Page 19 of The Road Ahead
I decided to take pity on Cooper. Turning and reaching up to cup his cheek, I said, “We can talk about it tomorrow, okay? Let’s just go and enjoy ourselves today.”
He nodded, but not before he turned his head and pressed his lips against my palm. “Okay.”
My heart double-timed in my chest at the touch, as everything I wanted started to fall into place.
Yesterday at the festival, we’d seen a handful of people that Cooper knew. Today, it felt like every man and his dog knew Cooper and we couldn’t walk ten feet without being stopped so people could say hi and exchange small talk. Most seemed to know him from some line dancing club he was part of, and they all mentioned they would be at the session as well. One of the couples who stopped to chat weren’t dancers, however, and Idiscovered something that endeared Cooper to me more than I thought possible.
“Carli is going to be so upset we bumped into you without her,” the woman who Cooper had introduced as Grace told him.
A huge smile split across Cooper’s face at the mention of Carli. “How’s she doing?”
“Well on the road to recovery now,” the man, Eoin, said. “She still won’t stop talking about you. She kept the elephant you made her for weeks after she got out of the hospital and was devastated when it finally deflated.”
“I’d be happy to make her another one,” Cooper said earnestly. “I’m off work this week, but I can do one up for her when I’m back. You can then drop by the station and pick it up when you’re passing by.”
“Oh my gosh! You’d really do that?” Grace asked, a hand coming up to cover her heart.
“It’s easy to do and it’ll make her happy, so of course I’m happy to do it,” Cooper assured them.
Cooper made plans with the couple for them to drop by when he was back at work, and then we said goodbye to Grace and Eoin. “So, what was that all about?” I asked, my curiosity more than piqued.
“They’re a family I met at the hospital,” Cooper explained.
That didn’t actually tell me anything. I waved my hand at him in a “go on” gesture.
“I made their daughter a balloon elephant,” Cooper added.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m missing some context here, Coop.Whywere you at the hospital?”
“Oh! Um, I volunteer in the kids’ ward there twice a month. I make them balloon animals, read stories over the radio channel they have, and help the older kids with any homework they might have.”
I stared at him, speechless.
“What?” Cooper asked, looking embarrassed.
“How did I not know this about you?” I demanded. “Cooper, that is the sweetest thing ever!”
He ducked his head and shrugged. “I’ve been doing it for years now.”
“You never said anything about it!”
“Why would I?” he asked, looking perplexed. “I do it for the kids. I don’t do it for the accolades, Rio.”
I huffed. “Iknowthat, but you still could have shared it with me. And nowIwant a balloon animal!”
Cooper laughed. “I have my kit with me at the cabin. I’m happy to make you one.”
“Why do you have your balloon-making kit with you?” I asked.
“I figured I’d have heaps of time to practice,” he explained. “There’s some that I’m not very good at making yet. The horns on my unicorns look too phallic to give to children.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I can see why that might be a problem. You can make me a unidick, though, if you want.”
Cooper shoved me. “I’m not making you a unidick.”
“Aww, why not?”
“Because I’m not,” was his articulate retort.
