Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
ABBY
Aweek had gone by, and I was officially on the hunt for a house.
While I’d enjoyed my evenings staying up late with my best friend, gorging on Chinese takeout and bingeing a Netflix docuseries, I was ready to spread my wings. Daphne deserved privacy, and I was craving a bit of independence.
A property just down the road had gone up for sale.
It was a fixer-upper, which meant I would be getting a great deal while also setting myself up for a ton of work.
Some days, I’d wake up tired and unmotivated, and the idea of fixing up a house sounded impossibly hard.
Then there were the days I’d desperately needed the distraction.
I’d needed something to keep me focused and busy.
I wanted a purpose.
A house renovation would never run out of projects, so it seemed like a worthwhile investment, both financially and mentally.
Standing at the edge of the overgrown yard, I scuffed my sandal along the gravel.
I snapped a few pictures of the cozy cottage, twisting my camera in a variety of different angles.
The home sat quietly among tall weeds and an endless array of dandelions.
I already knew I would paint it yellow; yellow was the happiest color.
It was my mother’s favorite color.
My eyes fluttered closed as I relished in the warm air coasting across my face. I breathed in the fragrant lilac bushes and listened to the robins sing.
This felt right.
I was going to put an offer in on the three-bedroom cottage on Bluebird Trail.
I would lay roots in The Crow.
Just as I captured a few more photos, I turned to find a familiar patrol car driving down the secluded dirt road. A smile hiked up my lips.
Cooper pulled off to the side of the street, exiting his vehicle with a charmed expression. “Looking to star in your own HGTV show?” He grinned, leaning forward on the car and folding his hands atop the roof.
I tucked my hair behind one ear and yanked the camera strap over my shoulder. Stepping toward him, I paralleled his playful expression. “Actually, I was looking to buy it.”
Cooper raised an eyebrow as he glanced between me and the dilapidated house. “Ambitious,” he noted. His eyes sparkled before panning back to me. “You sure you’re up for something like that?”
I glanced at the house over my shoulder. “Not even a little. But that’s what makes it exciting.”
Exciting. Terrifying.
Same difference.
Cooper nodded. “Well, speaking of exciting…I was on my way to go sit in your driveway for an unknown number of hours.”
“Compelling stuff.” I giggled.
Cooper had been profoundly dedicated to my safety.
Some of the other officers still kept watch over me, but it wasn’t the same. I always felt a little lighter, a little less on edge, when it was Cooper McAllister parked outside of Daphne’s house. Even when he was off the clock, he would find the time to come by.
A few times over the past week, I’d been left without security detail. I knew there wasn’t enough manpower in the small town of Crow’s Peak to keep watch over me twenty-four hours a day. Cooper had other cases that required his attention. He needed to sleep, despite his resistance.
Still, his commitment to me gave me butterflies and warmed me from the inside out.
“Want a ride back?” Cooper asked, cocking his head to the side.
“I’ll walk,” I told him. “I’m almost done here.”
“All right. See you there.”
I watched as he hopped back in his cruiser.
When Cooper pulled away, I finished up my photo session, my heart galloping with the anticipation of a potential new real estate journey.
Nana Cecily had left me with her entire savings—which was millions.
I’d consulted with an accountant before leaving Illinois and had made sure my finances were in order.
I was a frugal spender, so I knew the money could potentially last a lifetime.
However, I wasn’t the kind of girl who coasted by on someone else’s dime. I took pride in paving my own way. So that was just another reason why I was so excited about this quaint house: the two-car garage could easily be transformed into a photography studio.
I could build a career for myself, make my own money.
Nana had also left me with her estate. Luckily for my brother, I had no interest in the sprawling mansion, so I’d handed it over to Ryan. He now had a seven-thousand-square-foot property to call his own.
Or a huge chunk of change to feed his heroin addiction.
I walked down the quiet street, absorbing the sights and sounds along the way. There was something heartening in the way my feet crunched against the pebbles and small rocks. The Crow was so different from the haughty suburbs I was accustomed to. It was a welcome change.
And, at the end of the day, that was what I had always wanted.
Change.
It was a five-minute walk back to Daphne’s house.
I was about to head inside when something stopped me.
Cooper was parked in his usual place in the driveway, his window rolled down and his foot propped up on the dashboard.
An unfamiliar song trickled out through the window, drawing me over to the patrol car like a magnet.
Cooper turned the music down when I approached. I poked my head inside, my hands gripping the side of the door. “You know, Daphne has this really cute porch I never use. Want to have a cup of coffee with me?”
I’d never offered him an invitation before. I had always just left him alone in his car. Mostly because I never knew how to word it without sounding needy and starved for affection, but also because alone time with Cooper unnerved me.
Not in a bad way…in a confusing way.
I felt things.
Things I couldn’t quite explain.
Maybe it was something in the June air that had nudged me toward Cooper’s open window. Maybe it was the melodies streaming from his radio, mingling with the music of songbirds overhead.
Or maybe it was something simpler.
I just wanted to.
He studied me as my words sunk in. There was a flicker of indecisiveness on his face, possibly due to the abruptness of the offer, or possibly because he was also feeling…things.
Cooper was difficult to read.
“I could do coffee.”
I flashed him a smile and stood up straight. “Cream or sugar?”
“Just black,” he replied.
As I made my way inside, I thought about Nana and her love for coffee.
“You can tell a lot about a man by how he takes his coffee,” she’d said to me one morning as we lounged on the back patio with hot mugs in hand. “If he takes it black, he’s a simple, no-nonsense fella. He won’t play games with that beautiful heart of yours. Remember that, dear.”
I chuckled to myself as I sauntered into the kitchen.
Jordan hated coffee. I wondered if that was why Nana had never approved of him.
A few minutes later, I met Cooper on the front porch. He was already seated on the swing, his ankle perched on his opposite knee. His eyes followed me as I handed over the ceramic mug. “I’m not exactly a barista, but I’m sure you’ve had worse.”
“I honestly think I run on black coffee alone.” He smiled, accepting the mug. “It’s hard to disappoint me.”
“I’ll remember that.”
I cringed at the innuendo dripping from my tone.
Was that my pathetic way of flirting?
Eyeing the pistol in his holster, I silently begged for it to put me out of my misery.
Just make it quick.
I took a seat beside him, careful to prevent the swing from moving too much and prompting the scalding coffee to splash over the sides. Although, third-degree burns sounded like a welcome distraction from the awkward silence I had inevitably incited.
Cooper cleared his throat. “Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate the hospitality.”
Twisting to glance at him, I sipped delicately on my brew and felt a sudden pang of guilt for not offering sooner. “It’s the least I can do. I’m sure you’ve been bored out of your mind sitting in the driveway for hours on end.”
“I don’t really get bored,” he murmured. “My mind is always moving. Besides, I have an endless supply of podcasts to listen to.”
“What do you like?”
His eyes trailed over me, and I couldn’t tamp down the tingles that sprung to life deep in my belly under his perusal.
“Mostly murder.” A smile slipped as he brought the mug to his mouth.
My lips puckered as I nodded. “If you were anything but a cop, I’d be borderline concerned.”
“I guess it’s good I’m a cop, then.”
His eyes lingered, forcing me to turn away.
I smoothed out the fabric of my halter dress and leaned back against the swing.
It swayed languidly as I collected my thoughts.
“So, Cooper McAllister. Tell me about yourself. You seem to know an awful lot about me, so I’d say it’s only fair, don’t you think? ”
He matched my movements, tilting backward and placing his unoccupied hand on top of his knee.
He had nice hands.
Really nice.
Ugh.
“Born and raised in The Crow,” he began, using his feet to gently glide the swing. “Not exactly something to brag about, but it’s my home. I had grand plans of moving to New York City and becoming a fancy F.B.I. agent, but I never made it past ‘small-town cop.’”
I sensed a sliver of disappointment in his tone, so I tried to subdue it.
“Well, I can’t say I’m sorry about that.
” I was referencing his heroic rescue mission, but my words managed to teeter the line of flirtation again.
Braving a glance at him, I met his stare and gulped.
Hazel eyes gleamed with amber flecks, and a trace of amusement reflected back at me as his mouth pulled into a smile.
Nope. Looking away again. Looking at my shoes. Oh, hey, there’s an ant.
I shook my sandal when the ant began crawling onto my toes.
“It’s a good town,” Cooper continued, swiveling to fully face me. “I’m glad you decided to stay.”
Now it was my turn to dissect his potential double meaning.
Why was he glad?
Because The Crow was a “good town,” or because there was another reason?