He’d earned his rest, she thought, smiling smugly. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned like a sated kitten. Blinking, awakening more, she noted that the sun was shining brightly through slits in the plantation shutters. She’d definitely missed yoga this morning, she thought with a silent laugh. Carefully pushing back the sheet from her naked body, she stealthily rose from the bed, not wanting to wake him. She slipped into her pink silk kimono and, tying it at the waist, tiptoed from the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Anna and Cooper were sitting at the round wood table in the kitchen, reading the Charleston Post and Courier, doing their usual duet of spooning granola into their mouths. Cooper’s tanned back was curved over the table, his elbows resting there. All he had on were his boxers. Anna was once again wearing Linnea’s lavender kimono, which Linnea figured was hers now since she’d never returned it. It didn’t look like she was wearing anything beneath hers either. Linnea followed the scent of coffee to find a mug and pour herself a cup.
“Sleep well?” asked Cooper without looking up.
Anna snorted a laugh as she ducked her head into the newspaper.
“Ha-ha,” Linnea said. Then, bringing her mug to her lips, she added, “Actually, I slept very little.”
Cooper made a face and shook his head. “TMI. I’m your brother. Please.”
Anna looked over her shoulder and offered an expression of approval. “Help yourself to granola.”
Anna offered her homemade granola every day, and nearly every day Linnea politely declined. It was delicious, she’d tried it. But she wasn’t a fan of a sweet breakfast, preferring fruit and yogurt, maybe some eggs, all of which she had waiting in the fridge to prepare for Gordon.
“No thanks, I’m waiting for Gordon to wake up. How long did y’all stay out last night?” she asked, coming to join them at the table.
“Not much longer after you left. You kind of took the mood with you,” Anna said.
“Yeah,” Cooper added, chewing. “John looked really bummed. He sat pounding away the beers in a stony silence. A real downer.”
“Be fair. Cara and David had to leave to take Hope to bed,” Anna said to Cooper. “That’s what really started the exodus.”
“Whatever you say,” Cooper said. Then he looked over his shoulder toward the bedroom, making sure the coast was clear. “I don’t know if you want to hear this,” he began in a lowered voice. “You say it’s over between you, but I don’t think John’s feeling the same.”
Linnea waved her hand. That was old news for her. “It doesn’t matter, does it? I’m with Gordon now.” Her tone brooked no discussion.
“Cool,” Cooper said, and dove back into his cereal.
The front door opened, and from the living room they heard Julia’s voice calling out brightly, “Good morning! It’s me. Your mother! I hope you’re decent!”
They all bolted upright. Anna practically choked on her cereal and, after a moment’s freeze, made a comical dash for the outside.
“She ran out faster than a cockroach when the light turns on,” Cooper joked.
Linnea wished she’d done the same. She glanced back to make sure she’d closed her bedroom door.
The scent of her perfume arrived before Julia did. She entered all smiles, wearing a blur of pastels. She was neatly coiffed, her arms laden with several large bags.
From the corner of her eye, Linnea caught sight of Anna streaking across the deck on her way to her room. It was hard not to laugh.
“Mama, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t a mother come visit her only two children?” she asked airily. “My children won’t come to see me, so I had to come see them. It’s after nine,” she said, checking her watch. “You two aren’t even dressed. I can see what’s going on here.”
Cooper and Linnea exchanged glances.
“Just because you’re not working doesn’t mean you should let your lives go to ruin. And you,” Julia said, spearing Cooper with a gaze. “Your father is waiting for you to call him. He’s holding a job for you.”
Cooper’s chair scraped the wood floor as he rose. “Yes, ma’am. I know,” he said, carrying his dishes to the sink. He left them there and made a beeline for the exit. “I’ll go get dressed.”
Julia shook her head. “You’ve got to keep an eye on him,” she said to Linnea. “He’s doing so well. We don’t want him to slip.”
Linnea bit her tongue and kept silent. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what her conservative mother would say if she knew what was going on in this house with Cooper.
“Is that coffee fresh?” Julia walked to the pot and inhaled. “Smells heavenly.” She made herself at home, fixing herself a cup of coffee. She always drank it black, mindful of calories. She took a sip then smiled. “You always make a good cup of coffee,” she said with approval.
Linnea didn’t think it wise to tell her it was Anna who’d made the coffee this morning because she had slept in.
Julia walked to the pile of bags she’d carried in and pulled out the largest one, bearing the Target logo. “Here, darling. I bought this for you,” she said, handing it to her.
“Gosh, what’s this?” Linnea pulled a large box from the bag. “An instapot?”
“Yes!” Julia exclaimed, clearly excited by the gift. “Cara told me about them. She’s been making soups and stews and absolutely loves it. I bought one for myself and one for you. You can make those beans and lentils you like in no time at all. And they’re a wonder with beets.”
Linnea looked at the small amount of counter space in the galley kitchen and wondered where she was going to put it. “Thanks, Mama. That was very thoughtful.”
“You know how everyone is cooking up a storm these days. When I saw you last night, I thought you looked a bit thin. Are you all right?”
“Me? I’m fine,” she said. “It must be the yoga. I’m firming up.” Linnea knew she’d lost a little weight from all the stress of the past few weeks, but the yoga excuse would involve a lot less prying.
“Yoga?” Julia brightened at the idea. “You’ll have to teach me. Maybe we can do it together.”
“Uh, sure.”
“How are things with Gordon?”
“Fine,” Linnea said, bringing her mug to her lips and taking a sip. She saw her mother’s eyes glittering with curiosity.
“Oh, just a minute,” Julia said, setting her coffee on the counter. She went to pick up the other bags, which were from Anthropologie. “Be right back.”
“Mama, wait,” Linnea called, springing to her feet. But her mother was already heading down the hall to the bedrooms. She stopped in front of the seaward room and knocked briskly.
“Cooper? It’s me. I have something for you.”
Before Linnea could stop her, Julia pushed opened the door. Linnea looked over her mother’s shoulders, then groaned silently. Julia’s smile fell to an open gasp when she saw Cooper in his boxers tugging a T-shirt over his head and talking to Anna, lying on the bed with her kimono falling open, exposing a breast. The room was littered with Anna’s clothing. But the real shock was seeing Cooper’s dirty boxers lying on the floor as well. The stunned looks on their faces told Julia all she needed to know. She set down the bags and fled from the room, her cheeks pink against a pale face.