Page 20 of The Road Ahead
“Fine. What will you make for me instead?”
Cooper considered this for a long moment, giving it serious thought. He then smiled serenely—and dare I saylovingly—and said, “A penguin.” He then took my hand and led me through the crowd, leaving me feeling slightly baffled but knowing that for whatever reason that was meaningful to Cooper.
Chapter 10
Cooper
The line dancing session was being held in the old gymnasium, and as the sun was setting, Rio and I made our way there. I smiled and waved as I saw Teresa waiting for us just outside, and we went to meet her. “No Brad?” I asked, not seeing him.
She shook her head. “No, he’s over in the Main Marquee to see that DJ he likes. He’ll meet up with us afterwards to grab something to eat.”
“Cool.” I paused, then decided I wasn’t going to pussyfoot around. “Is everything okay with you guys? Things seem to have been a little tense lately.”
She blew out a long breath. “Fucked if I know, Coop.”
Rio frowned. “You know it’s not a good sign that you can’t answer yes, right?”
“I know,” Teresa whined. “Iwantthings to be fine with us. Do you know how hard it is to find a good guy in a small town like Stony Creek?”
“But?” I prompted.
“But I’m not sure if he’s right for me,” she finished, running a hand through her hair, which was loose around her shoulders today. “I thought he was, but this week he’s not been acting like the man I thought he was. What if his true colors are beginning to shine through? I deserve better than how he’s been treating me.”
“Hell yeah you do,” I agreed.
“What will you do?” Rio asked.
Teresa shrugged. “I want to enjoy the festival. I look forward to it all year and I don’t want a fight or a breakup to ruin that. So I think I’m gonna hold off until after the festival to talk to him and decide what I want to do.”
I nodded. “I’ve got your back, whatever you decide. Just let us know if you need us to run interference with Brad in the meantime.”
She pulled me into a hug. “Thanks, Coop. You’re the best.”
“I know,” I teased, tipping my hat in her direction.
She shoved me, and muttered, “Asshole.” Then we walked into the gym.
There was a makeshift stage at one end where the band was set up, and there were a few tables scattered around the edges of the room, leaving the majority of the floor free as the dance area. There were quite a few groups of people milling around already, some of them walking through various dances, others just chatting. I nodded hello to a few people I knew, and the three of us headed for a free table.
“I’m gonna go and find us some drinks,” Rio said as Teresa and I sat down. “What can I get you guys?”
“I might just grab a bottle of water, thanks.” I had driven us over today, so I wasn’t drinking. “Do you want me to come with you and help?” I offered.
They shook their head. “Nah, I’ll manage.”
“Can I please have a hard lemonade?” Teresa asked.
“No problems,” Rio said, then turned and headed outside towards the nearest bar. My eyes lingered on them until they were gone, enjoying the way the tiny shorts they wore hinted at the swell of their ass.
“You’ve got it so bad,” Teresa said with a laugh, drawing my attention back to her.
“Shut up,” I mumbled, still unable to process that she knew how I felt. I had honestly thought I’d done a better job of keeping my feelings hidden, but apparently I’d been less subtle than I thought.
“God, Cooper. There’s no need to be embarrassed. Rio’s perfect for you. I really hope you two work things out.”
I chewed on the edge of my thumb, trying to figure out how to voice my insecurities. “You don’t think Mom and Dad would have a problem with it?”
To her credit, Teresa didn’t immediately dismiss my concerns, but gave some actual thought to them. “I’m not sure. Maybe? Though I’d hope not,” she finally said. “They’ve always been pretty accepting people. They didn’t even blink when you came out.”
