my question. Hell, you gotta try.
IT FELT GOOD to laugh. I sat across
from Cooper in the Italian restaurant and I was famished. For the first time in
a long time, I felt like I could eat everything around me. The conversation
with Coop was so easy; he made me feel comfortable, and he never came on too
strong. I glanced at the rings still on both our fingers from earlier with
Grace. Holding my hand up to him, he slid off the engagement ring, and I did
the same for him.
“So my cousin is dating your brother.”
“Yup. Since middle school.”
“And they are throwing the big Christmas party.”
“Yup.” My mom had been calling me nonstop since I missed
Thanksgiving, and now she was getting heavy on my case because I wouldn’t be
home for Christmas. I wasn’t ready to return. I felt I was slowly moving to
Order, but I knew the moment I stepped back into Derrick’s and my hometown, I
would slide back down to Chaos. It was the curse of the small town.
For the past few years, Eric and Michelle had thrown big
Christmas parties at Michelle’s family’s mansion. Every year there was a theme
to the party. Each year, I would be in charge of the group dance that happened
at the beginning. Not this year. This year, Rachel was in charge of it. The
whole town would come to drink, laugh, and gossip. That was all too much for
me. The bruise was still too painful. So I made up lies. I told my mom if I
weren’t working, I would lose my ‘jobs.’ I told her I had auditions for dance
schools in the next few weeks. I told her I was pulling my life together. I
told her anything and everything to try to get her to back off a bit.
Of course she didn’t care. She just wanted me home. So she
kept badgering me, asking me—no, begging me—to come home at least for the
holiday. That was when the ignoring of her calls happened.
“Are you going?” His eyes stayed on me. At times it was hard
to look at his handsome self. I watched as he wiped the sweat falling from his
forehead with a napkin, thinking about how I would love for him to make me
sweat. But I remained focused on the conversation at hand.
“No. I’m not.” He looked surprised, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Are you?”
“Nah. I haven’t seen or spoken to them in years. And it’s
pretty short notice for me…” That was good. It would have been awkward for both
of us to attend the party. After the connection we had discovered, I could see
going back to Albany, Wisconsin, as a terrible idea. The whispering, gossiping
ladies of the town would have a field day with us, making up nasty lies to keep
their minds busy for a few hours each day.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a young girl, probably
ten or so, arguing with her father as they gestured towards Cooper. “I think
you have a fan.”
Cooper saw the uneasy father, smiled, and waved the two
over. Excitedly, the daughter came bouncing over to the table, pulling her
dad’s arm. The girl gasped with joy. “I don't know who you are!”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. If she didn’t know who
Cooper was, why was she so excited to see him? The girl’s dad rolled his eyes
and joined in. “So sorry. My daughter saw you from our table. Her mom and she
are huge fans of your show.”
Cooper turned his charm on high, and I melted inside as I
listened to his soft southern tones directed at the girl. He made the
interaction feel completely comfortable. A gift of his, I supposed—making
anyone feel comfortable.
“Is that so? You like my show?”
“I don't know who you are,” the girl repeated.
Her father sighed. I could tell he was exhausted from a long
father-daughter day. Daddy used to have the same look when I was a kid. “It’s
opposite day. She knows who you are. Right, April?”
Her lovely smile brightened the room as she nodded. “You are
not going to take my wedding photos when I'm old enough to not like boys.”
“Of course not. Well, don't have your daddy and mama call
IT FELT GOOD to laugh. I sat across
from Cooper in the Italian restaurant and I was famished. For the first time in
a long time, I felt like I could eat everything around me. The conversation
with Coop was so easy; he made me feel comfortable, and he never came on too
strong. I glanced at the rings still on both our fingers from earlier with
Grace. Holding my hand up to him, he slid off the engagement ring, and I did
the same for him.
“So my cousin is dating your brother.”
“Yup. Since middle school.”
“And they are throwing the big Christmas party.”
“Yup.” My mom had been calling me nonstop since I missed
Thanksgiving, and now she was getting heavy on my case because I wouldn’t be
home for Christmas. I wasn’t ready to return. I felt I was slowly moving to
Order, but I knew the moment I stepped back into Derrick’s and my hometown, I
would slide back down to Chaos. It was the curse of the small town.
For the past few years, Eric and Michelle had thrown big
Christmas parties at Michelle’s family’s mansion. Every year there was a theme
to the party. Each year, I would be in charge of the group dance that happened
at the beginning. Not this year. This year, Rachel was in charge of it. The
whole town would come to drink, laugh, and gossip. That was all too much for
me. The bruise was still too painful. So I made up lies. I told my mom if I
weren’t working, I would lose my ‘jobs.’ I told her I had auditions for dance
schools in the next few weeks. I told her I was pulling my life together. I
told her anything and everything to try to get her to back off a bit.
Of course she didn’t care. She just wanted me home. So she
kept badgering me, asking me—no, begging me—to come home at least for the
holiday. That was when the ignoring of her calls happened.
“Are you going?” His eyes stayed on me. At times it was hard
to look at his handsome self. I watched as he wiped the sweat falling from his
forehead with a napkin, thinking about how I would love for him to make me
sweat. But I remained focused on the conversation at hand.
“No. I’m not.” He looked surprised, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Are you?”
“Nah. I haven’t seen or spoken to them in years. And it’s
pretty short notice for me…” That was good. It would have been awkward for both
of us to attend the party. After the connection we had discovered, I could see
going back to Albany, Wisconsin, as a terrible idea. The whispering, gossiping
ladies of the town would have a field day with us, making up nasty lies to keep
their minds busy for a few hours each day.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a young girl, probably
ten or so, arguing with her father as they gestured towards Cooper. “I think
you have a fan.”
Cooper saw the uneasy father, smiled, and waved the two
over. Excitedly, the daughter came bouncing over to the table, pulling her
dad’s arm. The girl gasped with joy. “I don't know who you are!”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. If she didn’t know who
Cooper was, why was she so excited to see him? The girl’s dad rolled his eyes
and joined in. “So sorry. My daughter saw you from our table. Her mom and she
are huge fans of your show.”
Cooper turned his charm on high, and I melted inside as I
listened to his soft southern tones directed at the girl. He made the
interaction feel completely comfortable. A gift of his, I supposed—making
anyone feel comfortable.
“Is that so? You like my show?”
“I don't know who you are,” the girl repeated.
Her father sighed. I could tell he was exhausted from a long
father-daughter day. Daddy used to have the same look when I was a kid. “It’s
opposite day. She knows who you are. Right, April?”
Her lovely smile brightened the room as she nodded. “You are
not going to take my wedding photos when I'm old enough to not like boys.”
“Of course not. Well, don't have your daddy and mama call
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