Page 24 of Save the Drama for your Mama
“Oh, wewillgo for it,” Lucinda replied with a sly grin. “Well,Iwill.”
“The man is eye candy, and she’s got a sweet tooth,” Larissa said. “We flipped a coin, and she won, unfortunately, so she’ll get a shot at him.”
“A shot” at him?
Was he like a stuffed animal people win at the carnival?
Step right up! Pop a balloon with a dart and Cooper is yours!
“Rumor has it he knows his way around a kitchen, too!” Lucinda said. “Lucky for him,Ihave got the recipe for love.”
I held back a snort since I had seen the inside of Cooper’s refrigerator when Chad had opened it to offer us a drink during the tour. It was empty, except for some leftover pizza, a half-gallon of milk, a stick of butter, and a few condiments on the shelf of the door.
“What happened to that guy you were seeing? The one you brought into the bookstore last week?” Abigail asked. “Benny? Kenny?”
“Lenny,” Lucinda corrected.
Larissa grimaced. “Lenny. Ugh. He’s not worth your time, and he’s not your type.” She leaned against the table, making my smoothie wobble. “Cooper is your man, and I’ve got the plan to have his hands on your saucepan.”
Abigail shook her head. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s one important little detail that you have no control over.”
“What’s that?” Larissa asked.
Abigail pointed to me. “Cooper likes Melody.”
“What?!” I almost dropped my smoothie. “He does not.”
She scoffed, then licked her spoon clean. “Oh, trust me, he does. What you two have is called chemistry, my dear.”
“Oh, yeah—we blend so well together, kind of like oil and water,” I said. “And you have forgotten that Cooper wanted to kill me.”
“He’s made itlooklike he wanted to kill you,” Abigail said. “It was a defense mechanism, since he didn’t know what to do with his newfound infatuation with your sexy self. And you and I both know that infatuation goes both ways. I saw the way you were looking at him.”
“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation,” I said. “The man is an early-chapters Mr. Darcy clone. Not interested.”
Abigail gave me a knowing smile. “Not interested? That’s what Elizabeth Bennet said. And we both know how that story ends.”
I dismissed her preposterous notion that Cooper liked me or vice versa. Sure, he was fun to flirt with, but because it flustered him so much. The two of us constantly bickered, and it was not the stuff of great romances. I had caught him looking at me twice with his standard meditating mien on full display, but I would’ve bet he was trying to figure me out since I refused to put up with his attitude.
That didn’t mean he liked me.
It meant I baffled him.
Two different animals altogether.
Just then, my phone pinged with a text from a person who wasn’t in my contacts. The message said we needed to meet in the attic, and that it was important. I didn’t waste any time with my reply, but decided to have a little fun.
Me: New phone. Who dis?
I added Cooper to my contacts and waited for him to respond, trying to keep myself from smiling even though I felt positive he had a scowl on his face at that very moment.
Cooper: You know who this is.
Me: How can I be so sure? I’ve been inside a lot of attics.
Cooper: That’s a thing? Attic hopping?
Me: Spread the word. I’m starting a new fad.
