Page 18 of Once Upon a Winter
“Actually, I don’t mind it at all. It’s tranquil.”
“As in boring? I agree. But what about dating? I mean, I guess it’s okay if you like grizzled fishermen with yellow rain slickers and pipes.”
“Which I do, funnily enough.” Laura’s eyes flitted toward Cooper, whose broad smile spread to his sparkling eyes as he quickly turned and busied himself pouring coffee. “Look, Delia, I’m going to have to call you later. I’ve got a tow truck on the way.” She immediately wished she could take those words back.
“A tow truck! Don’t tell me you’ve been in an accident! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The car is probably fine. I just hit some black ice on the way home last night.”
Delia sighed. “Oh, thank God. So you made it home okay, obviously. By the way, I love your new house.”
Laura froze. That early in the morning, if she explained that it wasn’t her house, Delia would suspect she’d spent the night. She would never hear the end of it. “So, I’ve got to go so I’ll be there when the tow truck arrives.”
“Be where?”
“Oh, it’s just a short walk away.” Having dodged a tricky topic, Laura felt her panic subside.
“Well, the reason I called was to remind you of the party tomorrow. You’re going to be there.”
It wasn’t a question. There was nothing Laura would like more than avoiding that party. It was a big event every year, at least in Delia’s mind, so Laura wouldn’t disappoint her. That said, she wouldn’t enjoy it.
Delia chuckled. “I don’t have to ask you if there’ll be a plus-one.”
That remark stung so much that it took her a moment to recover.
Cooper said, “I’m free tomorrow.”
Delia’s eyes practically doubled in size. “Who was that?”
Laura realized her mouth was hanging open. “Oh, that?” She glanced at Cooper and back. “That’s just Cooper. He’s doing some work on my house.” It wasn’t a lie. He just wasn’t doing that work at the moment.
Cooper frowned when she called himjustCooper, so she offered an apologetic shrug.
Delia’s surprise quickly turned to suspicion. “Don’t be rude. Introduce us.” She assumed her polite manners and smiled.
Laura froze, eyebrows together, mouth open, unable to think of what to do next.
Cooper walked over, stuck his head in the range of the phone camera, and gave her a winning smile. “You must be Delia.”
It was almost worth all the discomfort to see her sister so discombobulated.
“Yes. And you’re Cooper.” Delia giggled. “Obviously.”
Laura watched, astonished. Speechless was a great look for Delia. Laura wished she would try it more often.
Delia was thoroughly focused on Cooper. “I was just telling Laura she’s welcome to bring a plus-one to the party tomorrow. So, if you’re not busy, we’d love to have you.” She smiled, having regained her well-practiced poise. But Laura detected a devious glint in her sister’s eyes.
Cooper, as calm and controlled as Laura was not, said, “I’d love to.” With a quick glance at Laura, he said, “It was great meeting you, Delia, but we’ve got a tow truck to meet.”
“Oh. Of course! See you tomorrow, I hope!” Cooper stepped away, and Delia’s delighted tone of voice changed only slightly but enough for Laura to catch the implication that they would talk later. “Bye, Laura.”
“Bye.” After double-checking to make sure she’d ended the call, Laura turned to Cooper. “What just happened?”
His face was a mirror of her shock. “I’m sorry, Laura. I didn’t like the way she was talking to you.”
“Do you realize what you’ve done?” she exclaimed, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
“I’m sorry. I had no right to impose like that.” His eyes clouded with guilt.
