Chapter Nine
On Wednesday, Cooper invited Lexi over for dinner and she agreed to come.
He didn’t even pretend to be on her level when it came to making a mouthwatering meal to sink one’s teeth into.
But he had been forced to learn how to cook a few things, with Melanie no longer in the picture to do the heavy lifting in the kitchen.
More than that, the invitation to Lexi did provide him an opening to get her over to his condo in a no-pressure, easygoing way.
If something were to happen beyond the meal that both wanted, he would be all for it.
But if Lexi preferred to take things slowly, not quite ready to jump into bed, he’d understand.
Especially since he, too, was operating on a concentrated effort of pushing beyond the past and delving into a possible future relationship with someone.
“Hey,” he said, grinning, while maintaining his composure in a twill checkered berry-colored shirt, navy chino pants, and beige slip-on dress sneakers.
“Hey.” She offered him an alluring smile. “Hope I’m not too early?”
Cooper quickly dismissed the notion. “You’re right on time. Come in.”
Lexi walked into his place and took a sweeping look around. “Very nice.”
“Thanks,” he responded, wondering if she would notice that he had no holiday decorations, given Lexi’s own impressive inside and outside display. “Been here for a year now. Suits me at this stage of my life.”
“I can see that.” She gazed at him and, being clearly observant, asked curiously, “You don’t believe in Christmas? Or is it too much hassle, with your work schedule, putting up a tree or other decorations…?”
Guess I couldn’t slip that by her after all, Cooper told himself, half jokingly.
He met her eyes. “Yes, I celebrate Christmas, more or less. But as to all the trimmings of the holiday season, since Melanie died, I haven’t been as gung ho in putting up the traditional Christmas decorations while living alone—”
Lexi flashed him a sympathetic look. “I understand.” She paused. “For me, Jonathan loved the Christmas season. So do I. Basically, I figured the best way I could honor his memory and maintain the true meaning of the holiday and what it meant to both of us was to keep it alive.”
Cooper nodded musingly. “That’s totally relatable,” he told her, even if his own perspective still had merit, too—if only in his mind. He gave a crooked self-conscious grin. “Well, dinner’s ready, and I can only hope that it meets with your approval.”
Lexi flashed her teeth. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” she uttered confidently. She met his gaze. “Can I help with anything?”
“Feel free to assist with anything you like,” he told her, happy to do this together. “There’s creamy herbed pork chops, garlic roasted potatoes, broccoli, buttermilk biscuits and lemonade to wash it down.”
“Will do.” She nodded. “Can’t wait to dig in.”
He smiled, anxious to see if he passed muster with the meal. “All right.”
Minutes later, they were sitting at the table in the dining room and Cooper awaited the verdict as Lexi began to eat—sampling every item, as if to test it like a food critic.
She dabbed a napkin to her mouth and said with a giggle, “I love it—you made a wonderful dinner!”
“Glad you like it.” Cooper could barely contain the broad smile playing on his lips.
He had made everything to the best of his ability.
But that wasn’t always enough. Especially when trying to impress a beautiful woman, whom he wished to do just that in every way he could.
He used a knife to cut into the tender pork chop.
“Now, whether or not I can duplicate this feast is anyone’s guess,” he quipped, feeling almost giddy in her presence.
Lexi laughed naturally, while forking a piece of garlic roasted potato. “Well, if you’re referring to my guess, I’d say that you’re well on your way to becoming a chef—once you decide to call it quits with the FBI.”
Cooper had to laugh at that overly generous assessment of his ability or potential thereof. “Thanks for the kudos—but not sure I’m ready to give up my day job for the foreseeable future,” he spoke humorously.
“Me neither.” Lexi chuckled. “We both love what we do. No crime in that.”
“None whatsoever.” Cooper grabbed a biscuit, buttered it and took a bite, while imagining them doing this more often.
“Speaking of which—is there much public corruption going on in Maricopa County?” she inquired, sipping lemonade. “Or is the investigation into Horace’s wrongdoings more of an anomaly among public officials in these parts?”
Cooper sat back and, after a moment or two, responded levelly, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say public corruption is all but unheard of in this area.
Putting building inspectors aside—of which Eckhart isn’t the first to be corrupted in recent years—the truth is, like any other branch of criminals, the Bureau has its fair share of people in the government sector who have fallen prey to greed and been investigated and held accountable. ”
Lexi made a face. “How depressing to think that this is what hardworking taxpayers are paying for with their elected and government officials.”
“Yeah, it can be somewhat discouraging,” Cooper had to concede, forking broccoli.
But he certainly didn’t want this to turn into a downer for the evening.
So he added, “On the other hand, I can tell you that the vast majority of those elected or employed at the local, state and federal levels of government are honest and only want to do their jobs without trying to game the system for personal gain.”
Her expression grew softer. “That’s good to know.”
It’s even better getting to know you, Cooper told himself. He bit off another piece of biscuit and said thoughtfully, “How do you feel about helping me pick out a Christmas tree—and decorating it?”
Lexi’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He smiled at her. “I think it’s time… You’ve inspired me to get back into the swing of things—with Christmas still a couple of weeks away. I have some lights and other decorations in a box in a storage closet—but can buy more, just in case we fall short.”
“I’d love to help you pick out and decorate a tree,” she spoke excitedly, and added, “It would brighten up your condo and be a great way to begin a new tradition that carries with it an old one that you and Melanie had.”
Cooper nodded, sure that his late wife would not only like Lexi a lot, but also encourage him to revive the Christmas season in his personal life. “Then let’s go find a tree,” he told Lexi, and looked forward to sharing this experience with the new woman in his life.
LEXI COULDN’T HAVE been more thrilled than to motivate Cooper into wanting to put up a Christmas tree.
Truthfully, she understood his point of view in finding it difficult while living on his own to muster up the enthusiasm to celebrate the holidays in terms of decorating his condo.
Had he chosen to stick with this, she wouldn’t have thought any less of him.
Quite the contrary, she was thinking more and more about the FBI special agent and felt the same vibes from him, concerning her.
She sat in the passenger seat of Cooper’s Dodge Durango as he drove to the Christmas tree lot on North Ninety-Ninth Avenue.
After walking around and checking out the various interesting choices of trees, Cooper gazed at Lexi. “What do you think?”
They were standing among several six-foot Nordmann’s fir and noble fir trees. “Hmm…” she murmured, feeling the pressure in choosing the right tree. “I think I like the Nordmann’s fir—if you do.”
He grinned boyishly. “Nordmann’s fir, it is,” he agreed with ease.
Lexi showed her teeth, glad that he concurred. “Wonderful.”
Cooper picked up an evergreen wreath as well for his front door, along with a Christmas tree stand and a few accessories. Twine was used to tie the tree to the top of the SUV, before they drove back to the condominium.
After carrying the tree inside the penthouse, Cooper asked, “Where should we put it?”
Lexi looked around and saw the perfect area in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. “Right there would be great,” she stated, eyeing the spot and leading the way.
Once they had the tree in the stand, Cooper got out his Christmas lights and ornaments from the storage room, and the two of them began to decorate the tree—including newly purchased red tinsel garland and silver icicles.
To keep them in the spirit of the season, Lexi took out her cell phone and played Nat King Cole’s version of “The Christmas Song,” followed by Andy Williams’s “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. ”
“It’s definitely beginning to look like that in here,” Cooper joked, as they put the finishing touches on the tree’s decorations.
Lexi laughed. “I agree.”
“All that’s missing are some gifts to place under the tree.”
She grinned. “We’ll have to do something about that,” she said, pondering what to get him for the holiday.
“Sounds good to me,” he told her with a chuckle.
Lexi gazed again at the tree. “It’s beautiful.” She was sure that the Christmas tree rivaled her own and would bet that Cooper saw this, too.
“Sure is.” He pulled her over to him and said in a charming voice, “But not quite as beautiful as you are, Lexi.”
Her face flushed. “Oh, really?”
“Feminine beauty—yours—trumps Christmas tree beauty every time!” Cooper insisted with a straight face. “Not to mention the attractiveness in your character. A perfect ten across the board.”
“Hmm.” Lexi trusted his judgment, feeling a tingle inside at the thought of his attraction to her looks and personality. Honestly, she felt the same way about him. “You’re not so bad yourself—on both fronts, Mr. FBI agent who cooks well on the side—”
Cooper cupped her chin and said daringly, “I’m even better as a kisser than in the kitchen.”
She chuckled. “You think so, do you?”
“Only way one to find out…”
“So, let’s put that into practice,” Lexi challenged him, more than up to the challenge herself.