22. Cooper
22
COOPER
I had debated whether I wanted to return her call or pretend I’d never received it. In the end, ghosting her when I wanted to hear her voice so badly seemed a foolish thing to do. If she lit into me about the controversy, then so be it. I’d defend myself, but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity to speak to her again slip through my fingers.
Her voice was low and throaty when she answered. Her hello shot straight to my balls and made me hard. I had to clear my throat before answering her back.
I sat in the living room of my small one-bedroom apartment not that far from the lake. I didn’t want to call her back in public and I didn’t need anyone to overhear my end of the conversation in case things went sideways.
With me, things always had a way of going sideways.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a few questions I need to ask you.” She paused for a few beats.
“Go ahead. I have nothing to hide.”
A quick intake of air. “I’m glad to hear that.” Another pause. “Maybe this conversation would be better in person.”
Given the current climate, I didn’t think it was wise. “Are you sure you want to do that? The gossip columns are going to be all over you.”
“They already are, so I don’t see as how it will make much difference.”
“All right. You want to do this via video, or in person.”
A slight laugh. “No, I want to be in your space.”
My heart rate shot up into the stratosphere. I sat up straighter as if she had knocked on the door. “Wait. You want to come here? Do you want me to meet you somewhere instead?”
“No. I’m coming to Suwannee Grove.”
Jesus in a jersey.
I laughed, half incredulous that she’d make the offer. “Are you sure? I have a very small apartment.” Then I felt stupid for even bringing that up. Renée Palmer was a five-star hotel kind of girl. Not a one-bedroom with a postage-stamp sized kitchen. “Forget I said that. We have hotels here in town that are probably more up your alley. I can get the names for you.”
“Your place is fine—unless you’d rather me stay at a hotel.”
The way the words hung in the air between us felt weighty. As if I was about to make the biggest decision of my life without any kind of safety net. I took the plunge. “I’d love to have you here. I just don’t want you to be disappointed when you see how I live.”
“Is the area unsafe?”
“No. It’s near a park and a lake. Good restaurants around. Off the beaten path.”
“Sounds perfect.” I heard shuffling papers in the background. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“All right. See you then.”
We said goodbye and I didn’t know if I felt a little stunned, railroaded, or both. That was the Renée Palmer as control freak. The one I imagined ran an empire. No time for pleasantries or mixed words. Just cut to the chase. The fact she wanted to speak to me face to face was cause for worry, but I’d dealt with worse. Much worse.
If she wanted to dress me down for what had happened with the pics hitting the tabloids, then I didn’t know what to say about that other than to apologize for not noticing anyone taking our picture and dealing with the situation at the time. I mean, what else was there to say?
The thing that kept running through my mind was that I was going to see her again. Be in the same room.
But I wasn’t going to get ahead of myself. I wasn’t going to assume because she wanted to come to my home that she was going to end up in my bed. No, that would be completely foolish.
My vows to be a better person were in the forefront of my mind.
I got up from the couch and started to clean. Not that my apartment was big enough to be dirty, or that I was any kind of a slob. I wasn’t. As a matter of fact, clutter made me anxious. I usually kept my belongings to a minimum. Having traveled while playing ball, I didn’t waste time buying things that weren’t necessary. I was a less is more kind of guy when it came to personal belongings. However, I hadn’t dusted since I’d gotten back from Bali, or done the laundry, let alone cleaned the bathroom.
All told, it only took me about two hours to get everything done. Like I said, I kept everything pretty clean. By that time, there was a knock on my door.
Panic seized me.
For a guy who likes to keep his cool, I was about to blow it sky high. I went to the door and looked out the peephole. Not Renée. Jewel.
I opened the door to my sister. “Lose your way?”
“Don’t be a smart ass.” She hit me in stomach with the back of her hand as she passed me to go into the apartment.
She stuck her thin, straight nose into the air and sniffed. “It smells fresh in here.”
“I’ve been cleaning and doing laundry. I hadn’t done either in about a week. It needed it.” I motioned to the island bar and the stool there. “Have a seat and tell me why you’re here.”
Jewel stopped before hopping up on the high stool. She looked at me with eyes the same color as my own. “Are you serious? I’m here to help you get through this…” she twirled her hand. “Whatever it is.”
“Well, I don’t know until you tell me.” I turned to the fridge and pulled out a cold shot and mixed us a couple of iced coffees. I might not hang out with my sister much, but she did get me hooked on these drinks a few years before. Damn her. They were just so stupid good.
“Extra cream in mine,” she directed.
“Yes. I remember.” I finished mixing the drinks and slid it over to her. She took a big sip and shook her head. “I have no idea why you don’t open your own coffee shop. You’d put the big boys out of business.”
I laughed. “What would I call it? First Base Lattes?”
“Cooper’s Coldshots.”
I lifted a shoulder on that one. What she didn’t know was that I had started mixing my own ingredients and selling them online. My side business that actually made enough money to pay my bills. The name I used on the stickers was Thorne’s Brew, then whatever flavor I’d made. I didn’t want anything fancy, but straight up.
I didn’t do any of the work here but leased a small office that had a working kitchen over in the older section of town where prices were better. Hell, I had to do something to keep myself afloat. I also bartended a couple nights a week over at the Suwannee Shack.
It all worked for now.
“Okay, so back to business.” Jewel wasn’t going to let this go.
I placed my hands firmly on the counter and leaned in, looking her straight in the eyes. “There is no business. Let the tabloids say what they want. There’s nothing anyone can do to stop them. It’s best if they let the rumors run down.”
“So, you admit you know her.”
“I’m admitting nothing. What I am saying is that whatever they’ve stuck their teeth into, they’ll have them in something else in a few days. Wait and see.”
I only hoped that by Renée coming to my hometown, she wasn’t setting herself up for more of the same—only this time much worse.