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“I hope he feels better,” Cooper said “I’ll go grab the food Meet you at my place in about half an hour?”

“See you then”

• • •

Never has a half hour flown by so quickly

I told ood That I’d had a long eek—the last thing I wanted to do was cook for rocery store, because there wasn’t much left in the house anyway

My quivering wo out that I hadn’t gotten laid for way too long and that it wasn’t like he was married

“Come in!” Cooper called when I knocked at his door I stepped inside hesitantly, looking around to see what he’d done with the place There wasn’t much furniture, and what he did have seemed to be mostly of the thrift shop variety He walked out of the little galley kitchen toward an old Formica table, which I noted had been set with mismatched plates

“Guess what I didn’t get in the divorce,” he said lightly, offering a quirky smile

“Furniture”

“You nailed it,” he said “But that’s okay—the kids need itwithto drink?”

“Water’s good”

I sat down at the table, feeling aard My own home was so comfortable, and this just seemedbleak

“You should get so”

He laughed, reaching forward to open a stea container

“I’d probably kill theuy This is ain”

I frowned, wondering what I’d do when he left Unrequited lust aside, I had a lot more unfinished projects “When do you think you’ll hit the road again?”

He shrugged

“Really just depends I’ soh that I’m not too worried about money, at least not for a while, but if I leave the area, , you know?”

“So you’re in li some broccoli beef out onto my plate

“Yeah, you could say that Watching and waiting”

“I kno that feels, actually When Mom died last winter, it was sudden She was always so healthy and strong, and she was only in her sixties Then I got a phone call that she’d slid off the road one night It wasn’t even a bad accident, but I guess she hit her head exactly wrong and it was all over”

Cooper didn’t say anything at first, and I looked up, expecting to see that old familiar look of pity People never knehat to say, about my moh I couldn’t read his expression, but he didn’t feel sorry for me, and that was better than I could’ve hoped for

“Sorry to hear that,” he said quietly I shrugged

“It is what it is I was only planning on staying for a week or two, but then I realized things weren’t right with Dad I can’t leave hi him in a home, either”