Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cooper paced back and forth in the living room, checking his watch every few seconds. The babysitter who he’d hired to babysit Macey during his date with Julia wasn’t late yet, but she only had a couple more minutes until she was, and he didn’t see any new cars outside his house. If she was late, it would make him even more nervous than he already was, since it would be a sign of irresponsibility.
The babysitter was a local teenager who’d come highly recommended by some people at work. He’d been told that she was kind, responsible, and great with kids, but he still felt fluttery with anxiety. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Macey with a stranger, even when it was a stranger he’d been assured he could trust.
In the next moment, he saw a car drive up to the house and park along the curb. He let out a sigh of relief. He wanted plenty of time to make sure Macey would be okay with being alone with the young woman, and he also didn’t want to be late for his date with Julia.
“Hey, Macey!” he called. “Your new friend is here!”
Macey looked up from where she was playing on the living room couch. She frowned a little, as if doubtful that the person who was arriving was anything to celebrate.
The teenager walked up to the front door, smiling and looking cheerful. She had braces and a ponytail, and her eyes were kind. Cooper felt relieved when he saw her crouch down and introduce herself to Macey without any kind of hesitation, and Macey even offered the babysitter a small smile.
He stayed for another ten minutes or so, making sure that Macey wasn’t feeling too anxious, and making sure that Callie, the babysitter, knew where everything was located and what his phone number was.
“Okay.” He sighed as he looked at his watch, realizing that he needed to leave in another few minutes if he was going to be on time. “You call me if you have any questions, Callie. Anything at all.”
“You enjoy your date, Mr. Harris.” Callie grinned at him from where she was sitting with Macey on the rug. “Macey and I are going to watch a movie, aren’t we, Macey?”
Macey looked up and seemed to realize that Cooper was leaving. Her bottom lip started to tremble and she stood up and ran over to him. His heart melted and he gave her a big hug.
“I’m going to be back really soon,” he said. “I’ll only be gone a few hours.”
“Hours?” Macey’s voice rose in pitch, as if she considered hours to be the equivalent of weeks.
“Hours go by really fast, Macey, especially when you’re having as much fun as we’ll be having,” Callie said, coming over to the little girl. Cooper felt reassured by how calm the teenager was acting in spite of Macey’s tears. “We’re going to have so much fun. I’m so excited. Are you excited?”
Macey frowned doubtfully, but she stopped crying. Cooper bent down and kissed her head.
“I’m going to see our friend Julia, honey. Should I say hi for you?”
Macey nodded, and he waved to her as he said goodbye and slipped out the door. He did it quickly, hoping she wouldn’t start crying again before he could leave. He didn’t think he’d be able to go if she was crying as he left.
He took a deep breath as he made his way to the garage. He glanced back at the house, still feeling nervous about the whole thing.
This Callie seems like a great babysitter , he reassured himself. And besides—what would you tell Julia if you decided to cancel?
Julia. At the thought of her, he had a different kind of jitters. He smiled, suddenly feeling buoyant, and hurried into the garage.
He arrived at Julia’s mother’s house a few minutes later. He parked on the street outside the house, and then hurried up the front path to the door. He was a minute late, and he felt badly about it. He had a feeling that Julia was the kind of person who was always early to everything.
He rang the doorbell and waited. Around him, the wind sighed in the branches of the trees, and the last traces of the sunset glowed along the eastern edge of the sky. Julia opened the door a moment later, and his breath caught when he saw her.
She was wearing casual clothes, jeans and a baggy sweater, and her face was shining with excitement.
“Hey.” She grinned at him, and he grinned back at her.
“Hey. You—you look really nice.”
She laughed and looked down at her clothes. “I haven’t dressed like this in years. I don’t normally do fun and casual things like this. You’re making me feel like I’m in some old-time movie, getting picked up by my date for a night on the town.”
He laughed. He liked hearing himself described at her date. “Well, I hope we have an evening worthy of the silver screen. May I offer you my arm?”
She laughed and linked her arm through his as they walked down the front path to his car. His heart felt warm and buoyant, and he realized that he was falling for her more and more.
It was a short drive to the bowling alley. They bought a pizza and some soft drinks at the food counter, and then went to get the equipment they needed. He chose a plain black bowling ball, and she chose a sparkling purple one.
“I’m pretty sure I used this one in high school,” she said, laughing as they returned to their spot, wearing their bowling shoes and carrying their bowling balls. “No matter how old I get, I can’t resist that feminine urge to hold something sparkly.”
He laughed, and they started their game together. She was competitive in a fun way, always assuring him she was going to beat him. They were both fairly good bowlers, so it was a close game, which made it even more enjoyable. They played slowly, eating their pizza and taking sips of their drinks as they played.
Julia won their first game, and the gleeful dance of victory she did made Cooper almost double over with laughter. He hadn’t expected her to be someone with such a fun side to her.
“So,” she said, sitting down at the table and picking up another slice of pizza. “Tell me about yourself, Cooper Harris. Where did you learn to be actually decent bowling competition for me?”
He chuckled and sat down across from her, taking another slice as well. “I don’t know—I guess I’ve gone bowling a fair amount in my life. It was something my friends and I used to do in high school too.”
She nodded, munching on her pizza and smiling at him. “What were you like in high school?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea. The same, but skinnier?” He laughed.
She laughed too. “No, I mean, like—what were your interests? Like, what was your favorite band?”
He didn’t have to think about it, he knew the answer right away. “The Barn Rollers. I listened to them all the time. I still do.”
She stared at him for a couple of seconds, and then she let out a giggle.
“What?” he protested, starting to laugh too. “They’re a great band.”
“Sure, if you like that kind of music.”
“You don’t like country music?”
“Do I look like I live in Texas?”
He shook his head, laughing harder. “Oh, come on. I love country music. It’s got soul and emotion and it talks about real people living good lives. What other music genre does that as well?”
She shrugged. “I guess you’ve got a point there. I don’t listen to country music, so I couldn’t tell you how good for the soul it is.”
“Oh, we’ll have to change that at some point. I’ll have to get you to like it.”
“Mmm.” She shook her head dubiously, laughing.
“Just wait until you see a live country music concert. Concerts are the best way to experience music, I think. There’s so much sound and excitement everywhere. All the people around you are singing along, and… it’s like the full experience.”
She was gazing at him with warmth in her eyes, and he felt as though the tips of his ears were turning slightly pink.
“Was going to see The Barn Rollers your favorite concert?” she asked, smiling at him.
He shook his head. “Actually, I’ve never seen them in concert. I’ve always wanted to. It’s on my bucket list for sure.”
They started another game, and this time it was even closer. He was still enjoying himself immensely, but he found himself starting to worry about Macey. He hadn’t gotten any calls or texts from Callie, but rather than reassure him, that made him nervous. He wished he’d asked the teenager to regularly send him updates, letting him know how everything was going. He hated the idea of Macey being at home and sad without him.
“Cooper?”
He turned to Julia and saw that she was smiling at him.
“What?” he asked, realizing that she’d said something to him and he’d been so lost in thought that he didn’t hear her.
“It’s your turn.” She hesitated, watching his face for a moment. “Is everything all right? You were looking kind of worried.”
He smiled, admiring how perceptive she was. “I am a little bit. Nothing’s wrong, but Macey’s at home with a new babysitter, and I was just wishing I was getting more updates. I’m sure she’s okay, but—well, she started crying when I was leaving and I’m worried that she’s still upset.”
Julia nodded, looking sympathetic. “How did the babysitter handle her crying?”
“Oh, just great. She seemed totally calm and got her to stop. And I think she’d call me if Macey was really upset, but—oh, I don’t know.” He sighed. “I’m just jittery about it.”
“I understand.” She touched his arm, and he smiled at her.
“The babysitter came highly recommended, so I shouldn’t worry. She’s a teenager, but I guess she’s been babysitting for years.”
“Is it Callie Rogers by any chance?”
“Yes! Do you know her?”
“I do.” Julia grinned at him. “My sister Hazel used to hire her to babysit my niece Samantha. She’s a real pro. She’s been babysitting since she was twelve. Hazel always said she was the best babysitter in Rosewood Beach.”
His face brightened into a smile when he heard Julia’s words. “Well, at least I picked the best babysitter in town.” He laughed. “But the truth is, no matter how good at her job Callie is, I still feel bad about leaving Macey there without me. She’s so little to be placed with a total stranger all night. I wonder if I’m doing right by her.”
Julia nodded. “Let’s take another food break and talk about it.” She smiled sweetly at him. “That thin-crust pizza left me feeling hungry. You want to get some hot dogs and French fries?”
He grinned at her. “Sounds great to me.”
They went back up to the food window and ordered two hot dogs and a small basket of fries to split.
“Just ketchup, huh?” he teased her as she drew a thin, straight line of ketchup on her hot dog. They were standing at the edge of the food counter, which had been stocked with numerous condiments.
She laughed. “I like a neat hot dog. I’m not a wild person, like you over there.”
He chuckled, looking down at the mess of relish, mustard, and ketchup that was covering his hot dog. “You’ll have to take a bite out of mine. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Mm, I better grab some extra napkins.”
Laughing, they returned to their table and sat down. Julia took a long sip of her unfinished soft drink and then smiled at Cooper. “So. Tell me more about how you’re feeling.”
His eyebrows lifted as he wondered for a moment if she was talking about how he was feeling about their date, and her.
She seemed to guess his thoughts, because her eyebrows rose as well and she hurriedly added, “About leaving Macey with the babysitter tonight.”
“Oh.” He smiled, feeling his jitters disappear but also feeling slightly disappointed. He realized that he wanted to talk with her about how he was feeling about her. “Well, it’s hard being a single father. I have to work, but that means putting Macey in daycare a great deal of the time. She loves her teachers and her friends at daycare, but I always feel a little guilty about not being there for her. And tonight’s the first time I’ve left her alone with someone she didn’t know.”
Julia nodded, listening intently as he spoke. “Your circumstances are hard. And they’re not ideal for Macey, but that’s not your fault. You’re clearly doing your best, and I know she knows how much you love her. And as far as tonight goes, I know she’s old enough to understand that you’re coming back. I bet she’s having an amazing time with Callie right now, playing some game and giggling.”
He smiled at her, feeling a warm glow In his chest. Not only was the scene that Julia had just described to him reassuring, but he felt grateful for the way she was making sure he felt better about his situation. It had been a long time since he’d had someone in his life who he could really talk to about how he was feeling, and he felt as though some of the weight had lifted from his shoulders.
“Thanks, Julia. I appreciate you saying all that.”
She nodded. “All you can do is your best. This isn’t really a worthy comparison, but with my job back in New York, I did everything I thought was right and I still made a mistake that cost me my job. At the time, it felt like I hadn’t done enough and what happened was my fault. But the truth was, I did my best, and that’s all anyone can do. My job ending brought me here—it’s what allows me to stay here in Rosewood Beach for a while. The world didn’t end. Sometimes it feels like the circumstances are stacked against us, and our best isn’t enough, but it is. Things will always work out in the end, as long as you keep doing what you can. Don’t be hard on yourself for doing your best.”
“Thank you.” His heart was beating faster as he looked into her kind eyes. He felt himself becoming more and more attracted to this insightful, thoughtful woman. “Would it be all right if I kissed you?”
Julia flushed slightly. “Yes.” She looked up at him with shining eyes.
The world seemed to stop for a few moments as he leaned toward her and kissed her mouth gently.
He would have kissed her longer, but in the next moment, a group of nearby kids let out a shout of victory, startling him and Julia out of their kiss.
She turned toward the teenagers, laughing. “Looks like somebody got a strike.”
The kids continued to laugh and talk loudly in celebration, and Cooper chuckled.
“I guess I should have picked a more romantic spot than a bowling alley.”
She shook her head. “This is perfect. Besides,” she added a touch shyly, “since I’ll be in Rosewood Beach for a little while, at least, there’s plenty of time for us to find more romantic places to go on dates to.”
His heart lifted up at her words, and he nodded in agreement. “That sounds great. Meanwhile, how about you have this last bite of my hot dog? I promise you’re going to… well, I promise you won’t hate it.”
“I accept your offer.” Grinning, Julia ate the last bite of his hot dog. She wiped smears of relish and mustard off her fingers as she chewed, scrunching up her nose a little. Then she nodded and swallowed. “Okay. You’re right. That’s really good.”
“For the win!” He laughed.
“Speaking of winning, it’s time for me to beat you in bowling again. What do you say we go back to our game?”
They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing as they bowled. By the time he dropped her off at Vivian’s house, he felt as though he was going to be counting the hours until he could see her again.