Chapter 35
COOPER
She wants this as much as I do.
I move down, our lips a breath away from each other . . .
“Wow!” We both turn our heads to see a deliriously happy Kaylee standing inside the front-lobby doors, a slack-jawed Melodie next to her. “I thought the other night was the best night of my life, but this tops it for sure!”
I expect Stephanie to jump away from me like we’re on fire, but she doesn’t.
I let my head drop onto her shoulder for a moment before casually and slowly turning to face them and sliding my hands into my pockets.
“Hey, girls. Any reason why I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here at this exact moment? ”
Kaylee can’t seem to wipe the grin off her face. “Good thing we’re the ones who caught you. Mom and Frank dropped us off, and they’re parking the car. Can you imagine what he would say if he’d have seen what we just saw? You two would be married off before lunch.”
“First of all, there was nothing to see.”
“I disagree. Melodie, what do you think?” We all look at Melodie, but she’s still gawking at Stephanie and me. Kaylee shrugs. “I think her look says it all.”
“Look,” I survey our surroundings, walk over to where the girls are, and lower my voice, “it’s a long story, but we have to convince Chase we’re a real couple.”
Melodie finds her voice. “Who cares about Chase Collins? You have us convinced you’re a real couple!”
Stephanie gives them a small wave from her position against the wall—she’s obviously thrown. There are several valid reasons as to why this would be the case, but I’ll figure which ones apply after smoothing things over with these two.
“When we walked in,” Kaylee continues to grin like it’s Christmas morning, “Chase Collins was nowhere to be seen. So remind me again who you were trying to convince?” Her perceptive eyes bore into me, and I can’t help the corners of my mouth from ticking up.
She leans in, her voice a whisper. “Looks like I underestimated the power of the kayak. I believe a thank you is in order.”
“Shut up.” I lower my voice in the hopes that Stephanie won’t hear me. “You’re annoying and have terrible timing.” All she does is bat her eyelashes—completely unrepentant—and, as much as it pains me to admit, a blush covers my face.
“Cooper Mallory,” she swats my arm, “you’ve already kissed her, haven’t you?” Then she looks to where Stephanie is still standing by the wall.
“Yes, but?—”
“Cooper! How ya doin’, son?” A booming, thick-Texas accent echoes through the lobby as a man wearing a huge cowboy hat and cowboy boots—and with a presence that fills the entire space—enters, walking arm and arm with my mom.
“Frank!” I walk over and give him a huge hug, complete with several manly back slaps. He finishes our reunion by running his hand over my head as if I were five years old.
“You look great, son. Great! It’s been too long since you’ve been in Austin, and I intend to capitalize on it.
You’ll be coming around for a barbeque tonight at the house.
Don’t tell me no and don’t try to protest, because I won’t hear of it.
You’ll be at the house tonight. Adeline will be thrilled to see you.
Thrilled!” He turns to Kaylee. “Sweetie, will you give Adeline a call and tell her that dinner is tonight at her papa’s house—and that y’all will be there? "
“You got it, Uncle Frank.” Kaylee takes her phone out.
“Thank you, my dear.” When he turns from Kaylee, he notices Stephanie.
“And this must be Stephanie.” She’s still standing against the wall where I left her.
He approaches her like she’s the Queen of England, taking her hand in his and giving it a kiss.
“Little lady, I’ve heard so much about you”—he lowers his voice and drops his head right next to hers, but everyone can still hear him—“but all of it good. All of it good!” He punctuates each of his last few words.
“Cooper can’t stop talking about what a miracle worker you are.
He thinks you’re a genius.” He looks over at me.
“Isn’t that the word you used, son? Genius? ” I smile and nod at him.
Stephanie looks a bit overwhelmed by Frank. I want to go stand by her, hold her, or make her laugh—or take her back to the parking garage and kiss her again—but Frank wraps her hand around his arm, and they start to walk.
“But, my dear, one thing he did not do justice to is your beauty. He did not! He told me you were beautiful, but that doesn’t cut it.
You’re breathtaking—that’s what I’d call it.
” He looks around to make sure everyone is agreeing with him.
“And I’m never wrong about these things.
I can tell things about people—read them like a kindergarten book, I can—and what I can tell about you is that you are also a quality person.
Quality person! Why, if I were thirty years younger, I’d take you out to a wonderful dinner and woo you, like a lady should be, and ask you to be my wife!
But,” he takes a long, deep exhale, “I’m going to leave that to the younger men.
And besides, I’ve already had the best woman there’s ever been in my Ruth, so I’ll be content to give ol’ Cooper over there a chance to win your hand.
” He raises his voice and looks at me. “Coop, my son, have you been taking this lovely lady out to nice dinners?”
“No, I haven’t.” I self-consciously slip my hands back into my pockets, wondering what he would think if he’d seen us in the parking garage—or even the lobby a few minutes before he walked in.
“Son,” I know I’m about to get chastised, but I don’t mind when it comes from Frank, “you have not been doing your job then. Do you see this woman?” He stands aside and gestures to Stephanie like she’s a crown jewel.
“You’re not going to get better than this, son.
You need to woo this woman—and do a good enough job of it that she’ll be willing to put up with you and your shenanigans for the rest of her life!
” At this, he leans in close to Stephanie and does his best version of a whisper, meaning we can all still hear him.
“I needed to say that to keep the boy humble, but there’s not a single, solitary shenanigan inside that boy’s body.
Not a single one! He’s one of the best out there, so devise a way to catch him!
” Then he winks at her before turning to me with another stern look. “Woo her, son. Woo her!”
Stephanie still hasn’t said a word to Frank, but from the look on her face, she’s already fallen deeply in love with him. Everyone does.
“Did we miss the tour?” My mom gives me a hug. “Is Chase Collins still here? The girls really wanted to meet him.”
“That’s who I was hoping to see,” Kaylee’s smile is still plastered on her face, “but I found something sooo much better.” I pierce her with a look, warning her to keep her mouth shut.
“Who?” Pam doesn’t catch the slight sarcasm in Kaylee’s voice and looks around the room. “Is someone else here?”
“May I ask how you even knew we were here?” I do love my family, but they interrupted my chance to score—at least—a nine with Stephanie.
Frank’s booming voice answers the question.
“I called Deacon this morning to check on my sweet Samantha and that new grandbaby I’m about to have”—he doesn’t have grandkids yet, so he’s claiming Sam and Deke’s—“and he told me you were meeting at the venue this morning. He said Chance was going to be here, and I wanted to shake the hand of the man who is going to be our star.”
“It’s Chase, not Chance.” Melodie threads her arm through Frank’s.
I get a small thrill that Frank—who knows everyone—doesn’t have a clue who Chase is.
Frank offers his free arm to Stephanie. “Let’s go find this boy from the band and get some introductions.
” He escorts Melodie and Stephanie out of the room to find the others.
“Let me tell you what we’re going to do to honor my beautiful wife, Ruth.
Has Cooper told you about my sweet Ruth?
Greatest woman that ever lived! I never did deserve her, but she found it in her golden heart to put up with my crazy life—and loved me despite the fact that I am too old, too loud, and far too opinionated!
Although, I must say, I am always right.
” Then Frank, Melodie, and Stephanie walk out of the room arm in arm, my mom right behind them, heading into the ballroom to find Alyssa, McKay, and Chase.
A pang of worry grabs my chest knowing that Stephanie will be in the same room with Chase again, but Frank will protect her, even though he has no idea he’s supposed to.
I’m very overstimulated by the events of the last twenty to thirty minutes and need a quiet moment to calm my nerves. Kaylee is the last one in the lobby with me, so I tell her what she’s dying to know. “Kay, I’m in so much trouble.” I smile and shake my head as I walk over to hug her.
“If it matters, I’m really happy for you.” She gives me a big squeeze and keeps her arms around me.
“I’m a goner. I thought I was going to be able to play it cool and give Stephanie time to adjust to our friendship, but my heart has other plans. I don’t know when, but I need to lay out all my cards on the table—sooner rather than later—and see how she feels.”
“From what I saw when we walked in, she wouldn’t hate the idea of you two getting together for real.” Her voice is playful as she looks up at me, eyebrows doing an exaggerated dance, and it makes me smile. “I know a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, but I still need details!”
“Like I said,” my voice sounds matter-of-fact, “it’s a longer story than I have time to tell, but she has an unpleasant history with Chase Collins, and he was making her an offer she wanted to refuse. I gave her an out, and she took it. As far as Chase knows—we’re a couple.”
We follow everyone, but we keep our distance, ensuring our conversation is confidential. “So is Chase Collins really a jerk?” Kaylee’s voice is hungry for dirt.
“I don’t know if he’s an all-round jerk, because he was actually really decent at the meeting yesterday, but I know he was a jerk to her, and that’s what matters to me—and why I’m going to help her in any way I can.”
“Oh, you’re such a nice boy,” she talks to me like I’m a baby, “helping out that little girl by covering her face in kisses. You’re so nice.”
“I know. I’m a saint.” We share a smile as we walk into the ballroom, where introductions and conversations have already started.
I lower my voice even more. “Kay, there’s always been a physical buzz between Stephanie and me, even when she thought I was a jerk.
So I don’t know if that’s all it was to her, but I’m so invested now that if she turns me down, I’ve decided to become a monk.
” She laughs as we rejoin the small group.
“My Ruth would be so pleased with how you are helping us. So pleased!” Frank is talking to Chase.
“You must be a fine young man. A fine young man indeed. And I hear good things about your band! You’ve had some successes, but don’t let it go to your head.
” Frank speaks very earnestly, and I’m happy to see that Chase is taking it all in—and being very patient in receiving life advice from an overbearing man whom he has never met before.
I find Stephanie and go stand beside her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m a little overwhelmed, for sure. It’s a lot to take in.” She looks up at me, and I understand that she means the fake-relationship scenario. “Do Kaylee and Melodie think we’re?—”
“I told them what we were doing. They know it’s for Chase’s benefit.
But I do think their timing was very . .
. unfortunate.” I bump her a little with my shoulder, and she replies with the hint of a smile.
“Do you think we should hold hands?” In an effort to lighten the mood, I hold out my open palm. “Because I definitely do.”
A quick, sardonic look is all I get. “The day has been full of unexpected things, so I’m a little rattled.”
I reach over and give her hand a quick squeeze. “Yeah. Not what either of us was planning on today, but it seems to be going okay, wouldn’t you say?” I hope she picks up on the deeper meaning behind my question.
“If you mean Chase keeping his distance, then yes, it seems to be going okay. He’s been polite, but he hasn’t tried to talk to me again.”
I open my mouth to say more, but Alyssa walks up and joins us.
“Hi, Cooper. Good to see you again.” She shakes my hand before turning to Stephanie. “Can I talk to you for a moment in the tech booth?”
“Sure.” She looks up at me. “I’ll be right back.”
She disappears into the tech booth, and I’m left wondering what’s going on inside her head.