Page 21 of Once Upon a Winter
“Cooper. I didn’t.”
Courtney shook her head, sending her straight corn-silk bob rippling back and forth. “Don’t mind her. She doesn’t get out much.”
Blair turned her head sharply but held her tongue.
Courtney sidled closer, nearly edging Laura out of the way. “But seriously, how did you two meet?”
“We live in the same town.”
Courtney peered at him with what Laura had to admit was an engaging smile. “That must be quite a town.”
The same old feeling returned—the churning in the pit of her stomach and the dread of what might come next. Within minutes, Delia’s friends had ruined the most magical part of her new life—knowing Cooper.
Courtney gazed into Cooper’s eyes. “So, where is this town? It sounds like a fabulous day trip.” Her face lit up. “I know! You could show me around.”
Cooper’s lips spread to a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “There’s a map on the town’s website.” He turned to Blair and Tessa, whose mouths were agape. “It was nice meeting you ladies, but Laura promised me a tour of the buffet table. Laura?” He gestured for her to lead the way, touched her back, then slipped his hand down to hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
As they left the initial unpleasantness behind them, they happened upon Laura’s parents, Bill and Pamela. As soon as the introductions were made, Laura’s father commandeered the conversation.
“So, Cooper, how did you and Laura meet?”
Laura said, “The first time it rained—”
Bill interrupted. “I asked Cooper.”
Other than a moment of narrowing his eyes, Cooper barely reacted. “Her roof leaked, and I fixed it.”
Bill said, “That’s handy—being able to fix things.”
Cooper nodded confidently. “Especially in my line of work.”
“And what’s that?”
Cooper grinned. “I’m a handyman.”
A sharp look from her father nearly put an end to the conversation, but Laura’s mother rescued them all from the awkward silence, saying warmly, “I admire people who can work with their hands. I’ve tried my hand at gardening and needlework. I’m not very good at either. Laura, on the other hand, can grow anything. Come spring, she’ll have her yard blooming with colorful plants.”
From there, the conversation went to Christmas shopping and the weather. Then Laura declared she was starving and led Cooper, by way of the buffet table, to a corner to hide. On the way, Cooper grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne. Once they’d settled behind a large umbrella plant, Laura turned to Cooper. “I am so sorry about the third degree from my father—not to mention my sister’s friends. I never intended to put you through all this. And here you were just trying to be nice.”
He shrugged as though it were nothing.
“You’re so lucky to have normal friends.”
“Who, Enzo?” He laughed. “You’re right. I am lucky. We’ve been friends nearly all our lives, since before kindergarten. And we know everyone else—enough so that no one ever dares mess too much with anyone, because we’ve all got too much ammunition.”
Laura took a sip of champagne. “I didn’t have too many friends in school. Most of Delia’s friends had younger siblings who picked up where their older brothers and sisters left off—torturing me. You’ve met them. You can only imagine… I was pretty bookish by nature, but having so-called friends like that made it worse.” She glanced around at the assorted conversational groupings scattered about the room.
She leaned closer. “We could grab a couple of those shrimp cocktail forks and start digging. How long do you think it would take to tunnel our way out of here?”
Cooper shook his head and sighed. “If only you’d worn pants instead of that pretty red dress. We could have hidden bags of dirt in our pants like inThe Great Escape.”
Laura played along, nodding. “You know that dirt-in-the-pants bit had to be uncomfortable. The rope burns alone…” They burst out laughing, causing heads to turn, which blew their cover. “Maybe we should wander and pretend we’re enjoying ourselves.”
He gazed into her eyes with that honest, unwavering gaze of his and said, “I am enjoying myself.”
If he kept looking at her like that, she could fall deeply in love. And he did. She looked down at her almost empty champagne glass and took a sip. It was all she could think of to do that didn’t involve losing herself in his gaze and either confessing feelings she didn’t know him well enough to have or falling into a faint. The odds were fifty-fifty for either.
Tessa’s voice cut through the cocktail murmur. “Oh, look what you’re standing under!”
