Page 24 of This Time Around
Her eyes widened.She knew what I meant.We’d made ourselves bleed and shook hands when we were thirteen and she had a crush on Tim Parker, but Tim had asked me to go steady with him.Which meant nothing in eighth grade other than holding hands, but it was the first time our friendship had been tested.We’d sworn then no man would ever come between us, that nothing would come between us.Seventeen years later and nothing had.
“Okay.”She inhaled a breath and nodded, understanding even as her eyes were still wide.“Sock it to me.”
“Max called me a couple weeks ago saying he had a client who had to get out of California for a while.Needed to hide out, get his head on straight.Said the guy was going through some horrible divorce.Said he was sending him my way and I was supposed to put him to work.”I let that settle, seeing the gears turning in Brooke’s mind.Everyone knew what Max did.
Few cared, but Brooke was one of the ones who did.
Her lips parted, mouth fell, opened in slow motion.I slammed my hand over her mouth before she could scream.
“Yes,” I hissed.She squealed behind my hand, hands flapping in the air.“His name is Cooper.It’s Cooper Hawke, and I knew you’d figure that out, but you need to settle, Brooke.”
She shook her head, kept squealing, the sound muffled by my hand over her mouth, but if I dropped my hand that squeal would be ear-piercing, nails on a chalkboard loud, getting everyone’s attention.
“You okay?”I asked.Her cheeks were turning purple.I wanted her calm, not hyperventilating and passed out.
She shook her head.
“Can I take off my hand?”
She shook her head.
I laughed.Kept my hand right where it was and reached over and nabbed my wine.I was bringing it to my lips, grinning at my friend, when Cooper arrived at our table.
“So I take it you told her?”
Her squeal got louder, her hands slapped the table, and she bounced in her chair like she was sitting on a pogo stick.
I grinned up at Cooper.He grinned at me and then slid what could only be described as a red-carpet worthy smile at Brooke.Behind my hand, she sighed.“I’m just waiting until she’s calm.”
He looked at me and to the bar.“How long you think that’s going to take?”
I winked at Brooke.“About all night.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Ow!”I yanked my hand off her mouth, shaking it.“You bit me!”
“You.You.He.You.”Her eyes were bouncing back and forth and then she slid her hands through her shoulder-length brown hair and fluffed it.“You.Why.He.What.”
I slid her beer in front of her, turned to Cooper, and exaggerated our Southern accent.“She talks real good when she’s happy.”
“I can see that.”He slid back into his chair, turned toward us so he was blocking some of the view to our table further and dipped his head.“Can you get control of this, or should we go outside for a minute, so you can scream and calm down there?”
Brooke’s eyes popped so wide they were in danger of popping onto the table.“Outside with Cooper Hawke?”She sighed again, her voice gone dreamy, but thankfully, it was quiet.“Alone?”
“Brooke.”I used my warning, be careful tone and she picked up on it instantly.
“Well, give me a hot minute to get used to this.You’ve had two weeks.I can take two minutes.But, I’ll do that at the bar, getting another round of drinks.Holy shit,” she squealed and stood.She grabbed her beer, drained the bottle, and stared at Cooper.“Wig?”
“Yup.But I’m liking the KU hat.”
He knew she was a fan.She’d mentioned the hat and the school as soon as I introduced them earlier.I had a feeling she was so excited to have another KU fan at the table she hadn’t given Cooper the appreciation she was doing now.
“Wow.You’re…wow.That’s great.Go Jayhawks.”
Her cheeks went hot pink and she moved away, one hand out like she needed help staying steady.
“So, that’s Brooke,” I said once she was gone and Cooper’s focus was back on me.
