Chapter 3
Aspen
Dinner was different from what I'd imagined. The flowers on the table were fragrant; his home was neat and organized. The food was delicious. Who knew that Cooper could wine and dine a woman? The only thing was, I didn't trust myself to drink around him.
Not since I'd discovered this stirring of an attraction for him.
It had thrown me completely off guard. It must have something to do with spending more time with him than I ever had before.
I'd never truly been alone with him. He was usually with one of my brothers, and I tended to push him away with sharply placed words.
But now, it was just us, and I was having a hard time remembering that this wasn't a date. The evening was intimate. When I'd arrived, he'd been cooking in his kitchen, giving me all sorts of fluttering butterflies in my stomach.
Then the wine bottle and the vase of flowers had thrown me off too.
I'd even made an attempt to get to know him better. But he hadn't shared much. The only thing he'd revealed was that my family was fun to be around, and his was different. Whatever that meant.
Mom always told us not to ask why he spent so much time at our house. She didn't want to scare him away if he needed the reprieve. And I'd always respected her wishes. But he wasn't a kid anymore.
He seemed to be worried about losing the contract with Eve and the town. He felt responsible for this job going well. I'd have to remember that. He had as much to lose as I did.
My brothers had taken a chance on him. He didn't have any prior experience running a project, much less a business.
He'd always worked for someone else, always part of a crew.
I remembered my brothers mentioning that he wouldn't have been promoted because the construction companies he'd worked for were all family run.
When Cooper came up with the idea of the business, my brothers wanted to give him a chance to run theirs.
It was a gamble not to keep it in the family.
But they'd always been close, and they wanted to provide Cooper with a different life.
I respected that and didn't want to screw anything up for him.
I was aware of this weird crush thing I had going on for him, and I wanted to get rid of it. As if I could just order my body and mind not to betray me.
I helped him clear the table and start the dishes. To my surprise, he filled the sink with soap.
"You always wash dishes by hand when you have a perfectly good dishwasher?"
He used a sponge to scrub the first one. "It's just me here. Not worth running the dishwasher."
"I can dry." There was something insanely intimate about working together to complete a domestic task.
I wanted to get rid of this soft feeling I was getting for him.
He'd shared a tiny sliver of himself, and it wasn't nearly enough, yet my entire being was yearning for something more out of him. "You think we can work together?"
He rinsed the suds from a dish and handed it to me. "It's just a few short months, right? Presumably Eve will be back once the baby's born."
I took the dish from him, carefully avoiding touching his fingers. "I'm not so sure about that. She might take a few months of maternity leave."
"Makes sense."
"If you don't think this can work—" I began, wanting him to give his opinion.
He paused for a second. "I think we can keep things professional."
I set the plate in the rack to dry and accepted another one from him. "Me too."
A smile spread over his face. "You're not my best friends' younger sister. You're not irritating at all. You're a business associate."
I smacked his bicep, which was surprisingly hard. "Hey. There's an insult in there."
He grinned. "Couldn't help it."
"We're supposed to be professional, remember? We can't fall into old dynamics."
He raised a brow as he grabbed another dish. "No teasing or putting anyone down. Got it."
I sighed. "I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done."
He handed me the last piece of silverware, and he removed the stopper. The water circled the drain as he leaned a hip against the counter. "We can't let Eve down."
"We're in this together."
He nodded.
I dried the last fork and put it in the rack, setting aside the now-damp towel. We stood close, too close, and if I didn't get out of here, I might do something I'd regret. Like touch or even kiss him. My heart rate picked up at the thought. "I should get going."
He raised a brow. "So soon?"
"We ate dinner and cleaned up." What else was there to do if this wasn't a date?
He inclined his head toward the pink bakery box. "But you brought dessert."
I shook my head, backing away. "You can have it for later."
He walked over to the box, lifting the lid. "Chocolate cake."
"It's a small one," I said, feeling weird about sticking around any longer.
He looked up at me. "Will you share it with me?"
I nearly groaned. How could I say no? We were supposed to be getting along, and he was actually trying. "Okay."
He grinned, and my heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous when he smiled. I felt hot all over. Why didn't he do it more often? Was it because it was lethal to any woman within a mile radius? I was a sucker for a bad boy who smiled.
He got out a knife and cut it, setting two perfect slices on plates. "Let's eat in the living room. It's more comfortable there." He was already walking in that direction, and I couldn't do anything but follow him.
He gestured for me to sit on the couch, and then he handed me a plate and fork.
The kitchen was cold lines and wood chairs. It reminded me not to get too comfortable. But now we were in his cozy living room, where there were pictures of Cooper with my family all over the shelves and the walls. "You have a lot of pictures with my brothers."
"We grew up together,” he said as if I shouldn’t be surprised by the framed images but I was.
He didn’t strike me as a sentimental person.
And what was so horrible about his home life?
It wasn't my place to ask, but now that we'd started this get-to-know-each-other thing, I was dying to know his secrets.
I wondered if my brothers knew or would spill the details.
"I don't think I'd want to spend that much time with them. "
He chuckled. "They can be annoying."
"So annoying. They're always in my business. Giving their opinions on my life." I ate a piece of the cake.
"Is that your parents or your brothers?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
I thought about it. "I guess it's more my parents. But now that they're all paired off, my mom is going to be pressuring me to settle down. I blame them for that."
He cut a piece of the cake and ate it. "You think she wants you to get a boyfriend?"
"I think she wants to see us settled and happy. But I'm not made for that. I like to have options and change my mind. What if I don't like this job after a few months? I want the freedom to pick up and leave."
"Yet you haven't left this area."
He was right about that. I loved living near my family, even if they drove me crazy. "Just when I went to college."
"You have more staying power than you've given yourself credit for."
I sighed. "I suppose you're right."
"You must like your family a little bit." He ate the last bite of his cake and set the plate aside.
"They have their moments."
He leaned back in the cushion and crossed one leg over the other. "They love you and want the best for you."
I rolled my eyes. "Now you're starting to sound like them. If you don't want me to treat you like a big brother, don't act like one."
He chuckled so hard; his entire body shook.
He was different tonight, lighter somehow. More open with what he was willing to share.
I got a glimpse into the real Cooper, and it was intriguing. I wanted to know more. But we didn't need to know each other's secrets in order to work together. As long as he treated me as an equal and not a little sister, we'd be fine.
When he sobered, he said, "I promise I won't act like your brother."
His words sent tingles down my spine. It could be worse, now that I was seeing all the ways that he was attractive.
"Aren't you going to promise not to act like an annoying sister?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'll do my best."
"You could lose the eye roll."
I sighed heavily. "Fine. No eyeballs. No jokes from our childhood. No teasing."
"You know, your brothers told me to stay away from you—"
My heart started pounding. "What are you talking about?"
"When you became a teenager, they mentioned it to me. That you were off-limits. And I said you were like a sister to me."
My brothers warned him away from me? Was there a need for them to do that? "Really?"
He nodded and stood up, reaching for the plates. "We probably shouldn't be having any more dinners together. Your brothers will wonder what's going on."
My brothers had warned him away from me. So there was no chance of lines being crossed. And if we didn't have any more nights like this, this silly crush would dissipate. Problem solved. "I'll head out."
He set the dishes in the sink and returned to the living room. "We know each other a little better, and we're on the same page now."
"I think so too." I still wasn't sure if everything was resolved. But maybe we could work together without fighting.
He walked me toward the door, and my heart rate picked up. Isn't this the point of the evening where a man might think about kissing a woman? But this wasn't a date.
He rested a hand on the doorframe, leaning toward me. "I think this was good."
I swallowed over the tightness in my throat. "Yes."
"Thanks for coming over."
"Thank you for dinner," I said, my heart rate picking up the longer we stood staring at each other.
He dropped his arm and opened the door. A gust of cold wind filled the room. I ducked under his arm and slipped outside without looking back. "I'll see you later."
"Drive safe." The low tenor of his voice settled deep in my bones.
It wasn't safe to spend time with him alone. From now on, it was all business. No more getting to know each other.
I got in my SUV and turned it on, letting it warm up for a few seconds before I backed out of the driveway.
Cooper stood in the doorway and watched me go. I never would have thought that I'd ever be alone with Cooper, much less that I'd want to.
Why had this ridiculous attraction sprung up now? Maybe it was the first time I was viewing him as a man and not my brothers' friend. For so long, I'd only seen him as one more brother figure who was annoying. But now, he was something else entirely.
He was all man, and he had depth. There had to be some repressed feelings about his home life, and he'd avoided his family for a reason. I wanted to know why, but at the same time, I had a feeling it would only make me want him more. It was best to maintain my distance from him.
The point of our dinner was to prove that we could be together in the same room and be civil. Mission accomplished. It also proved that the closer I got to him, the more I liked him. I needed to avoid him at all costs.
The barbs, the snarky comments, did their job. It kept distance and bad feelings between us. Without those, I had to be careful that I didn't get any closer to him.
He'd always be my brothers' best friend, and nothing could ever come from my feelings for him.
Besides, Cooper had too many issues that he'd clearly repressed.
He never talked about his family. Maybe he didn't want to, or he didn't know how to process the memories.
But it wasn't my job to fix that for him.
I drove into town and parked behind the bakery. I turned off the engine and walked up the stairs, reveling in the new enclosed balcony that was inviting with the plants I'd added. This was mine, and no one could say that I hadn't earned it on my own. Now I needed to keep it.
I wouldn't let Cooper do anything to screw up this deal with Eve. I had to prove that I was capable of taking on her responsibilities and doing a good job. It certainly wouldn't be appropriate to be lusting after the town contractor.
I wanted her to respect me. For once, maybe my family would see that I wasn't a screwup. That I wasn't flighty and impulsive. I was capable and responsible.
This crush on Cooper was a result of our proximity. If I avoided being alone with him, I should be fine. They invented texts and emails for a reason. I wouldn't have to spend any more time with him.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Eve: I forgot to tell you that there's the Winter Wonderland Ball in the ballroom. I need you take the lead on that.
We hosted weekly dances and rented the hall out for various community events but this was a party to celebrate winter and the holiday season.
Aspen: I can do that.
Eve: Can you work with Cooper to ensure that everything is up to code and can handle a larger event? And that bathrooms are renovated before the dance?
Aspen: You've had events before.
Eve: This one is bigger. I don't want to leave anything to chance. We need to make sure the inn, the restaurant, and the ballroom are inspected and up to code.
Aspen: I'm on it.
Eve: I knew I could count on you.
I hated that I had a reputation for not sticking with something. But over the years, I hadn't done much to dissuade anyone from maintaining it. This was my chance to prove everyone wrong.
I'd just have to work closely with Cooper to get it done.