Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Poppy walked with Cooper back to the house, her blood still singing. She couldn’t believe she’d been so reckless and wanton back there, but it felt good. She felt alive.
“Want to grab dinner?” Cooper asked, delivering her to the front step. “I need to stop home, but I could meet you at Riley’s in an hour.”
“Sounds good.” She smiled and leaned in to drop a quick kiss on his lips.
“Not so fast.” He caught her against him, and the quick kiss turned slow and luxurious. When Cooper set her down, Poppy’s head was spinning. “See you there.”
He loped off to his truck, and Poppy blinked. It took her a moment to function again, and she let herself inside.
God, that man could kiss.
That man could do plenty more besides . . . Her thoughts turned to last night, and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, so wide, her cheeks ached. It turned out not settling for a life of “fine” was just about the best decision she could have made.
She hadn’t known it could be so good.
Poppy managed to tear her thoughts away from Cooper for a moment to go change for dinner.
It was only the local pub, but she still wanted to look good for Cooper, so she added a bright sweater to her jeans, and carefully applied mascara and a slick of pink lip balm.
There. She wasn’t due to meet him for another half hour, but Poppy decided to walk up to town early.
She strolled around and was pleased to see several flyers advertising the literary festival up in Provincetown next week.
She always loved doing signings and events; it was a great chance to meet her readers, and other authors, too.
And having this one take place so close definitely made it convenient: she could do her events and be back in bed with Cooper at the end of the day.
Or out of it . . .
She blushed, remembering her boldness down at the beach. But she couldn’t help herself. Something about her connection with this man was intoxicating; it made her want to throw caution to the wind and follow her instincts.
And her instincts seemed to lead her straight to his arms.
“Poppy!”
She heard a voice, and turned to find Mackenzie waving from across the square. She was just locking up the pottery shop, so Poppy walked over. “Hey, how are you?”
“Not as good as you, I’m guessing.” Mackenzie gave her a mischievous grin, and Poppy groaned.
“Debra?”
Mackenzie nodded.
“I knew it!” Poppy gulped, her cheeks burning. “How do you manage, living in a town where everyone knows your business?”
“You learn to be discreet. Aww, it’s not so bad.” Mackenzie gave her a sympathetic hug. “It’s just that you’re new, so you’re a mysterious outsider, and Cooper . . . Well, Coop has a lot of friends here. We just want to see him happy.”
Mackenzie began strolling in the direction of the pub, so Poppy fell into step alongside. “I know. It’s just a change, coming from the city. I’ve lived in the same apartment for three years now, and I don’t think I even know my neighbor’s name!”
Mackenzie smiled. “That sounds like heaven to me.”
“Sometimes.” Poppy thought about it. “But when the power cut out for days and I couldn’t find any matches, I wished I knew them a little better.”
“Well, you won’t find that here,” Mackenzie said. “You’re more likely to have Bert show up to fix the fuse box and Franny drop by with a casserole, just in case.”
Poppy looked around. The town square was lit up in the early-evening dark: twinkling lights strung on the trees and around the gazebo. It was beautiful and peaceful, and the night was so clear, she could even see the stars. “It’s a really special place, isn’t it?”
“It’s home,” Mackenzie said simply. “I get to thinking about leaving every few years, but somehow, it never works out.”
“You’ve lived here all your life, haven’t you?”
Mackenzie nodded. “Almost. My family moved here when I was sixteen. They’re up in Truro now,” she added, naming a town about fifteen minutes away. “There’s more land there for the alpacas. Don’t ask,” she added, with a rueful face.
Poppy laughed. “OK.”
They were outside the pub now. Mackenzie nodded inside. “Drink?”
“Sure. I’m meeting Cooper here for dinner, too.”
“Romantic,” Mackenzie teased, and Poppy laughed.
“I think it is. Maybe you’re immune to it now, but this town is about as charming as it comes.”
They stepped inside, into the warm. It was a cozy scene, with a fire roaring in the grate and a few people already settled in with food and drinks.
They headed over to where Riley was behind the bar, still looking scruffy with too-long hair and a plaid shirt.
“Look who it is,” he greeted them with a charming grin. “My new favorite person.”
“Uh oh.” Poppy looked around. “What did I do?”
“Brought a smile to the face of the grumpiest bachelor on the Cape,” Riley replied. Poppy groaned.
“Debra?”
“Actually, I heard it from Larry at the hardware store.” Riley replied. “Who heard it from Franny, who heard it from—”
“I get the picture.” Poppy resigned herself to living with a permanent blush.
“Remember, small towns are charming,” Mackenzie reminded her. “Romantic.”
“It could be worse,” Riley agreed. “Mac here got caught in a state of undress, right there in the gazebo in the middle of the square.”
Poppy turned, surprised. “Really?”
“I was seventeen!” Mackenzie protested. “And how do you even know?”
“I know everything.” Riley winked. He passed them two pints of beer. “I’m the friendly barkeep.”
“Too friendly,” Mackenzie grumbled, but she said it with a smile.
Poppy looked back and forth between them. “Have you two ever . . . ?”
Mackenzie snorted into her drink. “Um, nope.”
“Mackenzie here is still waiting for Prince Charming to come swooping in,” Riley teased.
“Better than having you creep out of my bedroom in the middle of the night,” Mackenzie shot back.
“I don’t creep,” Riley protested. “I make a hasty retreat.”
“Same thing.” Mackenzie grinned. “How is Alexa?”
“Adrienne,” Riley corrected her. “And she went back to Australia.”
“College starting up again?” Mackenzie teased, but Riley just winked at Poppy.
“High school, actually. Senior year.”
“Pig!” Mackenzie leaned over and smacked his arm. He ducked back, laughing.
“I’m kidding! She was all grown up. Too mature for me, in the end. She said I was immature and needed to find direction in life.”
“I stand corrected,” Mackenzie said. “She sounds like she has you all figured out.”
“Just for that, your drinks aren’t on the house tonight,” Riley replied. Poppy reached for her wallet, but he waved it away. “You’re fine. I still like you. You don’t come into a man’s place of business and judge his choices.”
“Give her time and she will,” Mackenzie said sweetly.
“Will what?” Cooper’s voice came from behind them, and then Poppy felt his hand on her back. She turned, her heart lifting just to see him again: too handsome in a navy sweater, with his hair falling in his eyes, still damp from the shower.
“Hi,” she said, smiling, and he grinned back.
“Hey, you.”
She felt the pull to touch him but paused, not wanting to engage in any public displays of affection if he wasn’t comfortable with it.
But Cooper didn’t hesitate before leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips.
The rush swept through her in an instant, and she felt light-headed when he pulled back.
“These ladies were just giving me grief about my carefree bachelor lifestyle,” Riley said, sliding a pint over to Cooper. “Back me up here, buddy.”
“I’m staying out of this one,” Cooper laughed. He took a gulp of beer. “You can’t expect a leopard to change his spots.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Mackenzie exclaimed. “What about you? Yesterday you were saying there was no way anything was going to happen with you and Poppy, and now look at you.”
Poppy arched an eyebrow at Cooper. He looked uncomfortable. “That was when I thought . . . you know, Owen . . .”
Poppy smiled. “It’s OK, I get it.” She’d had her own doubts too, until Mackenzie had spurred her in the right direction. Clearly her new friend was a secret matchmaker—and she wasn’t stopping at Cooper.
“If he can change, so can you,” Mackenzie said determinedly, looking back at Riley.
“How about you stop sticking your nose into other people’s love lives, and start focusing on your own?” Riley countered. Mackenzie rolled her eyes.
“Please. I’ve known everyone in this town for years. I’m looking forward to my spinster lifestyle. I’m going to get five cats,” she told Poppy, “and wear kaftans and have scandalous affairs with the summer lifeguards.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Poppy smiled.
“She lies,” Cooper’s voice rumbled softly in Poppy’s ear. “She’s always been a romantic. She’ll be settled down with someone, having five kids soon enough.”
“Before or after Riley gets taught a lesson in love?” Poppy whispered back.
He grinned. “I’ll take that bet.”
“Deal.”
They shook on it. “See, they’re already whispering sweet nothings,” Riley said, with an exaggerated sigh. “There’s no hope for him now.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy with something?” Cooper replied. “Like ordering up some food for us.”
“All in good time.” Riley grinned, clearly enjoying getting under Cooper’s skin.
Poppy slipped down from her stool. “As long as it has carbs and grease, I’m happy,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
She headed for the restroom, and took the chance to run cool water over her wrists. Her reflection in the mirror was flushed, and her eyes were sparkling with a light she almost didn’t recognize.
This was what she’d been looking for.
Poppy shook off the sappy thought, and headed back out to the bar. But in the hallway, someone caught her arm and tugged her into an alcove. Cooper. He smiled, sliding his hands around her waist. “I’ve been waiting all night to kiss you,” he murmured, drawing closer.
“You just did.” She smiled, melting against him. His body already felt like it fit hers perfectly, and she slid her hands over his chest.