“Everyone dances around, but you just blurt things out, don’t you?”
“Call it like I see it.”
“I never planned to move back home permanently,” I told him. “And the the way I’m doing business right now is completely unsustainable. If I’m going to stay in Hallies Falls, I’ll need to put that commercial kitchen in the house—those aren’t cheap. The little one down at Mom’s store passes Department of Health standards, but it’s no good long term. Among other things, it’s not big enough for all my equipment.”
“That’s a big investment,” Cooper said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yes,” I admitted. “And it means a real commitment to the town, which was never my plan. At the same time, Dad is happy here. He’s not a danger to himself, at least not yet. Just confused. I can’t imagine taking him away from his home unless there’s no other choice—I think he’d be totally lost.”
“Tough situation,” Cooper said. “But it sounds like you’ve already made your decision.”
I cocked my head, startled. “How’s that?”
“You just said you can’t imagine taking him away,” he replied casually. “And I’ve seen the way you watch him. You love him and you want to take care of him more than you want to be in Seattle—otherwise you’d have left by now. Looks like you need to sell your old place and move forward.”
“But then I’ll be trapped here,” I said, my voice low. “It’s not easy being a single woman in this town. You wouldn’t believe how many small-minded assholes live here, and they just love to gossip about me.”
Cooper smirked. “So I’ve heard.”
I groaned, closing my eyes.
“So you know about that?”
“I heard you’re a cougar who likes to seduce college boys on the weekends,” he said, cocking his head at me. “Nobody’s actually come out and said it, but I get the impression you also drink their innocent blood to maintain your youth and beauty?”
I leaned my elbows on the table, rubbing my temples, wondering how my life had ever come to this. “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. It’s not flattering, but believe me, I’m not some cougar on the prowl.”
Cooper started laughing. Frowning, I flipped him off, which made him laugh louder.
“What’s so funny?”
“I know you’re not on the prowl,” he said. “I live next door to you, Tinker. You’re in bed by ten every night and haven’t gone on a single date since I moved in. Either you’re having a hell of a dry spell or you don’t get around nearly as much as they’d like to imagine. So tell me, where does the cougar rep come from?”
“It’s really embarrassing,” I admitted, pushing my plate to the side.
“The best stories usually are,” he said, grinning at me. “Tell me. I’ll even bribe you.”
He stood and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a giant, fancy cupcake balanced inside a domed plastic container. Carefully removing the cover, he set it in the center of the table.
“That thing’s huge,” I said, laughing.
“Yeah, women say that to me a lot,” he replied, deadpan.
“You’re terrible.”
“No, the general consensus is that I’m pretty good,” Cooper said, allowing his mouth to quirk. “See? That’s so lame I’m humiliated and ashamed of myself. Now you have no excuse not to share your story.”
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at him.
“Confession is good for the soul,” he prodded.
“Okay,” I replied, wondering if I could really go through with it. But he’d hear it all sooner or later anyway. Almost everyone in town knew already. “You have to promise you won’t judge me.”
“You got it.”
“So I left my husband a year and a half ago,” I started. “It was a rough time. No need to get into details, but I’d fallen into a slump and just couldn’t seem to pick myself up again. Four months ago I got an invitation for a bachelorette party in Olympia for my friend Margarita. She was in high school with me and Carrie, and now she’s a professor down at Evergreen State.”
I paused, staring at the cupcake. Could I really tell him this?
“And?”
“All right, so Carrie and I drove down together, and a big group of us met up at the hotel for the party. Rented a suite and everything. It was almost like a high school reunion for me, because a lot of the guests were women I grew up with but hadn’t seen for years. We all moved away from town a long