Chapter 7 #2
Since I’d already choked on my words enough for one conversation, I let it go. I would obsess in silence. “Tell me about your family,” I prodded, eager to learn more about him.
He flicked a hand through his hair as his gaze shifted to just over the porch railing. A glassy-eyed look stole his expression. “Well, you met my sister, Kate. She’s my only sibling.”
“Ah, yes. Melancholy Barbie. How could I forget?” I was half-joking, half-disgruntled.
An embarrassed chuckle escaped him. “She feels bad, if that makes any difference. Daphne got her fired up and she just sort of snapped. I assure you, I’ve been called worse.” Cooper paused before returning his attention to me. “She asks about you. Every day. Maybe you two can make amends.”
The revelation surprised me. I hadn’t thought much about Cooper’s sister, except for when Daphne went off on one of her “the McAllisters are the Devil” tirades.
“I’d be open to that.”
Hell, it wouldn’t kill me to try and make another friend in town. In fact, it would be fantastic if I could bring my resounding number of friends up from one to two.
Or…perhaps I already had two.
I wasn’t exactly sure where Cooper fell.
“Awesome. I’ll send her by with a fruit basket or something,” he teased.
“I prefer cupcakes, but I suppose I can make an exception.”
“Cupcakes. Got it.” Cooper set the coffee mug on his knee and lowered his eyes.
“As for my parents, my father lives in an apartment right above the bar. He’s a good guy.
I come from a long line of police officers, and my father was the first to break that trend.
He’s a business guy through and through. The Crow Bar is his baby.”
I smiled, touched. “I bet he’s really proud of you.”
“I wouldn’t know. He’s not the sentimental type.”
“What about your mom?” I wondered curiously.
Cooper stiffened, the muscles in his jaw noticeably twitching. He shifted his weight on the swing and scratched the back of his neck. “Her name was Lori. She passed away when I was twelve.” His feet tapped along the concrete porch. “Cancer.”
I couldn’t keep my hand from reaching out and giving his knee a comforting squeeze.
I knew all too well what that felt like.
We were connected in yet another way. “I would say I’m sorry, but I know how little that actually means.
People only say it because they don’t know what else to say.
” I smiled, ruefully, trying to show him that I understood.
As I leaned forward with my hand on his knee, my eyes glued to his handsome face, he reached over to lay his own hand on top of mine.
I froze, not expecting the gesture. Not expecting the contact. And I definitely wasn’t expecting the electric charge that shot up my arm, dispersing magical little sparks throughout my body.
I was in trouble.
I was in big, huge, ginormous trouble.
I tried to temper the shockwaves revving my pulse. Pulling away was the rational thing to do. Seriously, I had every intention of pulling away.
After all, I was a fierce, independent woman with strong willpower and endless self-control.
But…Cooper wasn’t pulling away.
He was just sitting there, his hand on mine, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. And he didn’t seem the least bit frazzled by the contact.
He was blasé, comfortable, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
His hand on mine.
I studied his features. Masculine and strong.
He had delicious cheekbones and just enough stubble along his jawline to give him that rugged edge.
His lashes were long, his hair the color of dark chocolate; grown out long enough to curl at the ends.
I was tempted to run my fingers through it. Really tempted.
That’s my cue.
A voice startled me before I could untangle our hands.
“Am I interrupting something, Romeo?”
Cooper stood from the swing so fast, I wobbled as it abruptly swung forward.
He reached for his holster on instinct, then relaxed when he recognized the visitor. “Really, Sis? You think it’s wise to sneak up on an armed officer?”
Kate stood on the front lawn, holding a plate wrapped in tinfoil. She shrugged with nonchalance. “I mean, if anyone is going to take me out, I feel like it should be you.”
I rose to my feet, fluffing my hair and letting my gaze fall anywhere but on the man at my side. “Hey, Kate.”
She forced a smile. “Hey, yourself. I thought I’d try not being an asshole for once and stop by with a peace offering.”
Cooper set down his coffee and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Fruit basket?”
She scoffed like she was offended. “No, they’re cookies. Give me a little credit, will you? I’m not a middle-aged housewife.”
“That’s nice of you,” I told her, stifling a laugh. “Thanks.”
Cooper’s radio went off, and he plucked it from his belt, listening carefully to the static-filled request crackling through the speaker.
“Shit,” he grumbled. “There’s a bad accident on Route 13.
I need to go.” He turned to me, his eyes softening.
“Call me if you need me. I’ll be back as soon as I can. ”
I wasn’t sure what had passed between us that first night at the bar, or when he’d carried me out of that van, or underneath the willow tree, or just a few minutes ago, or right now…
But it was confusing.
And scary.
And undeniably intriguing.
For a split second, there was no accident. There was no Kate. There was no messy past or complicated present.
There was just a girl falling for a boy.
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered, my tone gravelly. I tore my eyes from his. It was easier to think of sensible words when his hazel eyes weren’t boring into me. “I’ve got my handy pepper spray and a sharp tongue. The bad guys don’t stand a chance.”
“Maybe I underestimated you.” Cooper sent me a nod, smiling softly, and slid past me, heading down the porch steps. He paused in front of Kate. “As much as I enjoy your verbal abuse, duty calls.”
Kate balanced the tray of cookies on one arm and slapped him on the shoulder with her opposite hand.
“I’ll be here all night, Big Bro. Go save some lives, or whatever it is you hero types do.
” She gave him a wink, then returned her attention to me when Cooper stalked to his patrol car.
“Here’s your cookies. I swear I didn’t poison them. ”
I met her at the base of the steps and accepted the goodies.
“Sweets are the number one way to my heart, so I guess you’re forgiven.
” Fisting the tray, I studied the pretty woman with amber hair and eyes to match.
She was petite and wiry, with delicate features and ivory skin.
She reminded me of that actress, Victoria Pedretti.
Kate smiled as she swept her hair to one side. “I never actually apologized, but I’ll take it.”
I wanted to hate the younger McAllister; Daphne had basically trained me to do so.
But I just couldn’t. There was something about Kate that had the opposite effect on me. All I wanted to do was get to know her better.
“Anyway, I’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you’re desperate for some alone time.”
“I appreciate the cookies,” I said, clutching the tray to my chest. The plate was still warm, and I could smell the sweet chocolate chips. “Feel free to stop by whenever. Maybe we can…you know, hang out.”
Kate fidgeted in place, though her eyes were soft and agreeable.
“Maybe.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim overalls and pivoted to leave.
Then she hesitated, turning to face me one more time.
“I rip on my brother a lot, as you’ve probably noticed.
It’s a sibling thing,” she told me. Her focus dipped to the freshly mowed grass as she rocked on the heels of her tennis shoes.
“But, the truth is…he’s a good guy. Like, a really good guy. The best of the best.”
I listened intently, my heart rate quickening with every word.
Kate smirked. “Judging from the way you were looking at him a few minutes ago, I think you already knew that.” She lifted her hand and waved goodbye, a knowing smile in place. “See you around.”
My grip tightened on the cookie tray as I watched Kate disappear down the dirt road. “See you.”
Oh, I knew.
Of course, I knew.
Cooper McAllister was the best of the best.
A hero.
My hero.
Alas, we were too different. He was too good, and I was too tainted. Cooper was the light to my dark. The petals to my thorns. The laughter to my tearful heart.
Some things simply weren’t meant to be.