Book 24 Temptation After Dark #11
Matilda responds with laughing emojis. I can hear you two! Get your asses out of bed and get to work!
Cooper wakes up while she’s in the shower.
He has his meeting this morning at the marina and asks her to join him at Chloe’s surprise birthday party later that night, which she will if Matilda doesn’t have them doing something.
He notices she’s acting strange, but she says she’s fine and leaves, telling him she’ll let him know about the party.
She’s a goddamned liar, Cooper thinks as he watches Gigi leave, fully aware that at some point she’d retreated behind her wall and is looking for a way to end this thing with him.
Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon. Cooper sits on her bed, picking over every second of the night before, trying to find the moment when things had gone wrong.
But the only thing he remembers is pure bliss, and he has no doubt whatsoever that she’d experienced the same thing.
That’s probably the issue. Too much of a good thing makes Gigi skittish.
She isn’t accustomed to someone stepping up for her and offering to be her safety net under the emotional high-wire act she performs so effortlessly.
She’s so used to needing nothing and no one that she has no idea how to let him in.
He aches for her.
And he loves her.
Next door, he finds Lizzie and Jared sitting in the kitchen staring at Jared’s phone. They’re waiting to hear how Mike’s meeting with Jessie goes. Cooper wishes them well, asks them to keep him posted and goes to his meeting at the marina.
He recognizes Big Mac McCarthy right away from the wedding. He’s sitting at a picnic table with a group of guys, laughing and talking over coffee and doughnuts. The smell of fried dough makes Cooper’s mouth water.
“Hey, Coop,” Big Mac says, standing. “Good to see you again.”
Cooper shakes his outstretched hand. “You, too.”
“I’d know you anywhere. You look like both your brothers.”
“Only much younger and far more handsome,” Cooper says, making them laugh.
Laughter, he’s learned, opens a lot of doors when dealing with people.
“You might remember these characters from Quinn and Mallory’s wedding. This is my partner Luke Harris, my best friend, Ned Saunders, and my brother Frankie.”
Cooper shakes hands with each of the men. “Good to see you all again.”
While they wait for Kara Torrington to arrive, they get Cooper coffee and a sugar doughnut. “Holy crap, that’s good,” he says after his first bite.
“Specialty of the house,” Big Mac says with a grin. “I swear they’re what bring in most of our repeat customers each season.”
“The atmosphere is pretty cool, too,” Cooper says.
“We like it,” Big Mac replies. “I read over the proposal you emailed last week, and I really like your idea a lot.”
“Oh, good. That’s nice to hear.”
“I have some concerns, though. Chiefly, the combination of boats and alcohol can be worrisome.”
“Yes, I agree, and that’s why we’d institute a three-drink limit for each customer by offering tickets they can redeem. Once they’re out of tickets, they’re out of drinks.”
“What do you do about people who show up already loaded?” Luke asks.
“We’re going to breathalyze everyone, and we retain the right to deny passage to anyone who’s impaired.”
Luke nods, seeming satisfied. “If we allow you to dock your boats here, we’d want to be released from any liability.”
“Understood,” Cooper says.
Kara arrives with her husband, Dan, apologizing for being late due to a particularly bad round of morning sickness.
“I talked to my brothers about providing the boats,” Kara says, “and they’re interested in helping you out.” She places a business card on the table. “You can reach out to my brother Kieran, and he’ll work with you to get what you need.”
“This is awesome,” Cooper says. “Thanks, Kara.”
“No problem.” She turns ghostly white and then green before she bolts from the table, running for the ladies’ room.
“Something I said?” Cooper asks, grimacing.
“Happens like that just about every day,” Luke says. “She thinks it’s over, but it never is.”
Dan comes out of the restaurant carrying a takeout cup and straw along with a bag. He stops short when he notices Kara is missing. “Again?” he asks.
Big Mac uses his thumb to point to the ladies’ room.
“My poor baby mama,” Dan says, sighing. “She’s really suffering.” He seems torn about whether he should go after her but takes the seat she’s abandoned and helps himself to a doughnut. “I have to eat when she’s not looking.”
“I hope she feels better soon,” Cooper says.
“Me, too,” Dan says. “I can’t bear it.”
“It’s always hardest on the fathers,” Big Mac says gravely.
The other guys bust up laughing.
“I read your proposal,” Dan says to Cooper between bites of his second doughnut. “You need a massive liability waiver. I can take care of that for you, if you’d like.”
“Uh, yeah,” Cooper says, stunned to have an attorney of Dan’s caliber willing to help his fledgling business. “That’d be awesome.”
“We’ll sew it up tight so there are no loopholes.”
“I’d appreciate that. So, it sounds like I’ve got the boats I need, and the legalities will be handled. I guess all that’s left is whether you gentlemen are willing to lease me dock space next summer.”
Big Mac glances at Luke, who nods.
“We’d be happy to,” Big Mac says. “I also wanted to let you know that we’re working on some wedding package deals and thought your business might make for a good fit.”
“How so?” Cooper asks, intrigued.
“We also own the Wayfarer, and we’re booking for next season’s weddings, as well as planning the renovation of a former alpaca farm that we’re going to use for smaller, more intimate weddings.
We’re putting together some packages that would include bridal party massages at our new spa that’ll open next season at the hotel up the hill, along with reduced rates on hotel rooms and reduced dockage for wedding party guests who bring their boats over.
It’s a way to combine all our businesses into one big deal.
Your bachelorette/bachelor party boats would be a nice addition to the package.
We’ve also got the Curl Up and Dye salon on board to do wedding party hair and makeup and the Naughty and Nice shop to provide wedding night attire. ”
Cooper can’t believe the way this is coming together or how savvy a businessman Big Mac McCarthy is. “I’d love to be part of your package deals.”
“Perfect. I’ll put you in contact with Nikki Stokes, the general manager at the Wayfarer. The packages were her idea, and she’s putting together the details.”
Mike tells Jared that Jessie has agreed to a private adoption. She’s meeting with an attorney the next day to sign everything. She can still change her mind, but it’s good news.
“I’m afraid to get excited,” Jared says.
“I have a good feeling about this, and you know how my feelings are.”
“They’re always spot-on.” He hesitates before he says, “She needs a name.”
“Violet. We’ll call her Vi.”
“I love that. Could her middle name be Catherine, for my favorite grandmother?”
“Yes, of course. Violet Catherine James. It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
“Our beautiful girl.”
They hug each other as tightly as they ever have, and when they pull apart, both are in tears.
Lizzie reaches up to brush away his tears. “We did it, Jared. Not the way we thought we would, but we did it just the same. I have to believe this was how it was meant to be.”
“It does feel fated somehow, for sure. Thank goodness for you and your great big heart that can’t help but get involved when you see someone in need. You brought Vi into our lives, and she’s going to bring us so much joy.”
“Now that you’re both here, we have a lot to talk about,” Matilda says to Gigi and Jordan. “First and foremost is the final episode of the season and how we want to leave things. We want to make sure the viewers are clamoring for next season the second this one ends.”
“Ah, about that,” Jordan says. “I don’t think there’s going to be another season.”
Matilda stares at her as if Jordan has said the sun is purple. “You’re not serious. You two are sitting on the most popular show on cable. You don’t walk away when you’re number one, Jordan.”
“Maybe it’s not done, but that’s what I want. I’m in love with Mason. We’re expecting a baby and getting married, and we’re going to live here. I’m going to keep working as the part-time activities director at the senior center and raise a family with the man I love.”
Gigi had seen it coming, but to hear Jordan say it out loud is still a blow. Life as they’ve known it in LA is over, and Gigi will be going home alone.
“Congratulations on the baby,” Matilda says.
“That’s exciting news indeed, but none of this has to spell the end of the show.
You two are magic together on camera, and I have to believe there’s a way to continue with everyone getting what they want.
One of the main reasons I wanted to see you both this morning is the network has prepared a major offer for three more seasons. ”
Matilda hands them each a sheet of paper that spells out the terms of the multimillion-dollar deal that puts Gigi’s salary on the same level as Jordan’s for the first time.
Jordan glances at Gigi, seeming to gauge her reaction.
“You’re the boss,” Gigi says to her friend.
“I just don’t know.” Jordan is torn. “I love making the show with you both, but my life is here now. I’m not going back to LA. I’ve spoken to a realtor there about putting my house on the market.”
That news has Gigi struggling to swallow the huge lump that suddenly appears in her throat. This is really happening. Jordan is staying on Gansett.
Stop being an emotional fool, Gigi tells herself. You knew that already. Yeah, but I hadn’t heard her say it out loud.
“I get what you’re saying,” Matilda says, “and I understand your desire to make a life here with Mason, but surely there has to be some sort of happy medium. Gansett’s high season is the summer, so we can film in LA in the winter.”