“This is . . . wow, Cooper, this is huge.”
“Yeah?” he asks, his eyes bright with hope.
“Yeah.”
“So, can we show Ford?” His eyes plead with me. I can see how much he wants this. How much time and thought he’s put into these logos—from the silhouettes that look like his family to the joyful colors and the endless blue sky, full of possibilities.
But . . .
I shake my head. “No. We can’t bring them to him.”
“What?” He leans back in his chair, deflated. “But you said—”
“I know what I said, but we can’t talk to him just yet.”
“What do you mean?”
I fold my hands and place them on the table in front of me before looking Cooper in the eyes. “I want to make sure when you present this to Ford, he’s in a good headspace. The party, the fighting through emails, the tension between you and your siblings—it’s pushing him away, and even though I know he’s a fair, sensible man, I have a feeling he would not look at this in the right light, if that makes sense. So I think we should wait until after the party, after the tension eases between you three, and once that’s all cleared out, we approach him. I think he will be in a better headspace, more open. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, that’s actually really perceptive. I wasn’t in the best headspace at our so-called brunch, nor did I help the situation. I didn’t make it easy on Ford. My irritation got the best of me, so I can imagine how he might be feeling. I can wait,” Cooper says. “As long as you’re not blowing smoke up my ass.”
“I would never do that. Trust me: Ford needs to see these logos. He’ll be floored with what you’ve come up with. But I think we need to pick our timing properly so he’s more invested in actually hearing you out and not going on the defensive. He’s insecure right now, especially where the company is concerned, so I think if we showed this to him right now, it would only make things worse. Give me a week, okay?”
“A week? Okay, yeah, sure.” Cooper picks up his tablet and stuffs it in his backpack before looking back at me. “Thank you for meeting with me, Larkin. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course. I should probably go order a sandwich and get back to the inn before Ford thinks something happened to me.”
“I’m sure he’d send a search party.” Together we stand, and I feel awkward, not sure if I should give him a hug or a handshake, but when he steps away and offers a wave, I realize that’s probably where we’re at. It’s a little bit sad, actually.
A simple wave. Nothing more.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Sure thing,” Cooper says before taking off toward the harbor again.
Wow. That was the last thing I expected Cooper to talk to me about, but if I can time this right, I think it could be the solution Ford has been looking for—one that could help Cooper as well.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
PALMER
“I have to get back,” Beau says, leaning down and pressing a kiss to my lips as the perfect summer breeze picks up around us, cooling our heated skin from the blazing sun. It was the perfect day for an early lunch outside: not very busy and with beautiful blue skies after last night’s downpour.
“Unfortunately, I know. And my mom texted me; she wants me to grab a bag of ice for her. I swear they’re the only people who still buy ice instead of making it at their house.”
“It’s the old-school things that give them the nostalgic vibe.” He presses another kiss to my lips. “Appreciate those little things—you never know when they might stop asking for that ice.”
“You’re right,” I say, realizing I shouldn’t complain about my parents to Beau, who’s lost both of his.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day? Maybe telling your parents about your apartment and job?”
“Yeah, not sure I’m ready for that. I think I need to figure out what I’m doing with my life first so when I break the news to them, I’ll have a backup plan to show them that I’m not a complete failure.”
“You know”—he grips my cheek—“sometimes it’s in moments of failure that we lean on family the most. They might be able to help you out more than you think.” He presses one more kiss to my lips, making me sigh. “Got to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Bye.” I wave at him as he takes off down the sidewalk, looking all sexy doctor-ish in his formfitting khakis and tucked-in navy-blue polo.
Dr. Beau Novak. I still can’t believe I can kiss him.
Giddy, I walk behind the sandwich shop to the ice chest. I used to come down here on my bike every Friday to get ice for the family. I’d put it in the strong wicker basket on the back of my bike and then make the trek back to my house like the little delivery girl I was. Sometimes, if my mom gave me a ten-dollar bill rather than a five, I would buy myself a Rice Krispies Treat from the sandwich shop. You know, as tax for my vigorous effort.
When I reach the chest, I’m pulling on the handle just as, out of the corner of my eye, I spot Cooper sitting at a picnic table just a few yards away. But he’s not alone—he’s sitting with Larkin. What the hell are they doing together?
Are they in cahoots?
I shut the ice chest and creep up behind a tall bush that hides me from their view but gives me the perfect vantage point to see what they’re doing. Faintly, I can hear their voices, but I can’t really make out anything.
Cooper opens up a tablet and starts showing Larkin something. From my angle, I only see the sides of their faces, so I can’t get a good read on what they’re saying or talking about, which is frustrating—clearly the plan here is to forget about the ice and snoop instead.
What could they possibly be doing together?
Are they working on the anniversary party together? Maybe Ford assigned the party to Larkin to take care of. I could see that happening. He’s too busy, so he makes his assistant do it.
Rolling my eyes, I’m about to pull away when Larkin lifts up the tablet, revealing a teal and light-blue Watchful Wanderers logo.
I grip the bush leaves in front of me as I lean closer.
Caught, red handed. This isn’t about the anniversary party. This is about the company.
And those are new logos.
Different logos.
Nice, actually.
Where did they come from?
And why is Cooper involved?
Wait . . . why is Cooper involved? Are they all working together? I thought Ford turned down Cooper? Was that all a lie to make me think Cooper isn’t helping out with the business? Is that why Ford was weird about the rebranding? Because he was secretly working with Cooper and wanted to keep me out of it? Like he’s kept me out of other areas of the business, despite his knowing I want to help?
Anxiety roars through me as a wave of momentary embarrassment strikes. They’ve never really wanted me to be a part of the store, and I’ve never known why.
Maybe if I can lean in a little more to hear what they’re saying . . .
The air conditioner turns on next to me, drowning out their voices completely.
“Damn it,” I mutter as I look around, seeing if there’s a way I can get closer.