Book 24 Temptation After Dark #2
The wildflowers had been a nice touch, especially since Cooper came from staggering wealth and could’ve gotten her the most elaborate floral arrangement the island had to offer.
She vastly prefers his handpicked wildflowers to elaborate bouquets that are a dime a dozen, not to mention he’s ridiculously handsome.
She’d noticed that at first glance from the pool that morning, and when he’d arrived at her door, dressed for an evening out, he’d taken her breath away. He’s God’s gift to women, but the funny thing is, he doesn’t seem to know it. Before disaster struck, he’d been sweet, nervous and funny.
She’d laughed more in the hour before the car started to roll than she had with any guy in longer than she could remember. Men have become tedious to her. They’re all the same as they bend themselves into contortions trying to impress her with their endless bullshit.
Cooper is refreshing. He hasn’t tried to be anything other than himself, and even though he’d scared the shit out of her by trying to save the car, she gives him credit for the effort.
His brother is one of the world’s richest men and could buy the Porsche a thousand times over, but Cooper had said how much the car meant to Jared, thus his effort to save it.
She composes a text to Jordan. Before you hear it from Mason, I went out with Cooper James (Jared’s brother) tonight. Jordan Stokes, her twin sister, Nikki, and their grandmother, Evelyn, are Gigi’s family of choice.
The phone rings, and Gigi takes the call from Jordan. “Hey.”
“What the hell, G?”
“I know! I have no idea what’s happening.”
“Tell me the whole thing. How’d you end up going out with him?”
“I was swimming in Jared’s pool, and Cooper came out. We started talking, he asked me to go out, and I thought he was cute, so I said yes.”
“You said yes? You never say yes the first time a guy asks you out.”
That’s true. Before she agrees to go out with any guy, she usually makes them ask three or four times to make sure they’re legit.
Cooper had asked only once. “He seemed nice, and I’m bored with you and your sister being all domesticated.
It was something to do.” As she says that, she feels disloyal to Cooper, which is weird.
She’s known him for twelve hours. Why does she feel disloyal to him?
Jordan cracks up. “I’m still trying to get past you saying yes to him the first time he asked.”
“Don’t make a thing of it. I told you. I’m bored, sweaty and sick of this power failure and heat wave.”
“Right.”
If there was one person she could never lie to, it was Jordan, who knew her better than anyone else on earth.
“Maybe he’s your one.”
“Oh, my God. Will you listen to yourself? My one? I have no interest in having a one, and you know that.”
“I want you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Give this guy a chance. If he’s anything like his brother, he’s a really good guy.”
Exasperated, Gigi says, “Just because you’ve been bitten by the love bug doesn’t mean I want to be.
That’s the last thing I want. I like my life just the way it is, thank you very much.
I’ve got to run and check on Cooper and get home.
I’ve got client work to do.” Somehow, she’s managed to keep up with her law practice and the needs of her LA clients while marooned on Gansett Island for the summer.
Gigi ends the call with a feeling of relief that she’s shut down Jordan’s nonsense. Soon enough, she’ll be back in LA where she belongs, and her summer on Gansett will be a distant memory. Can’t happen soon enough for her.
Cooper is wondering where Gigi is when Dr. David Lawrence comes in to assess his injuries. He wants to X-ray his ribs, and the splinters in his face need to come out. As the doctor leaves the room, Gigi appears in the doorway.
“Hey,” he says. “You made it.”
“I made it, and so did the car.”
“That’s good,” Cooper says, relieved to hear she and the car are okay.
“What are they saying about you?”
“The doc was just in. They’re going to take X-rays and pick the splinters out of my face. Can’t wait for that.”
“Ouch.”
“No kidding. He said they’d numb me up, but does that mean shots in the face?”
“I don’t even want to know.”
“Sorry this night turned into such a shitshow. That wasn’t what I had planned.”
Gigi takes a seat next to the bed. “What did you have planned?”
“After we watched the sunset at the bluffs, we were going to find some dinner and go to the Beachcomber to listen to music. I hear there’s a guy there who plays the guitar, and he’s really good.”
“That would’ve been fun.”
“Can I have a rain check?”
She shrugs. “We’ll see.”
He tells her again she doesn’t need to wait with him, but she doesn’t mind waiting with him as long as she doesn’t have to watch them take splinters out of his face.
“Can’t say I blame you. That’s not high on my to-do list either.”
“What is? High on your to-do list, I mean.”
He realizes she’s making conversation to keep his mind off the splinters in his face. “I’m working on starting a business.”
“What kind of business?”
He tells her about his idea for booze cruises for bachelor and bachelorette parties. “The wedding industry has gotten big on the island. I figured there might be a space for supporting services.”
“That’s an interesting idea.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“If you need a lawyer to look over the particulars for you, let me know. I’m not licensed in Rhode Island, but I could give you nonbinding advice.”
Cooper stares at her in disbelief. “You’re a lawyer?”
“I am.”
“I thought I knew everything there was to know about you from watching the show.”
Gigi scoffs. “We show you what we want you to see—two silly women doing silly stuff and having fun.”
“How come you don’t talk about being a lawyer?”
“Because that’s boring and doesn’t make for good TV.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Why? Because I seem too silly to be an attorney?”
“God, no. Not at all. Anyone who watches the show can see how smart you both are. That’s what makes it so fun to watch. Well, that and the fact that the two of you are hot as fuck.”
“Are we?”
Now, he scoffs. “As if you don’t know that.”
“We’ve heard that a few times, but we’re both about more than how we look.”
“I knew that before you told me you’re an attorney.”
“Is that right?”
“Hell, yes. The stuff you guys do for underprivileged kids in LA is amazing.”
“That started when one of our producers told us about a family in her kids’ school who didn’t have the money for school supplies.
We said that’s something we can help with.
Jordan and I got that family what they needed, and then we started to think about how we could help other families who had the same problem.
It kind of took off from there, and now we do drives in all fifty states. ”
“It’s very impressive.”
“Thanks. Knowing we’re doing some good makes us feel less ridiculous about how silly the show is.”
“The show isn’t silly.”
“Yes, it really is, but it’s fun, and people seem to enjoy it. It’ll be weird not doing it anymore.”
“Wait, so this is the last season?”
“I think so. Jordan hasn’t said for sure, but she’s happy as a pig in shit with her giant firefighter. I don’t see her wanting to leave here any time soon. And there’s no way I’m staying after we finish shooting.”
Cooper is taken for the X-rays. Gigi will wait and give him a ride home.
Gigi wonders what she’s doing at the clinic waiting for a guy she hadn’t even known this time yesterday. Maybe it’s because he’s fun and funny and cuter than any man has a right to be, even with half his face looking like ground beef.
She likes him.
And that’s weird. She hardly likes anyone. Most of the people she’s chosen to trust have disappointed her at one point or another. As a result, she tends to allow very few people to get close to her. Cooper isn’t going to be an exception to that rule, but the fact that she likes him intrigues her.
Cooper refuses pain medication because he doesn’t want to be knocked out.
“Take it, Cooper,” Gigi says. “I’ll get you home.”
“I’d rather look at you than sleep.”
Her sweet smile makes him glad to be alive, as it dawns on him how this evening could’ve turned tragic.
It was stupid to try to save the car. He knows that.
But he hates to disappoint the older brother he’s idolized all his life.
That’s what had motivated him not to let Jared’s beloved car roll off a cliff.
Jared will be pissed when he hears what Cooper has done.
His older brother has adored Cooper from the time he was born, when Jared was twelve.
They’ve always shared a special bond, and with everything Jared and Lizzie are dealing with, the last thing Cooper wants is to cause further heartache for his brother by letting his prized Porsche get destroyed.
The doctor returns with a tray of tools that Cooper refuses to study too closely, sensing he’s better off not knowing what’s coming.
Gigi surprises him when she takes hold of his hand. “Look at me.” She meets his gaze and holds it as the doctor explains that he’ll be numbing the area with injections.
Cooper struggles not to cry like a baby from the pain of the first shot.
Gigi tightens her hold on his hand, her gaze never wavering as two more shots are delivered.
Thankfully, the first one has kicked in, making the second and third ones slightly less excruciating.
Tears spill down his cheeks.
Gigi wipes them away with a tissue as if it’s no big deal to tend to him that way.
His heart feels light in his chest, which he attributes to the medication. But it’s not only that. It’s her, too. He’d had an idea of what she might be like in person, but the reality of her is so much more than what he’d imagined.
In addition to the mess on his face, Cooper has two fractured ribs.
The medical staff wrap his ribs and tell him to take it easy for a few weeks while they heal.
Turns out that having fractured ribs wrapped is about as much fun as shots to the face.
He’s weak and shaky as Gigi escorts him out of the clinic.