Page 43 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

The first time Cooper and I showered together after his slip ‘n slide party is a core memory for me when it comes to our relationship. Despite the pressure I felt to speed up our relationship, it was one of the first days I felt like we were perfect together.

Cooper sits with his forearms resting on his bent knees, holding a sign in each hand, eyes shifting between the two of them. I stare at him as his teeth sink into his bottom lip that he drags back and forth under them. Slowly he turns to meet my gaze, eyes narrowing as he studies me. My fingers tug my curls, nerves racing through me, not aware if anyone else is watching us. He opens his mouth to say something then clamps it shut. When he opens it again, all that comes out is a soft “Thank you.”

Chapter twenty-four

COOPER

NOW

I’ve never joined in on the hype surrounding a new year, but I’m obsessively clinging to this whole “New Year, New Me” shit. I’ve crammed my time full of everything productive–anything to distract me from the memory of Sophie kissing JT that’s still replaying in my head. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Kylie, although we never ended up going on a double date since Dean left. I’m grateful for that.

This first quarter of the year my focus is especially heavy on proving my worth to my Dad as far as securing my place within his company. It’s my junior year of college, which means I have less than two years to guarantee myself an agent position when I graduate.

“Mr. Smith,” I say, reaching for a firm handshake with the dad of one of my fraternity brothers–Ethan.

“Cooper, it’s great to see you again.”

“Yeah, you too. Thank you for meeting.” We both sit on either side of a small circular table in the low-lit, upscale bar and restaurant. I first met Ethan’s dad during my fraternity community service hours when we were volunteering with Habitat for Humanity freshman year. Initially, I didn’t think anything of his paying job as a builder, but now that I’ve been spending more time with Dad’s company and trying to step into a leadership role, I don’t know how this idea didn’t occur to me before.

“Of course. Your timing couldn’t be better. We’re halfway done with building the houses in our new development and getting ready to sell.”

“This is the third development you’ve been in charge of, right?” I did my research.

“Correct. The first one we partnered with a brokerage, but there were some issues we didn’t anticipate with them. For the second, we tried selling without a partner, but it wasn’t as efficient, so we’re willing to give a partnership another shot if we can find the right person–preferably with an independent brokerage this time.”

“You have thirty homes in this set right? Listing for around half a mil?”

“Yes. And finishing contracts to start working on two others around the same.”

“Great. Well, all our agents sell above average. Between twelve and twenty-four homes a year. So, selling thirty quickly shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Impressive. Ethan tells me your father’s business is well established.”

“Yes, sir. He started his company twelve years ago. Each year has been more profitable than the last despite any dips in the market. He’s a Eugene native, so he’s built a lot of strong relationships with local business owners as well.” It feels weird to sit here and brag about Dad and his company, but his success should speak volumes. “He’s won the Good Neighbor Award, as have two of his agents. Five years in, he won State Realtor of the Year, and last year he received the Distinguished Service Award.”

“Quite the list of accolades. I’ve met Mike a few times. Good man, it seems.” Contrary to his words, he doesn’t seem that impressed.

“Yes, sir. He works hard–we both do. I’ve learned everything I know from him.” Sophie’s voice echoes in the back of my head as I consider my next words. Don’t reference your dad for everything, Coop. You deserve recognition for your effort. Don’t downplay it by acting like he’s doing all the work. Show them what makes you special. “But I bring uniqueness to the table.”

“Oh yeah?”

Smirking, I say, “Me with the 21st century on my team. I started this TikTok series . . . You know what that is, right?” I joke.

“That’s the app Ethan uses to send me all those damn monkey videos?”

I shake my head, amused. “That’s the one.” Monkeys taking baths. Monkeys wearing clothes. Monkeys hugging their humans. At the rate at which Ethan sends videos to literally everyone he knows, I wouldn’t be surprised if monkey TikTok is single handedly fueled by him. “You have to admit the one of the monkeys eating spaghetti Lady and the Tramp style was cute as hell, though.”

“Don’t tell my son, but I watched it four times.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” I chuckle. “Anyway, this series I’m doing. I realized traditional marketing isn’t as effective as it used to be–park benches, billboards, the side of a bus. We need to capitalize on any free resources available–TikTok being a major one that twenty percent of Americans use daily. It’s a quick, easy way to get the word out.”

“How do you plan to stand out amongst any other companies using the same tactic?”

I grin. This part of my job that I basically created is easily my favorite. “Funny and relatable content is where it's at because it’s what people share on platforms that instantly have hundreds or thousands of viewers a day–thus creating a much stronger butterfly effect style of marketing. I have two series currently. One is parody videos about the struggles of homeownership. The other is going into houses we list and doing ridiculous activities. The caption will be something like, ‘This windowsill is the perfect place for your ant farm. It’s in the perfect neighborhood for riding your unicycle!’” A laugh bursts out of him at my words, and it fuels my confidence. “Did you know there’s a sport called ‘Extreme Ironing?’ People iron clothes in random places. So, I took a video of me ironing a shirt against the exterior wall and captioned it, ‘The perfect place to practice your EI.’”

He laughs, relaxing against the back of his seat. “That works?”

“Yup. That last one went viral, and we sold two homes from clients who found us that way. I was skeptical. I honestly started it as a joke to see what would happen. But then people started commenting with all these crazy details about their lives, tidbits that helped us pair them with the right agent and home. Figuring out unique ways to connect with people makes them feel more at ease during a stressful process, and it’s more enjoyable and successful for everyone.”

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