21. Eliza #2
“Now you know what to tell them,” Cooper responded. He shifted to slide his phone out of his pocket, changing the subject. “Anyways, I think I’m finally gonna adopt a dog.”
I raised my brows and took a sip from my water glass.
“Actually this time.” He paused. “Probably.”
For the last few years, Cooper had expressed wanting to adopt, but there was always something that prevented him from fully taking the leap. Usually it was his long, unpredictable hours at work, but I wondered if there was more to it.
“So, you don’t have time to date, but you have time to get a dog…” I tilted my head to the side. “Is this your annual mid-life crisis?”
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Annual mid—” He scoffed. “No way. That would mean…well, I hope I live beyond sixty-four. It’s basically my quarter-life crisis.”
“Right, because you’ll live until you’re one hundred and twenty eight,” I teased, but the joke fell flat between us. It was harmless, but it was little moments like this that could trigger our minds going to the same place. Our parents. How Cooper was nearing our mom’s age when she died.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” His voice was low, and his gaze had shifted down to the table. It was more common for us to joke around than be vulnerable.
He bunched up the straw wrapper into a tight ball. Oddly enough, another reminder of how much time had passed. Growing up, he’d bunch up the wrapper and shoot it at me with his straw. Now, he was bunching it up so small that I thought he was going to will it to disappear.
“Yeah.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s weird. Some days it’s fine. Others it’s…”
“All you can think about?”
“Exactly,” I sighed. “Not that I should be saying anything. It must be harder for you and Gran. Speaking of Gran…” I looked down at my phone, noticing it’d been close to fifteen minutes since we sat down.
“She’s just running late,” Cooper assured me. “She’s fine.”
I blinked and nodded, leaning back in my seat and willing my heart rate to slow down. I knew Gran was usually late, but it didn’t mean my mind didn’t go places when she was more late than normal.
“What did you mean?” he asked. “About it being harder for me and Gran.”
“Uh, well, I don’t remember them.” I shrugged. “Not like you two do.”
Cooper’s eyes narrowed, and he sat up, learning his forearms on the table. “So? You still lost them. You still had to put one foot in front of the other and wake up every morning dealing with the same grief we did.”
“Yeah,” I acknowledged. “But I had you to help me with it.”
While I didn’t remember much of my parents, I knew that my childhood had been different.
Most kids had their parents at school events or picking them up.
For me, it was a mix of Gran, Cooper, and Lily’s mom Laura.
When I started high school, Cooper, who was a senior in college, came back home for my first day.
When I learned to drive, it was Cooper and Wes who taught me.
When Lily and I graduated high school, it felt like the whole town had shown up.
My brother and I teased and bickered, but he had done so much for me to make things feel as normal as they could. Everyone in town had reminded us and Gran that we weren’t alone.
“You did.” He nodded. “And I had you, too. You helped me through that time just as much as I helped you.”
My throat burned. I believed him—I really did—but I also hoped I hadn’t held him back. I wanted to ask what happened between him and Jade. Had he planned to follow her? Had he wanted to? Is she why he didn’t have time to date.
But I didn’t ask any of that. Instead, I cleared my throat. My eyes flicked to the door, seeing Gran come in. It was hard to miss her with her bright-pink shawl, and relief washed over me. “Gran just got here,” I sighed. “Show me the dog you were looking at.”
Cooper picked up his phone and unlocked it just as Gran found us and slid next to me in the booth.
“Cooper and I are having his annual I might get a dog conversation,” I filled her in.
“Ah,” she said with a smile. “Let’s see.”
When Cooper turned his phone around, we were met with the sweetest face of a light-brown German Shepherd with pointy ears named Red.
From Red’s description, he was just over three years old and came from a home out of state where he hadn’t been treated well.
I knew without a doubt my brother would give this dog a loving, caring home.
“Oh my god, Cooper. He’s adorable.” I took the phone from him, bringing it closer to Gran and me. “I’ll be the best dog aunt ever. You have to get him.”
“You’ve been talking about getting a dog for a while. Might be a good time to finally make it happen,” Gran encouraged.
Cooper took the phone from me. He took another look at the screen before sliding it into his pocket.
“Maybe. We’ll see. I still have to figure out a few things at work to see if it’s possible.
I wouldn’t want to get a dog and then never be around, but I think it’d be nice to get a dog who’s a little older. ”
“Could you bring him to work with you?” I asked.
Cooper shook his head. “Occasionally, maybe. But not regularly. Only trained service animals and work dogs are allowed day-to-day.”
“You’ll know when the time is right. There’s no need to rush,” Gran assured.
“I’ll know when the time is right?” Cooper asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes. “Is your psychic going to tell me?” he teased, returning back to his joking, carefree tone.
“I bet she could. She hasn’t been wrong yet.” Gran looked at Cooper and then at me.
I parted my lips to ask Gran what she meant, but Teresa came to grab our order.
Gran’s psychic had told her that Cooper and I would be okay and that my curse would be broken. But she’d also said there would be a rainstorm, engagement, and a homecoming this year.
My curse was broken. For now, at least.
Was my walk home with Leo the night we first slept together the rainstorm?
Or was there another one coming? June, which was only a couple weeks away, tended to be the rainiest month in northern Wisconsin.
I normally loved the rain, but I had a strange feeling all of a sudden.
A shiver ran up my spine, and I looked up to see if we were sitting under a vent.
“Are you feeling okay, dear?” Gran asked.
I nodded. “Uh, yeah. Just…felt a chill.”
Gran watched me closely before turning back to Cooper. They resumed whatever conversation they were having moments ago.
An engagement and a homecoming. I hadn’t thought much about those, but that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach remained. I shook those thoughts away and returned to the easy conversation Gran and Cooper were having as we waited for our food.
As the three of us finished dinner and the pastries I’d brought from Purrfect Blend, my mind wandered back to Leo, wondering if he’d tried the food here yet, and if so, what his thoughts were. I wondered if he enjoyed eating at different restaurants or if he preferred to prepare his own food.
On my way to the restroom, I stopped Teresa. “Hey, could I get an order of the margherita pizza and spaghetti bolognese to go, please?”
“Why of course. I’ll add it to the check, and we’ll have it right now. I’ll throw in some extra bread for you, too.” She winked.
I grinned at her and handed her my credit card that I’d snuck away. “And I’ll take care of our check, too, while we’re at it. Save you the awkwardness of us fighting over who will pay.”
“Smart girl.”
With our check taken care of and the to-go food delivered to our table—which I’d lied and said it was for me to eat later—the three of us left the restaurant and were met with a cool, evening breeze.
“I gotta get going to Lake Ridge. I’ll see you both soon.” I hugged Gran and then Cooper.
“C’mon, Gran. I’ll drive you home.”
“Always the gentleman.” Gran hooked her arm with Cooper’s and patted his hand.
I gave them both a final wave before walking down the block to start my shift—and drop off some food.