7. Birdie
7
BIRDIE
"How long do you think is too long to wait for a man to call you?" I ask my father as we eat homemade egg salad sandwiches in his office.
It's been five days since Will Cooper asked for my number, and five days of radio silence.
Dad chokes on his mouthful, prompting me to hand him a cold bottle of water from the small cooler bag in front of me. Once he's recovered, he stares at me as if trying to comprehend what I said.
"Didn't mean to make you choke , Dad," I tease. "Imagine what your headstone would say. 'Died eatin' his daughter's sandwich."
"Who's yankin' my baby bird's chain? My first thought is that he's not worth your time if he has left you hangin' for that long."
"It's fine, Dad. I know he's busy. I'm busy too. But he asked for my number, and we've both got cell phones, and I wrote the number down for him on a piece of paper, so I know it's right."
My father's brows furrow. "But he hasn't called?"
"Nope. Not even a text message. I haven't seen him around town either. I thought for sure he would have needed to come into town for supplies or somethin'," I ponder out loud.
He takes his last bite, wiping his salt and pepper stubbled chin with a napkin before leaning back on the chair. "He's a local then?"
"Yep. Will Cooper."
Dad frowns. "Ridley's grandson ?"
"One of them, yes."
He cocks his head. "Didn't they only just move to town."
"Will's been here close to three weeks now. The others, just over one," I mutter.
He laughs. "You sure don't waste time, do you Baby Bird."
"What?" I gasp. "He asked for my number, Dad."
"Bet you had a part to play in it though," he says, narrowing his eyes at me. "This got anythin' to do with anythin' you overheard Ridley say durin' one of our visits?"
I shrug, going for nonchalant even though I can feel my cheeks heat. "Not exactly. I just happened to be at the Cozy Corner when Will and his brothers came in lookin' for furniture and the like."
His lips twitch, his eyes gleaming with humor. "Let me guess, just like you always do, you stepped in and offered to help them?"
"That's what good townsfolk are supposed to do when new residents move to the district, right? Especially the mayor's daughter."
"Mmm hmm…" he hums. "I'm sure you did it out of the goodness of your heart."
I scowl half-heartedly at him, earning a laugh. " Anyway , we started talkin' and just kind of… hit it off, I guess. He's nothin' what I imagined anyone related to Ridley to be like either. Didn't get to talk to his brothers because they were busy exploring the rest of the store." When they weren't watchin' us . "It was just a friendly meetin', that's all." I leave out how I tripped over my words and a sofa, and how he made my body spark to life just touching me. I don't tell Dad that Will could be my real-life soulmate without even knowing it. "He was… unexpected. That's all."
Dad chuckles. "And what exactly did you imagine Ridley's grandsons to be like?"
I can't help but roll my eyes. "You know, city folk."
"City folk? Those boys would spend whole summers up here when they were younger. And you know Ridley, he never made it easy for them. They'd work the ranch, then spend the rest of the time hikin', fishin', you name it. He wanted them to feel a connection to the land and make sure they kept their feet on the ground no matter what life had in store for them," he explains.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Dad," I huff. "There was just somethin' different about him. It was the first time I met the guy and I felt seen …"
"That happens sometimes, Baby Bird. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait until you meet a man worthy of you. Doesn't mean he's worth a dime of your time if he doesn't call you though." My father studies me before nodding. "But, if he's as special as you think he is, then maybe you've got to think of reasons why he hasn't called."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, maybe he lost the number accidentally. Maybe he's busy sorting out all the hoarded goods his grandfather had accumulated while preparin' for the apocalypse, one jarred meal at a time."
"Dad!" I say, stifling a giggle. "You're right though. That doesn't mean I have to like it." Maybe there is a good reason why Will hasn't called yet. Five days though? That's not the work of the mountain's call. Unless he didn't feel it and it was all in my head…
"You know, you're a proactive girl. You could always take the bull by the horns—so to speak—and call him " my dad suggests. "You're not the type of woman to wait for things to happen. Why should this be any different?"
I finish the last bite of my sandwich as determination settles in my chest. I start forming a plan in my mind. "You know what? You're right. I'm not going to sit around twiddlin' my thumbs waitin' for him to call. I'm goin' to go up there myself."
Dad straightens in his chair. "Hold on, what do you mean? I feel like I've missed a few steps somehow. How exactly did he get your number? Did he just ask for it at the furniture store? You'd just met!"
"No…," I reply. "He just happened to come into the Lair with his brothers and some of the Barnes men the next night."
"Five days ago?"
"Yep. We got talkin' again and his brother Case kind of pushed him into askin' me out." Or taking me up on my raincheck offer. Tomayto, tomahto. "I could tell he was interested though. This isn't me readin' into somethin' that wasn't there. It wasn't a pity date."
"I wasn't thinkin' that, Baby Bird. Not at all. I was just confused about how he has your number and you don't have his," Dad explains. "He did ask you out, right?"
"Yes, Dad. He did," I reply dryly. "I said 'Would you like to take me out sometime? The diner at the end of Main Street has great coffee and an even better Strawberry, Ginger, and Honey pie' and he said 'Of course. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of ginger."
"Wait! The man doesn't like ginger? Who doesn't like ginger? It's ginger! It's not even gross," he says almost indignantly.
"That's what I said." I grin. "I even called him a monster because of it."
"The more you tell me about him, the more I start to think he's not for you, Birdie. I mean, ginger ? Really." The thing is, I think he is. More than that, there's a part of me deep down that knows it.
"What if I went up to the ranch and said it was on town business? Surely there must be a reason you need me to talk to our new residents?" I eye him hopefully, nodding encouragingly and getting a snort for my troubles.
"Hmm. You could always go there to welcome them on my behalf. Offer them whatever help or advice they may need." This is why I love my dad. He's always prepared to entertain my crazy ideas.
"You don't think it could be a little underhanded? I do want Will to contact me." I sigh. "Maybe I should just wait."
Dad winks. "You could . But you've never been known for your patience, Birdie. I'm just being a supportive, encouragin' father and givin' you options."
Then it comes to me. "I know! You can come with me. Then you can meet them–which I know you want to do anyway–and you can see for yourself that Will is a good guy. Maybe then he'll remember he was supposed to call me."
" Or …" Dad says, "At the very least, it'll give you another chance to see if you've misread the situation. Five days can be explained away with an honest reason. Longer than that? Not a chance. My Baby Bird waits for no man."
"It'll give us a chance to see the place too. Maybe they need permits or somethin' to build… stuff," I say, clutching at straws.
Dad falls silent, so much so that I lift my brow to urge him along.
"I don't think I've ever seen you this flustered over a man before," he says. "I was teasin' earlier, but you've got to tell me. Does this have anythin' to do with Ridley's stories about the mountain's Call?"
I bite my lip and nod. "A little bit yes, a little bit no."
Dad sighs. "Baby Bird, what on earth am I goin' to do with you and that romantic soul of yours? You know those books you read aren't real, right?"
That's when a slow-growing smile takes over my face. "Aster's books are definitely real. She told us as much at the last reader's retreat. Besides, there are too many examples of real-life mountain calls being heard, and people we know too. Moose, Bear, Eagle, and then Bull, and they're all connected by the Cooper bloodline in some way," I explain. "Ridley may have been a little out there with his beliefs, but there are some things he knew to be true. And the Cooper mountain prophecy is one of them."
Dad just sits there and stares at me. He's probably trying to determine whether I'm living in a fantasy world or delusional…
"You want me to introduce myself to our new residents just so you have a reason to see Will Cooper again?" I nod. "And what would we call such a visit?" Dad asks.
"Your official mayoral welcome to Cooper Ranch, of course. Since I'm your assistant and your daughter, it's customary for me to tag along," I reply, batting my lashes with a grin.
"Of course . That sounds totally believable," he muses. "Why do I suddenly feel like a wingman? Nope, don't answer that. Though I'm not sure I should be encouragin' this kind of behavior as your father."
"Dad, you're the one tellin' me I need to get a life," I sigh. "This is me tryin'. Don't you want me to try?" I know I'm piling it on thick, but I can tell Dad's already on board with my plan. He's just torturing me a little before giving in.
"Usually it's you tellin' me to work less and get out more." I shrug because he's not wrong. "I'm tellin' you now. If this Will Cooper is not bein' upfront and honest with you, then you're goin' to forget whatever Riddles had to say and let it go. You hear? It's one thing to hope the prophecy is real, it's another to try and force the issue and get hurt in the process. Yeah?"
"I know, Dad. But I promise you, there's just no way he's blowin' me off. He's related to Riddles, remember? And that man was as good and as honest as they come."
Inside, I'm vibrating with excitement. Not only will I get to see Cooper Ranch again and what the brothers have done so far, I'll get to see Will again.
They say the third time's a charm. All I can hope is that if he hasn't already, Will Cooper will realize that there's something different between us. If my gut instinct is right… something fated even.