Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
ABBY
Two weeks had passed, and I was finally moving into my house on Bluebird Trail.
A new chapter of my life was about to begin. A better chapter.
Hopefully, the best one yet.
I’d closed on the house two days ago, so all my free time had been put into remodeling the three-bedroom cottage.
The outside needed a lot of work: new siding, shutters, and an overhaul of the landscaping.
The inside had great bones and wasn’t in terrible shape.
It was outdated and needed paint, a kitchen renovation, new flooring, and fresh touches here and there, but there was so much potential.
Daphne was helping me sew patterned curtains while filling me in on her paint color suggestions.
James had volunteered to help me rip out carpeting and assist with the flooring, and I was going to hire a contractor to do the rest.
And Cooper…well, I hadn’t seen much of Cooper over the past two weeks.
It was my own fault. I’d remain pleasant and friendly when he’d stop by, but I still kept a distance between us. I had smiled, offered him coffee, and participated in mundane conversation, but it had stopped there. No more flirting or stolen glances. No touching in any way.
And certainly no discussion of our intimate encounter at The Crow Bar two weeks prior.
We had talked about my case, though.
Cooper had discovered a photograph of me at the same ravine where the van had been discovered.
He was convinced the abduction was personal, but I had no new information to offer him.
I didn’t have any known enemies back in Illinois, my separation from Jordan had been a long time coming, and my brother, Ryan, would never hurt me in that way, despite our strained relationship.
My parents were dead, my grandparents were dead, and I’d only left behind a handful of casual acquaintances. There were no scorned lovers, ancient rivalries, or any sort of sordid scandals. I was as vanilla as they came.
Cooper had looked defeated by the lack of direction, but I’d tried not to focus on the way his eyes had dimmed with disappointment.
I needed to stay detached.
Strong.
I wiped a drop of sweat from my hairline with the back of my hand as I pulled back the thick magenta carpet and watched the nails pop out of the hardwood.
I’d been elated to discover the original hardwood floors underneath the carpeting, especially since they were still in great condition.
James was going to refinish and stain the oak planks a rich mahogany.
He’d offered to do it for free, because that was the kind of man he was, but I had every intention of paying him well.
As the afternoon sun blazed through the tall windows, James pulled the carpet up, his face dripping with trails of sweat. “This is going to look like a whole new house when this carpet is gone,” he told me.
“I can’t wait. Thank you so much for doing this.”
“It’s my pleasure. I enjoy labor-intensive projects.” He paused to gulp down some cold water, then glanced in my direction. “You know, Cooper is pretty handy, too. I’m sure he’d be happy to help with some of the work around here.”
I ducked my head, nibbling lip. “He’s a busy man. He has enough things to worry about.”
James shot me a look that implied he didn’t find my reasoning entirely convincing. “McAllister is a cool cat. You know, he’s the only reason I took this job here in Crow’s Peak.”
“Really?” My head snapped up with interest.
He nodded. “Moving to a new town with a low crime rate and no friends or family nearby was a risk. But when Cooper interviewed me, I was sold. I knew he’d have my back. Trust is what it’s all about in this line of work, and he’s the most dedicated cop I’ve ever worked with.”
I listened intently, absorbing his words, letting them warm me up.
Maybe I’d been too hard on Cooper.
Henry’s implication at The Crow Bar had really messed with my head. Hearing that Cooper had a history of pursuing women involved in his cases had left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The kicker?
Cooper hadn’t denied it.
I supposed I hadn’t given him a chance to, making sure our conversations stayed short and impersonal over the last two weeks. But I was certain he would have called Henry Dormer a liar right then and there if the allegations had been false.
The insinuation troubled me. I thought we had something. A spark, a connection.
I thought, maybe, I was special.
Shaking away the thoughts, I jumped back into helping James tear out the carpeting.
A few more grueling, sweat-inducing minutes went by before the carpet was fully removed, and we dragged outside.
We stood on the front lawn, huffing and puffing as I clapped my hands with excitement and jumped at James, giving him a giant, grateful hug.
“Thank you so much,” I exclaimed. “This is a huge first step.”
When I pulled back, Cooper was standing behind us.
He was in his uniform, his gaze flicking between me and his partner.
“Cooper,” I greeted, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
James greeted Cooper with a smile. “Hey, McAllister.” Then he turned to me and jabbed his thumb toward the house. “I’m going to take a look at that floor.”
Nodding absently, my eyes were still fixed on Cooper.
“Hey,” he finally said as James walked away.
I stepped over to him, tugging at the messy bun atop my head. “Dropping by to rip up carpet with us?”
“I guess I missed that invitation.”
I chewed on my thumbnail, regarding him with a trace of guilt. “You have a lot on your plate right now. I didn’t want to add to it.”
“You know I’d always make time for you.”
His reply sucker-punched me. The sun felt even hotter than it had a few moments ago.
I brushed a loose strand of hair off my face and swiped my sweaty palms down the front of my leggings. I was searching for a response when Cooper approached me, putting me out of my misery.
Reaching into his back pocket, he unfolded a piece of paper and held it out to me. “Do you recognize this vehicle at all? I know it’s a little grainy, but we think it’s a 2013 Kia Optima. Silver. Did you know anyone back home with a car like that?”
He was all business now, and it was probably for the best.
I plucked the photo taken from the surveillance video out of his hand. Studying the picture, I focused on the blurry image of Cappy. His features were unreadable, but I knew it was him. He was wearing the same baseball cap.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until a wave of dizziness washed over me.
“You okay?” Cooper stepped closer, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah. Yes. I’m fine.” I handed the photo back to him. “The car looks like every other car on the road. There’s nothing familiar about it.”
Cooper dropped his arm and huffed out a defeated sigh. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
“I’m sorry I’m not more help.”
“I’m sorry I’m not more help.”
My eyes raised to his, my heart squeezing in my chest.
Oh, Cooper.
He’d done so much, and yet he still felt like he was failing me.
In that moment, my bitter emotions dissolved and the only thing that mattered was wiping the sorrow from his face and putting the sparkle back in his eyes.
I moved toward him and took his hand in mine.
“You saved my life, Cooper. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now, living and breathing, smelling like sweat and sawdust and covered in carpet fibers.
” I smiled a real, genuine smile. “I’ll never be able to put into words what that means to me. ”
Cooper softened. He gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. “As long as he’s out there unaccounted for, he’s still a threat. I’ll breathe a lot easier once we catch him.”
“Me, too. But I know you’re doing all you can.”
He lowered his gaze and scuffed his shoe against the grass. Hesitation gripped him. “Abby…I feel like I need to apologize for that night at the bar.” Cooper slipped his hands into his pockets as a vibrant sycamore tree casted dancing shadows across his face.
Our gazes tangled, and I knew it was a mistake. I reacted to the way his eyes latched onto every vulnerable piece of me. Fiddling with my hair again, I tried to remain neutral and unaffected. “We’re both adults, Cooper. We were drinking and having fun. It was nice to be a normal girl for once.”
“I feel like I overstepped with you, and it wasn’t appropriate.”
No, no, no.
Don’t apologize for that.
I shook my head. “You didn’t.”
He nodded and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, if I made you uncomfortable in any way—”
“You didn’t.”
“So, it’s not weird if I invite you out on the lake tomorrow?”
“I—” I froze, then floundered for a response. “Wait, what?”
Cooper rocked on the balls of his feet, a smile creeping its way onto his face. “It’s my day off. I haven’t taken my boat out all season, and I wouldn’t mind the company,” he said.
I gulped. “Like…a date?”
“No, of course not.” His smile broadened. “Not a date.”
“I’ve never been on a ‘Not A Date’ before. What does one wear to such an event? And will there be snacks?” My heart was pumping with nervous energy, and wow, did the sun get even hotter?
I glanced up, squinting, cursing the fiery ball of death for making me sweat through my cotton blouse.
Or maybe it was the look he was giving me that was making me sweat.
Cooper chuckled. “It’s a first for me, too. We can wing it.”
Wing it.
I was good at that. I’d winged it when my parents had died, and when my brother had abandoned me, and when my boyfriend had cheated on me, because honestly…what else was I supposed to do? There was no manual for such a series of traumatic life events. There was no perfect coping mechanism.
I’d glided through life without giving much thought to any of my choices. Planning had gotten me nowhere. At the end of the day, life was always going to throw a curveball that pulverized those carefully woven plans.
So, of course I was going to say yes.
I’d wing it all day, every day, until the day I died.