Page 21 of Rebels and Roses

She stepped back so he could enter, closing the door behind him as he headed into her tiny kitchen area. Cooper wasn’t a huge man - perhaps a bit over six feet tall - but he seemed to take up every bit of space between the refrigerator and the countertop.

The apartment wasn’t much. One big room that was the kitchen-living room combination, her bedroom off the living room, and a bathroom that was attached to a small walk-in closet. It was plenty for her needs, but she hoped that someday she’d be able to buy a house with a little backyard space. She’d love to have a flower bed and maybe grow some vegetables. Perhaps a dog, too.

He’d been there enough to know where she kept her glasses and plates and was already pulling them out of the cabinets while she flipped open the pizza box. It was still steaming hot.

Damn, he’d remembered.

Cooper always wanted the works on his pizza - mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage, onions, etc. She, on the other hand, liked a basic sausage and cheese.

He’d ordered half and half. He’d remembered. Shit, he wasn’t making this easy. Her loser of an ex-husband had never remembered what she liked on her pizza, because frankly, he hadn’t given a shit about anyone but himself. He couldn’t be bothered by the wants of other people. They were there simply to orbit around him, of course.

It hit her right in the solar plexus hard how much she’d overlooked in that relationship trying to make it work. That someone had remembered her favorite pizza toppings made her this emotional, she clearly needed to think about her standards when it came to men.

I’ve raised them. Some might say too high, but I’m not budging.

The next time she gave her heart to a man, it was going to be different. It was going to be more equal. They were going to be partners, working together.

“Jane? Are you okay?”

“What?”

She realized she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He was looking at her quizzically, as if wondering where her mind had gone.

“I was asking you for a favor,” Cooper replied. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I know it’s a big ask. I wouldn’t do it, but you’re the only person I can trust with this.”

The only person? Really? What on earth could Cooper need from her that he couldn’t get from anyone else?

“Sure, a favor. What do you need?”

He placed his hand on the folder he had been carrying, now placed on the countertop.

“I was wondering…well…I hate to ask…it’s just that for some reason this new book has been really tough to write…and I just…I’m sort of…stuck…”

“Stuck?” Jane echoed. “On your book?”

He’d been working on it for a few months. She’d thought it was going well as he never talked about it.

“Stuck,” he revealed with a loud sigh. “I was wondering…and I know it’s a huge favor… But would you read through what I have? Maybe I’m so close to it, I can’t see what’s wrong with the story. A fresh set of eyes might help. I know it’s a big ask, and I know you’re very busy. You can say no, and it’s fine.”

Cooper wanted her to read his book and give feedback. Holy hell. She’d love to read it. He was one of her favorite authors. She’d never said that to him out loud, but he was brilliant. His plot twists were legendary in the mystery genre.

“I’d love to read it.”

“You don’t have?—”

“I want to read it. Seriously, hand it over,” Jane said, wriggling her fingers at him playfully. “Hand it over and no one gets hurt. I can’t wait to dig into this. Like right now. How far into it are you?”

“I think I’m at the midpoint.”

“You think? You’re not sure?”

She accepted the folder, opening it to see that he’d printed out what he had which almost made her laugh out loud. Leave it to Cooper not just put it on a thumb drive. He wanted her to make comments in the margins. She’d bet on it.

“I’m not sure about anything with this story. I’m in a quagmire, and I’m not sure how to get out. Any feedback you can give me would be much appreciated. I know you’ll tell me the truth. You know the genre inside and out.”

“What about your editor? Did you show it to her?”

“She’s great, but she’s not the answer,” Cooper replied with a definite shake of his head. “In the beginning, she was more honest. Now that I’m a big success, I think she feels she needs to stroke my ego a little bit. I don’t think she could tell me that the whole damn thing should be burned, and that I need to start again. You’d tell me that, though. If that’s what it needed. She’d be more worried about me making my deadline.”

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