Chapter Twelve
The last thing Cooper had expected to do this evening was to find himself on the road to Alamode with Tess. Not till he’d heard the words come out of his mouth did he know what he’d been thinking.
“I wonder if they still serve butter pecan.” Her head tilted back against the headrest and her eyes closed, a slight smile rested on Tess’s lips.
“I bet they do. It’s as much a staple in the ice cream world as vanilla and chocolate.”
“Do you remember the first time you brought me there?”
He remembered a lot of things about Tess. More than she probably knew. “I’d gotten an A-minus on my physics test. We went to celebrate. After that it became a regular study hang out.”
“I still have the extra poundage on my hips to prove it,” she chuckled, then sighed. “I was so surprised by that first invitation, but I was even more surprised by the little ice cream parlor. I guess I expected people as rich as the Barons to only eat at fancy places.”
“Ah.” He bobbed his head. “The born with a silver spoon in the mouth thing.”
“Well,” her hands twisted in her lap, “Y’all do have silver all over that dining room.”
All right. He couldn’t argue with her there. The family really did eat with sterling silver flatware. And a few other sterling service pieces. All he could do was shrug. “I honestly hadn’t thought that Mr. Wingate was going to pass me even if I got 100% on every test, but I knew if I could keep up those grades for the rest of the tests, I stood a really good chance.”
“You sang.”
“I what?” The memory of it was coming back. He’d started out tapping his high school ring on the steering wheel, and by the time they’d parked their car at the mom-and-pop ice cream parlor on an old Texas Farm Road, he’d exited the car singing Frank Sinatra’s popular tune “I Get a Kick out of You.” He’d been so darn thankful for her patience with him. She’d proven to be so much more than just a freshman who was good at math and physics. She was understanding, patient, and when she allowed herself to speak her mind, had a cutting sense of humor. She didn’t let him get away with anything and he very much appreciated that. Other than coming up with the nickname Princess Tess to offset her dismal sense of self-worth from having grown up without parents, he never did tell her just how much he thought of her back then. Though, right about now, if he sang the song to her, it would be for totally different reasons than gratitude. Wincing, he shook his head ever so slightly. If he were honest with himself, even back then it was most likely about more than gratitude. “I probably sang it flat and off-key.”
“You sounded lovely. I thought it was wonderful and quite sweet.”
“Sweet, huh?” Just what every man wants to hear.
She shrugged. “Honestly, up until that day, I was a little intimidated by the whole Baron legacy.”
“Really?” His heart dived. Had he been the reason she initially had been so shy and soft-spoken, almost beaten down?
She nodded. “Aside from the overall intimidating factor of the Baron name in general, aside from the fact that we had the best public high school in the state thanks to all the years of Baron subsidies and donations, you were a high-and-mighty senior and I was a very lowly freshman.”
His mind scrambled to remember if he’d ever said or done anything rude or off-putting, but he was drawing a blank. “Did I make you feel that way?”
The chuckle that accompanied the soft scoff wasn’t helping his concerns. “Never. From the minute you sat down at the table in front of me and declared you sucked at physics, I knew you were not the arrogant image I’d created in my mind. You were nothing but polite and considerate, which was a total surprise since most of the seniors teased the freshman in some way or other and a few were down right bullies.”
“But before knowing me, were you afraid of me?” That whole concept really bothered him. He didn’t like the idea of anyone being afraid of him, especially not Tess, and not for even a second.
“Afraid is a little strong. You were handsome, friendly, popular, and rich. You ran with the in crowd, not the smart geeks. Anyone with those credentials would have been intimidating, but from that first telling declaration, I knew you were actually a nice guy, and once you ordered the dreamsicle flavored ice cream and dug into it like a little kid, all the trappings fell away and I realized, your last name didn’t make a—no pun intended—lick of difference. And then, once I met your family, I realized the acorn didn’t fall far from the tree. Everyone was always warm and welcoming and caring and never judgmental. I always felt safe with your family.”
Safe. Oh, how he hated the idea that she’d ever not felt safe anywhere else. If something as simple as eating ice cream had…“Wait, you remembered the flavor I picked?”
Eyes widening for just a moment, she blew out a sigh and shrugged. “It seemed like something a little kid would ask for, and you really did eat it with a lot of gusto.”
“I’m not fond of melting ice cream dripping everywhere.”
“Maybe,” she hefted that one shoulder again, “but to me it looked like you were thoroughly enjoying your dessert.”
Now he hefted a shoulder. Dreamsicle anything was his weakness. He’d loved the flavor even as a young boy and had never outgrown it. Pulling into the small parking lot in front of the old clapboard framed house, he scurried around to open her door.
Standing by the car, Tess tipped her head back just a bit and her gaze surveyed the old white building in front of her. “It’s amazing how so much in the world is changing at the speed of light, and yet, some things stay exactly the same as we remember them.”
“Nice, isn’t it?” He extended his elbow to her, delighted when she slowly slipped her hand into the curve of his arm.
“Why, if it isn’t Cooper Baron as I live and breathe.” Gertie Madison had to be as old as his grandmother on a good day, and like Grams, as sharp as a tack and fit as a fiddle, with a memory that didn’t quit.
“In the flesh. How ya doing, Gertie?”
Waving an ice cream scoop in the air, Gertie smiled. “If I can’t complain, then it’s a good day.” Gertie’s gaze settled on Tess and her eyes narrowed, then her brows shot up and a smile took over her face. “Teresa. Well, isn’t this a nice surprise. Good to see both of you. One dreamsicle and one butter pecan?”
This lady had a memory like a steel trap. Not a lick of rust anywhere. He turned to Tess and caught her nodding at Gertie.
“Sounds good,” Cooper concurred, handing the lady a few bills. “Two double scoop cones, please.”
Her back to them, Gertie bent over and started scooping the creamy confection. “I would have expected to see you here with children in tow by now.”
Tess beamed. “Emma’s asleep, but now that I know you’re still here I’ll have to bring her. She’s not quite two but already loves ice cream.”
Scooper in hand, Gertie spun about and grinned. “I’m glad to see you two finally figured it out.”
Figured it out? The old woman’s words bounced around in Teresa’s mind.
“I always thought you two were so cute together. And so well balanced. Y’all complemented each other beautifully. I bet you’ve made beautiful babies.”
There was little doubt in Teresa’s mind from the heat creeping up inside her that her cheeks were now bright pink. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Gertie handed Teresa her cone. “Your baby isn’t beautiful?”
“No, I mean, yes, Emma is very beautiful. And sweet too.”
“Thought so.” Gertie turned back around and reached into a different tub.
Closing his eyes, Cooper barely shook his head before opening them again. Leaning into her, he softly whispered, “Confusing me for Emma’s father seems to be a theme.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered back, returning her attention to Gertie. “Emma is my little girl. Not Cooper’s.”
The woman handed him his ice cream. “That’s okay. Sometimes it takes a few mistakes to recognize what you had all along. Now, enjoy your ice cream.”
All set to explain that she and Cooper weren’t a couple, then or now, Teresa stared at Gertie’s back disappearing through a door by the counter. Now what?
“Your ice cream is melting.”
Snapping her jaw shut, her gaze dropped to the cone in her hand that was indeed melting, then darted up to Cooper. The man was licking his ice cream. What she didn’t know or understand was why was he smiling.
Leaning forward, he stuck out his tongue and licked a drop dripping down the side of her cone. “Delicious.” He straightened. “You’d better start eating.”
Not sure she could handle watching Cooper lick at her ice cream cone again, she quickly licked at each drop of ice cream making its way down the side of the cone and then glanced up at him. “How can you be smiling? Gertie thinks you’re Emma’s father.”
“I’ve had people think worse things about me.”
She could feel her eyes bugging out of their sockets.
“Relax. I’m getting used to people assuming she’s mine. Gertie is harmless. It’s not like she works for a national news network.”
He probably had a point, but that still didn’t explain why the whole jumping to conclusion thing didn’t phase him.
His hand at the small of her back, Cooper urged her across the small shop toward a small iron table and chairs. “Is this okay?”
“Perfect.”
The man actually pulled her chair out. In an ice cream parlor. Always the gentleman. Her mind flew back to the school study rooms for tutors. She was pretty sure there wasn’t a single session where he didn’t pull her chair out for her. It was kind of nice knowing that it was a habit he hadn’t broken or outgrown.
“I truly believe this is still the best butter pecan ice cream on the planet.”
“You’re not going to get an argument from me. Though I am going to make it a point to come by more often. I suspect when my grandfather reminds me that life is short, enjoy the small gifts life brings us, I do believe he’s talking about Gertie’s ice cream.”
“Brings back so many memories of when life was just simpler.”
“I don’t remember you having a simple life.”
She shrugged. “Others had it worse. Especially once your family got involved. I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to get through college on my own.”
“You were brilliant, it wouldn’t be hard.”
“I didn’t mean academically. At eighteen we’re booted out of where we live and our foster families take in someone new to replace us.” She wasn’t going to say to replace their income loss. “So many kids literally are on the street with a sack of clothes and nowhere to go and a grim future. It could have easily been me.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t.” He stopped licking his cone and stared into her eyes. “If my family had anything to do with making your life in college easier, I’m very glad.”
She actually rolled her eyes at him. “The scholarship the Baron family established for foster kids made everything possible for me, and for so many smart foster kids after me.”
His head bobbed, and he swallowed a lick of his ice cream. “What happened?”
Tilting her head slightly, she studied him.
“I remember you sharing your dreams of a big happy family. Something about a good man, a good job, and comfortable shoes.” He bit back a smile. “Why did you decide to have a baby on your own?”
“Around my twenty-eighth birthday, a coworker went on maternity leave. When the baby was about a month old, Carol brought her daughter in to meet everyone.”
“Let me guess, the whole office stopped and everyone came around to coo and tickle the bundle of joy.”
“Pretty much, but for me, it reminded me that while I was making a good career for myself, and had plenty of comfortable shoes, that good man was still quite elusive. My whole life I’d dreamed of a family of my own, and if I didn’t stop and spend some of the time I spent on my career on finding that man, I’d miss out completely.”
Cooper nodded and took a last lick of his ice cream before munching on the cone and chucking his napkins into a nearby trash bin.
“By the time my thirtieth birthday rolled around, I realized I was running out of time to have a family of my own. I looked into artificial insemination and decided, if other women could be single moms, so could I.”
“Now, you’re a family of two.”
“I don’t want her to be an only child. I don’t want her alone when I’m gone. I don’t want the burden of my old age landing solely on her shoulders. I hope to have more.”
“If they’re as sweet and perfect as Emma, you should have a dozen.”
Her cheeks tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Funny, that’s what I was thinking.”