Page 16 of Cooper's Salvation
Closing her eyes, Kara drew the scent of him deep into her lungs. Aftershave, soap, and something uniquely Cooper. A dash of comfort and a large sprinkle of seduction—all man. As her head rested against his chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart centered her, and a sense of calm descended over her.
A soft kiss on her temple brought a smile to Kara’s lips. Looking up at him, she spoke. “I guess we’d best get going. We don’t want to be late.”
Cooper slid his hand down her arm and captured hers. It was a habit he’d recently developed, and she loved it. The small gesture made her feel both treasured and safe at the same time.
When they reached reception, Kara stopped at the front desk. “Darby, I have a lunch meeting. What does my schedule look like for the afternoon?”
A grin spread across the receptionist’s face, but she refrained from saying anything. With a quick glance at the appointment book, she answered, “Today is a bit slow, your first appointment after lunch isn’t until two o’clock. So you’re all good if you get back late.”
Laughing, Kara shook her head. “You’re incorrigible. I’ll see you later then.”
“Yep. Have a fun lunch.” The grin made a reappearance.
Kara sincerely doubted fun was an adjective that would describe lunch in any way, but hopefully informative would be.
9
Thank God for Cooper. He engaged Kara in conversation for the duration of the short walk to the nearby coffee shop. The closer they got, the more her nerves jittered. Despite his valiant attempts to keep her thoughts from wandering to the upcoming lunch, her attention kept straying back to it.
“And then two flying fishes collided on the Rainbow Highway as they spotted a pastel unicorn galloping by.”
Turning her head to look over at Cooper, Kara asked, “Sorry, the what now?”
He laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Did you even hear a word I said?”
“Sure.”
Inwardly grimacing, she tried not to let it show on the outside when he called her bluff. “So what did I say then?”
“I … Sorry, Cooper.” She smiled sheepishly at him.
Cooper heaved a dramatic sigh, clutched a hand to his heart, and gave her a wounded look. “Here I am declaring my undying love for you, and you never heard a word I said.”
Kara stopped dead in her tracks, looking at him in horror. “You said what now?”
“Good lord, woman. You’re even repeating yourself.”
She simply gaped at him, unable to form any more words.
This time a belly laugh rumbled out of him. She waited for him to finish, before smacking him on the arm. “Not nice, dude. You seriously had me going there for a second.”
Holding one hand up, he wiped his eyes with the other. “You’re right. That wasn’t very nice, but God, the look on your face was priceless. And it took your mind off your meeting for a moment.”
“Yeah, I guess it did at that.” She tucked an errant hair behind her ear. “Come on. Let’s go get this over with.”
They walked the final few feet in silence. Cooper held the door open for her, following close behind as she entered. Kara paused a moment to scan the room for the colonel, nodding when she spotted him waving from a table at the back of the room.
He stood when they reached the table, offering her a nervous smile before offering a hand to Cooper.
“Thank you so much for coming. I confess, I hadn’t expected to hear back from you so soon.” The words “or at all” hung unspoken in the air.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to contact you. This whole thing has been a little strange. In the end, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about my mother.”
“Either way, thank you.” He indicated the other chairs. “Please, sit.”
Cooper pulled a chair out for Kara before taking the seat beside her. Gratitude washed through her. She wasn’t sure whether she’d have made it through this meeting if he hadn’t appeared at her office when he did.
The conversation started out slowly, general chitchat skirting around the real reason they were all there. Finally, the older man cleared his throat, seeming to measure his words before he spoke. “I apologize for bringing up what I’m sure is a painful topic, but would you be willing to tell me about your mother?”
