Chapter 4 #2
“No, but thanks for asking. We’re going to try to find them somewhere else to stay tomorrow. I’ll let you guys have dinner. Let me know if you need anything, Coop. And I do want to hear your version of the story.”
“Does that mean you’ve already heard other versions?”
Jared had started to walk away. Over his shoulder, he said, “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Great.”
Gigi laughed. “You’re so busted.”
“I guess so. This freaking island. Nothing stays secret here.”
“Nope. Can you do the stairs to my place?”
“I hope so.”
“Take it slow.”
Gigi held his arm with one hand and the pizza box with the bag on top of it with the other hand.
Cooper made his way slowly and painfully up the stairs. By the time he got to the top, he was winded and sweating. He’d never been this seriously injured and hoped he never was again.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Liar. Come in and get comfy.”
“I think it’s going to be a while before I’m comfy.”
“Let’s see what we can do.”
Inside, she led him to the sofa and helped him get settled with throw pillows under his right arm for support. Thanks to Jared’s whole-home generator, she had power in the apartment. “How’s that?”
“Not bad. Thanks.” Truth be told, he was afraid he might pass out from the pain, but she didn’t need to know that.
Gigi went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of ice water. “Have some of this.”
Cooper took the glass from her and downed a swallow of cold water. “Thanks.”
“You need to stay hydrated.”
“How long until I can have more pain meds?”
“Three hours.”
“I’ll die before then.”
“No, you won’t.”
“I might.”
“Do you think you could eat something?”
“Maybe.”
Gigi went to the kitchen and returned with plates and silverware. She put a slice of pizza on a plate and handed it to him.
“Thanks.”
She took the ice water and put it on the table. “Let me know when you need more water.”
“I’m really sorry you’re having to tend to me like this. That’s not how I wanted this evening to go.”
She raised a saucy eyebrow. “You didn’t hope I’d end up tending to you?”
Cooper grimaced as he held back a laugh. “I told you not to do that.”
“Sorry, I can’t help it.”
“Try.”
While she ate her salad, he took tentative bites of pizza. He wasn’t sure his stomach would be hospitable to food, and the last freaking thing he needed was to puke. That would surely kill him.
“Mario’s has one of the best house salads anywhere in the world,” Gigi declared.
“What sets it apart?”
“The shaved Parmesan, the croutons, the house Italian dressing. So good.”
“See? Gansett has her charms.”
“I never said she didn’t. She just has fewer charms than other places.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” he asked.
“Not at all. There are some things about LA I definitely don’t miss.”
“Like what?”
“Traffic. It’s the worst in the country.”
“I’ve heard that. What else?”
“People.”
“There are people on Gansett.”
“Millions fewer than in LA. You wait in line for everything there. It’s not unusual to spend thirty minutes waiting for coffee in the morning. We waste so much time waiting.”
“That’s true in New York, too. Drives me crazy.”
“And some people are worse than others, such as the aforementioned ones who like to stalk celebrities.”
Cooper paused midbite. “You have other stalkers?”
“A few of them.”
“For real?”
“Yeah, it’s become a problem since the show got popular.”
“Shit, Gigi. Having security in LA must suck.”
“It does, but it beats the alternative.”
Cooper needed a minute to process what she’d told him. “And the cops are aware of this?”
“They are, and they’ve done what they can by arresting the one guy who crossed every line before I realized he was dangerous.
More than anything, it’s affected my ability to come and go freely, which is inconvenient.
I resisted security for a long time until one of the stalkers got a little too close for comfort. ”
“What happened?”
“He was, um, in the back seat of my car when I came out of a coffee shop. He said he was in love with me and wanted us to be married and have children together.”
“Holy shit. What did you do?”
“I showed him my pepper spray and told him I wasn’t afraid to use it.”
“Did he go away?”
“It took a few minutes, but he got the message. By then, we’d attracted a crowd that included a police officer. He had a talk with him and gave him a warning.”
“He should’ve arrested him.”
“He hadn’t really done anything more than trespass, though.”
“Still, he made you feel unsafe, and that shouldn’t be allowed.”
“I know how to take care of myself. In addition to my pepper spray, I also have a handheld Taser.”
“Is that legal?”
“Ish.”
Cooper smiled at the way she said that. “Whatever it takes to stay safe.”
“Exactly. As you can imagine, Gansett has been a nice reprieve from all that.”
“Are you safe here without security?”
“Other than Jordan’s crazy ex-husband showing up and taking her grandmother and sister hostage, we haven’t had any issues here. People leave us alone on Gansett.”
“Zane took Jordan’s grandmother and sister hostage?”
“Yep.”
“How come I didn’t hear about that?”