should about make us even,” I snort.
“Hey, honey pot,” Cooper smiles, addressing me as he saunters into the dining room.
“Hate it.”
He looks fantastic. Kcuf.
He’s wearing black jeans with a black, button down shirt, and his hair is slightly damp, pushed back off his face and tucked behind his ears. He looks absolutely sexy and clean , and I look incredibly dumpy in my baggy jeans and tank top that has splotches from a tube of adhesive that attacked me this afternoon. To make things worse, my hair is in a ratty ponytail. The only thing missing from this hideous picture is one of my mother’s hair scrunchies. Regardless of my less than optimum appearance, I melt a little at seeing him.
“Hi, Cooper.” As I feel my cheeks involuntarily inflate with joy, I can only hope I’m wearing a pleasant smile and not a deranged one.
He absently hands off two bottles of wine to Leo without taking his eyes off me. I really wish I could excuse myself for a ten-minute power glam session, but that won’t happen without me looking positively desperate.
“I’ve missed seeing you at the diner. The other waitresses don’t know how to deliver insults and eat food off my plate.”
“Well, I do have many talents.” I look down at my bare feet.My toe nails have remnants of a nasty red polish from two weeks ago and are so jagged they look like a rat has been gnawing on them.
“Dinner!” Lauren announces.
“It looks great,” Cooper says, trying to decide which chair he’s supposed to sit in. There are only twelve to choose from.
“We’re sitting at this end,” Leo says. “Cooper, you and Imogene can sit here.”
Perfect. Side by side. Cooper pulls out my chair for me, and when I plunk down in the old chair, it lets out a loud, lingering creak as if my weight pains it greatly.
“Old stuff. We probably should take these chairs into the shop and have them repaired,” Cooper says to me. Then he intentionally slams his two hundred pounds of muscle down hard onto his chair to make the seat give off a popping, cracking sound. “Let’s see if these will hold us through dinner.”
Lauren and Leo have seated themselves across from us without any creaking from their chairs and are watching us with curiosity. I know exactly what’s racing through Lauren’s matchmaking mind, too.
Lauren begins carving one of the chickens. “Cooper, which parts do you like best?”
Under the table, I feel Cooper’s large hand clamp down on my thigh. With a fierce squeeze, he replies, “I’m a leg and thigh guy.”
While I slip my hand under the table and try to push it off me without success, Lauren looks up from her carving as though she suspects some kind of struggle is going on between us. Leo, on the other hand, is oblivious, rambling on about where we’ll be camping and the gear he’s bringing. I could not be more disinterested in fishing poles and binoculars.
“Are you planning on eating with one hand through the whole dinner?” I whisper to Cooper.
“I can.” He picks up a drumstick with his right hand and watches me while he eats it like a caveman. “Lauren, excellent dinner.”
“Well, it’s the least I could do. You’re an angel for giving us that gift.” Lauren smiles at Cooper as she scoops potatoes onto Leo’s plate.
“Blood circulation is critical to my survival,” I whisper to Cooper as I remove my hand from his and pick up my utensils. “Oh, a knife.” I twirl it in my hand.
Cooper chuckles and loosens his grip on my leg then slides his hand to the inside of my thigh and lets it rest there. I exhale slowly, taking small bites of food, tasting nothing while enjoying the sensation of his warmth so close to the other parts of me I imagine him touching.
Leo and Lauren do most of the talking through the meal. There’s so much to cover when planning a quickie wedding and the birth of a baby. Those two chatter, talking over each other, gentling touching each other’s arms like an old married
“Hey, honey pot,” Cooper smiles, addressing me as he saunters into the dining room.
“Hate it.”
He looks fantastic. Kcuf.
He’s wearing black jeans with a black, button down shirt, and his hair is slightly damp, pushed back off his face and tucked behind his ears. He looks absolutely sexy and clean , and I look incredibly dumpy in my baggy jeans and tank top that has splotches from a tube of adhesive that attacked me this afternoon. To make things worse, my hair is in a ratty ponytail. The only thing missing from this hideous picture is one of my mother’s hair scrunchies. Regardless of my less than optimum appearance, I melt a little at seeing him.
“Hi, Cooper.” As I feel my cheeks involuntarily inflate with joy, I can only hope I’m wearing a pleasant smile and not a deranged one.
He absently hands off two bottles of wine to Leo without taking his eyes off me. I really wish I could excuse myself for a ten-minute power glam session, but that won’t happen without me looking positively desperate.
“I’ve missed seeing you at the diner. The other waitresses don’t know how to deliver insults and eat food off my plate.”
“Well, I do have many talents.” I look down at my bare feet.My toe nails have remnants of a nasty red polish from two weeks ago and are so jagged they look like a rat has been gnawing on them.
“Dinner!” Lauren announces.
“It looks great,” Cooper says, trying to decide which chair he’s supposed to sit in. There are only twelve to choose from.
“We’re sitting at this end,” Leo says. “Cooper, you and Imogene can sit here.”
Perfect. Side by side. Cooper pulls out my chair for me, and when I plunk down in the old chair, it lets out a loud, lingering creak as if my weight pains it greatly.
“Old stuff. We probably should take these chairs into the shop and have them repaired,” Cooper says to me. Then he intentionally slams his two hundred pounds of muscle down hard onto his chair to make the seat give off a popping, cracking sound. “Let’s see if these will hold us through dinner.”
Lauren and Leo have seated themselves across from us without any creaking from their chairs and are watching us with curiosity. I know exactly what’s racing through Lauren’s matchmaking mind, too.
Lauren begins carving one of the chickens. “Cooper, which parts do you like best?”
Under the table, I feel Cooper’s large hand clamp down on my thigh. With a fierce squeeze, he replies, “I’m a leg and thigh guy.”
While I slip my hand under the table and try to push it off me without success, Lauren looks up from her carving as though she suspects some kind of struggle is going on between us. Leo, on the other hand, is oblivious, rambling on about where we’ll be camping and the gear he’s bringing. I could not be more disinterested in fishing poles and binoculars.
“Are you planning on eating with one hand through the whole dinner?” I whisper to Cooper.
“I can.” He picks up a drumstick with his right hand and watches me while he eats it like a caveman. “Lauren, excellent dinner.”
“Well, it’s the least I could do. You’re an angel for giving us that gift.” Lauren smiles at Cooper as she scoops potatoes onto Leo’s plate.
“Blood circulation is critical to my survival,” I whisper to Cooper as I remove my hand from his and pick up my utensils. “Oh, a knife.” I twirl it in my hand.
Cooper chuckles and loosens his grip on my leg then slides his hand to the inside of my thigh and lets it rest there. I exhale slowly, taking small bites of food, tasting nothing while enjoying the sensation of his warmth so close to the other parts of me I imagine him touching.
Leo and Lauren do most of the talking through the meal. There’s so much to cover when planning a quickie wedding and the birth of a baby. Those two chatter, talking over each other, gentling touching each other’s arms like an old married
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