Page 27 of Cooper & Jake
“And he said yeah?”
“Duh. That’s why I’m bringing it up with you. To see if you wanted to. But I’m not going to say anything to him, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you just wanna leave tomorrow, that’s fine. That’s the reason I waited until he was gone to say something. So don’t feel like you have to. Just know he’s planning to stay a few days.”
“Thanks,” I tell him, shutting up when I see Jake walking back to the table.
“Jake-O, you didn’t tell me Little Dude was a veterinarian. That’s so cool. Ya know our town could use another vet. All we have is Doc Scott, and he’s probably going to retire soon.”
“Oh yeah, isn’t that awesome? We’re sitting with a doctor,” Jake says, sliding into the seat beside me.
“Why do you call me Little Dude?” I inquire, noting it’s about the millionth time he’s referred to me by the name.
“I have nicknames for everyone. It’s usually just the initial thing that pops into my head when I meet someone. And the first time I met you, you were sprawled out on the floor after falling on your ass.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I mutter, my cheeks heating when I remember seeing Jake sitting at the table at the coffee shop and crashing on my ass.
“Always,” he winks, taking a sip of his drink.
Jake, Peyton, and Taylor start talking about the mojito margarita Taylor’s drinking, each of them taking a sip, then trying to guess what’s in the drink. My mind wanders to what Peyton said about Jake staying a few extra days. Is he reallystaying to see the sights, or is he staying for me? Could I stay some additional days for him? Hell, what do I have to lose, right? I can close down the clinic for a few more days.
How often does your high school sweetheart come back into your life?
“Okay, so I’m sorry Peyton bombarded you with staying a few days longer, but what are you thinking?” Taylor whispers, locking her arm through mine as we walk down the street.
Jake and Peyton are a few feet ahead of us, not paying us any attention.
“I can’t stay longer. That’s crazy, right? Who fucking does that? Stays behind to spend more time with someone after twenty-four hours?”
“Why is that crazy? Why can’t it be spontaneous? When was the last time you did anything spontaneous? Honestly?”
“I’m not sure,” I reply, trying to think of when I did something just for the hell of it. “Shit, am I really considering this?”
“God, I hope so,” Taylor says, a dreamy lilt to her voice. “Take a chance, Coop. You never know what might be on the other end of it.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to him about it later and see where his head is at.”
“This is so damn exciting. And if something happens between you two, I want all the credit.”
“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” I say, hip checking her. “I deserve some credit.”
“Some but not all.”
“Hey! Do y’all want some ice cream?” Peyton yells, standing next to the entrance to an ice cream shop. “They also have board games. Sounds like a fun way to kill some more time.”
“What are the activities for tonight?” Taylor asks me as we reach Jake and Peyton.
“There’s a cocktail hour, then the formal dinner, and then the rest of the events are after that. I figure we can hang out here for cocktail hour, then start heading back there while they’re having dinner. Maybe sneak in a little bit of food.”
“Why did we eat if they were having a formal dinner?” Jake asks, looking at all of us.
I shrug my shoulder, “I don’t know. You all wanted to eat. It’s fine; we can just hang out while they’re doing the formal dinner thing. I really just wanted to go for the awards and the dance party.”
“Board games and ice cream it is!” Peyton says excitedly, pulling open the door and ushering us into the shop.
After ordering our ice cream, we take a spot at one of the high-rise tables in the back. Peyton walks over to the shelf of board games before coming back with Trouble. “This is one of my favorite games, so we’re playing this first. I’m green.”
Jake shakes his head, glancing at Taylor and me. “Fair warning, Peyton is competitive as fuck. No one wants to play games with him anymore.”
Peyton rolls his eyes, passing out all the game pieces. “Which is dumb as hell. I don’t even get that bad. Plus, you all cheat. Am I not supposed to call out a cheater?”
