Cooper (The Family Simon #6) - Juliana Stone Page 0,23

she needed to ask finally found its way out.

“Is Nathan with you?”

Martha regarded her in silence, and then she nodded.

“He’s here? At the fire hall?”

Martha looked pained, and maybe if Morgan’s panic wasn’t so high, she could appreciate the woman’s sympathy. “He’s coming in a bit. With some of your…” Martha stumbled over her words and then whispered, “With some of your old gang. Christy’s back as well.” A pause. “I’m sorry.”

Morgan’s throat closed up, and her gaze swung wildly, darting over the crowd on the dance floor. Where the hell was Hank?

“Hey, are you all right?” Cooper’s gentle question was nearly her undoing.

She couldn’t answer. Hell, she could barely breathe.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

Morgan didn’t think. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she got to her feet. No way could she face Nathan. Or Christy. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“Please,” she whispered, a little unsteady on her feet as she stepped past Martha and uttered a soft good-bye.

Cooper didn’t ask any questions and for that she was grateful. He tucked her into his side, and together they left the fire hall. She’d left her jacket behind, but Cooper draped his over her shoulders.

Morgan’s teeth were chattering, and the ride home was a silent one, save for the sad strains of some country song, and even that ended when Cooper pulled into her driveway. She hopped out of his truck as soon as it stopped.

“Thank you,” she managed to say before turning back to close the door.

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Cooper’s warm voice slid over her. “That’s my other superpower.”

She chanced a look into his eyes and saw something that startled her. It wasn’t just sympathy or compassion. It was knowledge. He’d known pain.

“What’s that, exactly?”

“Knowing when to cut and run.”

Morgan stepped back and, with a small wave, headed into the house. Already her cell phone was buzzing, the ringtone “Born in the USA.” It was Hank. He’d spied her on the way out, but she’d pretended not to notice. She’d deal with him later.

That was her superpower. Avoidance.

9

Isabel Simon swept into Fisherman’s Landing like a tornado. She arrived two days early, enough Louis Vuitton luggage in tow to suggest at least a month’s stay. She’d taken exactly three steps inside Maverick’s home when her allergies kicked in, which meant that Stanley needed to stay elsewhere. Hence the reason the dog was camped out at Cooper’s.

Cooper didn’t mind the dog so much as the mess. The damned thing tracked mud all over the place, shed like a son of a bitch, and liked to chew things. Expensive things. He’d been at Cooper’s going on three days and had already managed to ruin two pairs of runners and his old work boots. The work boots he didn’t mind so much, but the runners? Hell, he’d have to drive an hour to the city to replace them.

The dog was lucky it was cute, because Cooper was sorely tempted to throw the bag of fur into the ocean.

“My luck, he’d swim back and track ocean crap all over the place.” He’d just locked Stanley in his cage after taking him for a long walk and watched the puppy flop down onto his bright blue bed. Clearly exhausted, Stanley didn’t bother to whine, as was his custom, when Cooper stepped away from the cage. He didn’t glance at the chew toy or the… Wait. Was that one of Cooper’s socks?

“Unbelievable.” Cooper stood back and stared down at the already sleeping pup. The water dish was full, and he’d tossed in a bone. He slid his hand inside and retrieved the shredded sock. Last thing he wanted was a trip to the vet’s.

Stanley would be fine.

It was Thursday, and even though he’d been conned into hosting Good Friday fish night, he hadn’t seen his mother since her arrival and couldn’t put it off any longer. Just this morning, she’d threatened to come out to his place and spend the day. How in hell would he get any work done with Isabel poking in his business? Maybe once the attic was finished, but by the looks of it, it would take Morgan a few more weeks.

Cooper scooped up his keys, took one last look around, and a few minutes later headed to town. The radio was on low, but he recognized the song. It was the same one that had played Saturday night when he’d taken Morgan home.

She’d been at his place right on time Monday morning, but