Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Julia inspected her reflection in the staff bathroom at The Lighthouse Grill. She turned slowly from side to side, wondering if her outfit looked too prissy. Her heart was fluttering with nervousness so hard that she felt a little out of breath.
Cooper had just texted her to let her know that his parents had arrived in town, and they were coming with him to the pub for lunch. Julia was already there working on marketing, and he’d asked her if she could take the time off to have lunch with his folks.
She’d said yes immediately, even though part of her wanted to lie and say she’d gone home with a migraine or debilitating cramps or the stomach flu. She considered telling him she had some kind of emergency deadline that she needed to meet, and that she could stop by and say hello to his parents, but she wouldn’t be able to have lunch with them.
But of course, she hadn’t said that. As nervous as she was, she wanted to meet Cooper’s parents. Even more than that, she wanted to make a good impression, and only stopping by briefly before going back to work on a job that she was her own boss for would hardly make a good impression.
She took a deep breath, wishing she’d known they were going to arrive so early in the day. She’d had an outfit all planned out for that night—dark slacks and a comfortable but chic dark green sweater. They were the two most outdoorsy items of clothing in her whole closet, and she planned on wearing them with a nondescript pair of black boots.
As it was, she was currently wearing a royal blue dress with a white cardigan, and glossy white flats—not to mention gold jewelry on her ears, wrists, and neck.
I look incredibly prissy, she thought with concern. Maybe I should at least take this jewelry off.
She started to remove her bracelet but then stopped herself firmly. She needed to take the advice of Cooper and everyone in her family and just be herself. She wouldn’t be able to hide her true colors from Cooper’s parents for very long even if she tried. This was how she dressed. She liked the comforts of civilization and she liked to wear cute, girly outfits. She wouldn’t be comfortable hiking or fishing or cooking venison, and there was no point in pretending otherwise.
She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. She still felt nearly overwrought with nerves, but she was determined to put a brave face on the whole thing for Cooper’s sake. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was a text from Cooper.
COOPER: Hey, sweetheart! I’m here at the front of the restaurant. Sounds like my parents will be here in another ten minutes or so. Are you in the office?
She felt relieved that he was there, since being close to him always helped steady her nerves, but she also felt her jitters surge at the news that his parents would be arriving in ten minutes.
She hurriedly texted him back that she would come out to the dining room to meet him, and then checked her reflection one more time.
“You look fine,” she told herself, and then bit her lip nervously.
She went out into the dining room of The Lighthouse Grill, which was bustling with guests and filled with wonderful various aromas of food. Cooper was waiting for her by the front doors and he pulled her into a bear hug as soon as she was at his side.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “You look amazing.”
She winced, knowing that she didn’t look at all how she’d hoped to look, but he was looking down at her shoes and didn’t notice her tense expression.
“As pretty as a princess,” he said.
She groaned. “That’s the last thing I want to look like right now.”
“What? Why?” He frowned in confusion for a second, and then his mouth popped open in realization. “You’re not still worried that my parents aren’t going to like you, are you?”
Julia made a face, showing him that she was definitely still worried.
“Hey.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “They’re going to love you, okay? You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
She groaned again and laid her forehead against his shoulder. “I know—or, at least I know you believe that—I mean, I want to believe that too, but?—”
He laughed and gave her another hug, squeezing her tightly. “Deep breaths. Let’s go get a table and then I’ll quiz you about the history of the American frontier while we wait.”
“But I don’t know that much about the history of the American frontier,” she said weakly as he started to lead her across the dining room by the hand.
“I know, but I do. And it’ll keep your mind occupied, trying to guess the answers to questions you don’t know.”
She had an alarming thought. “Are your parents going to expect me to know about the history of the American frontier? Is that something you guys talk about a lot?”
He burst out laughing. “Absolutely not. We talk about what goes on in our personal lives like everyone else.” He placed a finger against her lips and then took her by the shoulders and set her down gently in a chair. “They are going to love you just as you are. Stop worrying.”
True to his word, Cooper quizzed her for the next few minutes. Julia was pleased with herself for getting a few of the answers right, but for the most part, she had no idea what he was talking about. Even though he did his best to distract her, she kept glancing toward the front doors of the pub, wondering when his parents were going to show up.
“Is that them?” she asked, feeling a jolt of nerves as an older couple stepped inside The Lighthouse Grill. The couple was wearing blue jeans and flannel shirts, and they were frowning somewhat irritably.
“No,” Cooper said. “It’s not—hey! There they are.”
Another older couple stepped into the pub behind the people wearing flannels. Both of them were smiling warmly, looking around the room with excitement. The man was wearing a well-worn brown leather jacket, but the woman was wearing a black dress paired with pink loafers and a matching sweater.
“Mom, Dad!” Cooper stood up and hurried across the room toward his parents.
Julia held back for a moment, still feeling nervous but also a little stunned. Those were Cooper’s parents? They looked so kind—and his mother was wearing a dress and girly shoes, just like she was.
She watched as they gave Cooper a huge hug. His mother appeared to be crying a little. Finally, she realized she needed to go over to them, and she hurried across the room.
“And this is your beautiful fiancée,” Cooper’s mother gushed, turning to Julia with a radiant smile.
“Yes. Mom and Dad, this is Julia.” Cooper looked like the proudest man in the world.
“Julia, these are my parents, Donna and Leonel.”
“So nice to meet you, Julia,” Leonel said, offering her a firm handshake.
“Come here,” Donna said, and pulled Julia into a warm hug.
Julia’s heart beat faster as she smiled at Cooper’s parents. She felt disarmed by how kind and welcoming they were being, especially Donna.
“Cooper, you told us that Julia is beautiful, but you didn’t do her justice,” Donna said. “She’s even more lovely than you described. We’re so pleased to meet you, Julia.”
Julia felt herself flush with happiness. “I’m so pleased to meet you as well.”
“You’re clearly a brave woman as well,” Leonel replied.
“Why is that?” Julia asked, wondering if they somehow knew how nervous she’d been to meet them.
“Well, you’ve got quite a task on your hands here,” Leonel said, pointing to Cooper with his thumb. “You’ve agreed to take on our son for the rest of your life.”
Cooper grinned, clearly amused by the teasing, and Donna laughed.
“He’s that much of a troublemaker, huh?” Julia shook her head, waggling her eyebrows. “Mm, thanks for the warning.”
“Don’t worry, I can tell you’re up to the task.” Leonel sent Julia a conspiratorial wink.
“What do you say we all sit down and order some food?” Cooper suggested, looking as though he was on cloud nine. Julia could tell he was thrilled to have his parents there, and when he turned to smile at her, she knew that part of his happiness came from the fact that she was there meeting them.
“Sounds lovely,” Donna said.
“Perfect, I’m famished.” Leonel clapped his son on the back. “Lead on, Cooper. Where should we sit?”
“We have a table over here,” Julia said, starting to lead the way back to where she and Cooper had been sitting before. “Is this all right, or would you prefer a booth?”
“Oh my, we’re not fussy.” Donna laughed. “This will do nicely.”
They sat down together, and a moment later a smiling waitress approached them. As Cooper’s parents ordered their food, Julia watched them with a feeling of joy in her heart.
They’re so nice, she thought. I can’t believe I was worried. I wouldn’t have been if I’d known they were like this.
Cooper tapped her knee under the table so she would look at him. “Feeling better?” he mouthed with a twinkle in his eye.
She nodded, grinning at him, and then let out a little sigh of relief. She could tell already that she was going to like her in-laws very much, and she felt that it was more than possible that they would like her a great deal as well.
“How is the wedding planning going?” Donna asked. “Do you need my help with anything?”
“Thanks for offering, Mom.” Cooper smiled at her. “I’ve mostly given the reins to Julia, because she’s a master planner. But I’m sure if you want to help, Julia can find things for you to help with.”
“Oh, certainly,” Julia said. “Especially closer to the day, there will be plenty to do.”
“Sounds great,” Donna said, and she and Julia shared a warm smile.
“We’ve got the cake flavor picked out, and the reception location planned,” Cooper said, catching his parents up on what they’d done so far. “And the guest list is all set, of course.”
Leonel asked about what the food menu would be, hinting that he hoped there would be some steak. That led the conversation into playful banter about what types of food should be served at the wedding. Julia felt amazed by how easily conversation flowed amongst the four of them. She felt as though she’d known Cooper’s parents all her life.
Their food arrived, and the conversation turned toward other subjects. Julia had just swallowed a bite of her lasagna when Donna turned to her with a smile.
“Tell us about your life before moving back to Rosewood Beach,” she said eagerly. “Cooper said that you used to live in a city?”
“Yes.” Julia cleared her throat, feeling a bit nervous about telling them about her past. It would make it clearer than ever that she was not at all the outdoorsy type like they were. She was used to technology and fashion and comfortable living. She’d spent many years fitting right in in New York City, and she wondered what that would make them think of her.
She started to tell them about her marketing job in New York, and how she’d climbed her way up the corporate ladder only to be thrown to the bottom again when she got fired because of the lies of a co-worker. She told them about how she used to go out to nightclubs on the weekends with her city friends, and how she lived in a nice apartment that she hardly ever had the time to relax in.
She half expected Donna and Leonel to frown and start to wonder why their son was dating a woman like her, who’d lived a great part of her life following a path she knew they wouldn’t want for their son, but instead they seemed utterly fascinated with her story.
“See?” Leonel said, chuckling. “I knew you were tough. If you can handle New York, you can handle putting up with Cooper for the rest of your life.”
Tough. Julia blinked. She hadn’t expected him to say anything like that, and the compliment warmed her heart. She realized that he was right. She wasn’t tough in the same way that a woman who liked to go out and hunt and fish and camp in the wilderness would be tough, but she had spent many years working very hard and pushing herself to succeed in difficult environments. That did make her tough, and it touched her heart that Cooper’s father had seen that and wanted to point it out.
“This is some of the best restaurant food I’ve ever had,” Donna said eagerly a few minutes later. “I wonder what’s in the sauce on this sandwich?”
Julia chuckled, thinking to herself that maybe her mother would let her share the secret family recipe with Cooper’s parents, since they were, in a way, about to become part of the Owens family.
Donna and Leonel began to playfully debate with each other about what they thought was in the secret sauce, and Julia watched them with amusement, hoping that she got to share the recipe with them one day.
“See?” Cooper leaned over and whispered gently in her ear. “I told you they would love you.”
She squeezed his hand under the table. “I never should have doubted you,” she whispered back. “I should have known you would know better than me in this situation, since they’re your parents and you know how kind they are.”
He smiled tenderly at her. “I know them, and I know you. You’re amazing.”
She took a deep breath, feeling an exquisite sense of peace and joy. Her worries were over, and there was nothing to fret about while she got ready to marry the man of her dreams.