Page 42 of Rebels and Roses

Cooper scraped his fingers through his hair and inwardly groaned. Fiona might make him crazy, but he wasn’t such a bastard that he wanted to see her in distress. She wasn’t one toshow much sad or negative emotions, so this was a big deal for her. Had he been such a jerk that she didn’t think he’d help her if she truly needed it?

“Why didn’t you just say something to me when you arrived? Why all this bullshit? And for fuck’s sake, what was that last night? You were both drunk as hell. Did you think it was a good idea to party with your addict brother? Christ, what were you thinking?”

This was a stark reminder of all the crap that Cooper had been through with this family when he and Fiona were married. Not one of the Kemps acted like they had any common sense. They sort of meandered through life expecting others to fix things behind them.

Here I am, Mr. Fix-it.

“I didn’t want you to know what a mess Tom was in. I don’t want anyone to know. When I got here, I suggested dinner because I needed to keep an eye on him. Then when I talked to Tom in private, he said he’d go to rehab this morning as long as he could have one last night of having fun. I thought it would be okay. He’d party, and then I’d pick him up and take him to rehab.”

“Let me get this straight,” Cooper replied, his frustration growing. “You told your drug-addicted brother that you’d let him party one last time. Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say that’s fine. But then you got stinking drunk, too? What’s the explanation for that? Shouldn’t one of you be in control?”

“You were there,” Fiona said, her brows pinched together in a frown. “Nothing bad was going to happen. You wouldn’t allow that.”

He wouldn’t have, but that wasn’t the point.

“I didn’t agree to be the designated adult last night,” Cooper said, exasperation in his tone. “This might come as a shock toyou, but we’re not married anymore. It’s not my job to take care of you. You need to take care of yourself.”

He had to give Fiona credit, though. She believed someone would be there to always rescue her, and damn, if she wasn’t usually correct.

“You’re just grouchy because you didn’t sleep well last night,” Fiona replied, reaching into her purse and pulling out a phone. “Now you need to help me find Tom. He’s not answering any calls, and I need to get him on a plane to the rehab center in Miami. They have a spot waiting for him. I called them yesterday.”

In a way, this was progress. Fiona was planning to leave town with her brother. Once they were gone, he could go back to living his life in relative peace.

“If I help you find him, you’re going to take him to Miami with you?”

“Yes, I just need your help. I thought he’d be here this morning since he was staying with you, but he’s not. Where could he be?”

If Cooper were a betting man, he’d say that Tom was sleeping it off in the bed of that pretty coed from last night.

“Have you tried looking for his phone? Or your phone?”

“No, I assumed he’d be here.” Fiona retrieved her own cell phone from her pocket. “But I can do that.”

While she was tapping away, Cooper refilled his coffee. There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to deal with Fiona and Tom, but he was going to give it a try. He already knew he was going to end up taking her wherever Tom was currently sleeping it off.

“Where is this?” Fiona stuck her phone in front of Cooper. “This looks close by.”

It was close by. It was Winslow Park just a few blocks south. Had Tom and his date gone for a romantic stroll in the moonlight, and ended up falling asleep behind home plate of thebaseball diamond? It was a well-known make out spot during high school.

“The park. Give me five minutes, and we’ll go get him.”

“He better be there,” Fiona grumbled. “I’m going to kick his ass when we find him.”

So much for Fiona being emotional about Tom’s addiction. She was back to her usual self of wanting to fight with her brother not hug him.

The sooner he found Tom, the sooner he could drive them both to the airport. Then he’d call Jane and spend some time with her. He didn’t want to look too deeply as to why being with her was so important to him. But he might have to do it anyway.

Jane was takingher break in the backroom of the bookstore, munching on a lemon poppy seed muffin and sipping at a tall glass of ice water. She definitely needed to cut down on her coffee intake. Some was fine, but she was pushing it, using the pressure of school as an excuse.

Hoping she’d be alone for a little while, she’d pulled Cooper’s manuscript from her backpack and began reading it. If he was trusting her with this, she didn’t want to keep him waiting. He was already frustrated, although she couldn’t imagine that he’d messed up. Honestly, he was far too excellent of a writer. He had a gift for storytelling.

A chapter in, she was enjoying the story. As in all of his books, the protagonist was in the middle of it all from the first page. His books were chock full of mystery and intrigue, keeping a reader guessing until the end.

She was so into the story that she didn’t hear Lucy open the door to the backroom until she was standing next to where Jane was seated.

“Damn,” Jane laughed, placing a hand on her racing heart. “I didn’t hear you come in. You scared me a little.”

“I didn’t mean to. I called your name, but clearly you were engrossed in what you were reading.”

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