Chapter Ten
Cooper
I whistled as I pulled the car into the drive with a smile on my face, thinking about the last hour and a half of my life. A quick trip to the bar and grille had proven to be one of the best excursions in my life so far, and I had Emma to thank for it. I couldn’t stop thinking about those gorgeous, sparkling eyes and the way those freckles dotted their way across the bridge of her nose, making me think of her in a way I hadn’t thought of a woman in years. And, by the looks of how things ended in the parking lot, she was single. I still couldn’t believe I’d run into her again. I had truly enjoyed her company and it was nice to know that she was hanging out with me because she wanted to. There was no motivation for money driving her interest. Working with her would give me a chance to get to know her just a little bit better.
Cutting off the engine, I opened the door and climbed out of the car, the conversation with Chris still in my mind. He gave me the cold shoulder when I first approached him about the job, but I kept asking. He evidently thought of me as a troublemaker because of what had happened in the parking lot, but I eventually wore him down and he agreed to give me a shot at bartending. Even though I didn’t need the money, it would give me something to focus on while we were there, something that made my life feel semi-normal. Plus, I could see Emma. It was a win all the way around.
Uncle Bill approached me as I walked toward the house, a peculiar look on his face. “What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, thinking something might have happened to Mom while I was gone. Not that they couldn’t have called. I’d picked up cell phones as soon as we had arrived in Malibu, giving Mom one so she could keep in touch. It was a luxury we hadn’t been able to afford before.
He stopped in his tracks, shaking his head slowly. “Nothing’s wrong, Cooper. Everything’s good on the home front. I-I just need to talk with you for a moment, son.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, watching his agitated state. Something was definitely going on with him.
He looked at me and exhaled gradually. “Why didn’t you tell us you were the big lotto winner? I saw the article and couldn’t believe it when I read your name. How could you keep a secret as big as this?”
My chest tightened, I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. I hadn’t wanted them to find out so soon, nor had I expected them to. I had nothing prepared, I was totally off guard. “I don’t know. It just wasn’t important at the time.”
“Not important?” my uncle asked, disbelief in his expression. “Cooper, you are a billionaire. How can that not be important?”
“It’s just not,” I replied, frustration in my tone. I didn’t want to be treated any different just because I had a lot of money. I wanted a simple life, one that wasn’t riddled with money grubbers and those who only talked to me because of my sudden pockets full of cash. That was precisely one of the reasons I’d enjoyed the last few hours. Emma didn’t know. To her, I was just a guy who had helped her. I liked the simple fact that she looked at me normally, with genuine interest on her face while I talked. I didn’t want to see greed in her eyes or anyone’s eyes for that matter.
Uncle Bill looked at me intently for a moment, something dawning in his eyes. “What happened at home, Cooper?” he asked softly. “Is that why you’re out here? Something happened to make you run all the way to California?”
He knew why I was running from the neighborhood. On some level, he understood. “I had a little run-in with one of the gangs in the old neighborhood,” I forced out, my hands balled into fists as I thought about that night and how it had changed my life forever. “They wanted money that I didn’t want to give them. They threatened me, and I panicked.” I forced myself to relax, reminding myself I was far away from the danger. “I didn’t ask for this money. Hell, I didn’t even want the ticket, but for some reason, fate had its own ideas.” I looked at him, imploring. “Please. I have to keep Mom safe, and we weren’t safe back home. I knew she would love seeing ya’ll, so this is where we came. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“How much trouble are you in?” he asked, his expression hardening. I knew what he was thinking. Thank god I was smarter than to do anything close to what was likely running through his mind. I shook my head, rubbing a hand over my face. “It’s not like that. I’ve never been mixed up in the gangs in any way. It’s just like I told you. I refused to give them any money. They threatened my life, and I knew I had to get out. There was nothing else going on.”
My uncle exhaled hard and crossed his arms over his chest. “Good. I thought you had done something stupid. I can see why you came out here now.” He then clapped a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, some of the tension draining from his face. “You and your mom are both safe with us, and you can stay as long as you like. You’re family.”
“Thanks,” I said, giving him a nod. “It means a lot.” I was glad to have someone to confide in, though a small part of me still felt the urge to be on guard since my little secret was out. It was a horrible thought to have day in and day out that someone was always out to get you because of the money, but it was going to be the life I lived for, well, for as long as I had money.
He sniffed and looked over my head, his eyes on the horizon in the direction of the bar and grille. “So, what does a billionaire do with all his spare time?”
I grinned, knowing I was about to blow his mind. “He gets a job.”
My uncle looked at me like I was crazy, his mouth dropping open. “A job? What would you need a job for? You have loads of money!”
“I want to be normal,” I replied softly, thinking of how simple life was before that ticket. I might have struggled to make ends meet, but at least it made sense. Now, it was all confusing. “I got a job bartending at Keefer’s. It’ll give me something to do instead of being underfoot all the time here.”
“A job,” my uncle repeated as the door opened and closed behind him and my aunt made her way to his side. “He got a job, Sophie.”
My aunt looked at me with a smile curving on her lips. “Good for you, Cooper. Gillie said that you wouldn’t be idle for long. What will you be doing?”
“He’s a billionaire, for heaven’s sake,” my uncle protested, still not believing I had gone and gotten a job. “He doesn’t have to work, ever.”
“It’s a bartending job at the grille down the street. I can’t just sit around,” I replied, my hands itching to find something to do. “This will give me some time to think.”
“Good for you,” Aunt Sophie said, linking arms with her husband, who was still looking at me in astonishment. “Not having to work and not needing to work are two different things, Bill. Surely you know that he’s not the type to just sit around. Some people can’t be idle like that. I know you couldn’t be.”
“I don’t know,” my uncle grumbled some more. “Billions of dollars could make me happily idle on an island somewhere.”
“I will still give you something for letting us stay here,” I added. “I know we are imposing, but I appreciate you taking us in.”
My aunt looked at me, her eyes softening. “You are such a good boy, Cooper. Even when Gillian was pregnant with you, I thought of you as my own child. If we could have had children ourselves, I would’ve wanted them to be just like you.” She then reached up and patted my cheek. “We will help you out as much as possible, my dear boy. However you need us to do so. Isn’t that right, Bill?”
“He went and got a job,” my uncle was still saying, shaking his head in disbelief. “That just blows my mind.”
My aunt laughed and tugged on his arm. “Come on, let’s all go inside.”
I followed them toward the house, my heart bursting with love for my family. I was glad the big secret was out in the open, but I still wondered if greed would eventually show its ugly head in some way. Money made people do crazy things, but I just wanted my life to be normal.
We entered the living room where Mom was sitting on the couch, a laptop on her lap. She looked up as we entered, her face flushed with excitement. “Coop! I’m so glad you’re back. You will never guess what I found on this thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked, sliding onto the couch next to her. She turned the screen my way, and I felt my heart began to race as I looked at the image on the screen — a 1957 Corvette, black with the red interior visible in the picture, the car of my dreams. Fully restored in pristine condition, right down to the $110,000 price tag.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Mom asked, clicking through the pictures like an excited kid at Christmas. “Just like you had on the wall back home. It’s meant for you to have this car.” I had a calendar of classic cars, one of the Christmas gifts my mom had splurged on one year. The calendar itself was way out of date, but I kept it turned to this particular car, saying that I would own a beauty like that one day. That day could be a reality now if I wanted to spend that kind of cash on something so excessive.
“Oooee, that is one sweet ride,” my uncle remarked as we all hovered around the screen. “You have good taste, son, good taste indeed.”
“It is gorgeous,” I admitted, looking at the pictures. “But I can’t get something like that.” I couldn’t drive around in that car and everyone not think that I had money.
“Why not?” Mom asked, her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked at me. “You have earned something like this, Coop. You deserve something like this. Spend some of that money and get yourself what you have always dreamed of. You deserve to enjoy this gift that has been given to you at least a little.”
“It just doesn’t feel right,” I replied, shaking my head. As much as I would like to have the car, I knew we needed to be careful with the money and not fall into one of those lifestyles where in a year or two we would be back in that crummy apartment with nothing to show for it. I didn’t want that to be us.
“Aww, come on, Cooper,” my aunt said, tapping me on the shoulder. “It’s a car, not an island like your Uncle Bill would buy. This car is a very small drop in the bucket compared to what you are not spending. Buy the car, enjoy yourself. You’ve worked hard your whole life to get here.”
I bit my lip and looked back at the car, my heart hammering in my chest. Did I dare to do something so out of my character? Two months ago, I would have laughed at the thought of even buying an updated calendar and now I was considering buying a $110,000 car?
“Buy it, Coop,” Mom urged, handing me the phone and pointing to the number listed in the ad. “If you don’t, I will, and I know nothing about cars.”
“Okay, fine,” I said, punching the numbers on the phone and holding it up to my ear. One splurge wasn’t going to hurt.
* * * * *
“Son, you have just bought yourself a beauty, I tell you. If I didn’t already have a garage full and a wife telling me I can’t build another garage, I would keep this one. Yes, sir, this is a fine car here, a fine car.”
I grinned as I accepted the keys, running my hand lightly over the shiny interior of the car. After I made the phone call, Uncle Bill drove me to the residence where the car was kept and we had spent the better part of the hour touring the man’s extensive collection. After it was all said and done, I was sitting in my very own vintage car. Mine. And not just any vintage car, but one I had drooled over and dreamed about for years. It felt damn good, I had to admit it. “Don’t worry, Mr. Peterson, I will take exceptional care of this car.”
“I have no doubt that you will, my boy.” He smiled, clapping me on the back. “Enjoy it, son.”
I gave him a little wave and cranked it up, my grin nearly splitting my cheeks as I listened to the engine purr. Mom had been right. It felt good to be able to buy something that was so out of reach just a few months ago. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be sitting in one, let alone about to drive it away with the title in the glove compartment.
I backed it out of the driveway and turned on to the highway, enjoying the ruffling of my hair in the breeze, the top safely stored in the trunk for now. I felt like a million bucks. The car was immaculate — garage kept with all original parts and the interior looking like it had just rolled off the assembly line. I was afraid to even drive it, at first, fearing I might mess it up. Mr. Peterson had let us take it around the block and my uncle had agreed it was a good buy before driving back to the house right before I had made the transaction.
Switching lanes, I took the next exit that would take me back to the house. Even though I knew I deserved it, I still felt a little guilty about the purchase. I wondered if that would ever change. There were more important things to spend the money on, things that would last beyond the life of the car. It just wasn’t going to be easy for me to change that mindset.
* * * * *
I pulled into the lot and shut off the engine, looking in the rearview mirror nervously before stepping out. It was my first official day at Keefer’s and while I was nervous about starting the job, I was more nervous about seeing Emma again. I hadn’t driven my new car for the first day, wanting to just be Cooper, the visitor from out of town who had impressed a beautiful girl with my charm. Instead, I was driving the rental, nothing fancy about it.
I shut the door and walked into the back door to the grille, giving Chris a nod as I passed. “Good luck today,” he said in reply as I stowed my stuff in the lockers provided and walked out into the dining area with a nervous smile. Emma was waiting on a table as I stepped behind the fully stocked bar, slowly taking my inventory like I would back home. It was well stocked and I knew I wasn’t going to have any problems, which was good. The place was pretty busy for the one o’clock hour, the seasonably warm weather driving people indoors in search of a cold drink and a cool atmosphere. That had been one thing I had found out about my new car. Air conditioning did not exist in cars in 1957, and even with the top off and the windows rolled down, it had still been quite warm.
“Hey, you got the job,” Emma said as she walked over to stand in front of the bar.
Looking up, I gave Emma a grin before I reached down to pull a new rack of washed glasses out. “Yes, I did. I hope I do okay.”
She gave me a smile that quickly waned as she glanced back toward the dining area. My grin faded, thinking that somehow I had offended her already. “What’s wrong, Emma?”
“He’s here,” she said quietly, nodding to a booth near the door. “Sitting in my section, of course.” I followed her nod and my blood started to boil as I saw her ex-boyfriend’s angry expression as he watched us from his seat. “What is he doing here?”
“What do you think?” she responded, weariness in her voice. “I tried to get him to leave, but he won’t. I can’t have him making a scene in here in front of the customers, I just can’t! I need this job!”
I reached over and touched her shoulder, looking into her tear-filled eyes. “Don’t worry,” I said gently. “It’s going to be okay. I’m sure he’s not going to do anything stupid. He’s still sober, right?” I said, trying to get that smile back on her beautiful face.
“Get your damn hands off of her.”
I looked up to see the seething ex mere inches away from Emma, his eyes on my hand touching her shoulder. Slowly, I removed it, stepping back. “Hey, dude, it’s okay. I was just telling her everything is gonna be fine. You being here isn’t making her job easy today.”
“She’s mine, you got it, buddy?” he growled, garnering attention from some of the customers sitting around us. Emma put her head in her hands, and I felt the stirring of red hot anger start to build. He was embarrassing her and that was unacceptable. “I’m afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave,” I said softly.
“Leave?” he laughed, throwing his arms up in the air. “I haven’t done anything! All I wanted to do is to talk to my girlfriend without assholes like you butting in. Come on, Emma, we are going outside.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Tim,” she said, pushing away from the bar and attempting to walk away.
The doors to the kitchen banged open, and Chris stepped out, his ever-present frying pan in hand. “What’s going on out here?”
“I’m trying to talk to my girlfriend and this asshole is butting in,” Tim said as Emma moved away from his touch. Chris’ eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. “It doesn’t look to me like she wants to talk to you. Why don’t you get on out of here and try again later?”
Tim looked at all of us, and I could see the anger in his face. I worried that he might take it out on Emma later. Was she safe enough from him? He raised his hand, and I mentally braced for the impact, surprised when he just pointed at me. “He interfered with my relationship, got my girl all confused.”
“Tim, please,” Emma said softly, gripping her apron tightly. “Just leave.”
“The hell I will,” Tim responded, taking a step forward.
“I’m going to call the cops,” Chris replied, stepping back through the doors. I saw Emma’s eyes swing toward mine and realized that she was waiting to see what my next move was. There was hope in her expression, and I knew then I couldn’t let her down. This asshole had hurt her once again, and he wasn’t going to get away with it.
“Listen,” I said, dropping my voice. “I’m going to count to ten and then I expect you to be walking out with me. This isn’t the place to be airing your dirty laundry. You aren’t doing anything but embarrassing yourself and this poor woman you apparently care about, so why don’t you do all of us a favor and start moving toward the door?”
Tim’s face went through a range of emotions. The most important was the way he looked guiltily at Emma as if finally seeing her misery. For the first time, I could see the concern on his face through the anger. “Fine,” he finally said, throwing his hands up. “We will talk about this later, Emma.”
He turned to go, and I moved from behind the bar, walking past her, only to have her touch my arm. “You don’t have to go.”
“I’m going to make sure he leaves,” I said softly, patting her hand. “Go on and get these hungry people taken care of. I’ll be right back.”
She gave me a grateful smile and I moved outside, where Tim was waiting for me. “You don’t know who you are messing with,” he said as I waited under the awning for him to walk to his car. “I got more money, more influence than you could ever imagine. I could ruin you.”
“Go ahead and try,” I said nonchalantly, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m not scared of you or your money. Just leave Emma, and this place, alone.”
His fists clenched at his sides as he glowered at me. “You will regret what you are doing here.” He turned and stalked off. I didn’t move from my spot until he was in his car and tearing out of the parking lot, a cloud of dust in his wake. Then, and only then, did I exhale a deep breath, glad it was over . . . at least for the time being. I knew he was going to be back, but I wasn’t going to let Emma continue to be bullied by him.
Turning back toward the door, I entered and smiled at the customers on my way back to the bar, where Emma was waiting with a hesitant look on her face. “He’s gone for now,” I said as I started readying the bar for the evening rush. “I don’t think he’ll be back today.”
“I . . . thank you, Cooper,” she said softly, laying a hand on top of mine. The sizzle of her skin connecting with mine sent a shiver through me. I swallowed, trying to keep it from showing on my face. With all she was dealing with, she wasn’t ready to know I was already having these feelings for her. She had enough to worry about, but I hoped there would come a time. “You’re welcome,” I forced out. “It was nothing.”
“No,” she stated, causing me to look into her beautiful eyes. “It was everything.” I gave her a smile and moved my hand away from hers, fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her soundly on the lips. She was dangerous. I guess I’ve always had a weakness for a beautiful damsel in distress.
“I know this is probably sudden,” she continued, her voice dropping down a notch. “But I would love it if you came surfing with me, Cooper. You know, as a way to thank you for everything you have done and officially welcome you to California.”
I looked away, busying myself with my tasks. She wanted to hang out with me? I wasn’t about to turn her down. “I’d love to,” I finally said, taking a leap of faith just like I had with the car. This was moving on with the life I had been given, enjoying myself after years of just living day to day.
“Great,” she said, a smile touching her lips. “Meet me here tomorrow. Noon. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I gave her a mock salute.
“It’s good to have you here, Cooper.” Her eyes met mine with sincerity, and I’m man enough to admit my heart skipped a few beats.
“It’s good to be here,” I said as she pushed away from the bar. I watched her go, a grin spreading across my lips. It was very good to be here, very good indeed.
“You break her heart . . . I will break your head with this pan.”
Whirling around, I saw Chris standing there, a disapproving look on his face. “What?”
“You heard me,” he responded, flexing his arms. “Emma, she’s something special. Don’t make me regret hiring you.”
I looked at him, realizing that Emma had him wrapped like she did me. “I have no intentions of hurting her.”
He nodded and stepped back into the kitchen. I turned back toward the bar, watching as Emma floated from table to table. I didn’t want to do anything but protect her. Well, and kiss her. I definitely wanted to kiss her.