.”

As he straightens up to close the door I remind him, “I’m only two years younger than you!”

Before it shuts he mumbles, “You were born much younger than that.”

As he walks around the front of the Audi I watch his confident gait and frown, “What does that mean?”

“Meow!” Ralphie answers.

“You’re right, they all think I’m floaty-headed. Well, watch the floaty one become a Mrs. and move to New York!”

Nicholas opens the door. “You talking to yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Do you answer back?”

“Ralphie answers back.”

“Oh Zoe,” he smiles, reaching for my knee. “This guy better deserve you.”

I blink, surprised at what I just heard, and a smile slowly spreads on me. “ Thank you for that.”

Nicholas side-eyeballs me, left hand on the wheel, right hand starting the ignition. “You’re the biggest treasure in this city, Zoe, but you’ve never known it.” His gaze slides to the rearview mirror, gauging oncoming traffic. “What’s this guy’s name? I asked Wyatt and Nathan and they said they were so stunned they forgot to ask. I almost drove over and slapped them myself.”

Taken aback and feeling shy from the compliments, I whisper, “His name is Caleb Astor III.”

Nicholas repeats it, eyebrow knitting together. “Caleb Astor III. Got it. Even sounds like money.” He eases into traffic. “Why do you think we’ve always looked out for you like we have?”

“Because you all think I can’t look out for myself.”

“Nope.” He glances to me, then away, shrugging his right shoulder. “Well, yeah, I guess that’s part of it, but only because you always see the good in everything. Your filter is light, light and more light.”

“What’s wrong with that?” I ask.

With a somber tone, Nicholas informs me, “I hate to tell you, Zoe, but some people are dark.”