Page 24 of Say I'm Yours
Cooper’s grin brightens. “These are for you.” He hands me the white daisies. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I step back and swing my arm to the side so he can enter. I love that he brought me flowers. “This was really sweet. Let me go put them in water.”
I head back to the kitchen to place them in a vase, and I hear Cooper. “Your place looks great. I haven’t seen it since I carried the couch in.”
I laugh. “It’s been a long time, Coop. I’ve been living here for almost seven years.”
“Been that long, huh?”
“It has.” I come out with the flowers and place them on the table.
“Well, you’ve done a lot with the place.”
My house is perfect for me. I like working on projects and this place was the ultimate one. I’ve redone each room to be exactly like I wanted. A lot of tender love and care went into making it a home.
“Thank you. Do you want a tour?” I ask.
“Definitely.”
I take Cooper through each room, showing him all the work I’ve done. “This was the original flooring,” I explain.
“I could’ve used your help when I was fixin’ up the farmhouse.”
I duck my head at the compliment before looking back up. “I think you did a great job.”
He takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t mind doing the work, it was all the other crap I hated.” Cooper steps closer and pushes the hair out of my eyes with his other hand. “If I had help, though, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.”
“I’ll make you a deal. If you remodel a house again, I’ll be happy to dictate what you should do.”
He moves in closer. My breathing is shallow as I feel the heat from his body so close to mine. Cooper’s eyes are warm and open and his hand rubs against my arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. I dig my nails into my palm, hoping I can get my heart to slow.
Before I can move, Cooper takes a step back and I can breathe again. “You all right?” he asks.
“Yup. Totally fine. I’m good. I mean, I’m great. Perfect even.” I start to ramble and want to punch myself in the face.
Cooper’s lips turn up into a small smile. “Glad to hear it.”
I need to save myself from going down the rabbit hole of mortification.
“So, where are we goin’?”
It’s very out of character that I didn’t ask before, but I think I was trying not to think about it. I’m a planner, and I need to have everything in order. I don’t like feeling the way I have been all afternoon—out of control and very unstable. However, this is probably normal for a new...whatever this is.
“I figured maybe we’d head out of town for dinner? Or we can head to the café?” he offers.
“No!” The one word comes out too quickly and too loudly, and I press my lips together in embarrassment. “I mean, I think goin’ out of town is a good idea, don’t you?”
Could I be any more awkward?
Cooper nods. “I agree. I figure you’re probably feelin’ anxious enough, maybe being away from pryin’ eyes is a good thing.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
The less chances we have of running into everyone we know—the better. Especially any of the Hennington brothers. There’s no doubt Trent has already told his brothers what happened here earlier, and knowing their little posse, it isn’t good for me.
My next thought is: do I tell Cooper about Trent today? I don’t really need to? This is only a first date. However, nothing stays quiet in this damn town, so if Trent tells anyone, Cooper will find out. But does Cooper have a right to be upset? We’re not together. This is a friend date. That’s it.
I’m so screwed.
