Chapter 13 #2
As he approached the gathering in the yard, his gaze immediately found Gigi standing with Jordan and her twin sister.
All three women were stunning, but he saw only Gigi.
She stood out like the rarest of diamonds.
She wore a short white strapless thing that left miles of sexy skin on display, and her blonde hair fell in soft curly waves to her midback.
She dazzled him, making his heart beat funny and his hands feel sweaty. That never happened. When she looked up and saw him there, the smile that stretched across her face made him feel like a conquering hero returning from battle to find his love waiting for him.
His love.
Wow, man. Way to get ahead of yourself.
Gigi said something to Jordan and Nikki and then came to greet him with a hug. “How’re you feeling?”
She smelled as good as she looked. “Much better now.”
“Did you take something for the pain?”
“A while ago, but it’s you that made me feel much better.”
“What’d I do?” she asked, seeming perplexed.
“You smiled at me.”
“That’s all it takes?”
“Apparently so.” He kept an arm around her, even though he was uncertain whether she’d want him to with her friends looking on.
Jordan and Nikki came to say hello. Though they were identical twins, Cooper spotted subtle differences.
“Glad you could come, Cooper. I’m Jordan, and this is my sister, Nikki. We met at the wedding.”
Keeping his left arm around Gigi, he shook hands with them. “Right. Great to see you both again. I’m a huge fan of the show.”
“Thank you,” Jordan said. “That’s always nice to hear.”
“We’re big fans of Gigi’s, and you have your arm around her,” Nikki said.
Whoa. These ladies didn’t mess around. “I like Gigi. A lot.”
“She likes you, too,” Jordan said, “and she doesn’t like anyone.”
“That is not true,” Gigi said. “I like you two. Most of the time.”
“You have to like us,” Jordan said. “We’re family. You don’t have to like him, and you do, which is headline news.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Gigi said.
Cooper found her flustered state adorable and knew her just well enough to understand that it didn’t happen very often.
“You’re very handsome,” Nikki said, giving him a critical once-over, “but I suppose you already know that.”
“I, uh…”
“You don’t have to respond to that,” Gigi said with a pointed look for Nikki. “Let’s get you a drink.” She took hold of Cooper’s hand and led him out of the hornet’s nest. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. They love you and wanted to put me on notice. I get it.”
“They’re ridiculous. They know perfectly well that I can take care of myself.”
“But isn’t it nice to have others who care?”
She shrugged, as if it was no big deal to her that her two best friends would kill for her. What was that about?
“What do you want to drink?”
Noting the full bar, he said, “I’ll do a vodka and soda with a twist of lime.”
“How long ago did you take pain meds?”
“Right after the beach. I should be okay to have a drink or two since I’m not driving.”
“All right, then.” She made the drink and added the lime with a flourish. “There you are.”
“Thank you. How are things here?”
“Good. Jordan didn’t get a chance to tell Nikki the news before the party people showed up, so she asked us to hang out for a bit after. We’re going to pretend she’s telling us both at the same time.”
“Because Nikki’s feelings would be hurt that she’s not the first to know?”
“We’re not sure if they would be, so we’re playing it safe. Twins are weird that way.”
“Darling, introduce me to your deliciously handsome friend,” a gorgeous older woman said as she approached them, drink in hand. She had short silver hair, bright blue eyes and wore a red floral blouse with white pants.
“Evelyn Hopper, grandmother extraordinaire to Jordan and Nikki—”
“And you,” the woman said.
“And me,” Gigi said with a soft smile that changed her entire demeanor. Interesting. “Meet Cooper James.”
She took hold of his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “It’s lovely to meet you, young man. I had the great pleasure of meeting your brother and sister-in-law recently. They’re good people.”
“Yes, they are. It’s great to meet you, too, Mrs. Hopper.”
“Call me Evelyn. Mrs. Hopper makes me feel old.”
“I’ll do that, Evelyn.”
“So you and our lovely Gigi have been spending time together. What’re your intentions toward our girl?”
Cooper nearly swallowed his tongue. Intentions?
“Evelyn! Stop it!” To Cooper, she said, “Don’t answer that.”
“It’s a perfectly reasonable question, Gabrielle.”
Gigi groaned at Evelyn’s use of her real name.
“Gabrielle, huh?” Cooper asked, raising a brow.
“Don’t call me that if you expect me to answer.”
“Ah, good to know.”
“Back to my perfectly reasonable question,” Evelyn said. “About your intentions, young man?”
“I, uh, I like Gigi very much and enjoy spending time with her.”
“She’s very special to us. We wouldn’t want to see her hurt in any way.”
“I understand.” Cooper swallowed hard. “Ma’am.”
“Excellent, now let’s have some fun.” Evelyn walked away to greet an older couple who’d just arrived.
“That was mortifying,” Gigi said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. They love you. I get it.”
“They know I can take care of myself and don’t need them hovering.”
“Everyone needs someone watching their back.”
“I don’t.”
Cooper had so many things he’d like to say in response to that, questions he’d like to ask, but this wasn’t the time or the place. “Did Jordan get to tell Mason the news?”
“She did.” Gigi glanced toward the happy couple.
The six-and-a-half-foot fire chief had Jordan tucked in close to him with an arm around her.
“The two of them haven’t stopped smiling for one minute.”
“So I guess he took the news well?”
“He’s thrilled. They both are. He immediately popped the question, and she said yes.”
“Good for them. And what about you?”
She whipped her head around to look directly at him. “What about me?”
“How are you feeling about it?”
“I’m happy for my friend.”
“But?”
“No buts, so quit shrinking me. I’m fine. If she’s happy, I’m happy. Trust me, no one deserves it more than she does after the hell of the last few years with Zane the asshole.”
“Everyone deserves to be happy. Even you.”
“I’m happy. Excuse me for a minute.”
She walked away, leaving Cooper to wonder if he’d said the wrong thing, which was another thing he rarely worried about when it came to women. While most men complained they didn’t speak the same language as women, Cooper had never had that problem. He got them. They got him.
But Gigi, she was different. She didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve or give away her every thought or emotion the way most women did. She kept her feelings buried deep, and the more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know the secret to cracking the code to her well-guarded heart.