Page 12 of Once Upon a Winter
“I’ll go in and introduce you.”
“You really don’t—”
He hopped out of the truck and closed the door behind him.
“…have to.”
A guy about Cooper’s age, wearing greasy overalls and wiping his hands on a shop rag, walked in from the garage. The mechanic looked up. His eyes were round, dark pools edged in lush lashes. “Hey, Coop.”
“Enzo, this is Laura Everly. Laura, this is Lorenzo Rossi, but he’s been Enzo since kindergarten.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” Laura tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear.
Enzo nodded. “Hi.” He took her measure long enough for Cooper to narrow his gaze as he leaned against the counter and watched them.
Enzo said, “He didn’t tell me you were pretty. You are, just not what I expected at all. What did he say your name was? Clara?” When both she and Cooper scowled at him, he grinned.
Laura might have shared his amusement if she hadn’t been so uncomfortable at being inside a strange place with Cooper standing so close. She didn’t want to ask what was going on between them, but she sensed some competitiveness.
Laura couldn’t have called it a smile, but Cooper glared with a hint of amusement and went on. “She just moved into that red cottage on Chestnut.”
“Oh. Where from?”
“Bangor.”
With a nod, he said, “Ah, city girl.”
Laura stiffened and fought back a frown. “I was a city girl—last week. This week, I’m a town girl.” She gave him her professional, not-from-the-heart smile.
Enzo chuckled easily and exchanged glances with Cooper.
Laura looked at the bill then glanced up at Cooper. “I can take it from here. You must have things to do.”
He said, “No, not really. Just see you safely home and go hunker down for the storm.”
She wasn’t sure how to take the gesture. She was so used to tolerating him it took her a moment to sort through her feelings. “You can go hunker now. If the car doesn’t start, I’ve got Enzo here to complain to.”
Enzo smiled then folded his arms and stared at Cooper. Whatever secret code was passing between them, she chose to ignore it. Her car was fixed. That was all she cared about. She signed the paperwork, paid with her credit card, and happily took the keys Enzo had set on the counter.
Laura breathed a deep sigh of relief as she stepped out of the auto shop and into the snowy night. Snowflakes had begun drifting down and disappearing on the wet, shimmering pavement.
She’d been lucky to get her car back before the storm hit, but it was time to head home.
As much as she appreciated the protective way Cooper insisted on following her home, she decided she liked her independence even more. With a storm on the way, she preferred to stop at the grocery store unaccompanied. Before getting into her car, she paused and called out to Cooper. “I just remembered an errand I need to run, so I don’t need you to follow. But thanks anyway.”
Cooper didn’t say a word, but she knew from the look on his face that he disapproved of her plan. “Are you sure?”
With a cheerful “I am,” she got in her car and drove off. As she pulled away, she hoped she hadn’t seemed rude. She felt guilty. Cooper had all the best intentions, but she’d grown accustomed to doing whatever she wished without supervision. She didn’t like feeling dependent on anyone, especially a man she barely knew. Cooper in particular had a way of stirring up feelings, conflicting emotions that left her feeling troubled, so redrawing the boundary between them seemed like a wise thing to do.
Cooper watchedas Laura’s car disappeared into the descending gloom, the first snowflakes of the coming storm beginning to accumulate on the ground.
“Well, Coop, looks like you got ditched,” Enzo remarked, a smirk playing on his face.
Cooper grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets as the cold began to bite. “Not ditched, Enzo, released. There’s a difference.”
“Uh-huh, right,” Enzo retorted with a chuckle. “Keep telling yourself that. You know, you’re not so smooth around that one.” He inclined his head in the direction Laura had disappeared.
Cooper turned to his friend, eyebrows knitted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
