Find Wonder in All Things - By Karen M. Cox Page 0,84

James realized he didn’t want to be talking about John and Heather; he wanted to be talking about Laurel and James. He was interrupted by the dry, slightly nasal voice of Cooper Edwards.

“Laurel, dear . . . Oh, hello again . . . ” He paused, expecting another introduction.

“James,” they chorused, before sharing a smile.

Cooper looked back and forth between the two of them. “Right. Laurel, the Dearingers had a question about ceramic glazes, and I told them you were the person to ask.”

“Excuse me,” she said softly.

“Of course. Gotta take care of business,” James replied, trying to disguise his annoyance.

“Thanks for being a good sport, Jay. I knew you’d understand,” Cooper said to James, “being an entrepreneur yourself.”

Cooper took Laurel’s arm in a protective gesture and led her away. She stepped aside to shake him off. “I can walk, Cooper.”

“I wasn’t sure if you could in those shoes,” he said in a silky voice. “They do marvelous things for your legs, but they can’t be very good for standing on your feet all evening.”

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed as if he were teasing a child who couldn’t take a joke.

Laurel spent the next several minutes talking with the Dearingers, and then Cooper led her to someone else — and someone else and someone else. James stood, unsmiling, watching her. When she caught him looking, he turned away and joined Crosby in conversation with a group of art patrons, and Cooper continued to monopolize her attention for the next half hour.

James took another swig of his beer as he watched Edwards parade Laurel about the room as if she were a prize poodle. She looked miserable, and James couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t just tell the guy to get lost, but then, she never would say anything like that to anyone — and that had always been the problem. She wouldn’t stand up for herself, not then and, evidently, not now. Unless . . .

He put the empty bottle down and sighed. Was she miserable because of Edwards, or was she merely uncomfortable at the necessity of promoting herself? Perhaps she was grateful for Cooper’s guiding presence at her side. He needed to regroup — to think this through. After his conversation with Benwick, James hadn’t expected any competition for her. That was a stupid assumption on his part. Then, his heart stopped for a moment. If Cooper Edwards is a family friend, could her parents persuade her to . . . ? No, this couldn’t be happening to them all over again. If that was the case . . . well, he wasn’t going down without a fight. A twenty-year-old James Marshall might have been young and stupid enough to walk away from her, but at twenty-eight, he was made of sterner stuff and had become used to getting what he wanted.

She was right all those years ago when she told him the mountain laurel was poisonous. This Mountain Laurel had certainly poisoned him: spoiled him for life and ruined him for any other woman. So, Marshall, what are you going to do about it?

One thing was certain, he needed to leave before he lost his temper. That night was too important to her, and he wouldn’t embarrass her with a confrontation. He said an abrupt good night to Crosby, who looked confused but didn’t stop him from leaving. As James approached the door, Laurel caught up to him at last.

“Hey,” she said softly, her hand on his elbow, “are you all right? You’re not leaving already, are you?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired. It was a long flight, and anyway, you’re busy. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You should stay, James; there’s going to be music later — local talent. You’ll like that — that’s worth staying for.”

“I don’t think so, thanks.” He cast a surreptitious glance around the room, frowning when his gaze landed on Cooper. A mirthless chuckle escaped him. “Your warden is looking for you again.”

She turned to see who he meant, and when she turned back, James was gone.

Chapter 24

The following day, Laurel found herself trying to shake off a foul mood — a rarity for her. Part of it was exhaustion from late hours the night before, but a big reason for her irritability was her so-called mentor. Cooper was beginning to annoy her beyond her limits, and Laurel had pretty high limits. He had a proprietary air when he was around her as if he owned her. Yes, he