Page 85 of Swiped By My Dad's Best Friend
I snorted. “My floundering business? It might be a relief to leave it behind.”
Cooper shook his head. “I don’t believe that. You don’t give up that easily.”
Sitting back, I frowned. I hadn’t given upeasilyat all. It had been months of struggle, even before I’d met Cooper again and taken this temporary teaching gig at Hayworth.
“That came out wrong,” Cooper said, obviously reading my expression. He reached for my hand, and I let him grasp and squeeze. “What I mean to say is, I don’t think you’ll be happy to walk away from it in this state. And also, I have no special place I want to go, except to you. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I considered dropping out…”
He’d worked so very hard this semester, but I also knew he’d never really wanted to be in school. If he was ready to set himself free, I wouldn’t do anything to hold him back.
“What did you decide?”
“I think I want to finish. It feels a waste to walk away when I’m so close.”
Nodding, I said, “That makes sense. If it’s what you want. I only want you happy.”
“But that means we’d be long-distance for another whole semester.” He nibbled his lip nervously. “Your seminar will be over too, so we won’t even have that bringing us together.”
“We don’t need a seminar for me to drive up here,” I said. “You can come to me too, if you want.”
“I want to see you every weekend,” Cooper said, sounding urgent. “There’s winter break and spring break too.”
“We’ll make it work, brat,” I said, accepting his wet embrace. “Whatever it takes, like I said.”
He pulled back, eyes bright. “After graduation, I want to come to you. I can start my life anywhere, and you’ve got a business to save. We’re going to find a way to make things better.”
I smirked. “We are, huh? Did you want to join the business?”
He cocked his head. “I do like working outside, but no. I prefer construction.” His expression turned thoughtful. “I really enjoy helping people too. If I can find a way to blend the two…well, I’ve got one more semester to see if there’s some skills I can pick up that might help me find work at a nonprofit agency. If not, I can always work construction and volunteer in my free time.”
“Plenty of time to figure it out,” I agreed. If it came down to it, I’d help him launch his own charity, similar to the one he’d begun in Hayworth. I’d met the residents he’d helped, had seen their gratitude and relief at receiving the help, as well as a genuine affection for Cooper. “As long as you pursue something you love, we’ll make it happen.”
He smiled brightly. “I finally think I know what that is.”
25
COOPER
Trace dropped me off at the frat while he went to his seminar Saturday morning. I had a backpack full of assignments for the days I’d missed—and given that the headaches hadn’t entirely abated, I wasn’t sure I’d make it back to class for a few more days. That meant, sketchy concentration or not, I had to make some progress or risk falling hopelessly behind.
The only silver lining was a note that I found tucked in with my assignments from my philosophy professor.
In light of your accident and your increased efforts over the past few weeks, I’ve included a few extra credit essays that will aid you in preparing for the final exam and may also bring up your overall score.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall—Confucius
I’d nearly cried when I found that note. Trace had been concerned until I showed him, then he’d kissed my cheek and said, “Looks like neither of us can give up just yet.”
I’d beamed at him, glad he’d taken to heart my suggestion that he not walk away from his business. I hadn’t been able to do much these past few days other than sleep and daydream aimlessly, and I’d been mulling over Trace’s dilemma of a well-funded competitor. It wasn’t a small problem, but Trace had a client base and word of mouth. He was struggling, but there must besomethinghe could do to amplify his local experience.
I walked inside to find Simon, Kev, and Aaron in a shoving match.
“Uh, what’s going on?”
Simon gave Aaron one more hard shove, and he stumbled a couple of steps.
“Nothing, man.” Aaron smirked. “Your sugar daddy gave you a ride, huh?”
Simon smacked him up the backside of his head, but I was unfazed. If I could deal with my father’s disapproval, I could handle one immature frat boy. “His name is Trace.”
