Page 33 of Save the Drama for your Mama
And it wasn’t your average, every day laugh. This was a deep, full-bodied laugh, uninhibited, accompanied by a gorgeous smile that lit up his entire face.
I was witnessing a miracle.
And I was also staring. Maybe drooling, but definitely staring.
He dipped his egg roll into the sweet and sour sauce, then glanced over at me. “What?”
“Nothing. I finally got confirmation that you have teeth,” I said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You laughedandyou smiled. Should I mark this date on my calendar as a historical event?”
He crossed his arms. “And should I take away your attic privileges?”
“Don’t you dare—I’ll change the topic.” I gestured to his cookie. “What’s your fortune say? And no lying this time.”
Cooper held it up to read it, blinked twice, then shook his head. “It’s dumb. Not even worth sharing.” He crumpled it up and dropped it on his plate.
“Uh-uh, no way.” I snatched it up before he could stop me. “The lame ones are the best.”
“Seriously?” he asked, annoyed. “You’re that nosy?”
“Curious is the word I prefer.” I un-crumpled it and read it. “Romance is just around the corner.” I glanced over at him, confused. “What’s wrong with this?”
“Nothing,” he muttered.
“Did some woman rake you over the coals and stomp on your heart?” I asked. “Is that it? Does this have anything to do with Chad’s fiancée?” I winced when I realized how bad that sounded. “Sorry. It was rude of me to ask, and I was prying. Strike that from the record.”
He glanced over at me. “It’s okay. It’s not what you think, though.”
“And what do you think I think?” I asked.
Cooper shrugged. “You saw the photo of me kissing Marilyn, so you either think I am having an affair with her, or that maybe Chad stole my girlfriend.”
I nodded. “I admit, both scenarios did cross my mind.”
“Marilyn and I had briefly dated in the past. She’s a good person, but she’s way too into the whole Hollywood scene. I’m not. When she decided she would try to land a reality TV show, that was when I broke it off with her. I like that people don’t recognize me on the street, that I can go for a walk and enjoy it without getting mobbed by the paparazzi. Then Chad asked me if I had a problem with him asking her out.”
“That wasn’t weird for you?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Cooper said. “Just because we weren’t a good fit doesn’t mean they couldn’t be.” He chuckled. “And now they’re getting married. My brother’s happy. That’s all that matters.”
Admittedly, I was surprised by his candor. Under that gruff exterior, it was quite possible he had a heart. After all, any man who could set aside his own feelings and give his brother a chance at happiness couldn’t be all bad, right? I wanted to know more about him, but I’d pried enough for one evening.
“Okay, enough about me,” Cooper said. “Tell me about you. How’d you get started restoring these old homes?”
I smiled, always happy to talk about my passion. “Well, I grew up in an early nineteen hundreds Victorian. My grandmother lived with us, and she owned an antique shop in town. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, rummaging through all the old furniture and knickknacks. I think that’s where I got my love for history and old things.”
“That's cool,” Cooper said, leaning forward. “Did you study restoration in school?”
“Yessir,” I said. “I got my master’s in historic preservation at the University of Oregon.”
Cooper’s eyes went wide, nodding like it impressed him. “You’re an Oregon Duck?”
“I’ve got a fancy degree and webbed feet to prove it,” I said with a laugh.
“What a coincidence—the main character in my book, Penelope, was an Oregon Duck.”
