“It’s like Tetris, but not. You can’t rotate the blocks, but you have to try to eliminate lines. It’s mindless and keeps me busy when I’m waiting for things to bake or cool down or I just need a break. You should download it—clear your mind when you’re not editing. How’s that book coming along, by the way?”
“Fifty pages left. Fifty pages of pure torture.”
I shake my head. “I don’t get it—why are you an editor if you don’t enjoy it?”
“I don’t enjoy nonfiction. I like fiction, but I’ve been roped into the driest, most tedious nonfiction—despite hating it, I’m good at it.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Very.”
“So then . . . find something you do like.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Really? Seems easy to me,” I say. “Figure out what you like and then go for it.”
“Yeah, I tried that,” he says softly, looking away.
“And what happened?”
“My brother told me no.”
“You wanted to work with Ford?” I ask, confused.
“Yeah.” He runs his hand through his hair. “He’s rebranding the store, and I wanted to help. I had some good ideas, have been drawing things out.”
“You draw?” I ask, shocked.
Dealia and Cooper were married for five years before they divorced, but despite being Dealia’s best friend and maid of honor, I really didn’t get to know Cooper well at all. I had a few beers with him and some friends in that time, but it didn’t extend past that. We may have been intimate later on, but I still don’t know much about him other than what Dealia has told me.
And from what she’s told me, I know he can be closed off and unwilling to look outside his little radius. He turned down an opportunity to work abroad that Dealia was excited about, but he didn’t want to leave Seattle. And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It drove Dealia crazy that he wouldn’t go anywhere, wouldn’t do anything. She wanted more, and he said he wanted more, but when push came to shove, he never followed through.
But I don’t see what Dealia was talking about when I look at Cooper.
I don’t see someone with no follow-through—I see someone who is persistent about making things right.
I don’t see someone who’s afraid to move out of their radius—I see someone who is protective of his family.
I don’t see someone stuck in their ways—I see someone wanting to break through his old patterns, but he just needs a helping hand to make that happen.
Makes me wonder if Dealia actually knew Cooper, or if there was a thin veil of denial she wore, preventing her from seeing the man I see. Dealia wanted more when it came to their marriage, and when those ideas and plans had to change, I wonder if her mindset ever changed as well.
Because Cooper is a good guy. A caring man. Dependable. Someone who goes the extra mile. I see it. I see him.
“Yeah, I’ve been taking some graphic design classes at night for a year now. I do everything on a digital drawing tablet, and it connects to my computer, bringing it to life.”
“Seriously?” I ask. “Wow, Cooper, I had no idea.”
“No one does . . . well, besides my dad. You’re actually the only other person I’ve told.”
“Wait, so you’ve been taking classes and learning a new skill, and you haven’t told anyone? Why not?”
“Because of the image I seem to carry. The guy with no follow-through. It’s the same reason Ford didn’t hire me for the rebranding, because he believes there’s a great chance I would fail. I didn’t want to have to deal with any negative comments or thoughts when I was finally doing something positive in my life.”
I frown. “Your brother thought you’d fail, and that’s why he didn’t hire you?” He nods. “Wow, that’s really shitty. Did he even listen to what you had to say? Well, clearly not, if he doesn’t know about your design abilities.”
“I worked on a few mock-ups for the rebrand when my dad told me what Ford was up to. I used it as part of a class project, and I actually thought it was good, so I brought it to show Ford. His mind was set the minute I started talking to him. There was no way he wanted me involved, and instead of pushing him, showing him what I could come up with, I just backed away and let it be.”
“Do you have them with you?” I ask. “On your phone?”
He shakes his head. “No, I deleted them after Ford wouldn’t look at them.”
“Deleted them from your computer?” I ask, stunned.
“No, just from my phone. They’re still on my hard drive.”
“Well, you need to show me sometime. I want to see your work. Do you have anything else finished that I can see?”
He scratches the back of his neck. “Nothing I want you to see.”
“What do you mean by that? What could you possibly draw that you wouldn’t want me to—ohhhhh.” I smirk. “Are you one of those guys?”
“‘One of those guys’? What the hell does that mean?”
“You know . . . draws himself . . . naked?” I’m teasing, but I have to admit, I’m not opposed to the idea.
“What?” he laughs and shakes his head. “No. I’m NOT one of those guys.”
“Then let me see something.” When he doesn’t budge, I poke him in the chest. “Come on, let me see.”
“You’re not going to stop badgering me, are you?”
“No.”
He sighs. “Fine. But don’t say it’s good just to say it’s good. I hate that shit.”
“If it’s trash, I’ll let you know. Don’t worry.”
“You don’t have to be brutal either. I am a fragile man, after all.” I laugh as he pulls his phone from his pocket and searches through it for a few seconds. He looks up at me again. “Also, no judging.”
“Any more rules before the big reveal?”
“Don’t ask to see any more. This is it. Onetime show. Got it?”
“Oooh, I love when you speak with authority.” He rolls his eyes and then lays his phone flat on the counter in front of me. I focus in and find a drawing of my bakery front, with an illustration of myself holding a cake. And oh my God, it’s good, it’s adorable, and look at my boobs. I glance up at him, catching him gnawing on the corner of his lip. “Have me on your mind, did you?” I ask, trying to play it cool.
He just shrugs.
“You know, the coloring of my eyes is off.”
“Nah, that’s the color when you’re annoyed, the color I seem to bring out in you.”
My heart skips a beat.
“My hair is far too neat.”
“Didn’t think making you look like your usual hot mess was polite.”
My heart tugs in my chest.
“My boobs are entirely too large.”
His eyes scan to my breasts, study them, and then travel back up to my eyes. “They look pretty damn accurate to me.”
My cheeks flush.
I clear my throat and try to hold it together, even though my entire body heats up from my toes all the way to my ears. “Besides those items, this is really good, Cooper.”