Chapter 13 #2
It wasn’t the ideal conversation to pair with such a perfect day, but maybe it would be nice to have someone to confide in.
Nana had never initiated talks about Ryan, and she’d almost always changed the subject whenever I’d prodded.
“He, um…reacted differently to our parents’ death.
I bottled everything up, and he let it out.
He had a lot of anger,” I explained. “And Nana—God rest her soul—didn’t give him the same attention she gave me.
I hate to say it, but there was a little less love there. ”
“That must have been hard on him,” Cooper said, leaning forward and dangling the soda can between his knees.
I nodded. “I tried to reach him; I really did. But he pushed me away. I always felt this massive resentment coming from him, like I was, somehow, to blame for Nana’s lack of affection.
” I swallowed down a few gulps of the flavored alcohol.
“He moved out on his eighteenth birthday, and I haven’t heard from him since.
Nana told me he got in with the wrong crowd and turned to drugs.
It’s a shame, because we used to be really close. Best friends.”
Cooper studied me, his expression pensive. “That’s interesting. I looked into him while you were missing, and he didn’t have a record. Not even a traffic violation. Ryan Stone was clean.”
“He was always good at flying under the radar,” I told him. I couldn’t help but smile at all the mischief we’d gotten into as kids. Ryan had been an expert at pinning the aftermath of our wrongdoings entirely on me. “My parents thought I was to blame for everything. Ryan was sneaky like that.”
“Huh.” Cooper was lost in thought as he took another swig of his drink. “He never tried contacting you? Even after your grandma died?”
“No,” I said. “He never even came to the funeral. I left him the house and told my attorney to let him know that I’d signed over the title to him. And that was it.”
“That seems like a pretty intense grudge,” he noted.
I shrugged. “Stubborn pride.”
Cooper tossed his empty can into a plastic bag and grabbed another Pepsi from the cooler. He handed me a spiked lemonade and a tube of sunscreen. “You’re like a sun magnet. Here.”
I glanced down at my rosy skin that was becoming redder by the minute. “Thanks.” I lathered myself up, relishing in the cool cream.
Cooper approached when he noticed me struggling to reach my back. “Let me help,” he offered.
Oh?
Oh.
Cooper lathering me in sunscreen sounded borderline scandalous.
“Okay,” I squeaked out. “Thanks.”
He moved behind me, and I gasped when he pressed the chilly cream to my sun-scorched shoulder blades.
“Cold?”
His voice was low and deep, and so close to my ear, it made me shiver.
The little hairs on my arms stood to attention as I instinctively inched backward, melting into his touch.
Cooper massaged the lotion onto my back with slow, deliberate strokes, and I bit my tongue to prevent any embarrassing sounds from slipping through my lips.
“Um…thank you again for inviting me today.”
Double lame.
Cooper chuckled. “You said that already.”
“Well, I’m grateful.”
“So am I.”
I was keenly aware of his proximity, and of his hands sliding up and down my back and shoulders, turning this innocent exchange of sun protection into something utterly erotic.
I gulped. “Why did you invite me?”
It must have been the heat talking. Or the alcohol.
How many had I had?
Only one.
Right.
Well, then, clearly it was Cooper and his magical hands forcing questions out of my mouth that did not warrant answers.
Cooper didn’t respond right away. I wanted to believe it was because he was equally under the thrall of the titillating Banana Boat, but it was probably because my question was more loaded than my father’s gun on the day I’d become old enough to date.
“I’m not really sure.”
His reply made me flinch.
I wanted him to be sure. I wanted him to be so, so sure; as sure as I was that this felt like a beginning. A starting point to something good. He’d invited me out on his boat, just the two of us, with a cooler full of drinks and snacks, a sunny sky, and endless possibilities.
And he was wearing that cologne again. That had to mean something.
It had all hit me when he’d helped me onto the pontoon. Everything had spiraled to a magnificent peak, and I’d known.
I felt it.
Maybe, possibly, if I wasn’t careful…I could fall in love with Cooper McAllister.
I twisted in my seat to face him until he lowered his hands from my back. “I don’t like your answer,” I said.
Cooper ducked his head with a faint smile. “Yeah. I don’t, either.”
Seagulls swarmed above us, and Cooper lifted his eyes to mine, inciting a new wave of heat to ignite.
My heart was in my throat, pulse revving, as I glanced up at the squawking birds.
Hey, was that Scuttle?
I wondered if he was going to serenade us before telling Cooper to kiss the damn girl.
That didn’t happen.
Instead, a seagull flew down and plucked the straw hat right off my head.
I jumped from the seat, startled, as Cooper stood beside me. I couldn’t help but laugh, placing my hands on top of my now-empty head. “Well, that was rude.”
We watched as the bird flew a few feet away and dropped my hat into the middle of the lake.
“I can bring the boat over and get it back for you,” Cooper offered. Then a smile bloomed, and he glanced at me. “Or I can just jump in.”
“What?” I barely got the word out before Cooper dove over the edge of the boat and landed in the lake with a resounding splash. The water shot back at me, drenching the front of my yellow sundress.
I gasped, grinning when Cooper resurfaced and shook water droplets from his hair with a smirk.
“You coming?” he called out, his eyes glittering.
“What?” I repeated.
He shrugged, floating along the water and glistening beneath the blazing sun. “The water feels great.”
I was preparing to balk at him…but I hesitated.
Wing it.
Chugging the rest of my hard lemonade, I climbed over the edge of the rail with little grace. My legs wobbled, and my heart stuttered.
Here goes nothing.
I pinched my nose, held my breath, and said a prayer, then jumped feet-first into the water.
Holy crap—it was freezing.
I bounced back up, flailing my arms dramatically. “Cold, cold, cold!” I shrieked. “You lied. Hypothermia set in five seconds ago. I kind of hate you.”
Cooper laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Will I get used to smelling like dead fish and seaweed?”
“Not really. That shit stays with you.”
I swam toward him, unable to hide my smile, and splashed him hard when I approached.
Cooper gaped at me, plucking a string of seaweed from his hair. “You know you’ll have to pay for that,” he said.
I wondered why it wasn’t punishment enough, just having to watch his wet T-shirt cling to every muscle on his chest. I matched his teasing gaze, mostly to distract myself from the image.
As I was about to reply, he retaliated. Cooper dove at me before I could attempt any sort of escape, then plucked me out of the water with startling ease.
Giggling, I squealed, kicking my legs and holding on to him.
It was a light-hearted moment. It was easy, fun, sweet.
Cooper was about to toss me back into the water, but there was a brief pause.
A falter. As I dangled in his strong and careful arms, I was brought back to the day of the rescue.
He had held me then, in a similar fashion.
I’d opened my eyes, fighting against the painful beams of sunlight, and had forced my vision to focus.
I’d seen him.
I’d been seized with warmth and hope, with an overwhelming sense of relief.
“It’s you,” I had said.
It’s you.
I wondered if Cooper was also reliving that moment. But before I could reflect any further, I felt myself being launched into the air. I screamed as he catapulted me out of his arms and I exploded through the wall of water.
When I pushed to the surface, I noted that his playful smile had returned, erasing the poignant moment. Laughing, I inhaled gulps of fresh summer air before plotting my revenge.
We chased each other across the lake, splashing, kicking, and living, while we swam beneath the hot sun.
And when we climbed back onto the pontoon an hour later, shivering and soaking wet, with pruned skin and racing hearts, I realized…
We had completely forgotten about the hat.